The cannabis plant, like most living species such as humans, animals, and other plants, has male and female genders and reproductive processes. Knowing how to tell the difference between male vs female marijuana plants is vital for breeders and producers since the kind of weed influences the price and quality of the finished product.
Male vs female weed plants are crucial to know if you’re trying to propagate weed seeds.
Importance of knowing the difference
Cannabis plants have developed dramatically in the last few decades due to human intervention. We’ve spent years merging various species from throughout the world. Each strain has features such as structure, bud type, flavor, and effects. When distinct strains of male and female weed plants are combined, the resulting creation takes on features from both, allowing us to develop new plants. If you are growing a marijuana crop in your home, it is important to know what male vs female marijuana plants look like and their purposes.
The advent of feminized plants has been one of the most significant triumphs; after years and years of study, cannabis seeds may be generated with a 99% chance of being female. When growing ordinary seeds, you must know how to distinguish between male and female plants because only female flowers contain psychoactive weeds. Male plants fertilize female plants, which fill their blossoms with seeds, so if you want to get the most out of your plants, keep them apart. By the end of this post, we hope to have helped you distinguish between male and female weed plants; it’s not difficult, but it can be perplexing if not explained correctly.
Main Differences- male and female weed plants
Male Cannabis
Male plants produce pollen, which is required for cannabis plants to reproduce naturally; seeds form when male plants are present. You will need a male plant to generate your seeds.
If you’re cultivating ordinary plants and want to harvest blooms, we recommend removing any males as soon as possible. You won’t be able to tell them apart until they start flowering, which is when plants begin to reveal their sex. Male weed plants produce “balls” that open to release pollen, resembling a little clump of flowers.
You must get rid of them as soon as possible. It will be too late if they manage to release their pollen. It can take up to three weeks for them to explode. Male flowers lack pistils if you’re unsure how to tell them apart.
Female Cannabis
Female plants are essentially what everyone wants when cultivating cannabis since they produce buds, which are the section of the plant that contains the highest THC. Your plants may overflow their blossoms with seeds if you only have one male plant and a tiny amount of pollen.
If you cultivate male and female plants in the same growing space, the buds will only generate seeds, and you will be unable to smoke any of them. Females can be distinguished by the fact that their blooms do not entirely close but rather remain open, generating little hairs called pistils.
They are quite easy to identify because the first thing they produce are pistils, which male plants do not have at all.
Hermaphrodite Cannabis
Hermaphrodites are plants with both male and female flowers, which means they will generate buds while pollinating those and the rest of your plants. Plants can become hermaphrodites naturally or as a result of stress. Male and female plants can both turn. Thai strains have a higher genetic proclivity to become hermaphrodites, but any strain can flip if challenged enough. Many causes can stress out your plants and cause them to turn, such as additional light when they should be in the night cycle, too much or too little water, specific insects or pathogens, watering with cold water, or even a poorly done transplant.
Hermaphrodites aren’t the ideal plants to keep around because they can produce buds, but they risk pollinating the rest of your plants. We advise you to eliminate them; it’s not worth it only for a little extra cannabis.
The overview
It may appear difficult, yet male and female weed plants are easily distinguished; they are significantly different. Planting ordinary seeds have advantages and disadvantages; you can receive considerably bigger yields with feminized plants because you are guaranteed no male plants. Remember, though, that feminized seeds haven’t gone through a completely natural process to become female, which may impair the quality of your cannabis. This is why many cannabis enthusiasts have yet to switch from ordinary to feminized; they prefer to harvest somewhat less yield that is more potent and flavorful.
Feminized strains, on the other hand, are an excellent choice for inexperienced producers. Some seed banks, such as Nirvana Seeds, Seedsman, Barney’s Farm, Ministry of Cannabis, Exotic Seeds, or GB Strains, offer wonderful and economical seeds. Hemp Seeds, on the other hand, are ideal for producing sustainable fibers as well as CBD products.
We hope you liked (and learned something new) our guide to male vs female marijuana plants.
