Frequently asked questions

What are the requirements for ordering hemp seed online?

1. All buyers: We require a signed Material Transfer Agreement, which we will email to you upon request for an order.

2. In Colorado: We require buyers to provide documentation showing an active hemp registration.

3. Domestically: We require buyers to provide documentation showing an active hemp registration, and for some states, evidence of an import permit for the particular variety in question. It is the buyer's responsibility to familiarize themselves with state law on industrial hemp seed importation. We know that some states, such as NC, require evidence that the variety a hemp farmer wants to plant has been vetted to be <0.3% THC. We can provide Certificates of Analysis (COA’s) for all of our varieties that demonstrate this, and if a farmer needs assistance getting our varieties approved by their Department of Agriculture, we are willing to help where we can. As the seller, we are required to provide a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC), which we will obtain from the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) prior to shipment. Please note that all individual packages of seeds exported from Colorado require an individual PC, which are $40 each, and the buyer is responsible for covering this cost.

4. Internationally: An import permit for the particular country the seeds are to be imported into is required. The buyer/importer is responsible for procuring the import permit from their Department of Agriculture or applicable government agency. Once we receive the evidence of the permit, we will work with the Colorado Department of Agriculture to provide an International Phytosanitary Certificate, $60 for each individual shipment. If the buyer/importer requires variety information or COA’s demonstrating <0.3% THC compliance of our varieties, we can provide that information on request. We are more than willing to work with buyers in countries outside of the US, and will help where we can.



What if I want to buy seeds, but don’t have the required permits yet?

We understand that some farmers would like to ensure they have a reliable seed supply prior to applying for the necessary permits in their state or country, and we would like to facilitate this when possible. We are willing to place a reserve on a seed order for a refundable 50% deposit, which will go into a bank escrow account. In other words, it will not be availible to us until we ship you your seeds. Upon receiving proper documentation from the buyer demonstrating proof of the requirements stated above, the remaining 50% of the purchase price must be paid prior to shipment. Reservations made for our 2019 Seed Lot will have an expiration date particular to the individual arrangment (likely ~ May 30th,) and if the proper documentation is not received by that time, the deposit will be refunded and reserved seeds offered back up for sale.



Are there any male plants in your “Feminized” seeds?

Good question. During the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons we saw numerous examples of Colorado farmers in our network who were sold “feminized high CBD hemp seed” only to end up planting acres of a Male-Female low CBD fiber variety. The high value of truly feminized high CBD seeds has made it appealing to fly-by-night dealers and shady characters to sell bad seed in order to make a quick buck. It is possible to obtain industrial hemp seeds that are <$0.01 cents per seed, which look practically identical to feminized high CBD hemp seeds, but do not produce appreciable amounts of CBD. As farmers ourselves, we understand the risk that shady seed dealers present to the greater hemp farming community, and a large part of the motivation behind our Shakti’Seeds project is to provide farmers with access to reliable feminized seeds of high CBD hemp varieties. We have tested our seeds for feminization ratios, and as of yet, we have not seen any “male” plants. This does not mean it is not possible for some of the plants grown from our seeds to display male sex characteristics. Even in feminized seeds, which come from crossing a female plant (XX chromosomes) with another female plant (XX chromosomes), some plants (1 in 3000 – 5000) can show phenotypically male (expressing male flowers), even with no Y (male) chromosome. The trait of female cannabis sativa plants to occasionally hermaphrodite, or express male flowers even when genetically female, is truly a remarkable survival tactic of the species, and to our knowledge, breeders have not as of yet been able to fully “turn off” this characteristic. We have been and are currently working with a long list of seed testers to evaluate our hybrids for feminization ratios prior to their release to market. We will update our website’s “Testing” page with this data as it comes in. We encourage individuals who grow our hybrids to be on the lookout for phenotypically male plants in their field, which should be removed prior to pollination. Please inform us if you find any males, which will help us collect a more extensive data set.



Are Shakti’Seeds hybrids compliant with the <0.3% total THC limit for industrial hemp?

Yes, if testing and harvest are timed appropriately. Most varieties of high CBD hemp will “go hot,” or exceed 0.3% total THC if they are left to mature for long enough in the field. This is simply a fact of the matter when growing a high CBD variety of industrial hemp. Most of our hybrids test at a population average of a 25:1 CBD:THC ratio. This ratio stays constant for the duration of the plants life, vegetative and flowering. This means that for every % of CBD the plant produces, it will produce 1/25 of a % of THC. Mathematically, this works out such that the maximum possible CBD yield of a 25:1 variety is 7.5% CBD with 0.3% THC. The hybrids can be pushed quite far past that, we’ve seen up to 16% CBD in plants that we have personally grown (legal in Colorado), but at this point the THC was at 0.61%, which is “hot” by hemp standards. Farmers who grow our hybrids need to be aware that to maintain compliance with Federal hemp guidelines, the plants will have to come out of the field prior to being fully mature. We recommend that farmers begin testing their field population every week after the third (3rd) week of flower. We know that our varieties can be cultivated while remaining compliant, our farms have never failed CDA inspection, but it is up to the farmer growing our hybrids to ensure they are compliant. As it states in our Material Transfer Agreement, we will not be held liable for crop destruction in the event that a hemp crop derived from our seeds tests >0.3% THC.



What about those seed dealers who claim 15-18% CBD, <0.2% THC?

To answer that, we need to clarify that the 2018 Farm bill hemp limits are referring to total THC = (THC + THCa*0.877). Federal hemp guidelines will be following UN protocol for THC detection, which includes both THCa and THC. Typically, those tests which claim, “undetectable THC,” or numbers similar to those stated above, are only referring to THC, not THC Total THC is what the UN protocol is based on, which the DEA follows, which Colorado adopted in 2014. Some states (up until this point, though we will likely see this change because of the 2018 Farm bill) only look at THC itself, not decarboxylated THCa. A gas chromatograph decarbs both THCa and CBDa due to the temperature of the process, whereas a HPLC leaves THCa intact, relying on the 0.877 decarb factor. Examining an HPLC cannabinoid test however, it could appear that a sample has 0.0% THC, if (% THCa x 0.877) is not considered as part of the total THC. Moving forward, farmers can expect their hemp to be measured against total THC, as that is how the 2018 Farm bill poses the limit. To reach 15-18% CBD without going above 0.3% total THC, the variety in question would have to have a CBD:THC ratio of at least 50:1. While this is not impossible, we have yet to see varieties with ratios this high become industry standard. If a seed supplier claims values this high, you should ask for a COA, or better yet, two COAs from different labs. For now, we’ll stick with our 25:1 varieties, which we are pretty proud of.



Do you have more COA’s for your hybrids?

Some are posted on the website on each varieties page, and we will be updating these to include more as mid-flower tests come in from our current flowering population. You can email us for more COA’s, including those from the specimens we have grown for personal use in Colorado, which we took to full flowering maturity to see the total cannabinoid potential of each hybrid.



Will you ship seeds?

Yes. We require the buyer to pay for shipping, and insurance if so desired. Due to the high value of feminized hemp seeds, we highly recommend insurance. For USPS, the maximum insurance per package is $5,000, and it ends up costing ~$100 to ship a package with that amount of insurance. For orders larger than this, we recommend either splitting the shipment into multiple smaller insured packages, or using UPS Parcel Pro, which can be insured up to $150,000. Buyers choice. Every individual package shipped out of the state of Colorado requires its own phytosanitary certificate, which are $40 each.



Do you offer clones?

No. But we do offer seedlings of any of our hybrids. We have found that seedlings are more vigorous than clones, significantly less work intensive to grow and maintain, and produce larger plants than clones. We will be producing two batches of seedlings for the 2019 growing season, for pickup or arranged delivery in the middle of May, or June 1st. We are currently accepting pre-orders for seedlings, with the same requirements as stated above for seeds. Contact us for details.