\t\tColorado hemp field coming into bloom in Boulder County\t\t\tActivist opens up her private hemp plot to visitors, talks pollination and possibilities for industryPublished:\tAug 22, 2014, 8:50 amAdd a Comment By Elana Ashanti Jefferson, The Cannabist Staff Veronica Carpio stood at the center of her Boulder County hemp field, surrounded by mature plants that proved their resilience this summer by growing taller and bushier in response to a nasty hail storm. “We've got massive amounts of pollen coming off these plants,†Carpio said recently as she swept a partially-closed fist along the top of a hemp stalk and yellow powder billowed from the plant. (The businesswoman and activist won't get a contact high touching these plants as hemp is marijuana's non-mind altering cannabis cousin and has only trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabidol.) “This pollen could be a nightmare for marijuana grows.†In coming weeks, Carpio, who owns Colorado Hemp Coffee, plans to host periodic tours of her flowering outdoor hemp field. Hemp enthusiasts can find out about the tours via Carpio's Facebook page and business websites (coloradohempcoffee.com or Facebook.com/HempCoffee). “I want to know what's going to happen with the bees,†said Carpio, her forearms caked with botanical dust. Should that pollen come into contact with female marijuana plants, Carpio said, those plants would produce many seeds among the THC-rich buds. All things Hemp: Reviews for products utilizing versatile hemp - foods, clothing, crafts, health & beauty, pet gear The hemp pollen solution for indoor marijuana grows? A high-quality HEPA filter to keep out the hemp pollen. Anyone growing marijuana outdoors, and most especially near pollinating hemp, may be in for a disappointment, according to Carpio. When Colorado voters approved Amendment 64 to legalize marijuana in 2012, they also helped inch open the door to an industrial hemp revival. Now entrepreneurs such as Carpio are experimenting with cultivating and processing the plant, which has myriad applications but has been especially popular lately for potentially possessing cannabis health benefits minus the marijuana high. Building materials: Hemp cabin in Colo. high country to showcase the plant's possibilities The handful of hemp growers and enthusiasts gathered for this particular tour often fell into excited chitchat about seeds, strains, cultivars, chemical compounds and hemp industry trailblazers. Grant Orvis, a Longmont molecular geneticist, attended Carpio's tour because of his interest in developing hemp that's especially well-suited to growing in Colorado's high and dry climate. “I want to see how many cultivars Veronica has here,†Orvis said. Bill Hawkins, an herbalist and organic farmer, drove from Nebraska for the tour. He hopes that hemp will provide an avenue for economic revitalization in his state. “It's the excitement over these first plantings, and the reawakening of this industry†Hawkins said of his motivation to visit Carpio's hemp field. This harvest is earmarked for Colorado Hemp Coffee's research-and-development initiatives. Carpio intends to use the crop to build a hempcrete shed alongside the field, and already started producing cannabidiol (CBD) caplets, which she says are quickly gaining favor among consumers. “Most people think hemp is just for bracelets,†Hawkins said while fingering a piece of cream-colored Macramé tethered to his wrist. “But this is cutting-edge biogenetics.†\thttp://www.thecannabist.co/2014/08/22/colorado-hemp-field-spotlights-industry-struggles-aspirations/18407/
This is really going to turn into a huge problem. How are people supposed to grow outdoors now?? This REALLLY gets under my skin.
And ur right they should cut all males. Or somehow grow fem hemp seeds? But on an industrial scale that just isnt gonna happen. Personally if I grew nearby outdoors i would make it a point to go burn there entire crop down until they got the message.
Lol hardly my friend!(harvest time is right around the corner and these are forbiden things to talk about ) But have u ever harvested a pollenized female? Its pretty much a total loss (besides the seeds). But i went on to read the article and it said your safe for about 10 miles witch is pretty reasonable. Another thing i was thinking about. If said females did get pollenated by a hemp plant would the seeds be complete shit due to the genetics? Only reason i got so heated is because i live out in the country and when things do come around to be legalized and farmers do start growin it it would be impossible to escape it! Growing outdoors would become impossibe and that is something i just cant accept.
Yes it's interesting. I'm a Co resident and intend to eventually grow both. Registering for hemp is relatively cheap compared to the mj licenses. But in this case the cannabis would have to be grown inside. Or in a completely enclosed locked greenhouse with filters on verbs. I'd potentially cross pollinate my own crops on accident.
It's just a matter of dedication to good quality sensi and a little inventiveness to get a good quality greenhouse going. That's been my ongoing project this year around the plants, though luckily for me I don't have to enclose it and filter the air (yet). Makes my life easier. Though like another blade said, I eventually intend to grow both, so such a greenhouse will probably be necessary. My harvest last year was riddled with pollen and crippled by it yield-wise. I still wouldn't go burn down a neighbor's hemp field over pollen. It's a noble crop to grow, even if there are natural repercussions. I can adapt.
They don't want you to grow. That is the whole point. You think they give a fuck about the back yard farmer. On another note. Uc Davis in ca just got approved to grow 800 acres of hemp for research this year. Glad I live a few hundred miles away.
Lol Btw in regards to the trade off... It's very good for people to grow hemp again. Part of the pro argument which i still support, is that hemp cannot have cannabis plants hidden inside them due to pollination and the seeding. Law enforcement and propagandists were insisting people would use hemp just to hide their cannabis. I hope other states continue to legalize hemp cultivation. Here in Co it will be multi million dollar business for 25000 plus uses that are earth friendly and superior in quality to petrol based synthetics, cotton and lumber. Perhaps the green house is worthwhile to allow hemp growth. Both are billion dollar cash crops. IMO cannabis should still be outdoors at least in a greenhouse of sorts. It's ridiculous how much energy is spent, in this state alone for indoor grows. We get more sunny days than Florida!