Hemp is an industrial form of cannabis that produces seeds and stems that can be used to make a wide range of products. On average, it takes four to six months for hemp to reach maturity and be ready for harvest. This is much faster than trees, which can take up to 20 years to reach maturity. Hemp plants grow vigorously, with long stems and deep roots.
Different varieties of hemp can produce varying amounts of seeds or fiber, and they also differ in oil composition. It is recommended to plant hemp seeds from April to June, although the conditions are more important than the calendar date. Hemp seeds should be deeply watered once a week, early in the morning or at dusk to prevent evaporation. After planting, deep watering should be done to promote germination. You should be able to see the seeds sprout between five and ten days, although some hemp seeds can take up to two weeks. A less common type of hemp is ruderalis, or autoflowering variety, which grows differently from the common light-sensitive or photoperiodic variety.
Autoflowering plants go through their entire life cycle regardless of the amount of lighting they receive each day. A healthy hemp field should consist of hundreds or thousands of hemp plants, each composed of a single stem. Hemp is an incredibly versatile crop that can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, it produces four times more paper than trees and can also be used to make cooking oils, salad dressings, essential fatty acid supplements, cosmetic products and industrial oil-based products. Hempcrete is a carbon negative product that can be used to replace insulation, drywall and cement in construction projects. Excellent performance is achieved with time and patience, which every novice hemp grower must understand.
If you want to get a short answer on how long it takes for hemp to fully grow, on average it takes three to five months. However, the process can take anywhere from eight weeks to more than eight months due to multiple factors. When harvesting hemp, it's important to remember that there are post-harvest procedures that need to be done in order for its fruits to be of the best quality. For thousands of years, hemp has been used all over the world and its many uses are now being rediscovered.
