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You can’t always tell if a cannabis plant is male or female by looking at it. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to tell the difference and why it matters.
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The Difference Between Male and Female Cannabis Plants
Male and female cannabis plants look different from one another, and it is crucial to be able to tell them apart. The main difference is that male plants have pollen sacs that produce the pollen needed to fertilize female plants. Female plants have pistils, which are the structures that catch the pollen from the male plants. Keep reading to learn more about the differences between male and female cannabis plants!
The Characteristics of Male Cannabis Plants
Male cannabis plants are easy to spot because they have small, round clusters of flowers (pollen sacs) that grow in the leaf axils (where the leaves meet the stem). Female plants have much larger flowers that grow singularly or in pairs. The flowers of male plants mature faster and release pollen sooner than female flowers.
While female plants are the ones that produce the precious buds that we smoke, male plants are actually just as important to growers. That’s because they can be used to produce seeds for future generations of plants. Male plants are also sometimes used to make hash and other cannabis concentrates.
So, even though they don’t produce buds, male cannabis plants still have a lot of value for growers and smokers alike. Now that you know how to tell the difference between male and female cannabis plants, you can start growing your own at home!
The Characteristics of Female Cannabis Plants
Female cannabis plants are characterized by their pistils, which are the tiny hairs that protrude from the buds. Male plants have pollen sacs in place of pistils. The number of pistils a plant has can give you an indication of its femininity. For example, a plant with just a few pistils is probably not very female.
To determine the gender of your cannabis plants, you will need to wait until they are around six weeks old. At this point, you should be able to see little hairs growing out of the buds. If these hairs are long and thin, they are most likely pistils. If they are short and stumpy, they are probably pollen sacs.
Once you have determined the gender of your plants, you can begin to grow them accordingly. Female plants should be given more attention than male plants since they produce the flowers that contain the majority of cannabinoids like THC and CBD.
How to Determine the Sex of a Cannabis Plant
Cannabis plants can be male, female, or hermaphrodite. Male plants will not produce buds, while female plants will. Hermaphrodite plants have both male and female reproductive organs. Determining the sex of a cannabis plant is important because only female plants produce the buds that are desired by most growers.
The Pre-Flowering Stage
The pre-flowering stage is when your cannabis plant will show its first signs of gender. This typically occurs around 6 weeks into the vegetative stage, but it can happen earlier or later, depending on the strain. Keep in mind that even if your plant shows signs of being a certain sex during the pre-flowering stage, there’s still a chance it could change before flowering begins.
To determine the sex of your plant during the pre-flowering stage, you’ll need to look for clusters of pistol-shaped flowers that are either male or female. Male flowers have pollen sacs that look like little balls, while female flowers have sepals that look like tiny white hairs. If you see both male and female flowers on the same plant, it’s considered hermaphrodite.
The Flowering Stage
The flowering stage is when the plant starts to produce buds. This is the most important stage when it comes to determining the sex of your plant, as it is during this stage that the reproductive organs will become visible.
To determine the sex of your plant, you will need to closely inspect the flowers. Male plants will produce small clusters of flowers with no discernible buds. Female plants will produce single flowers with buds that are easily visible.
If you are growing your plants from seed, it can be difficult to determine the sex of the plant before it reaches the flowering stage. In this case, you will just have to wait and see what happens!
Why the Sex of a Cannabis Plant Matters
Before a cannabis plant can produce flowers (the buds we smoke), it must first go through a period of vegetative growth. Once the plant has grown to its full size, it will then begin to produce pollen. The pollen will fertilize the female flowers, resulting in the creation of seeds.
Male Cannabis Plants
Male cannabis plants are easy to spot, and are typically removed from the grow as soon as they are identified. Male plants produce pollen, which can cause your female plants to produce seedy buds (cannabis that is mostly seeds).
If you are growing cannabis for medicinal purposes, you will want to remove the males from your grow as early as possible. This is because the THC production of a female plant can be inhibited by pollination from a male.
To identify a male cannabis plant, look for:
-Pollen sacs that resemble balls or clubs
-Smaller size compared to females
-Thinner leaves with fewer fingers
-Less branching
If you wait too long to remove the males, they will release pollen and pollinate your female plants. Once this happens, there is no going back!
Female Cannabis Plants
Female cannabis plants are the ones that growers want to keep around. These are the plants that produce flowers–or buds–that contain high levels of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids. Male cannabis plants are not as useful to growers because they don’t produce buds, and they can actually pollinate female plants, leading to lower THC levels in the buds.
