Cannabis plants are either
male or female. The male plants produce pollen which
pollenates the flowers of the female plant, which once
pollenized, produce seeds. If the female plant isn`t
pollenized (if there are no male plants nearby producing
pollen), the flower/buds continue to develop and produce
THC. Female plants which are not pollenized are referred
to as sensemilla (without seeds).
Usually 40-50% of the plants are male.
A female can either generate a large seedless bud,
a large bud with a few seeds, or a large bud that is
almost totally seeds. The first case is achieved by
removing all the male plants before any of their flowers
open. The second case occurs when a few male flowers
have opened but you remove them before any more open.
The third case occurs when you miss-time the flowering
of the male. This can be devastating if you have big
female plants because you could loose 90% of the smokable
herb to seed production.
The spotting of males is one of the most difficult
of things to explain to a person that`s never grown
since it really takes careful attention to how the tops
of male plants look at this stage of development. Even
experienced growers will be unsure at times and will
have to wait till the next visit to be sure. When a
male enters the stage of flower development, the tips
of the branches where a bud would develop will start
to grow what looks like a little bud (little balls)
but it will have no white hairs coming out of it. Females
will have no balls and will have small white hairs.
Male is on left with cluster of balls and female is
on right with wispy white hairs.
Male - Female
Males are often, but not always, tall with stout stems,
sporadic branching, and few leaves. Males are usually
harvested except those used for breeding, after their
sex has been determined, but before the pollen is shed.
When harvesting, especially if close to females, cut
the plant off at the base, taking care to shake the
male as little as possible. This helps prevent any accidental
pollination by an unnoticed, open male flower.
Tip for beginners: Buy
feminized seeds! This way you
will only get female plants. |
