Even novice growers know those female and male individuals can be distinguished among hemp plants. It is through pollination by male and female plants when cannabis fertilization occurs. Male bushes are very important for breeding and breeding new varieties, but in terms of psychoactive effects, they are practically useless. The content of THC in their inflorescences is minimal and does not have a stupefying effect. When pollen from male flowers falls on female flowers, they later direct all forces to form seeds and stop producing cannabinoids.
1. How does male and female hemp look like
2. How to avoid pollination of female hemp
3. Recommendations for the care of female cannabis
Experienced growers know the precise value of particular female hemp (sensimilla). It is in its inflorescences that the highest amount of psychoactive substances is contained, which means that the effect will be brighter, deeper.
In addition to male and female cannabis, there is hermaphrodite hemp. Both female inflorescences and male inflorescences are simultaneously present on such a plant. It can self-pollinate and also pollinate surrounding plants, which will extremely negatively affect the quality of marijuana.
How does male and female hemp look like?
It is worth realizing that by buying regular hemp seeds, you are equally likely to grow both female and male plants. It is simply impossible to determine the sex of marijuana at the vegetation stage. Only when plants transition to flowering do they begin to show their sexual signs. It was at this moment that the grower should show the highest degree of attention and when identifying male bushes, immediately remove them from the greenhouse.
How to distinguish female cannabis from male cannabis? Actually simple enough. The first differences can be noticed at the pre-color stage. At this point, small cusps begin to form at the branch points of the side shoots, according to the characteristic shape of which it is possible to determine the future sex of cannabis.
On female hemp plants, pre-flowers are formed directly on the trunk itself and resemble bulbs in appearance, from which several white hairs are produced over time – stigmas. It is these bulbs with long hairs that are the main sign of female hemp.
Male pre-colors are more like bunches of elongated buds (bananas). They are not immediately attached to the stem, but as if hanging on a long leg. It is inside these buds that pollen ripens. The grower should have time to remove male plants away from female plants until the buds opened, and the pollen did not fall on female inflorescences.
Even when all-male plants are recognized and removed, it is still early to relax. There is a possibility of hermaphroditism. Some varieties are more genetically prone to hermaphroditism, but most often this course of events is caused by stressful situations for hemp. Too bright light, too warm in the grow box, excessive watering – all this can cause the formation of male flowers on women’s bushes. This can occur both at the beginning of flowering and at the very end of the life cycle. This happens as follows: buds form at the ends of shoots, and “eggs” with pollen at the branch points. If such formations are not identified in time, it will not be possible to get a precious sensimilla.
How to avoid pollination of female hemp?
To fully realize the potential of marijuana, strict care should be taken to ensure that women’s bushes are not pollinated. If you choose feminized hemp seeds, this problem does not fall by itself. In 99% of cases, female plants grow from femics. But with regular seeds, you should be alert. The first few weeks of flowering will have to be closely monitored to identify men in time.
As soon as you notice the sexual signs of the male plant, it should be immediately isolated from the female or thrown out altogether. Usually, it is male pre colors that form a couple of weeks earlier than females. If some plants begin to bloom before others, special attention should be paid to them. In addition, males are usually slightly higher and less branched than females. So they increase the likelihood of pollen reaching more plants in the district.
If everything with male cannabis is simple enough, then in working with hermaphrodites you should be extremely careful. If you do not visit the greenhouse for several days in a row, then you can completely miss the formation of male colors. They grow and mature very quickly. If you have already noticed such a plant, it must be immediately deposited from the rest of the bushes in order to avoid pollination. Then you need to act on the situation.
If hemp is already in the final phase of flowering, and there are not so many male “bananas,” they can be carefully removed from the plant. To prevent pollen from spreading during the removal process, a sheet of paper should be placed under the flower. It can be sprayed with water a little so that the pollen does not spread from the blowing of air. After such actions, hands and tools must be treated with soap solution, and clothes must be immediately changed so as not to transfer pollen to the grow box on itself.
If the plant has only recently begun to bloom, and there are about the same number of male inflorescences as female ones, then it is better to get rid of such a representative. He will only bring a lot of problems and will not give a decent harvest. It is better to take decisive measures in due time than to lose as a whole crop in the future.
Male hemp plants are only needed by breeders and breeders if they want to get a seed crop. If your goal is fragrant and powerful bumps, then the “boys” need to be kept as far from planting as possible. If you still decide to let the cannabis pollinate to collect seeds from it, put these bushes in isolation and make sure that the smallest particles of pollen do not fall on all your remaining plants.
Recommendations for the care of female cannabis
- Female inflorescences love light very much. Make sure that at the flowering stage the lighting is bright and meets the requirements of the plant in the spectrum (red spectrum).
- Take care of the good ventilation of the room, because the formed dense cones are often infected with mold.
- If during the growing season the humidity should be high (60-70%), then by 3-4 weeks of hemp flowering keep it to a minimum (40-50%).
- To make the cones grow large and resinous, use nutrient complexes with an increased phosphorus content when flowering.
