How much CBD can one plant produce? Estimating how much CBD oil can one plant produce is not easy. However, it would be fair to say that one Cannabis sativa plant produces around 1 pound of CBD-rich flower – if grown properly.
A lot goes into growing hemp, though, and there are a ton of different factors that affect the yield of one plant.
Growing hemp is, simply put, a labor of love. To maximize the amount of hemp you can harvest from a plant, you need to work hard. Add in a little bit of science, and your plant will produce a ton of high-quality CBD oil when it’s all said and done.
How Much CBD Oil Can One Plant Produce?
Is growing legal hemp cost-effective and profitable? Hemp is one of those plants that doesn’t mind growing close together. That means that you can grow a lot of hemp on rather a small plot of land.
If you have two acres, you can grow around 3,000 pounds of CBD flowers. Farming hemp is rather intensive. When you don’t look after hemp in the right way, it is not going to produce as much CBD.
Most hemp growers pick their flowers by hand and spend a great deal of time caring for their plants. However, although prices go up and down, the rewards are pretty good. A 2-acre hemp crop could net you around $40,000.
Is the entire plant used? The entire plant is used, but the female flowers contain more CBD.
What happens to the rest of the plant? The rest of the plant is often sold off to produce clothes and paper. We are still learning about the versatility of hemp. It certainly has many uses.
Hemp can be used as a biofuel, food, insulation, and what is called bioplastics. Shoes made from hemp are becoming increasingly popular.
Does The Grower Extract the CBD?
The grower does not always extract the CBD. Extraction for quality products is done under strictly controlled conditions. That is how you end up with a quality product. There are growers that have invested in extraction and complete the entire process.
Trying to extract CBD from hemp is a delicate process. A specialist processor takes the hemp and extracts what is known as CBD isolate or broad spectrum CBD oil. Needless to say, CBD isolate is a product richer in the properties we associate with CBD.
Notice that we are talking about hemp in this article. The CBD supplements and other products you buy are derived from hemp, not the marijuana plant which is called Cannabis indica. One of the main differences is that the Cannabis indica plant is richer in THC than the hemp plant.
There is something else you need to know. Just like with olive oil, the more you process the hemp plant, the less quality substance you get.
When you press olives, the first press is always the best. That is why it is called Extra virgin olive oil. It may even have the first press indicated on the bottle.
What Factors Affect the Amount of CBD Produced?
There are several factors that influence the amount of CBD in a plant. As many different types of plants are now grown as medical herbs, specialist growers have learned more about how to increase the active compound.
Growing The Plant Fast
Growing a plant fast has an influence on the amount of available CBD. We are still learning, but it seems that younger plants contain more CBD.
Farmers must also pay attention to specific strains. Some strains produce more CBD than others.
Related read: High CBD Strains
Does the temperature matter? Let’s compare growing hemp to growing lavender. When you walk past a lavender plant on a hot day, the first thing you notice is the scent. Touch the plant and it will feel sticky.
This is a sign that it is producing essential oils, and the trichromes are developing. In a hotter climate, lavender produces more essential oil. The same thing is true of hemp.
Extraction Methods
The best extraction method is using CO2. There are other methods but using CO2 extraction yields the best results.
It is an extraction method CBD processors learned from the perfume industry. All quality perfume ingredients are extracted by using CO2. That is why quality perfumes are more expensive.
Other extraction methods include:
- Butane extraction
- Vegetable oil
- Resin
- Alcohol
What Strain of Hemp for CBD?
What is the difference between industrial hemp and CBD-rich strains of hemp?
When you use industrial methods and strains, you can grow a lot of hemp. The question is what sort of hemp do you end up with?
It is a question of sex. Industrial growing methods produce a lot of male plants. Medical hemp production focuses on growing female plants. That means you end up with less crop per acre.
Incidentally, industrial hemp is used to produce clothes and many other everyday items made from hemp.
Don’t for one moment think that the hemp in your t-shirt is of the same quality as the hemp grown for your CBD capsules.
How Much CBD Oil is Produced per Acre of Hemp?
The specific strain of the hemp plants being grown, the growing conditions, and the growing methods all come into play here. These all play a huge role in how much CBD oil is produced per acre of hemp.
On average, a decent grower can expect between 1500 to 2500 pounds of biomass per acre of hemp. Beginners can normally expect to get roughly a liter of 60% crude oil from 15 to 30 pounds.
What Are The Best Strains Of Hemp To Grow for CBD Production?
‘Cannatonic’ is one of the more high yielding CBD strains. It is the strain which was first used to make CBD products. Since it was unveiled in 2008, it has become a very popular strain as it contains a high level of CBD. It is very versatile and easy to grow under most conditions. Expect to harvest it in about 60- 70 days.
ACDC is a hybrid of Cannatonic and Cannabis ruderlais. It benefits from very low THC levels. ACDC is one of the best strains available to growers.
Harlequin is another strain which is becoming popular. Unlike some of the hybrids mentioned, it grows into very tall plants with high yields.
One of the benefits of growing Harlequin is that it is very resistant to disease and mold.
‘Hammershark’ is another popular hybrid. It is a popular hybrid that normally flowers from week nine. In other words, it is very quick to flower which is what growers want.
Key Takeaways
It is likely that we will see more high yielding strains become available in the future. Growing hemp is popular. All hybrids have their own unique properties. They often taste and smell differently.
If you have the opportunity, there is no reason why you should not visit a grower and find out more about how much CBD oil can one plant produce.
References
Forbes Magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanoleck/2020/12/24/legal-hemp-notably-cbd-generates-astonishing-revenues-so-why-is-the-industry-struggling-so-hard/
Scientific Reports: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7272408/
