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I've heard that sunn hemp (Crotolaria Juncea) can build organic armor on the soil quickly.

Building and maintaining an armor of plant residue on top of the soil can protect the surface while providing food for the microorganisms below. This can Increase the level of organic matter, making plants more resilient to drought and allowing reduced chemical use, important aspects of sustainable farming.

Hemp is cannabis though isn't it, so can it make animals high?

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  • What kind of organic armor are you talking about? There are certainly varieties of hemp with low levels of THC, the compound that makes people high. Not sure about that variety though. Jan 11, 2017 at 8:41
  • can you specify what kind of animals you are concerned about? different species react to different compounds (think cats and catnip, which has no effect on humans) Jan 11, 2017 at 14:16
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    Gabe Brown/Ray Archuletta talks a lot about how organic matter on the soil keeps the soil temperatures low, and calls that armor on the soil.
    – a coder
    Jan 12, 2017 at 6:03

1 Answer 1

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No.

Hemp apparently was, for medieval Europeans, a generic term used to describe any fibre.

Thus there is a bewildering variety of plants carrying the name hemp, including; Manila hemp (abacá, Musa textilis), Sisal hemp (Agave sisalana), New Zealand hemp/flax (Phormium tenax), Brown/Madras/Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), Indian hemp (jute, Corchorus capsularis or C. clitorus) and Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum). 1

Also:

This is a US government agency advocating the growing of [sunn] hemp: http://www.plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/pubs/hipmcrb8433.pdf

...

Sunn Hemp is a completely legal plant, not even in the same family as Cannabis sativa L 2

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