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To moisten or soak in order to soften and separate the cannabis fibers from the woody tissue by partial rotting. This process is used on bast type plants like hemp. Bast type plants have a wood-like interior (the hurd) and a fibrous exterior (the bast).
Retting (Wikipedia)
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Retting is a process employing the action of micro-organisms and moisture on plants to dissolve or rot away much of the cellular tissues and pectins surrounding bast-fibre bundles, facilitating the separation of the fibre from the stem. It is used in the production of linen from flax stalks and coir from coconut husks.

Retting (Wiktionary)
English
Etymology
From ret + -ing.
Noun
retting (countable and uncountable, plural rettings)
- The act or process of preparing flax for use by soaking, maceration, and similar processes.
- (historical) A place where flax is retted; a rettery.
Synonyms
- (preparation of flax): rotting
Verb
retting
- present participle and gerund of ret
References
Andrew Ure (1839), A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures,
... Read MoreDecortication, maceration, rotting, fermentation, fiber extraction