Introduction
Growing Industrial hemp has gained popularity in recent years. And if you are a hemp grower, your prospects are high – fiber, seed, and oil. However, like many crops, hemp is prone to strong winds. To realize maximum yield you have to protect your hemp from wind damage.
Hemp was once a dominant crop on the world landscape. Hemp was favored for various industrial applications including paper, textiles, and cordage. Hemp contains less than 0.3%. Now it has been legalized for cultivation and harvest in many countries.
It for the growth potential of industrial hemp, you need to protect it from the wind, this article addresses how you can do this. So what do you have to do to protect your hemp from the wind?
Let’s get started.
Growing Hemp
What is Industrial Hemp？
The hemp plant is a variety of Cannabis sativa species with a long history of making fiber dating back 50,000 years ago. There are about 1000 species of hemp in the world. Hemp has low Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at a percentage below 3%. However, it faces some legal obstacles in some countries due to its similarity with Marijuana.
Of what use is industrial Hemp? Hemp manufactures many products:
- Fiber for twine, paper, construction, materials, carpeting, clothing, and animal bedding.
- Seeds are used in making industrial oils, cosmetics, personal care products, and medicines.
- And oil for cooking oil, salad dressings, pasta, and snack products.
According to one source, the oil can be found in more than 2500 products.
Growing Industrial Hemp
If you want to start growing industrial hemp, check your country’s policies, regulations, and laws. Why this? Because different countries in the world place many restrictions.
If you meet the regulations, check whether your field has deep and loose soil. If it passes the test, confirm whether your soil is rich in organic matter and within a Ph range of 6 to 7.5. Want your Help to perform well, and avoid wet soils.
Why this obsession with soil? It can restrict your industrial hemp
- Shoot growth
- Fiber quality
- And regular heights
Next in line is seedbed preparation and seeding. Just seed in the spring on well-prepared soils, depending on your cropping system and rotational scheme.
When planting your hemp seed, keep it shallow. Ensure you plant a half-inch into the soil. if you decide to go further, make it not more than 1 inch.
Why plant at this shallow level? Because Industrial hemp is sensitive to drainage. Check whether it is going to rain, if so wait till the rain subsides.
We recommend you sow your hemp from May to June. If you want to grow your hemp for
Cannabidiol (CBD) plant your seeds 4 to 5 feet apart in rows. This allows you to weed mechanically.
If your growing hemp for CBD, you should wait 70 to 120 days to be ready for harvest.
Strong Wind is Bad for Your Industrial Hemp
Yes, strong winds are bad for your industrial hemp and all other plants. Your hemp is more prone to the wind if it is tall.
If you don’t protect your hemp against the wind your crop will suffer various damages.
- Injuries: Strong winds flatten your hemp, break stems, branches and leaves. This is caused by particles, stones, and sand carried by the wind. This will affect your hemp productivity. And these stresses the hemp to have an increased level of THC.
- Decreased pollination: Hemp requires a favorable environment for pollination. Strong winds interfere with cross-pollination. If the wind is harsh, no insect will pollinate your hemp. This results in sterile and poor quality plants with no buds.
- Fire outbreaks: Strong winds cause an increased likelihood of wildfires. The strong winds are likely to cause a fire that can wipe out your hemp.
- Sweep away water and nutrients: The plant dehydrates a lot. And with less water, you need to provide water.
How to Protect Your Industrial Hemp from Wind?
If you’re going to reap maximum returns from your hemp, protects it from the wind. Wind can appear unexpectedly and ruin your hemp.
If your hemp is located in an area prone to wind such as open and unprotected areas, you should protect it. Once strong windbreaks and flattens your fields of hemp, it will be hard to recover.
Windbreak netting is a cloth textile mesh net spread in the field to protect your hemp from the wind. Apart from netting, you can protect your hemp from wind damage by:
- The fence around your hemp plants: Plant your hemp close to the fence to act as a windbreak. The trees and hedges act as a natural windbreak.
- Put a fence around your hemp: You can also put a firm fence that does not allow wind to pass through. Ensure your fence on where the strong wind comes from.
Windbreak Netting
Windbreak netting provides a wind barrier to protect your hemp. Windbreak nets reduce the wind velocity hence reducing damage by 35%. This is damage caused by sandblasting, erosion, water evaporation, and temperature changes
And whats is more, windbreak nets have a positive effect on germination, growth, flower development, pollen transfer, fruit ripening, crop yield, and quality of your hemp
Material
Windbreak materials are manufactured from High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) resin. This ensures your netting is of high tensile strength. The netting is further knitted and UV stabilized to make it durable.
Size
The nets are available in 50m roll widths of 0.75, 1.5, and 3m. aesthetically pleasing. Apart
Considerations when Buying Your Windbreak Netting
There are many options for manufacture, retail store, and online stores.to buy consider the following:
Color: various colors – green, blue, black, dark, and green white.
Size: varies from 2mm to 4mm.
Weight: From 100g/m2 to 200g/m2
Width: From 1m to 6m but you customize to your specification
Length: Ranges from 50m – 100m -200m
Anti-wind rate: 30% to 70% standing
Accessories and Installation Method
Installing windbreak netting is easy. You just need a few accessories. For instance
- zip and cable ties
- Galvanized bolts
- Bungee cords
- Banding wires
The windbreak netting can link to the existing fence. You can link your netting by attaching with:
- Chain link fencing: you can reduce the wind effect by attaching with chain link fencing. This improves tensile strength and its functionality.
- Steel windbreak netting: Windbreak netting performance when connected with steel windbreak netting.
The windbreak netting comes with a five-year warranty.
Conclusions
While low wind is good for your plants, strong winds destroy your hemp. The good thing you have choices to create wind barriers. And this way you can be able to grow hemp even in a strong wind environment.
Protecting your hemp require investment in agriculture windbreak netting.
We are confident that if you install netting, your hemp will continue to thrive and give you maximum yields.
We, the leading agriculture protection netting company can help you get your windbreak netting. If you have any questions about the windbreak netting, drop us an email at info@eyouagro.com or visit our website at www.eyouagro.com
