How to Sex Marijuana Plants(Informative Guide)

Male Vs Female: How Do You Determine The Sex Of Your Marijuana Plant?

Before we proceed, you should first learn how to determine the sex of your marijuana plant. Reproduction in plants can happen in several ways. There are the so-called hermaphrodite plants that have both male and female organs, monoecious plants that produce two different flowers on the same plant, and the dioecious plants that produce plants with either male or female organs.
Sexing cannabis plants results in cross-pollination, which produces seeds. This method allows a breeder to achieve new genetics of the marijuana plants. You should also be informed that getting rid of the male plant from your garden allows the female plants to grow large and seedless buds, referred to as sensimilla.
These buds are often regarded as low-quality marijuana, in which when seeds are present, the smoke coming from the marijuana becomes unpleasant and harsh. Not to worry, breeders have learned a way to introduce the male marijuana plants to pollinate female marijuana plants, especially if growing a new strain or if just collecting the seeds.

Surely, you can obtain female genetics through cloning and feminized seeds. However, if you are working with normal seeds or if you are not sure of the type of seed, learning how to determine if the plant is male or female is very important. Fortunately, sexing cannabis plants is simple and a lot easier than you think if you know where and when to look.
You can determine the sex of the cannabis plants by looking at what grows in between their nodes, normally found where the branches and leaves extend from the plant’s stalk. When pollen sacs grow on male cannabis plants, it is the one that spreads pollen. On the other hand, when a female grows a stigma, they are the ones who catch the pollen.
Lucky for us, these differences become obvious weeks before they begin to serve their purposes in reproduction. If you didn’t know, this is the pre-flowering stage of sexing marijuana seeds. They begin to grow in the fourth week, but it may take longer depending on the sprouting phase. On the 6th week, you should be able to find the pre-flower; thus, determine the sex of the plant.

What Are Hermaphrodite Marijuana Plants?

As discussed in the earlier section, a marijuana plant is considered a hermaphrodite if it develops both female and male organs. Having this type of plant would also mean that your marijuana plant has the capability to pollinate your entire garden. You should also be informed that this instance happens especially if there is plant damage or disease, bad weather, or nutrient deficiencies.
Hermaphrodite cannabis plants are of two types: one that can develop both pollen sacs and buds and one that produces anthers. Both plants can perform pollen production. However, true hermaphrodite marijuana plants can produce sacs that rupture. On the other hand, anthers are exposed pollen-generating stamen.
This instance occurs especially when the marijuana plants are under stress, which is why it is very important that you monitor them once they encounter any of the stressors mentioned above. When indoors, some of the most common causes are high temperatures or light leaks. When outdoors, it may be caused by a snapped branch.
Another cause of hermaphrodite cannabis plants might be the plant’s genetics. You should avoid growing a plant that has a history of hermaphrodite development to protect your garden. If you notice any of the signs, you should immediately remove them from your garden. Doing this will prevent pollination of the female marijuana plants.

How To Sex Marijuana Plants

Now that you have learned how to determine the sex of your marijuana plant and the ways on how to determine if the plant is hermaphrodite, we can now discuss how to sex marijuana plants. In terms of appearance, male plants are leggier, with longer intermodal length. Female plants tend to have more leaves and are a lot bushier than males.
As the hours of daylight stars to decrease, the changing light levels will alert your marijuana plants to produce flowers. What you need to look for is the appearance of pre-flowers found at branch junctions. Male pre-flowers are easy to find, although you can use a magnifying glass just to make the job a lot easier.
Female pre-flowers also form at the branch’s junction and stem and they usually start to form at the fourth branch from the base of the plant. You can easily tell if the marijuana plant is female if it grows pairs of tiny white hairs, also referred to as pistils. This is the stage wherein the plant it entering the flowering phase and it might be the best time to remove the male plant.
Once the cannabis plant enters the flowering phase, you should be informed that its nutrient requirements, as well as its growth patterns, also change. You might notice that its vegetative growth will slow down while the stems elongate and the formation of the flower will begin before the growth slows.
One important thing to remember is that your marijuana plant needs less nitrogen, but it requires a lot more phosphorous or potassium. You may opt to use a super bloom fertilizer if you want to. You will notice that the female flower stars to develop kolas on the branch junctions, with the main one growing at the tip.
If you look a little closer, you might just be able to see the seed pods. You can either see the plant with seeds if it has been pollinated by a male plant or with THC if you have successfully removed the male plants. Once they are ready for harvest, the pistils start to darken while the seed pods are swollen and a bit sticky due to the THC trichomes and resin.

What Can You Do With The Male Marijuana Plants?

Male cannabis plants are often regarded as useless and can be discarded once it has been removed from your garden. It’s true, male plants are essential for pollination and are responsible for the reproduction of more marijuana plants. But do male plants really belong to the trash? Can they still serve a purpose to gardeners?
It might surprise you but there can be more than one use for your male plants and we are discussing it in this section. First off, it can be used for breeding cannabis plants. Probably the most obvious function of the male marijuana plant is for sexing cannabis seeds. During pollination, the male plant provides half of the genetic makeup, which is why it’s important to consider its genetics.
Second, male cannabis plants can be used for hemp fiber, as they produce a softer material. Females, on the other hand, creates a h2er and coarse fiber. Did you know that the male cannabis plant’s fiber is also used for products such as tablecloths, apparel, and other household items because of their softness?
The third use of male marijuana plants is that it can be utilized for concentrate production, as they are a lot more psychoactive than female plants. While they normally don’t produce buds, they do contain small amounts of cannabinoids, which you can find on the stems, sacs, and leaves. These can be extracted to produce hash or the THC distillate oil.
Lastly, male cannabis plants can be used for garden enhancement, as they produce aromatic oils, which are mostly associated with disease and pest control. The dried material is often used to produce oils that are applied to get rid of or repel insects and pests, just like a bug spray. To add, they are known to dive deep into the soil, which allows infiltration of moisture and nutrients.

Tips On How To Sex Your Marijuana Plants

Now that you have learned how to sex cannabis plants, we will now provide you with some valuable information to help you throughout the process. Take note of the following tips:

#1 Notice the growth pattern

During the growth period, every plant, may it be male, female, or hermaphrodite will begin to flourish. As they start to age, you will also see noticeable changes in their sizes. As discussed in the earlier section, you might also see the things to look for when determining the sex of the plant, even on early stages of growth.
Female cannabis plants normally have more complex branching as they grow from the seedling phase up to the vegetative phase. Males cannabis plants, on the other hand, are generally taller but less filled with leaves and branches. Obviously, you would not want to pull these at such an early stage, but at least you know which ones to watch out for.

#2 Males marijuana plants tend to grow faster than females

Perhaps another way to know the sex of your marijuana plant is to observe their growth. In case you did not know yet, male cannabis plants reach their sexual maturity about two weeks earlier than females cannabis plants. You will see ‘false buds’, which are known as pollen sacs. The reason behind this is that males can drop down the pollen onto the female reproductive organs.

#3 To determine the sex of the marijuana plant, you may perform cloning

Another foolproof method to know the sex of the marijuana plant before they reach maturity is to clone them. Take a cutting from a plant and place it into potting soil to allow it to grow for a few days. After that, perform force flowering with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Just remember to separate the clones away from the host plants.
Since the clones share the same DNA with their host, of course, it will have the same sex. Once the clone marijuana plants enter the flowering phase, it will be a lot easier for you to determine its sex, as well as the sex of the host plant. Another thing to remember is that you need to keep track of the clone, as well as the host, so as not to mix them up.

#4 Take note of where the cannabis plant sprouted during germination phase

Although a little weird for some, growers have found a way to help them determine the sex of the plant right after the germination stage. If the sprout reveals itself at the top or bottom of the seed, you can safely say that the plant is female. On the other hand, male cannabis plants sprout on the sides.
While this is not exactly foolproof, you can still use this method. If you wish to know for sure, let them grow for a little while and try to look for the male or female signs once they show up. You also should refrain from throwing out marijuana seeds if they sprout from the side. Instead, take note of these predictions for you to be able to make a wise decision later.

Conclusion

Now that we have discussed everything there is to know about the topic, we hope that you are now knowledgeable on how to sex marijuana plants. Though it may be tricky at first, all you need is to gain experience to be able to do this job right. Just remember to refer to the earlier sections, especially on how to determine the sex of the plant, as it all stars from there.