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Dutch pilot experiment: LEGALLY growing organic female hemp flowers high in CBD

Dear International Cannagraphic members,

The aim of this tread is to share, ask questions and receive constructive feedback and tips in regards to this pilot experiment that a friend and I are setting up.

This experiment focuses on the legally growing organic hemp on Dutch agricultural soil. Ultimatly this experiment is in service of the optimisation of human health and bringing more awareness to other uses for hemp besides the most commonly known fibre, seeds and oil.

The primary goal is the production and supply of female hemp flowers with specific properties to support and optimise human health. The female hemp flowers will initially be processed and used as superfood and later possibly as food supplement and medicine (the two latter have a longer legal process). For now the most important property to be imparted in the female hemp flower is an as high as possible CBD concentration. In the future this may alter as deeper understanding of the various effects of cannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids arise. Below you’ll find a brief description of CBD taken from the website www.ProjectCBD.org.

‘Cannabidiol – CBD - is a compound in cannabis/hemp that has significant medical effects, but does not make people feel “stoned” and can actually counter the psychoactivity of THC. The reduced psychoactivity of CBD-rich cannabis may make it an appealing treatment option for patients seeking anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, and/or anti-spasm effects without disconcerting lethargy or dysphoria.

Scientific and clinical studies underscore CBD’s potential as a treatment for a wide range of conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, alcoholism, MS, chronic pain, schizophrenia, PTSD, antibiotic-resistant infections, epilepsy, and other neurological disorders. CBD has demonstrated neuroprotective and neurogenic effects, and its anti-cancer properties are currently being investigated at several academic research centers in the United States and elsewhere.’


Let it be clear that we don’t black list THC. On the contrary we see the medical benefits of using THC on its own or in combination with CBD. Both EU and Dutch legislation state that the hemp/cannabis plants may contain no more than 0,2% THC. Thus we focus on CBD hemp while patiently waiting for the inevitable rise of legislation that makes more sense.

From this point on the ‘female hemp flower(s)’ will be referred to as ‘flower(s)’.

Experiment setup, boundaries and questions
For this experiment we choose one or more varieties of hemp out of the 51 EU allowed cultivars. The EU hemp varieties can be divided into three types of plant reproductive morphologies, dioecious, monoecious and hybrids. Dioecious hemp has male flowers on one plant, and female flowers on another plant. Monoecious hemp has separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Hybrid hemp produces some plants that are dioecious and some that are monoecious. At the bottom of this post you’ll find the names and a link to the 51 EU allowed cultivars (appendix 2).

The plot of agricultural land available for this experiment is about 1/10th of a hectare (1000 square meters) and is used for the cultivation of organic food crops. The soil type is classified as ‘sandy to light clay’ (around 25% of the soil has a particle size smaller than 2 µm). The soil has a high organic content of around 4%. The soil is fertilised with manure from organic farm animals. In relation to clay soils this specific type of soil drains well. The local Dutch water board maintains a year round stable ground water level of about 1 meter below ground level. At the bottom of this post you’ll find the climatological data of the area we will be growing (appendix 1).

After having done quite some research into the different varieties and experiment boundaries we came up with the following setup, assumptions and questions.


  1. Does the pollination of the female hemp flower lower the percentage and/or amount of CBD in that flower? Am I correct in assuming that a part of what could have been flower material with high CBD content is transformed into seeds with very low CBD content? And so in pollinated flowers the total amount of CBD is lower as opposed to unpollinated?
  2. Am I correct in assuming that choosing for a dioecious variety enables more control over avoiding pollination as opposed to a monoecious variety? At the stage that sex differentiation takes place males can be taken out manually in a small scale agricultural setup. If female and male plants arise 50/50 ratio this results in sowing at for example 50 kg/ha. In doing this the targeted density of 25 kg/ha of female hemp flowers is reached.
  3. Could there be an advantage in choosing a monoecious variety with a high female predominance (e.g. > 85% female and < 15% monoecious and/or males). Some variety similar to the Canadian hemp variety Alyssa (though not EU certified…)? In that case only 15% or less of the plants have to be removed manually.

During this experiment we’ll most likely have to consort to more manual labour than is common in agricultural. Especially in regards to taking away the male hemp plants and the harvesting of the female flowers. This is due to the fact that there is no specialised equipment for harvesting the hemp plant parts.

One of the varieties of hemp out of the 51 EU allowed cultivars we choose for this experiment is Finola (www.finola.com). This variety has a lot of properties that are attractive for our setup and goal. It’s dioecious, autoflowering, produces flowers in the climatological circumstances that we we will be growing in, remains relatively small (1,5 to 2,0 meters high), short maturation time, relative to other hemp varieties has a high CBD content (some sources report 2 - 4 %), proven crop, certified organic seeds available. Even though the flowers most likely will not contain CBD content of 15% to 20% which you’ll find here and there in the medical cannabis scene. The cultivation is still worthwhile, just means that a user has to consume more flowers to get the same cannabinoid blood plasma levels. Silvana may be another interesting variety for this experiment. Needs more research. Please feel free to give us constructive feedback on the choice of our (additional) varietie(s).

Data that will be monitored during experiment.
  • Sowing conditions (Biodynamic consideration, soaked versus dry seed?)
  • Plant development (pictures, physical measurements, cannabinoid content in later stages)
o agricultural management
o fertilisation (organic if any)
o pest control (organic if any)
o weed management (organic if any)
o irrigation​
  • Weather data (from local weather station)
  • Ground water levels (from local Dutch water board)
  • …?

Post harvest
After harvest the flowers will be trimmed minimally. Only the fan leaves will be removed. The sugar leaves (leaves with trichomes) will be left on. These leaves contain valuable phytocannabinoids and terpenes.

Depending on the goal of the user the flowers can be processed and administered in multiple ways. The cannabinoids can be taken in carboxylated and/or decarboxylated form. More and more understanding is arriving on the uses of unprocessed/raw carboxylated cannabinoids. Heat and time are both factors in the decarboxylation process. But more research needs to be done in both fields. Every user will have to determine what will work best for their specific goal. Depending on how the flowers are processed the administration can be oral (oral mucosal and/or gastrointestinal tract), pulmonary (lungs) or dermal (skin). Other less common administration routes are rectal (anus), vaginal (vagina) and nasal mucosal (nose).

Below are some examples of how the flowers can be processed and administered. It doesn’t mean that we will be providing all of these processed versions. These examples are NOT intended as medical advice.

Cannabinoids mostly in carboxylated form.
  • Raw from the plant. Can be used straight or in for example a salad or smoothie (like Dr. William Courtney). Storage in fridge or freezer.
  • Raw but dried at low temperature (≤ 40°C). Can be used straight or in for example a salad or smoothie. Storage in dark and dry place at room temperature or in freezer.
  • Raw dissolved in oil. Blending raw flowers in vegetable oil (ratio 1 – 3 to 1 -10). An examples of suitable vegetable oil would be cold pressed hemp seed, olive and/or coconut oil. Administration can be oral and dermal. Dissolving the flowers in oil will most likely favour uptake in the body as the cannabinoids are fat soluble. Ideally the oil blend should contain an as wide range of oil types (saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated, ….) as possible. This aids in dissolving the widest range of cannabinoids, terpenes and other fat soluble compounds. If the oil is used dermally the blended plant matter is strained out. If the oil is used orally the plant matter is left in so the body can also process the plant matter and extract whatever compounds are still left. The vegetable oils can be added in ratios of 1-3 to 1-10.

Cannabinoids mostly in decarboxylated form
  • Oil processing. An example of this would be blending raw or dried flowers in vegetable oil that can withstand heating. Some examples of these vegetable oils are coconut oil and olive oil. The decarboxylation, drying and heating can be done on the stove or in the oven at 125°C for about 35 minutes. Desired oils that are more fragile (e.g. hemp seed oil, pumpkin seed oil) can be mixed in after the decarboxylation process when the blend has cooled down (≤ 40°C).
  • Dry processing. Taking whole flowers and decarboxylating, drying and heating them in an oven at 125°C for about 35 minutes. Can be take straight or mixed into other foods. Storage in dark and dry place at room temperature or in freezer.
  • Vaporising (strongly advised over smoking). Can be a good route of administration for some health situations (pulmonary diseases).
  • Water. Some report making tea out of cannabis. This will decarboxylate only a part of the cannabinoid as the temperature is lower than optimal. Apart from that, cannabinoids are fat soluble and therefore uptake will be lower as opposed to oil based processing.
Even though making an extract of the flowers would be preferred for some applications (e.g. topical treatment of skin diseases), this will not be done by us because THC concentration of such products will more than likely be above the 0,2 % legal limit. Users can of course at their own risk use the raw or dried plant forms to make their own concentrates. From a legal standpoint we do NOT support such preparation and uses.

Some users may want to process and administer the flowers together with a THC containing cannabis bud to get the benefits of the synergistic effect of the cannabinoids. From a legal standpoint we do NOT support such preparation and uses.

The secondary goal is to develop a way to harvest the leaves of the male and female hemp plant. Even though the cannabinoid content of the leaves is considerably lower than that of the flower, the leaves are still nutricious. Just as spinnach or kale these hemp leaves can be used raw or cooked. It remains to be seen if by the time the female hemp flowers are ready to be harvested the leaves are still palatable. Some research and experiential evidence points to possible health benefits of hemp roots. Conversely there may also be some concerns in regards to high concentration of heavy metals and other compounds. More research is needed!

The tertiary goal is locally using the hemp fibres and leaves from a perspective of circular economy. Possible applications are animal bedding, animal feed and building material.

Like I said in the opening, the aim of this thread is to share, ask questions and receive constructive feedback and tips in regards to this project. One more note, stay on topic and communicate clearly (quote, explain, motivate). Thank you!

-------- Appendix ---------

Appendix 1: Climatological data of the area we will be growing


Appendix 2: List of the 51 approved EU varieties of hemp
In the list below I put all the approved EU varieties of hemp with their plant reproductive morphologies, country of origin and some basic info.

  • Antal is ??? – Czech, no hits on Google.
  • Armanca is dioecious – Romania, seed crop, virtually no info on this variety, probably for warm regions.
  • Asso is dioecious – Italy, fibre crop, probably for warm regions.
  • Beniko is monoecious – Poland, fibre crop.
  • Bialobrzeskie is monoecious – Poland, fibre crop.
  • CannaKomp is dioecious – Hungary, fibre crop, virtually no info on this variety, probably for warm regions.
  • Carma is monoecious – Italy, fibre crop, probably for warm regions.
  • Carmagnola is dioecious – Italy, fibre crop, high CBD content, tall plant that grows in warm regions.
  • Chamaeleon is dioecious – Netherlands, specific fibre crop, female predominant.
  • Codimono is monoecious – Italy, fibre crop.
  • 'CS' or 'Carmagnola Selezionata' is dioecious – Italy, fibre crop, high CBD content, tall plant that grows in warm regions.
  • Dacia Secuieni is monoecious – Romania, fibre crop, probably for warm regions.
  • Delta Ilosa is monoecious – Spain, fibre crop.
  • Delta 405 is monoecious – Spain, fibre crop.
  • Denise is monoecious – Romania, fibre and seed crop.
  • Diana is monoecious – Romania, fibre and seed crop.
  • Dioica 88 is dioecious – France, fibre crop, virtually no info on this variety, late maturity
  • Epsilon 68 is monoecious – France, fibre crop.
  • Fedora 17 is monoecious hybrid – France, fibre crop, according to Only Ornamental 50% female and 50% monoecious plants.
  • Felina 32 is monoecious hybrid – France, fibre crop, according to Only Ornamental 50% female and 50% monoecious plants, medium THC/CBD, optimal vegetative phase temperature of ~13°C
  • Ferimon/Férimon is monoecious – France, fibre crop.
  • Fibranova is dioecious – Italian, fibre crop, optimal temperature in vegetative phase ~23°C, CBD rich.
  • Fibrimor is dioecious – Italian, fibre crop, optimal temperature in vegetative phase ~23°C, CBD rich
  • Fibrol is monoecious – Hungary, seed crop, probably for warm regions.
  • Finola is dioecious – Finland, seed crop, autoflowering, short maturation time, continental and temperate regions, particularly between latitudes 45° – 60°, ideal soil temperature 10-15°C, easy to handle because of low height
  • Futura 75 is monoecious – France, fibre crop.
  • Ivory is monoecious (according to Only Ornamental) – Netherlands, no hits on Google
  • KC Dora monoecious (according to Only Ornamental) – Hungary, no hits on Google
  • KC Virtus – Hungary, No hits on Google
  • KC Zuzana – Hungary, No hits on Google
  • Kompolti is dioecious – Hungary, fibre crop, 1 to 2 % CBD, low seed yield, long maturation time (~155 d)
  • Kompolti Hybrid TC is monoecious hybrid – Hungary, fibre crop, 1 to 2 % CBD, 60-65% female
  • Lipko is monoecious – Romania, virtually no info on this variety.
  • Marcello monoecious – Netherlands, virtually no info on this variety.
  • Markant monoecious – Netherlands, virtually no info on this variety.
  • Monoica monoecious – Czech, Hungary, virtually no info on this variety.
  • Santhica 23 is monoecious – France, fibre crop.
  • Santhica 27 is monoecious – France, fibre crop.
  • Santhica 70 is monoecious – France, fibre crop.
  • Secuieni Jubileu is monoecious – Romania, seed crop, probably for warmer regions..
  • Silvana (LV. 200) is dioecious – Romania, seed crop, probably for warmer regions. MORE RESEARCH
  • Szarvasi is monoecious (according to Only Ornamental) – Hungary, no hits on Google
  • Tiborszállási is dioecious – Italy, Hungary, fibre and seed crop, for seeds it reaches 4 – 5 meters high, it has much more stem and fibre yield in Northern countries but it cannot be produced for seed there.
  • Tisza is monoecious (according to Only Ornamental) – Hungary, no hits on Google
  • Tygra is monoecious – Poland, fibre and seed crop, it is characterized by the shortest vegetation period among all Polish cultivars.
  • Uniko B is dioecious and some sources report hybrid – Hungary, fibre and seed crop, high seed yield (1500kg/ha). Plant height is similar to Kompolti's height. General difference from other varieties is the sexual ratio. Females are dominant in the F1 generation, and partly dominant in the F2 generation. Presence of monoecious plants in F1 is common.
  • Uso-31 is monoecious – Netherlands and Ukrain, fibre and seed crop.
  • Wielkopolskie is monoecious – Poland
  • Wojko – most likely monoecious as it is Polish, no hits on Google.
  • Zenit is monoecious – Romania, fibre and seed crop.

EU document, 32nd complete edition of the ‘Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species’ (page 211 to 213)
 

Chunkypigs

passing the gas
Veteran
whew! what are you trying to do here? breed hemp with higher than normal cbd?

those industrial hemp strains are the wrong place to look for high percentages of cannabinoids.

why not start with one of the flowers that pop out of Cannatonnic that are in the 30:1 cbd to thc ratios?
 
Low prices and LEGAL

Low prices and LEGAL

@Chunkypigs: In answer to your question, see quote from original post.

Even though the flowers most likely will not contain CBD content of 15% to 20% which you’ll find here and there in the medical cannabis scene. The cultivation is still worthwhile, just means that a user has to consume more flowers to get the same cannabinoid blood plasma levels.

Growing LEGAL hemp makes is possible to supply large amounts of CBD material at low prices in comparison to ILLEGAL cannabis.
 

OakyJoe

OGJoe / Wiener und kein Allemann
Veteran
Did you sow this variety and if so what are the results?

No i didn't, just got my hands on. nothing more, not really interessted in growing them. Carmagnola, Cannabis Gigantea is also nice and CBD high. Legal in Swiss to grow
 
Would work..

Would work..

Okay, what about the Felina 32? Would this be good for Holland?
Climate wise I think it would work. This cultivar is however monoecious. For this pilot we think it's best to work with a dioecious variety. What is your take on this?
 

oldchuck

Active member
Veteran
Sounds like a very interesting project, Dutch. I hope you will keep us informed.

I'm growing out a test batch of Finola right now. They are in very small pots, just testing germination and growth before I possibly plant a reasonable sized patch outside in the spring. They are cute little plants, started slow, showed their sex early, they went through a growth spurt, and now are maturing, all under 18/6 light, surely an autoflower. My tallest male went to almost 1 meter in a tiny pot. While moving him today his stem snapped at ground level. The wood is very soft. The females seem more hardy.

You raise some interesting questions. Your first regarding the possible CBD levels in pollinated and unpollinated flowers I can't answer but I would ask you what sort of testing arrangements are you making to quantify your results?

Going with dioecious or monoecious deserves some analysis. I have no experience with monoecious types but there are big advantages to them for large crops planted and harvested with contemporary field machinery. For your small scale experiments (and mine) I would go with dioecious and pull the males manually. I'll leave my males and make seed. There is nothing more nutritious than hemp seed.

In your 1,000 sq M patch I assume you will be only planting one variety? In order to do some controlled breeding you would need smaller patches and strict pollen control.

Best of luck...
 

Only Ornamental

Spiritually inspired agnostic mad scientist
Veteran
  1. Does the pollination of the female hemp flower lower the percentage and/or amount of CBD in that flower? Am I correct in assuming that a part of what could have been flower material with high CBD content is transformed into seeds with very low CBD content? And so in pollinated flowers the total amount of CBD is lower as opposed to unpollinated?
  2. Am I correct in assuming that choosing for a dioecious variety enables more control over avoiding pollination as opposed to a monoecious variety? At the stage that sex differentiation takes place males can be taken out manually in a small scale agricultural setup. If female and male plants arise 50/50 ratio this results in sowing at for example 50 kg/ha. In doing this the targeted density of 25 kg/ha of female hemp flowers is reached.
  3. Could there be an advantage in choosing a monoecious variety with a high female predominance (e.g. > 85% female and < 15% monoecious and/or males). Some variety similar to the Canadian hemp variety Alyssa (though not EU certified…)? In that case only 15% or less of the plants have to be removed manually.
Hi DutchHempCBD
Regarding your questions:
1: Yes, it will lower the yield per acre because unseeded hemp produces large amounts of new flowers (aka sinsemilla) thereby increasing the harvest yield and total CBD. Although, the amount resin per gram flowers may remain the same; it's not so clear and lacks solid data.
2: Correct. True monoecious will lead to complete pollination but with dioecious already one single male may pollinate your whole batch! Culling males is possible but VERY laborious. It has been done in the early hemp breeding programs but they went to unisex plants. Maybe you can get true unisex plants (this are the F1's of dioecious females with monoecious plants as pollen donors)? Though, seems to me as if the F2 seeds are the ones sold for fibre production ;( . Still, culling a few males is way easier than 50%. Also, you'd have to buy only half the seeds ;) .
3: Correct, see point 2. Most French varieties belong to this group. I couldn't find hard evidence for the statements about the exact amount of females in these hybrids. Sometimes it's mentioned female predominant, sometimes 50:50... the few males in true female predominant crosses are often from stray pollen from true males forgotten to cull in the process.

You may have a chance with Finola and other seed hemp varieties because the males mature well before the females; in part a wanted trait because that way the males are gone once the seeds mature and it gets easier to harvest. Other varieties, especially the pure fibre types, mature together so that you don't waist good male fibres and there you'd have trouble culling the males in time ;) .

Something else to consider:
It is often stated that this and that variety contains high amounts of CBD (like Finola and Carmagnola). I don't really believe that they contain a lot, it's at best a bit more than others. Apart from the varieties bred for super low cannabinoid content, hemp contains more CBD than THC but as you know only a few % in total. With some varieties like Finola and Carmagnola you have to be careful: The THC content is really limit and increasing CBD will also increase THC... but you won't do selective breeding over several generations, right?

BTW Eastern European varieties are often tall fibre plants not suited for Dutch climate but rather for Italy and Spain.
Go with French varieties if you like monoecious ones. From what I've seen, you can only get seeds of these in France even if some dioecious ones are registered: The latter are likely registered because they are used in breeding of hybrids.
Current German varieties seem to be very low in overall cannabinoid content (like many French ones too) and often monoecious too.
Canadian ones (some are Finola crosses, BTW) might be nice in terms of climate and maturation but the legality in EU...

Besides, did you realise that the numbers in the names of most varieties indicate maturity and/or flower onset? That said, go for low numbers!
 

Only Ornamental

Spiritually inspired agnostic mad scientist
Veteran
Little question so that I can complete my own list of hemp cultivars:
The Chamaeleon you mentioned seems to be dioecious; how can it be female predominant at the same time? Do you have further info on that cause I couldn't find much useful?
 
You where right....

You where right....

Little question so that I can complete my own list of hemp cultivars:
The Chamaeleon you mentioned seems to be dioecious; how can it be female predominant at the same time? Do you have further info on that cause I couldn't find much useful?

Ahh, upon further investigation I found that this variety is indeed monoecious. But it apperently does have a high female predominance....
I have a link where you can read up on this variety. Originally this is in Dutch, so that can explain why you didn't find it. Click here for Google Translation. Maybe this would be an interesting variety to check out, it grows in the Netherlands and has high female count..... it's mainly grown for fibre though, I don't know what that says about the quality of flowers....
 
1: Yes, it will lower the yield per acre because unseeded hemp produces large amounts of new flowers (aka sinsemilla) thereby increasing the harvest yield and total CBD. Although, the amount resin per gram flowers may remain the same; it's not so clear and lacks solid data.
2: Correct. True monoecious will lead to complete pollination but with dioecious already one single male may pollinate your whole batch! Culling males is possible but VERY laborious. It has been done in the early hemp breeding programs but they went to unisex plants. Maybe you can get true unisex plants (this are the F1's of dioecious females with monoecious plants as pollen donors)? Though, seems to me as if the F2 seeds are the ones sold for fibre production ;( . Still, culling a few males is way easier than 50%. Also, you'd have to buy only half the seeds ;) .
3: Correct, see point 2. Most French varieties belong to this group. I couldn't find hard evidence for the statements about the exact amount of females in these hybrids. Sometimes it's mentioned female predominant, sometimes 50:50... the few males in true female predominant crosses are often from stray pollen from true males forgotten to cull in the process.

Thanks for the answers. Obviously the less manual labour the better. Keeps the costs down. So the best thing would be to get a variety with high true female occurrence (dioecious, monoecious or hybrid). And cull the plants with male flowers. It would surely lead to the most high quality end product if successful. Though, I'm really doubting this practise. It doesn't seem like a realistic agricultural practise, especially not when up scaling from 1/10th of an hectare to say 10 hectare. And even if we would manage to cull all the males, who's to say that some pollen from a hemp farm 10-50 km down the road doesn't pollinate the entire batch.

You may have a chance with Finola and other seed hemp varieties because the males mature well before the females; in part a wanted trait because that way the males are gone once the seeds mature and it gets easier to harvest. Other varieties, especially the pure fibre types, mature together so that you don't waist good male fibres and there you'd have trouble culling the males in time ;) .
We just ordered the Finola seeds. Going by what I read yesterday about the Chamaeleon is also an interesting option. For one it grown in Dutch climate and secondly it has a high female occurrence. Do you have any suggestions of specific varieties on the EU list that have a high female occurrance?
With some varieties like Finola and Carmagnola you have to be careful: The THC content is really limit and increasing CBD will also increase THC... but you won't do selective breeding over several generations, right?
We will not be doing any selective breeding. For now that's beyond the scope of our capacity. We’ll just be buying sowing seeds.

BTW Eastern European varieties are often tall fibre plants not suited for Dutch climate but rather for Italy and Spain. Go with French varieties if you like monoecious ones. From what I've seen, you can only get seeds of these in France even if some dioecious ones are registered: The latter are likely registered because they are used in breeding of hybrids. Current German varieties seem to be very low in overall cannabinoid content (like many French ones too) and often monoecious too. Canadian ones (some are Finola crosses, BTW) might be nice in terms of climate and maturation but the legality in EU...
Yeah, the Eastern EU varieties are not an option. The French strains are an option. I know of one company in the Netherlands that breeds the French Epsilon 68, Fedora 17 and Futura 75 specifically for the production of CBD ‘rich’ hemp juice. The juice is made from the leaves and flowers of these varieties. Correct me if I’m wrong but there are no EU certified German hemp strains…. Right? What about the Polish strains?
Besides, did you realise that the numbers in the names of most varieties indicate maturity and/or flower onset? That said, go for low numbers!
Can you explain why you think it’s best to go for the low numbers?

Thank you Only Ornamental. You're of great help!
 

Only Ornamental

Spiritually inspired agnostic mad scientist
Veteran
If you would want to cull less males you'd have to go with a female predominant variety (aka hybrid, unisex or in toker language 'feminised strains'). In case of real monoecious plants, every single one has male and female flowers.
That's why it would be interesting to re-invent the once found but lost male sterile lines because breeding unisex plants is really a thing of luck and labour (because pollen flies far). Every 'female only' hybrid is just a female predominant one because there are always a few true males somewhere pollinating a little bit, hence resulting in no pure female line. Lets say you'd get 5% pollinated, that wouldn't bother you, right? But then again, I couldn't find enough data on this subject and many female predominant ones are only 50:50 female/monoecious and that doesn't help much.

Finola may be the best variety insofar that it is likely the only variety grown exclusively organically and which can cope with the relatively low nutrient content of certified organic soil.
I have no helpful idea on EU strains; look at the end of the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] ‘Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species’[/FONT] where you find all the institutes/authorities selling hemp seeds. They should know more about what they have and what could fit your bill ;) .

Don't take the Epsilon, they are a German bred variety (although registered in France like all the other German ones... no idea why) with very low cannabinoid content. The other two may work; standard female predominant Fibrimon hybrids. BTW Fédora 17 grows very well in Switzerland (well, it's also the only legal one but that's beside the point). Don't know about Polish varieties; the climate seems about right for you and Beniko is also registered in the Netherlands.

Why the low numbers? The lower the number (within a variety), the earlier flower onset and harvest ;) . You can not compare a Fédora 17 with a Futura 75 though... No clue how and why they choose the numbers.
 

Rinse

Member
Veteran
Very interesting, so I guess the next step is to find the highest CBD producing hemp strain (that is registered as legal?)...Isn't the legality based solely on THC production being below a certain percentage? Therefore what are the steps to "register" a plant as legal, for example a very low THC 1/10 cannatonic? Just throwing around ideas here.
 

Only Ornamental

Spiritually inspired agnostic mad scientist
Veteran
AFAIK registration takes a while (years) and starts with an official experimental plot/field accompanied by rigorous THC testing. Registration is only possible after several years with all specimens below the legal limit.
And you're right, CBD is of no interest for the authorities but THC is often at 5 to 10% of it, resulting (with an example limit of 0.2% THC) in 2 to 4% CBD. And this is the common concentration in hemp ;( .
 
Overlooked your message....

Overlooked your message....

You raise some interesting questions. Your first regarding the possible CBD levels in pollinated and unpollinated flowers I can't answer but I would ask you what sort of testing arrangements are you making to quantify your results?

Going with dioecious or monoecious deserves some analysis. I have no experience with monoecious types but there are big advantages to them for large crops planted and harvested with contemporary field machinery. For your small scale experiments (and mine) I would go with dioecious and pull the males manually. I'll leave my males and make seed. There is nothing more nutritious than hemp seed.

In your 1,000 sq M patch I assume you will be only planting one variety? In order to do some controlled breeding you would need smaller patches and strict pollen control.

Thanks for your reply and your 2 cents.

Around harvest time we'll send a test sample to a lab specialised in testing cannabis. As far as I could gather from their website they use GC and HPLC. Maybe we could do a test between a pollinated and unpollinated flowers....

We will most likely just keep it to Finola, but not 100% decided on that yet. There will be no breeding just growing.
 
Choices....

Choices....

.... That's why it would be interesting to re-invent the once found but lost male sterile lines because breeding unisex plants is really a thing of luck and labour (because pollen flies far). Every 'female only' hybrid is just a female predominant one because there are always a few true males somewhere pollinating a little bit, hence resulting in no pure female line. Lets say you'd get 5% pollinated, that wouldn't bother you, right? But then again, I couldn't find enough data on this subject and many female predominant ones are only 50:50 female/monoecious and that doesn't help much.

Thanks for your hemp wisdom. Yeah.... female only would be nice. And no partial pollination isn't a problem. I just don't want the flowers to turn into a big bush of seeds. I know for a fact that the THC and CBD content of seeds is VERY low. I feel that part of the energy that would otherwise go into creating flowers will go into seeds leading to lower CBD content.

It's such a shame that there isn't like one BIG database on all the hemp varieties, how they grow best, what the cannabinoid content is, what they can be used for etc. One of these days I'll contact the people behind the Chamaeleon variety and ask what the female percentage and cannabinoid content is.

Finola may be the best variety insofar that it is likely the only variety grown exclusively organically and which can cope with the relatively low nutrient content of certified organic soil.
I have no helpful idea on EU strains; look at the end of the [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] ‘Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species’[/FONT] where you find all the institutes/authorities selling hemp seeds. They should know more about what they have and what could fit your bill ;) .
The soil that we are growing on is one of best agricultural soils in the world. Very fertile! So we are not to worried about that. If needed additional organic fertilisation is possible.

A couple of weeks ago I called to the main French seed company.... no luck. The guy ONLY spoke French. I guess I have to call one more time to see if I get lucky and speak English with someone.

Don't take the Epsilon, they are a German bred variety (although registered in France like all the other German ones... no idea why) with very low cannabinoid content. The other two may work; standard female predominant Fibrimon hybrids. BTW Fédora 17 grows very well in Switzerland (well, it's also the only legal one but that's beside the point). Don't know about Polish varieties; the climate seems about right for you and Beniko is also registered in the Netherlands.

Pfff... choices, choices.... yeah, I think a Polish variety would also work out. What do you think about the monoecious Tygra ->
Tygra guaranties high yield of straw, seed and fiber. It is characterized by the shortest vegetation period among all Polish cultivars. LINK
 

Only Ornamental

Spiritually inspired agnostic mad scientist
Veteran
What did you think that people speak in France? English? German? ROFLMAO!!!!
Call 'em as often and as long as you want; It'll be close to a miracle if you'd find someone who understands not only English but also speaks it in an understandable manner.
Worst case, write me a PM and I'll translate it for you so that you can send them an email ;) .
 

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