What nutrition does hemp fiber need?
Hemp fiber spends nutrition on a tall, even stand of stalks. Heartland calls the nitrogen need minimal. A corn fertilizer bill is not a fiber plan.
What nutrition does hemp fiber need?
Enough fertility for a tall, even stand of stalks, read from a soil test, not from last year's corn bill. Heartland describes hemp as needing minimal nitrogen. University of Florida IFAS, citing other work including Kentucky, writes that about 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre may be adequate for fiber, because too much nitrogen can hurt fiber quality. That is their report. It is not a rechem rate.
Related reading
Related reading
What nutrition does hemp grain need?Hemp grain spends nutrition on plants that flower and fill seed. That is a different bill from a fiber stand, and it still starts with a soil test.
Fiber nutrition is a stand question. The plant you are paid for is the stalk, so fertility that makes a few plants huge and the rest late is a fiber failure. Heartland describes hemp as needing minimal nitrogen, which is one reason they talk about it on acres that already grow corn, soy, alfalfa, or cotton.
The grain side of this question is What nutrition does hemp grain need?. The seedbed under either crop is How do I prepare a field for hemp?. The sample to pull first is What soil test does hemp fiber need?.
What other people have published
rechem is not publishing a universal rate. Two public notes are worth reading beside your soil test. HFGA writes that nitrogen after corn, soy, or wheat is not the same job, because the previous crop already spent or left some of it. Their note is Navigating nitrogen needs following major crops.
University of Florida IFAS publication SS689 says U.S. soil-test recommendations for hemp are still thin. It reports that about 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre may be adequate for fiber, because too much nitrogen can reduce fiber quality, and it cites a Kentucky figure in that same range for fiber. Treat that as their summary of other work. Match it to your soil, your state, and your buyer. Do not paste it onto a different field and call it rechem's number.
HFGA's agronomy note also describes fiber hemp as suited to soils around pH 6.0 to 7.0. That range is theirs.
Where rechem's pass fits
The chemistry rechem supplies is organic, at planting: enrichment of the field and a treatment on the seed. That work is What planting chemistry does hemp fiber need?. The soil rule under it is How does rechem chemistry treat the soil?. A heavier fertilizer bill does not replace an even stand. The map for this crop is Fiber.
FAQ
Quick answers about this part of the approach.
Should I fertilize fiber like corn?
No. Corn is a different removal and a different plant. Heartland's description is minimal nitrogen, on a crop added to an existing rotation.
Does more nitrogen make better bast?
Not automatically. The Florida IFAS note says too much nitrogen can reduce fiber quality. Height without an even stand is not a win.
What pH fits fiber?
HFGA's agronomy note describes fiber hemp as suited to soils around pH 6.0 to 7.0. Confirm that against your soil test.
Where does rechem's chemistry sit?
On the seed and in the planting pass, as organic field enrichment and seed treatment. It is not a bagged N-P-K program.
Is the grain fertility plan the same?
No. Grain has to flower and fill seed. Read the grain note before you use one bill for both crops.