I have some Cherry Wine hemp seeds. Do you think with the right nutrients and love I can make these seeds produce THC or will it just grow hemp?

This is a question that goes to the heart of the genetic code of cannabis.

Generally speaking, all strains of cannabis require a specific range of temperature and humidity — about 70-75˚F and 40 per cent humidity — for optimal growth. They also all have a range of lighting requirements over their different phases of growth. They need mild light at the beginning and strong photosynthesis photon flux density during vegetative growth and flowering. During the flowering phase, supplemental ultraviolet-B (UV-B) stimulates the creation of the phenols and terpenes that are transformed into cannabinoid acids, which are stored in the secretory reservoir of the trichomes.

While these conditions will grow great weed, they can’t change the strain’s genetic code. The strain you are discussing — Cherry Wine — is specifically bred to be a cannabidiol (CBD) strain. Hemp is generally a tall-growing, high-CBD, and high-cannabigerol (CBG) type of cannabis. It has different genetics than your typical sativa, which is usually high in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and indica, which is usually high in CBD. Cherry Wine hemp has a potency of 15-25 per cent CBD and 0-0.3 per cent THC, depending on time of harvest and climate variables. Judging from this THC/CBD output, sativa genetics were never bred into this strain. So, you cannot make this strain produce THC because the genetic code to make THC is not available in any meaningful amount.

Much like there is no food to turn brown eyes to blue, there is no plant fertilizer that can cause a plant to create a compound that is not written in its genetics. It’s simply not possible.

For high THC levels, try Kwaza Zulu. It’s an original land race variety from Africa with a very high-THC and low-CBD genetic code due to its history of development at a lower altitude, which shielded the plant from strong UV light. Tetrahydrocannabinol is not as UV-dependent as CBD is. Indica cannabis land race strains developed at high altitude in Asia where UV levels are very strong. These strains had to react with compounds that could deal with the UV, resulting in the natural selection of CBD strains. These land races were the strains cross-bred to create all the different ratios of CBD and THC found in modern strains. But not Hemp. Hemp is a predominantly CBG (which transforms into CBD) genetic code. As such, hemp is now being investigated as a major source of CBG, a compound of interest in the “farmaceutical” industry right now.