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‘Hempy’ New Year!

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Phase 2 is underway in Martin County, FL! This property on the rim canal of Lake Okeechobee was acquired in May 2020 and has been in development since. It is now in the transition phase, going from making the property functional with water, electricity, and shelter to now trying to actually get some plant and research work done.

        Hemp4Water is growing a lot of different varieties to find the best plants to grow well in the hot, humid, over irrigated, mucky swamp. This environment is fairly specific to the work and goals of our organization because we are researching ways to clean out the excess Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Florida waterways. We need hemp plants that are going to grow well enough in the environment that they can take up a lot of N and P during their lifecycle, removing it from the water they are growing in.

So far, the research trials have shown some good possibilities and a couple of crosses that look promising. We crossed Tenacious with ACDC, and a CBG/industrial cross that has interests peaked right now. There’s also a couple of other varieties that weren’t expected to thrive but are doing well to date. A strain that another hemp researcher has been working on for several years here in Florida, perfect for the strenuous heat and humidity, is showing great survivability in the poor soils at the Martin County facility and will be tested in the water in future trials. Right now, there are several different varieties growing across the property, a few of which have several plants growing. The best of these plants will be used to develop the mothers, so that we can do clones easily. One is called Tallahassee (which is the commercial side of Tenacious), and the other is called Destin, both doing very well. Overall, we have identified some genetics that look like they are going to do great, ranging from pure industrial strains to some that might have other qualities. They are all expected to survive on the bio-islands as well. Many people have and are interested in donating genetics, so we’ll have plenty of different plants to look at and observe and collect data on for Phase 2.

Currently, the research trials in Martin County are being conducted in soil only. Permitting has to be granted by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the UnitedStates Army Corps of Engineers in order for Hemp4Water to use and conduct work in the water at the Martin County property. Both permits are necessary to begin using the water.

Phase 2 also encompasses scaling up the project. How do we get there? Volunteers!

As development at the Martin County site continues, we will be looking for volunteers to help us expand in the future. People who want to help plant hemp when its time, learn more about hemp, or even share their knowledge or interest in hemp are welcome to contact Steve Edmonds at steve@hemp4water.org for more information on future opportunities.

Don’t forget to follow the Facebook page for more: https://www.facebook.com/hemp4water

Good-Bye 2020!

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Hemp4Water has been busy in 2020 working with researchers towards quantifying how much Nitrogen and Phosphorus a single hemp plant can take up, and therefore remove, from a contaminated body of water. There were a few hurdles to jump over – or crawl under or kick down – as is par for the course in 2020, but so much knowledge has been gained, too. Let’s have a look at some of the Hemp4Water highlights and honorable mentions from 2020.

In the first quarter of 2020, Hemp4Water was able to initiate Phase 1 of their two-year research project under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Industrial Hemp Pilot Project, in partnership with South Florida State College (SFSC). Phase 1 was designed to basically quantify how much a single hemp plant will take up when it’s situated on a water body that has a fair amount of Nitrogen and Phosphorus present. How much will it uptake on its own when its floating on the bio-island.

Most of the year was spent figuring out which hemp strains were best for the Florida environment, and most importantly, how to keep them alive! Trying to grow juvenile hemp plants proved to be challenging because they basically struggled to the point of failure in the harsh conditions present in the trials, whether on land or in the water on floating bio-islands. Insects, pesticides, too much or too little water, plant pathogens like bacteria or fungus, birds, and mammals all love juvenile cannabis plants, making this juvenile stage highly susceptible to failure. From seed to about 18 inches tall, the attrition rate of hemp plants is extremely high even if you’re just past the germination phase, so Hemp4Water has developed their best practices, which now includes starting all plants at a minimum of 18 inches tall for growing on bio-islands. Once the change was initiated, the survival curve for plants was completely inverted from a 95 percent failure rate to a 95 percent success rate. Using 18+ inch plants or clones is a positive finding from the Hemp4Water and SFSC Phase 1 research trials that should hold true through the hemp industry as a whole. Difficulty with these susceptibilities during the early growth stages has been a common observation in other hemp fields in the state as well.

Even if you’ve got great seed, even if you’ve got healthy clones, there is a lot of uncharted territory within growing hemp in Florida that is probably going to bring about some failures, but with that comes more experience and knowledge to share; and that’s what we’re seeing all over the state. The newness of this crop in Florida brings about a huge learning curve all the way around for the industry.

Now that Hemp4Water and SFSC have stable plants growing in trials, they are gearing up to begin data collection. The lead scientist and chemist working on these trials, Dr. Mary Kate Calvin, has been preparing by calibrating the mass spectrometer and learning how to do the measurements required to determine what is in the plants in terms of Nitrogen and Phosphorus. Not only will they be able to collect data on the uptake of the plants, but they will also be able to determine what is in the biomass itself.

Phase 1 is all about data collection. Keep an eye out for future blogs about the results of Phase 1 trials, what’s going to be happening in Phase 2, how to help out our nonprofit Hemp4Water, and all the details in between!