Male and Female Plants: How to Identify and Manage

Cannabis has a number of characteristics that make it particularly interesting for growers; however, these same features also make it a challenging plant to cultivate.

In order to ensure the best possible results from your crop, you must learn how to identify, manage and maximize the potential of each type of plant.

Managing Cannabis Plants

Male plants produce pollen sacs. When they reach maturity, the pollen sacs open and release pollen. Females begin developing flowers when they receive the pollen. In order to prevent seed formation, growers must remove the males before they pollinate the females.

Male plants do not have to be viewed as a negative element in a grow operation. However, managing them requires some planning. Based on what you hope to accomplish with your grow operation, you can plan how you will handle your male plants.

• Remove completely: If you want to create a dense bud that contains no seeds, you can simply remove the male plant once you identify it. This will prevent accidental pollination and will allow the female plants to continue growing resin-rich flowers.
• Isolate carefully: If you are planning to breed new strains, you will want to isolate your male plants from the flowering females. Each plant will require separate ventilation in order to maintain the integrity of the male’s genetic material and to protect the female from being damaged during harvesting.
• Collect and store pollen: Advanced growers may want to collect the pollen from mature male flowers and store it in an airtight container in a cool and dry location. A single pollen grain can fertilize thousands of plants, allowing you to control the pollination process and test new hybrid strains without jeopardizing the health of your entire crop.

Early Sexing

In order to avoid losing potential yields, growers need to begin monitoring their plant’s sex as soon as possible. The earliest pre-flowers normally will appear at the nodes, once the plant has developed 5–7 internodes and has been growing vegetatively for approximately 4–6 weeks.

The upper portion of the plant should be checked frequently (every 2-3 days) within this 4–6 week timeframe, as it will be easier to spot the initial signs of each sex: small round balls for male plants, and small tear-drop shaped calyces with very fine hair  for female plants.

Stress Causing Hermaphroditism

Cannabis can produce plants called hermaphrodites which are plants that display both pistils and pollen sacs. Hermaphroditic plants often develop under stressful conditions such as:

• Light leaking into the grow area during the dark period
• Excessive heat
• Poor watering habits
• Over-pruning at the wrong time

In practical terms, it may be better to eliminate any obviously hermaphroditic plants to prevent the production of seeds in your entire grow area.

Explore New Strains Before You Grow at Weed Wonderland

Whether you’re just starting out or have been growing for years, exploring top strains in our online catalog of ready-to-use cannabis products can help you find the perfect variety for your needs.