Cannabis: Male, Female or Something Completely Different?

If you delve into growing cannabis, you'll quickly encounter everything related to sexing plants and the problems that arise if you're unfamiliar with it. Even when buying cannabis seeds, you're bound to come across "feminized" and "regular" seeds. We at HIZEN believe you should have a clear understanding of this, so in the following blog post, we've set out to clarify all the uncertainties, broaden your perspective, and perhaps even save your grow. So, let's get started with the distinction in cannabis: male or female?

Biological principles for distinguishing male and female cannabis plants

We begin at the very beginning – where the fox and the hare bid each other goodnight, the bees visit the flowers, and where both male and female cannabis plants originate: in nature. Nature is a fantastic mechanism, based on an intelligence that we cannot truly grasp with our human minds. Over millions of years, different species evolve, developing defense, reproductive, and survival strategies that could have come straight out of a futuristic novel. For example, the swordfish, which got its name from the long, pointed saber on its nose. We still don't know its purpose. What we do know, however, is that evolution doesn't believe in chance. Everything has its purpose and a fixed place in creation. This also applies to the sexual characteristics of cannabis plants. Cannabis is one of the most robust plants in existence and can take root under almost any conditions. For instance, there are indications that cannabis did not always produce clearly male or female plants, but was rather gender-fluid – depending on what the environmental conditions allowed. Even today, monoecious cannabis plants (varieties that carry both female and male genes) still exist, although dioecious cannabis varieties are more widespread. The clear advantage of dioecy is the separation of roles. While male plants concentrate entirely on producing and distributing pollen, the females develop magnificent flowers that are ideally suited for pollination. However, depending on environmental factors, hermaphroditism can still occur in cannabis, meaning a plant can develop both male and female reproductive characteristics. Why? We'll get to that later. First, let's take a closer look at the specific characteristics of male and female cannabis plants and how to identify them.

Determining the gender of cannabis: male or female?

A grow can be so easy. Buy seeds, put them in the soil, and hey presto, the seedling is there and growing like a weed. And then the big disappointment: Even after several months, the flowers are puny or suddenly full of seeds. The clear separation of the sexes leads to the following phenomenon: Only the female cannabis plants are the ones that produce really large, THC-filled flowers and only if they have not been pollinated. The danger and horror that many a grower has had to experience: A male specimen has sneaked in and pollinated the female grow tent roommates. Instead of concentrating on producing THC, they have now developed seeds. To ensure that this does not happen in the future or does not happen again, you should definitely learn how to distinguish female from male cannabis plants! And here's how:

Male cannabis specimens…

... begin to develop their first sexual characteristics in weeks 3-4 of the grow. However, this also depends on the variety and growing conditions; so don't let the time information distract you. You can recognize the first signs of male cannabis plants in the nodes of the plant. Small, round lumps form here, which later become the pollen sacs. If you discover something like this on your young cannabis plant, take precautions: If you have started your grow to have your own (smokable) cannabis, then this plant must be removed from the grow tent so that it cannot pollinate your female plants. Either you put it in a separate grow tent or you destroy it. In any case, make sure that it is not near your female cannabis plants and cannot pollinate them with a breath of air.

Female cannabis plants…

... develop their first sexual characteristics on average a little later than their male counterpart, namely from week 4-6. Look at the nodes of the plant here too: instead of male pollen sacs or small bumps, you will find small, light "hairs" here - these are the first pistils. A very clearly female sexual characteristic! As the flowering phase approaches, these hairs become more and more numerous and finally you will be able to see the first, compact flower structures. The pre-flowers and surrounding leaves then start to produce sticky resin and the plant forms further branches to increase flower production. Male plants do not do this, by the way! The development of pollinated flowers differs in a few ways: instead of light pistils that develop into flowers, the pistils first turn orange-brown and dry out - and the calyxes that develop in these places do not really want to grow and instead remain small and only swell a little. Seeds form inside.

We have compiled the most important features for you in a table here:

Hermaphroditism or hermaphroditism in cannabis

We have already mentioned that even modern cannabis does not always produce clearly male or female characteristics. Why should it? After all, equality goes in all directions and every cannabis plant should be allowed to express itself freely. But what exactly leads to hermaphroditism and how can you recognize cannabis hermaphrodites? There are various factors that promote hermaphroditism. These include:

• environmental stress,

• Genetic,

• and hormonal problems

Genetics can also have an influence; there are varieties that are more susceptible to hermaphroditism than others. Usually, however, hermaphroditism can be traced back to light stress, the wrong supply of nutrients or mechanical stress such as incorrect training techniques. Unfortunately, once the process has started and the cannabis plant has started to develop both male and female characteristics, it cannot be reversed. The only thing that helps here is to remove the plant and protect the rest of the grow.

And this is how you recognize hermaphrodites

We have already described the characteristics of male and female cannabis. It is actually quite easy to identify hermaphrodites: They simply develop both pollen sacs and pistils. If the plant is left alone and simply observed, you can then observe the development of hermaphrodite flowers from around week 5: small flowers that are not particularly dense, but do develop seeds. Regardless of the fact that you should separate the plant from other female cannabis plants, you can keep it and take good care of it until the end of the grow. The flowers will never be as THC-rich and heavy as female plants, but they could still be suitable for mild weed - and of course you can also grow new plants with the seeds you then have.

This is what it looks like in different stages:

Breeding with male and female hemp plants

Most growers will throw their hands up in despair if they discover male plants or hermaphrodites in their grow tent. After all, the goal is usually to grow good, homegrown weed . And even if you've bought feminized seeds, you might still get a hit or two. However, if you're intentionally breeding, you'll use regular seeds anyway, then simply place male and female cannabis plants in separate tents and experiment a bit with crossbreeding: Just brush the pollen from the male plants onto the female flowers and see what happens! You can combine strains that have never been combined before, cross your favorite strains, and who knows – maybe even create the next big thing. So, having male plants in your tent isn't all bad. Keep in mind, though, that even with the resulting seeds, you still won't know whether they'll produce male or female plants – so pay attention to the sex characteristics early on and separate the male and female plants as soon as you know. Now you know what to look out for!

Everything is not so bad

As a beginner, you'll make plenty of mistakes. So, if you've just discovered female, male, or hermaphroditic cannabis plants in your tent , don't beat yourself up about it. Even professionals occasionally get results they didn't expect. Some of these "mistakes," however, have even led to the creation of world-famous strains. For example, there are stories surrounding Diesel and Skunk varieties that suggest they were developed purely by chance. What lucky coincidences! The takeaway is that not every mistake is a bad thing. And even if you don't end up with a random, amazing result, the learning experience is invaluable.

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