Top Tips On How To Sex Plants
- 1. Look at the growth patterns
- 2. Males mature faster than females
- 3. Identify where the seed sprouted
- 4. Males have sacs, females have pistils
- 5. Clone the plants to determine sex
- 6. Hermaphrodite plants
- 7. In conclusion
Sexing cannabis seeds is really just finding out whether they are male or female, this can be very important for various reasons. The main one is female plants are the only ones that will produce buds and is what growers mainly look for, male plants are used solely for breeding and creating seeds. Another reason is you don’t want a male plant to pollinate your females, if you leave male and female plants long enough, the buds will be completely full of seeds and it will be almost impossible to smoke them. If you’re new to the world of weed, you might wonder why cannabis growers need to sex plants at all. Well, the answer to this question is based on the fact that cannabis belongs to a minority in the plant kingdom. Only around 10% of plants on Earth are monoecious, meaning they produce separate male and female specimens—cannabis falls into this group. For reproduction to be successful for these species, male pollen must catch the wind, or ride the legs of a pollinating insect, and make contact with female flowers in order to fertilize them.
In contrast, because the other 90% of plant species possess both male and female reproductive organs, they’re able to pollinate themselves. However, the goal when growing cannabis is to produce resinous female flowers packed with THC, other cannabinoids, and terpenes. Outside of breeding, fertilized flowers produce undesirable results, such as seedy flowers and reduced potency. Therefore, growers must learn how to identify the sex of each plant within their growing space. Developing this skill will allow you to prevent accidental fertilization and therefore produce the best quality flowers possible. To help you with that, here are 6 tips that can help you sex your plants:
1. Look At The Growth Patterns
During the vegetative stage every plant will start to grow, as the plant grows you will begin to notice subtle differences in the size and structure. Growers have noticed that certain signs shown early can help you determine the sex of your cannabis plants. Females tend to develop more branching and leaves while males on the other hand tend to be a little bit taller and less bushy.
Obviously, you won’t be decided solely on these signs but this can ultimately help you out. Note that this doesn’t (usually) apply to indoor-grown plants.
2. Males Mature Faster Than Females
This is the most common way to determine sex. Males will generally grow rapidly and develop before females. The pollen sacs may look like small buds at first but will slowly start to develop into fully mature pollen sacs. Be sure to remove the plant from your grow space if you’re growing for your consumption and not breeding.
3. Identify Where The Seed Sprouted
Although it is not so accepted and a little strange, some growers use this method to sex plants when germinating. If the radicle (the tip of the root when germinating) comes out of the top or bottom of the seed, it will generally be a female. If the radicle comes out of the side it will usually be a male. Remember this hasn’t been proven scientifically and is not acknowledged by some growers, if your seed sprouts from the side don’t just throw it away, be on the lookout, and along with the other tips this will help you identify your plants correctly.
4. Males Have Sacs, Females Have Pistils
If you can’t identify your plant’s sex during the vegetative phase, this is the point when you do. Eventually, plants will show sacs or pistils.
Male plants grow sacs that will eventually open up to form little flowers. Female plants will not, instead, they will grow white hairs (aka pistils). Seeing these white hairs will ensure your plant is 100% female.
5. Clone The Plants To Determine Sex
This is really the only way to determine sex before your plants reach maturity, this is achieved by taking a clone from any plant. This cutting is then put into a small cup with medium and let to grow for a few days. After the clone’s roots have developed a bit, place it under a 12/12 life cycle. Soon, the plant will reach maturity and show its sex, because clones share the same DNA as the plant where it was taken from, the clone will show the sex the main plant has. Note that this cannot be used with autoflowers because they start flowering based on age and not photoperiod.
6. Hermaphrodite Plants
Cannabis plants can be either male or female, but they can also be both. This is called hermaphroditism and is a natural feature that ensures the survival of the plant’s specific genetic code in times of stress or injury. What is a hermie cannabis plant exactly, and how does this occur? A cannabis plant is classified as a hermie when they show both pistils and pollen sacks at the same time. While this is a very beneficial evolutionary feature, it is the absolute opposite of what we want as cultivators. Just one hermie can produce enough pollen to wreak havoc on an entire crop.
If you suspect one of your plants has become a hermie you need to quarantine it from the rest of the crop immediately. Some hermie plants will only show a couple of pollen sacs, while some will be covered in them. If your plant only has a handful of pollen sacs, you can carefully remove them with either your finger or a set of tweezers. When doing so, be extremely careful not to pop the sacks, even if the plant has already been removed from the rest of the crop. This may be all that is needed to revert the plant back to her original female form, but if she is covered in sacks then it may be best to eliminate her to save the rest of the crop.
There is a wide range of reasons why a plant may turn hermie, but the most common issue is overstressing the plant. This can be from plant training techniques that you have pushed a little too far, from injury to the plant, over or under watering or feeding, or from heat or humidity stress, or pest or fungal invasion. The list truly is almost never-ending. Always keep a close eye on your crop, even if there are no obvious signs of stress.
7. In Conclusion
Never make a decision without actually seeing pistils or pollen sacs. Either if some growers use these tips to decide what to do with their plants, if your plant hasn’t reached maturity yet there’s no way you can know your plants sex for sure. We recommend waiting until your plants show signs of maturity to decide what you’re going to do next, if not, the best way is to clone your plants. Although this can mean more work, this is the only way to sex plants before they reach maturity.
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