Experimenting with hemp for fiber
In 2024 I experimented with growing hemp for fiber. The experiment took place in Estonia, where hemp has been grown for fiber in the past, but is nowadays grown only for oil production.
Growing hemp
On the 19th of May I sowed Tiborszallasi seeds that are developed to produce fiber as the plants grow up to 4,5 meters long. It is a Hungarian variety which is grown all over Europe. I later learned that historically, hemp grown in Estonia did not grow as tall as this variety, but it was really interesting to see such powerful plants that are able to grow in the Nordic climate.
The plants grew up to be really tall and thick compared to flax (the tallest hemp plant was more than 3 meters long, wheras flax plants grow up to 1,2 meters), therefore I tried multiple fiber processing methods.
First, I harvested the blooming male plants as they started to go dry in the middle of September.
Hemp has male plants that produce pollen which fertilize female plants and cause them to produce seeds. Male plants stop growing before female plants, therefore I picked the male plants first.
Dew retting male plants and processing
I left the stems retting for about a month. After drying the stems it was relatively easy to brake them and remove the fibers. My harvest had plants with different thickness. I struggled with braking thick stems, so I mostly used thinner ones for this method that is shown in the video below.
Water retting female plants and processing
About a month later (in the middle of October) I experimented with processing female plants. They were still growing in my yard and producing seeds. As the plants were very thick and I already knew that it is difficult to brake the stems by hand, I started to peel the outer layer off the fresh stems while they were still on the field.
It seemed reasonable to soak the peels in water so I left them retting at water temperature for a few weeks. After retting I washed the plant stuff off the fibers.
Winter retting
Thirdly, in November, I noticed that the fibers on my hemp plants I had left growing, started to separate by themselves due to the humidity of autumn weather. The fibers were still held together by the plant stuff, but it was a very interesting site.
It is possible to experiment with winter retting with these plants. I also took some fibers for samples from this stage.
