5 Features Every Hemp Grower Needs in a Greenhouse
by Arif khan
Posted on January 5, 2020 at 12:00 PM
These days, there’s one crop that’s making serious waves for growers and producers all across the country, and one worth taking a serious look at if you haven’t already: hemp.
Long recognized as an efficient source of fiber, seeds, and natural oil, hemp—the non-psychoactive relative of cannabis—has recently enjoyed surging demand thanks to a booming market for hemp-derived products, including CBD, hemp oil, hemp textiles, and many other uses. The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill opened up opportunities for American growers to add the plant to their crop rotations, and since then there has been a boom in interest toward growing hemp. But getting hemp plants up and growing is not quite as simple as scattering seeds and waiting for spring—and for many growers, a hemp propagation greenhouse can be a highly useful tool for growing large, reliable, and efficient hemp harvests.
Whether you’re just starting to look at hemp as a crop option or you’re looking for a way to improve your existing hemp cultivation practices, a properly-equipped hemp greenhouse can be a big help. Here’s a look at five of the most important factors to consider when building your hemp greenhouse, and how you can make sure your protected growing space is perfectly outfitted for long-term success.
A Reliable, Well-Built Structure that Meets All Building Codes for Snow and Wind Loads
The best hemp growing practices and advice in the world won’t mean much if your greenhouse structure itself can’t keep your crops safe from the elements.
That’s why it’s critical to make sure the greenhouse you’ve built for your hemp plants is designed to handle the worst of what the weather can throw at it.
A strong, well-built greenhouse should be able to withstand everything from blizzard-level snow loads to storm-force winds without buckling under the pressure. In most cases, this will be required to meet basic strength requirements when it comes time to secure compliance with local building codes.
Our Highpoint Nor’easter hemp greenhouse, for example, features 2 ft. bow spacing to meet most snow and wind loads, with the option to add more structural components if needed for higher load requirements. The strength of the highpoint is further bolstered with a truss assembly with every set of bows, and a 6:12 roof pitch made of high-strength galvanized steel tubing allows snow to slide off easily, rather than building up.