Each has its pros and cons, but if you’re growing hemp for CBD, we think clones come out ahead. Here’s how it shakes out:

• For heartier hemp and higher yields: seeds. Hemp grown from seed develops a long taproot and as a result, tends to be more robust and productive. That robustness is an advantage if the plants have to endure harsh conditions. But most farmers growing hemp for CBD baby their plants in order to optimize cannabidiol levels, so we wouldn’t see any advantage in the extra heartiness. Of course, high yields are great, but we’ll always choose quality over quantity.

• For flexibility in transport and planting times: seeds. Clones need to be transported in a controlled environment, and ideally, not over great distances. And since they’re sold pretty much ready to plant, they can’t wait around forever to get their roots in the ground (or growing medium). Seeds, on the other hand, have that nice, hard shell to protect the plant embryo from environmental and other stressors. Plus, they can wait for just the right time and conditions to be planted. So, if you have plenty of time but no reasonable way to transport clones, seeds may be a good choice.

• For compliance: clones. Seeds are like little packages: they all come with an element of surprise. And some surprises can cost everything. Even when you buy feminized seeds, there’s always a chance that there’s a male (or several) lurking amongst them. If left to grow undetected, just one male plant can pollinate an entire crop of CBD hemp, driving it out of THC compliance. And when THC levels rise, CBD levels plummet, leaving you with not only a non-compliant crop, but a worthless one. With clones, you know before you grow.

• For consistency: clones. You don’t get much more consistent than an exact replica. That’s why, in a commercial setting, it makes sense to grow from clones cut from proven mother plants. When customers are expecting specific cannabinoid and terpene profiles, with a certain level of quality and potency, clones deliver. Every time.

• For predictability: clones. Predictability is not Nature’s strong suit. With seeds, you never really know what you’re going to get until you have a field full of plants. But when you start with clones cut from proven mother plants, you know exactly what kind of growing characteristics to plan for and what kind of harvest you can expect. The more you can predict, the more risk you can avoid and the more opportunity you can create.

1. The Source.

To ensure you’re getting clean clones with the genetics you expect, choose a reputable provider and don’t be afraid to ask questions. You want to buy only from providers that use sterile propagation techniques and cuttings from healthy, proven mother plants. Infected, unfeminized or genetically inferior clones can cost you far more than what you paid for them.

3. Genetics.

Think about your climate and growing conditions, the end product you need and when you need it, then look for clones whose cannabinoid and terpene profiles, growth habits and flowering time are the best match. A reputable provider can give you valuable, expert guidance, especially if they’re also a grower.

2. Feminization.

Just a few unfeminized or under-feminized plants can send your female plants to seed, ruining your entire crop by driving THC levels out of compliance, and reducing CBD to not-even-worth-extracting levels. This is the number one reason why buying from a reputable provider is so vitally important. Don’t let this be you.

4. The Mother’s History.

Since clones are exact replicas of their mother plants, they carry the same cellular age as the mothers, as well as their mother’s clonal history. Clones cut from mother plants that are actually clones of clones, themselves, may experience genetic drift after too many generations removed, leading to reduced yields and potency.

5. Uniformity.

Clones cut from the same plant will grow uniformly under the same conditions. Which means, if your clones are different sizes and heights, you most likely have plants that are not from the same genetic material. So even if you delay your harvest to allow the late bloomers to mature, you can no longer predict what the end product will be … which is kind of the point of buying clones.

6. Leaves and Stems.

Leaves should have solid green coloration, with new growth a brighter shade. On a healthy plant, slight yellowing may simply be a lack of nitrogen, but too much yellow can indicate a stressed or diseased plant. The clone’s stem is another sign of the plant’s health and vigor. A flimsy, narrow stem is a predictor of a weaker plant that’s more susceptible to pests and disease. Sturdy stems. Green leaves.

7. Pests and Disease.

Signs of these can be found on the leaves, stems and in the soil medium of your clones. Gnats and mites are visible to the naked eye, as are the bite marks and webbing they leave behind. Also, be on the lookout for limp leaves, white powder (mildew) and other irregularities. Pristine clone room conditions are key to preventing pests and disease from infecting your clones, so again, know your source.

 8. The Roots.

Your clones should come with hearty, plentiful, vibrantly white roots. The proper growth medium, nutrient formula, and clone room conditions and procedures are all vital to root health. So before you even get to the root-inspection stage, be sure to ask your provider about their practices.

First, take in to account what you’re working with—your climate and growing conditions, production facilities and capacity—and what you’re growing the hemp for. If you’re growing it for CBD, for example, you’ll need a lot more growing space than you would for other industrial applications, like food, fuel, textiles, paper, etc.

You’ll also want to get a sense of what characteristics and phytochemical profiles are most in-demand in the marketplace. Ask industry insiders—like suppliers, wholesalers or brokers—whose insights and opinions you trust.

From there, it’s just a matter of choosing from the available strains that (a) best answer the demand, and (b) grow well in your conditions.

If you’re still unsure, our expert cultivators are happy to help you identify the ideal strains for your specific needs.

Yes. The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill took hemp off the list of Schedule 1 narcotics and prohibited drugs, and made it a legal, agricultural product, provided it contains less than 0.3% THC. Lucky for us, the less THC, the more CBD!

In a nutshell, hemp won’t get you high. Marijuana—or cannabis—will. Hemp and cannabis are the same plant, but with different phytochemical compositions. In order to be classified as hemp (and therefore legal to grow and sell in the US), plants must contain less than 0.3% THC, the plant’s main psychoactive compound. Anything above that is considered cannabis, which is still illegal under federal law (though some state laws differ).

While THC and CBD are both present in cannabis and hemp, they occur in inverse proportions, so the more THC in a plant, the less CBD it contains, and vice-versa. Only female cannabis plants that have not been pollinated have low enough levels of THC to be classified as hemp. Hemp also has higher CBD concentrations than male or pollinated female cannabis plants, which have higher concentrations of THC.

Industrial hemp is simply hemp that’s grown for the various industrial uses of its products, like paper, textiles, food, biodegradable plastics, and our personal favorite, CBD.

Hemp grown or sold legally in the US must contain less than 0.3% THC, so no, it can’t get you high. (THC is the compound responsible for that.)

CBD is a cannabinoid found in hemp that has proven beneficial for everything from alleviating anxiety, depression and insomnia, to reducing pain and inflammation, and even managing epilepsy. CBD won’t get you high, either.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT DRUG TESTING: If your job requires drug testing, you should steer clear of hemp and full-spectrum CBD products as they contain trace amounts of THC, which is all it takes to show up on a drug test. If you’d like to stay employed, opt instead for a broad-spectrum CBD or CBD isolate, both of which have had all traces of THC removed.

CBD is cannabidiol, a phytochemical found in the cannabis or hemp plant. Having only been legal in the US since 2018, CBD is all the rage right now because of its impressive therapeutic effects on everything from anxiety, depression and insomnia to chronic pain, inflammation and epilepsy. CBD can be extracted from the hemp plant and used in oils, tinctures and a wide range of products for people and pets.

We use small-batch, CO2 extraction and test continuously throughout the process to ensure that the final extract delivers the purity, potency and phytochemical composition that our customers demand. Small batches allow for rigorous quality control, and CO2 is a much safer, cleaner technique than solvent-based methods, which require additional post-processing that degrades the quality of the extract (while still leaving trace amounts of solvent). While CO2 extraction demands more expensive, sophisticated equipment and expertise, we think a cleaner product and a cleaner environment are more than worth it.

Yes, yes and yes. We start with organic, non-GMO clones that we’ve cultivated ourselves (from organic, non-GMO mother plants, of course). Then we use organic farming methods—including our own, proprietary, organic nutrient formula—to grow our hemp, all of it hand-tended and hand-harvested by us, right here on our Nevada farm. We also use CO2 extraction to ensure that our CBD extracts are clean and eco-friendly.

Full-spectrum CBD is more than just CBD. A lot more. It’s the entire roster of cannabinoids and terpenes present in a given hemp strain that work together synergistically to amplify the effects of the CBD. Full-spectrum CBD does contain a trace amount of THC (less than 0.3%), which won’t get you high, but it’s something to avoid if there’s a chance you’ll be drug tested.

Broad-spectrum CBD is essentially full-spectrum CBD, further processed to remove all traces of THC. This allows those who need to avoid THC to still enjoy the beneficial effects of the other cannabinoids and terpenes.

Isolates are pure CBD, no THC whatsoever, but none of the other phytochemicals, either. So it doesn’t have the same level of efficacy as full- or broad-spectrum CBD, but it’s a safe choice for those who can’t have even trace amounts of THC. It also tends to be the least expensive of all the options, offering a lower barrier to entry for those just discovering CBD.

Studies have shown that various cannabinoids and terpenes work together synergistically to amplify the benefits of each individual compound and mitigate their side-effects. This allows each of the phytochemicals in the “entourage” to be more therapeutically effective than it would be if used alone.