Whether you have been growing your hemp or cannabis for years, or you are just starting to come around to the idea that there is money to be made in the hemp and cannabis industries, you will likely have questions about the quality of available products. Even a seasoned hemp grower can learn a thing or two about improving their crop quality. Often, growers get in a cycle of doing the same thing repeatedly without consideration of other options or opportunities.
This article will help you see that there are other ways to go about growing hemp, and that starts with choosing the right seeds. Perhaps your supplier has up and vanished – wouldn’t be the first time – but either way, having a broader understanding of how to choose the right hemp seeds can make your growing experience that much more fulfilling and productive.
Choosing The Right Hemp Seeds
What do you know about the producer and seller?
As with most things in life, it’s essential to know where your goods are produced. When you head out to buy hemp seeds or other cannabis products, you want to make sure you are buying from a reputable company. That might be easier said than done.
Hemp field under blue sky
While the government regulates some cannabis growing operations, street-level hemp and cannabis growing is still happening. Meaning there is a great divide between the kind of hemp seeds you would get from the supplier that lives on your street in comparison to the supplier, which is monitored by the government. There’s no right or wrong answer here.
The point is to choose your supplier based on what you need as well as who you are comfortable buying from. Whenever you buy something from a supplier, you want to ensure consistency, congruity, and quality are intact and will remain that way throughout the growing process. Unfortunately, a lot of these suppliers are not long-term solutions, and you’ll need to find a reputable supplier that can not only provide you with a supply to start, but an amount to grow your operation later.
What kind of seeds do they offer and are they specialties?
As a beginner, you might not have any idea about the kind of hemp or cannabis you want to grow. You might not even have realized there were different kinds. If you’ve chosen a reputable supplier, you don’t have to worry about what you don’t know because they will take the time to educate you on what you need to know to choose an excellent seed package.
If you are buying online, you’ll want to reach out to the customer service or chat lines, if possible, to have your questions answered. A good rule of thumb is that the more engaged the customer service department is, the better your product will be. Companies that don’t offer quality products don’t care about serving customers. Get the insight and advice you need from a good source and choose your seeds wisely.
Because they are pretty affordable, you might decide to try several kinds of grow ops at once to see which suits your needs. Keep in mind that you will need other equipment to grow hemp, so if you choose strains that are too far-reaching from one another, you’ll need different equipment for each.
You might want to ask the seller some specific questions about the kinds of seeds you are about to buy and don’t be afraid to take the time you need to mull it over if you aren’t entirely sold on what they are offering. Here are some questions you should ask specifically to get the information you need to make the right choice.
Ask the supplier when and how the seeds are harvested. Not only will this tell you how fresh the hemp seeds are, but it will also give you some insight into how you might do the same when it’s time to harvest your crops or pull-down seeds of your own.
Ask them if the breed of seed is their own or if they took it from another supplier. This will tell you how much knowledge they have of the specific seed type and how to care for it best.
Ask for reviews of the product whenever possible. Suppliers might not have these lying around for you to take a look at, but they should be on the website or available upon request. If your supplier can’t produce reviews or positive feedback from other clients, find someone else to work with.
Are they selling the seeds legally? It’s a question that can help save you from trouble now and down the road. If companies get busted for illegal activity, their paper trails don’t tend to go away quickly.
Where do you plan to grow your hemp, and how?
If you plan to grow your hemp or cannabis inside, you’ll need unique lights to do that. Some cannabis or hemp strains do better in natural sunlight, while others do better in artificial light. Light and water are critical factors in the success of your hemp growing operation.
When you buy the seeds from the reputable supplier, take the time to ask questions about what kind of equipment you need. With the right environment, even a poor seed can flourish and produce great buds for your needs. Investing in a grow op doesn’t have to be an ongoing expense, but initially, you can expect to pay a few dollars for equipment, making the environment right for the seeds, and maintenance.
Once you have the environment prepared, you’ll be ready to go. The kind of seed you choose might be limited by the environment in which you plan to grow. For example, if you plan to grow in the basement without a lot of natural light, you might find that certain strains are not the right choice for you.
growing hemp at home
Other factors you need to consider are how the water will be distributed to the seeds. You can’t add too much or too little. What is the temperature in the room or area outside? Too much humidity can drown your plants. You need to consider the soil you are using; pH levels can play nasty tricks on your seeds and cause issues from the start.
Mineral levels are another critical thing to consider, especially if you are trying to draw out certain aspects from the hemp seeds, such as THC or CBD properties; furthermore, the length of time you allow the plant to mature will also be an essential factor in the kind of seeds you buy. Some don’t require as much growth time as others, dependent on the environment in which they are raised.
What is the purpose of growing the hemp?
Another thing to consider when choosing a hemp seed is whether you plan to grow it for your own personal use or to distribute to buyers. Of course, this isn’t legal in all areas, and even where it is legal, there are limitations on how much you can buy, produce, possess, and sell at any given time. This may significantly impact your choice of seed.
Hemp seeds can significantly boost the amount of protein in your breakfast
Some seeds produce strains of hemp and cannabis that might not be right for you. You’ll need to do your homework to find out what is and isn’t allowed in your neck of the woods. The best bet is to talk to your supplier to find out what the regulations are for growing and distribution.
One of the biggest questions you need to answer for yourself is whether you want to grow hemp and cannabis to have THC or CBD. If you aren’t sure of the difference, a reliable supplier will be able to tell you. Although, at this point, if you are researching how to find good seeds, you probably already know what you need it for.
For example, if you want to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes, you’ll want a high level of CBD. If you’re going to grow recreational marijuana, THC might be what you want. This will help drive the type of seed you’ll buy and grow.
Preparing to buy seeds from a supplier.
Before you buy seeds from any supplier, make sure to ask yourself all of these questions and be diligent about asking the supplier. If you aren’t happy with the answers you’ve received, you can decide to find another person to work with.
Because of the boom in the hemp and cannabis economy, it isn’t hard to find someone else to sell you hemp seeds. If you are worried about buying seeds from a less-than-reputable seller, ask around and find out what they are like to work with.
While there are still back alley deals going on in the hemp and cannabis industry, the legalization of cannabis in many states and throughout Canada, as well as many parts of Europe, has brought the industry out of the shadows and onto Main Street. It’s not hard to find the information you need about growing hemp in your own home anymore.
