Both hemp and cotton are excellent crops which can be used
to create everything from clothing to homes. The controversies surrounding hemp
and it's association with marijuana however help keep cotton the choice of most
companies. Hemp is not marijuana however and it is a very versatile and strong
material with which to build. With that said let's take a look at the
differences between cotton and hemp use.
Water Requirements
Growing cotton is no easy feat and the 1400 gallons of water
needed for every pound of cotton growing makes cotton farming rather expensive
especially during times of drought. Some cotton farms have actually become
literal deserts after running themselves and surrounding areas out of water.
Hemp on the other hand requires roughly half the water cotton does which makes
it vastly more affordable right out of the gate. Best of all hemp grows at a
much faster rate than cotton so water requirements might be even lower for some
growers.
Crop Protection
Cotton requires pesticides and it requires very strong
chemicals and frequent treatments in order to remain healthy. Juxtaposing the
costs of cotton pesticides and water requirements is usually enough to force
some farmers to begin growing hemp or at the very least grow less cotton. Hemp
on the other hand requires nothing other than water and sunlight to grow.
Chemicals are wholly unnecessary for this hardy plant. Farmers concerned with
weeds strangling their hemp should know that hemp competes and beats out all
varieties of weeds without any problems.
Comfortable Clothing
Much like vinyl records, clothing made of cotton is most
comfortable and durable the first time it's worn. Each wearing and washing
takes something away from cotton clothing. Cotton fibers break down easily
under the rigors of movement and even more so in washers and dryers. Hemp being
a much sturdier crop produces not only the more comfortable clothing of the two
but clothing with a much greater longevity too. Hemp clothing doesn't start off
as soft as cotton clothing does but it eventually becomes more comfortable and
will last a lot longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment