Hemp Guide - 2022 - 8

GENETICS
HEMP GROWTH STAGES
PHOTOPERIOD
SEEDLING
Greenhouse seed
production for
'Early Wu'
AUTOFLOWER (DAY NEUTRAL)
Growers looking to harvest prior
to fall or to extend their season can
use autoflower hemp varieties, says
Stromberg. This type of hemp will
begin to flower approximately 30 days
after germination, regardless of the
number of hours of darkness per
day. These varieties can be used for
smokable end products, but they are
more popularly used in the pre-roll and
biomass markets.
Autoflower hemp grows smaller
(approximately 2.5-4 feet in height
and 2-3 feet in diameter), making
mechanical harvesting easier.
Beacon Hemp recommends planting
autoflower varieties at higher
densities (1-2 square feet per
plant in 1-2 gallon containers) than
photoperiodic varieties. Beacon
Hemp's varieties typically begin to
flower 30 days after germination and
are ready to harvest in 75 to 90 days.
Unlike their photoperiod
counterparts, autoflower varieties
cannot be propagated in loose-fill
media. Preformed media is best for
the plant's minimal root growth to
hold soil better during transplant.
Beacon Hemp recommends using
polymer plugs over stonewool. In
addition, autoflower hemp requires
more nitrogen than photoperiod.
A short vegetative stage means
supplying plants with nitrogen
fertilizer early.
Beacon Hemp's line of high CBD,
autoflower hemp features six
cultivars. 'Auto Tune' - featuring
dense flowers that form long terminal
colas - and 'Auto Blunami' - with
expansive terminal flowers on all
branches - are the most popular.
Stromberg cautions growers on
producing more than they know what
to do with. " Growing it is the easy
8 | 2022 GUIDE TO HEMP PRODUCTION
TRANSPLANT
VEGETATIVE
Emergence occurs 2-5 days following
sowing. Depending on plug cell size,
seedlings are ready to transplant 14-28 days
after sowing.
Optimal seedling size for fi eld transplantation
depends on climate, season, and plug size;
generalized recommendation is 21-day old,
hardened seedling in a 72-cell flat.
Period of immature development prior to
flower initiation and visible bud.
VISIBLE BUD
4 WEEKS
PRIOR TO
HARVEST
When flower buds are fi rst visible; in fi eld
at 42-degree latitude occurs between July
20 and Aug. 5; in light deprivation condition
occurs approximately two weeks following
induction of long nights.
Typical timeframe for preharvest, compliance
analysis is 7 to 9 weeks after germination.
AUTOFLOWER
Emergence occurs in 2-5 days.
Takes approximately 5-10 days after
sowing to reach transplant size in a
98-128 cell propagation tray.
Seedling potted up or sown in field
5-10 days following sowing.
Period of immature development
prior to flower initiation and visible
bud.
Occurs approximately 30 days
following germination; when flower
buds are first visible.
Typical timeframe for preharvest,
compliance analysis is 7 to 9 weeks
after germination.
Source: Photoperiodic Variety Cultivation Guide and Day Neutral Variety Cultivation Guide, Beacon Hemp
part, " he says. " It's everything after
that is more difficult. "
Planning for harvest and
postharvest prior to getting into
production will prevent problems
down the road. Staggering harvest
dates, especially with autoflower
varieties, will prevent worrying about
your crop getting hot if you can't
harvest it all in time.
" The big mistake that we saw
happen in 2019, and to some degree
we're still seeing it echo now, is
that a lot of people thought that
they were going to make fortunes
in one season, " Stromberg says.
" That overproduction hurt the entire
industry - including the people that
executed well and are riding through
the storm. It affected their bottom
line, because to be competitive, the
prices had to crater. You essentially
had to compete with people that
were selling just to get as close to
whole as they possibly could. I'd
recommend greenhouse growers be
very diligent. Don't get into it too big
too fast. "
While Beacon Hemp does not
provide agronomic support for
growers, Stromberg says they can
direct growers to professionals in
the industry that can help with their
specific needs. Cultivation guides are
available on the company's website
(beaconhemp.com/hemp-cultivationtechniques)
for each of its varieties.
A hemp catalog on the website also
includes information on how to select
a variety and how to estimate your
seed needs by determining your
planting density.
Breeding efforts at Beacon Hemp
are now focusing on new minor
cannabinoids, such as CBG, CBG-V
and CBD-V. Day neutral versions are
in the works first with photoperiod
versions to follow. The " beauty " of
these cannabinoids is the consistent
production of postharvest compliant
flower, Stromberg says.
" The way the testing is done for
compliance purposes is everything
is sampled preharvest, " Stromberg
says. " A lot of the cannabinoid
development occurs in the last month
of that reproductive growth. So,
something that tests at .2% Delta-9
THC at the time of sampling will
technically be legal; however, it very
likely is going to be at or above half
a percent THC postharvest. While
this is currently not a huge issue, we
see it as potentially being an issue in
the future and having seed offerings
that produce flowers that is always
compliant has been a top priority
for us. "
Beacon Hemp is also working on
earning AOSCA certification for all
its varieties. 'Auto Blues' and 'Auto
Blunami' are currently certified. HPN

http://www.beaconhemp.com/hemp-cultivation

Hemp Guide - 2022

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