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quote:
Originally posted by Frank
just think of it...big island,former sugar cane land, lots of it, now planted in hemp for the production of bio-fuel (some consider this the best plant in the world for this type of production) assisting in our effort to get off of imported oil! i like it!
[/quote]
It seems someone (or more than one) view industrial hemp as having promise, or even being an economic panacea.
So, please share some information.
How would a farmer growing hemp on former sugar cane land on Hawaii Island do the following:
maintain soil fertility without depleting nutrients?
prevent soil erosion?
protect the crop from insects and diseases?
control weeds?
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james, thanks for asking, and not to be flippant ...please google
"how to maintain soil fertility while growing hemp"
"how to prevent soil erosion while growing hemp"
" "
insects and weed control can be accessed in the same manner
info is there...hemp may not be panacea but its up there
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Tried those searches. Only a small bit for Ontario.
Cannabis, which, btw, as a gardener, I find a fun plant to grow and a useful medicine, is an annual. It will be replanted from seed for each crop when planted on an industrial scale. That means either tillage of the soil or 'no-till'. Can prevent erosion from tillage with substantial cost and/or maybe lots of chemicals for 'no-till' planting.
Insects? Rats? Diseases, such as fungus? Growing the plant monocrop, on an industrial scale, in a humid tropical climate? Guaranteed.
Anyone promoting the government to support hemp (or anything else) and/or encouraging farmers to grow hemp (or anything else) need to be able to do a lot more than recommend Google.
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Google works:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/sb/sb681/ is titled "Feasibility of Industrial Hemp Production in the United States Pacific Northwest"
From a brief look, major factors are good irrigation and fertile soil. However, with the "optimum yield" rainfall being 500-700mm (20"-28") we may be a bit too wet on the east side (so far we've recorded over 20" this month!). The paper also indicates loose, fertile loam as the ideal soil, with lower and uneven yields for heavier, poorly-drained soils. Probably find some microclimates on the Big Island that will work well though.
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why not start here with a paper from purdue university
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/v5-284.html
Hemp would probably not make much sense from a free economics standpoint in Hawaii, that really is more of a Kentucky type domain. However I do think Marijuana tourism makes a lot of sense in Hawaii.
