How to Determine the Sex of Cannabis Plants
How to Determine the Sex of Cannabis Plants
Yes, cannabis plants do have sexes. The plant world has a lot of ways for reproduction to occur, For example, a hermaphrodite plant can grow a single flower and contain both male and female reproductive organs.
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Cannabis, or dioecious plants to sound fancy-like, produce either male or female reproductive organs. Because of this, finding out which cannabis plant is female and its benefits are possible. The resinous buds that us puff cloud connoisseurs love so much all come from the female plants.
The mystery of whether a plant is male or female lies in between the nodes. This is the area where leaves and branches stem from the stalk. The picture below shows at the nodes the male sac slowly coming in before it pollinates the room.
A male cannabis plant starts off with what is known as a pollen sac. Females begin with a stigma. The differences between the two can be identified weeks before the parts start serving their respective purposes in reproduction.
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About four weeks into the growth cycle, pre-flowers start to develop. This could vary depending on how long it takes the sprouting phase to occur. In about six weeks, you should be able to confidently determine what sex your cannabis plant is. Picture below is a Male Cannabis Plant, with a small sac starting to show.
In the beginning, pre-flowers are quite small and difficult to identify just by looking at them. If you've got a magnifying glass handy, you can get a better look with that. Make sure to look carefully at the nodes check for small sacs (male) or two bracts (female). Those bracts are what eventually turns into the stigma.
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Pre-flower formation is the most reliable way of determining the sex of your cannabis plant. The quicker you can identify the males, the quicker you can free up space in your garden for the ladies. More ladies, more of that good-good.
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What is a Hermaphrodite Cannabis Plant?
If you notice that one of your plants has developed both a sac and a stigma, this is what's called a hermaphrodite cannabis plant.
A hermaphrodite plant can produce pollen that can cover your entire garden, a process known as "herming out". This generally happens when the plant undergoes stress like:
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Bad weather
- Disease
- Damage
To keep your garden protected, you'll want to remove any hermy plants you notice. If you want to use these plants to pollinate, just keep in mind that the pollen is potent. It also travels quite well. You should always keep any plants you intend to use for pollination away from your garden space.
Happy gardening, everyone! Love life and smoke good.