If you’re new to the world of Cannabis and Hemp usage, one term you’re likely to come across is CBD flower. This flower, when processed, can be used for several purposes. In this article, we will reveal in detail all you need to know about this plant part.
CBD Flower Growing Cycle
The CBD flower is part of the hemp plant, which is a Cannabis variety. The difference between hemp and cannabis is that the THC content in the former is less than 0.3%. To produce CBD hemp flower, the farmers specially breed certain hemp plants to have higher a CBD amount in their shoots. One way they achieve this is by planting the plant seeds in soil that has good water drainage and rich organic materials.
Although the seeds can grow in any climate, they thrive better in moderate climates. The hemp plant’s growing cycle is a minimum of 100 days or 120 days maximum. Within the initial six weeks, the farmers have to water the plants regularly. The watering frequency can be reduced as the hemp plant grows closer to maturity.
The bud clusters will begin to develop towards the culmination of the plant’s growth. Between 100 and 120 days after planting, the farmer can harvest the flowers. During this period, the blooms are mature. Furthermore, the trichome which houses the CBD, is very potent at that point.
CBD Flower Processing
Before the mature bud can be sent to shops for sale, it must go through processing after it has been harvested. This process is in three stages. In this section, we’ll discuss these stages and other relevant information you need to know.
Drying
Immediately after harvest, the farmers will dry the hemp tops. The purpose behind this action is to get rid of the excess moisture. How do they do the drying? We’ll tell you.
They find a space that has proper ventilation but is dark and dry. They take the plant bloom to this space and hang it upside down. This drying process lasts up to a couple of weeks. Temperature and humidity play a big role in determining when the process will be complete.
Curing
The farmers will confirm that the flowers are completely dry before moving them to the next stage, curing. In this stage, the farmers will enhance the product’s potency, aroma, and flavor. How do they achieve this? The next paragraph has the details.
These experienced planters will store the flower that is now dry in a completely airtight container. The flower can be in the container for a couple of months. As it remains in the container, it will keep on releasing moisture, thereby allowing it to reach its maximum potency level.
Packaging
After the curing stage, the planters will use shears to trim the plant’s bud ensuring that there are no attached stem material or leaves. Once this is done, they will package the product in vacuum-sealed bags. This is done to preserve the freshness and potency of the product.
A question people tend to ask is can the CDB flower expire? The answer is yes when it is not properly packaged and stored. If you do these tasks properly, the product can be used six months later and even one year later in some cases.
Uses of CBD Flower
If you want or vape or smoke, you can use this hemp bloom for such purposes. Some manufacturers also extract the oil from these hemp colas. The extracted oil is used for different CBD products such as topicals, edibles, and tinctures. Regardless of the type you use, ensure you do not exceed the dosage that is appropriate for you.
Extraction Methods for CBD Flower
We mentioned that manufacturers can extract the oil from the plant, but how do they do this? There are four main extraction methods manufacturers employ. This section will discuss all of them.
Solvent
This method involves the use of solvents such as propane, butane, or ethanol to extract the cannabinoid, flavonoid, and terpene compounds in the hemp. You can visit https://www.nuggmd.com/ to learn more about terpenes and their uses. The plant is soaked in any of these solvents for a couple of minutes to a few hours.
Factors that determine how long the plant is soaked include the solvent type used, the expected purity level of the hemp extract, and the exact extraction protocol. For instance, if you use the cold extraction protocol, the period required is just a couple of minutes to one hour. The warm ethanol extraction protocol, on the other hand, requires 30 minutes to several hours to complete.
Once the manufacturers determine it is time to stop the extraction, the solvent will be removed. This action will leave behind oil that has a high CBD concentration. Although this method is efficient, it is risky. Some of the solvents are flammable, therefore they must be handled with caution.
Natural Oil
When manufacturers use this method, they try to increase CBD oil’s availability with the aid of natural oils such as coconut oil and olive oil. They’ll heat the hemp plant, then add any natural oil to heat, while increasing the heat level. As the heat is increased, the wanted compounds will be extracted in the process.
There is no risk attached to this process, unlike the previous method. However, the final product’s concentration is not as good as the one produced using the solvent extraction method. The simple reason is because the natural oils do not evaporate like the solvents.
Steam Distillation
As the name of the method implies, the manufacturers steam the bud to stimulate the plant’s compounds and cause them to separate from the surrounding organic materials. Next, the evaporated steam is transported down a tube where the cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes are chilled, condensed, and then bottled either together or separately. The downside to this method is that the oil produced is less than other methods.
CO2
Manufacturers begin this method by moving carbon dioxide into a liquefying chamber. After it is transformed into a liquid, it is heated and pressurized to the point where it is between the gaseous and liquid state. It is then transported to another chamber containing the hemp bud.
When both items combine, the oil will be separated from the hemp plant. This oil is then sent to a final chamber that evaporates the CO2. The residue is a concentrated oil rich in CBD.
Conclusion
CDB flower has many benefits and is used to produce several products. In the article above, we’ve discussed in detail all you need to know about this plant part. We revealed the processing part and the extraction methods to get the oil from the plant.
