Hemp Update #15 Part A

Rodents Under the Plastic Causing Damage

This week we saw small hemp plants that had been heavily damaged from rodent chewing.  Black plastic is always runs the risk of providing cover for all sorts of critters but rodents are a big threat.  Pets that also chew on the plant at soil level can be cutworms or muskrats.  IN the case of this damage it was more like the rodents (mice, voles or moles – not sure which) were “tasting” the plant.  They did not eat the plant but did enough damage to the stem to fell them.  See photo to left with blue arrow highlighting damaged area.

Flowers Developing on Females:

We knew after males with pollen sacs had been sighted, it would not be long for females to have flowers to develop.  Most are still pre-flowers (the flame-like bud at the node where the stem and leaf meet) but some are developing quickly.  Photos with red arrows.  One highlights the areas where flowers were developing along the stem and the other photo shows the apical flower developing, circled in red.

Please review the Hemp Update from 5/31 for great pictures of males vs. females.  I do not expect any females to have become hermaphrodites as of yet since flowering has just begun.  That transformation is normally the result of a long time flowering without pollination. 

Johanna Returns to School:

The Cornell Intern, Johanna will be returning to schools on so her LAST WEEK of Scouting is this upcoming week starting 8/12 and some scouting days will be jumbled as there are field meeting she will be attending next week too.  On that note….

Field Meeting Reminder:

Hudson Valley Hemp Meetings  (2 locations) 8/15/19:

https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E190538&id=507

Cornell Hemp Seedbank:

Banking/Commerce Problems??

A couple of growers have mentioned to me (Maire) that they are having trouble with banking/e-commerce to sell product if the bank is aware that hemp/cannabis/cbd is the product.  One was an issue with a website being “pulled” by the host for what they though was dealing drugs.    If you have had these issues, please contact me (mru2@cornell.edu).  I’m collecting “stories” to pass on to federal legislators as they have the power to rectify/educate the Banking and Commerce on the definition of hemp and cbd.

Did You Miss One?  Past Updates Here:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.cce.cornell.edu/attachments/39446/HempUpdate_13.pdf?1564428265