Cannabis sativa Seeds | Hemp
LATIN NAME: Cannabis sativa
COMMON NAME: Hemp, Industrial Hemp, Sativa
Plant Profile
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is an upright, annual in the hemp family, native to temperate regions of central Asia, while it has been cultivated across the northern world for its fibre, its seed. At maturity it stands about Three metres. During flowering it gives bees and other insects a dependable food source. Not many plants ask so little and repay so much.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the hemp family regularly include Cannabis sativa in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Hemp has a real and distinguished place in research. From a research perspective, species of this kind are valuable material for work on propagation and on the selection of uniform lines.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Hemp earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Ecologically, hemp is a vigorous plant of cultivated fields and garden edges. To raise hemp, sow seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, warm place, keep them gently watered, and grow little plants on in the sun. It takes hold quickly and asks for no special treatment from then on.
Hemp-type Cannabis sativa is a crop of three harvests: bast fiber for textiles, nutritious seeds rich in omega-3 and protein, and CBD-rich flowers now used in approved medicines for certain epilepsies. Legal status varies widely, so check local rules before growing.
Growing from Seed
Starting Hemp from seed is simple and satisfying. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Among the Cannabis group, it is one of the more distinctive species in cultivation. In a sunny, freely drained position it needs little looking after.
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