Male vs Female Marijuana Plants
We decided to start off this fun section with a topic that we’ve all had to research when we first entered the cannabis world. We often hear people ask: “What’s the difference between male and female plants”? Well, we decided to help you answer that in today’s article!
First we must understand that plants may be Monoecious or Dioecious. Monoecious plants are those that may be referred to as hermaphrodites, since they have both male and female reproductive organs. This however is only accurate if both are on the same, perfect flower. A classification of “bisexual” is more accurate when the plant produces both male and female flowers separately.
Dioecious plants are those that have distinct male and female plants, each with a respective male or female flower.
Is Cannabis Monoecious or Dioecious?
Most Cannabis plants are dioecious. Monoecious plants do exist, but female plants are primarily grown as they are the ones that produce flowers.
Male plants are typically only grown by breeders attempting to create new strains. Marijuana from male plants, as well as cross-pollinated marijuana with seeds are typically sold as inferior products. The sought after cannabis (also popularly known as “weed”) is almost always that which was derived from purely female plants which were not exposed to any male plants.
If growing cannabis purely from clones, male plants are not needed. Interestingly though, if growing cannabis as hemp for fiber, male plants are generally more sought after as they produce softer fibers than female hemp plants, making them in higher demand for textile production.
Female Cannabis Plants
Female Cannabis plants are the ones used for the industry, as they are the ones that produce the flowers and THC.
Female cannabis plants receive pollen from males to produce seeds, which will carry on the genetics of both plants to the next generation.
However, cannabis is primarily cultivated for flowers, not seeds, so the practice of growing sinsemilla, or “seedless” cannabis, is prevalent today: Females and males are grown separately, or males are even discarded, to prevent pollination. This allows female plants to focus their energies on bud production instead of seed production.
Males and females are usually only pollinated when crossbreeding plants or creating new strains.
Females are also cloned by cutting a branch of a living Cannabis plant, which will then grow into a plant itself, with the same genetic makeup as the plant it was taken from.
Male Cannabis Plants
Male cannabis plants grow pollen sacs instead of flowers. Male plants are usually discarded as they would pollinate the females, which would produce seeds instead of flowers.
Males are important in the breeding process, but that is generally best left to expert breeders. When pollinating females, males provide half of the genetic makeup inherited by seeds.
Because of this, it’s important to look into the genetics of the male plants. Their shape, rate of growth, pest and mold resistance, and climate resilience can all be passed on to increase the quality of future generations.
Males produce a very soft material that is actually more valuable for hemp fiber than a female’s, whose fibers are much coarser. Male plants can also be used for recreational purposes even though it doesn’t create the classic version of what we understand as weed. Male cannabis also has a light psychoactive factor thanks to the fact that a small number of cannabinoids can be found in their leaves, stems, and pollen sacs, not as potent as the THC-stacked female plants; these cannabinoids can be used to make concentrate oils.
Can you differentiate female from male Cannabis plants?
To identify the gender of the cannabis plant, you must examine what grows in between the nodes. The nodes are the part of the plant where the branches extend from the stalk of the plant. Male plants will have small pollen sacs for the purpose of spreading seeds while the female plant will have stigmas, which catch the pollen that male plants spread. It is best to identify the sex of the plant before the plant’s reproduction cycle become active. Usually, it is possible to determine the sex of the plant by 4-6 weeks into plant growth.
What Are Feminized Marijuana Seeds?
‘Feminized’ cannabis seeds are produced by causing the hermaphrodite condition in a female plant. You can do this via Rodelization, by spraying gibberellic acid or a colloidal silver solution. What happens is that you use ‘male’ pollen from a hermaphrodite plant to fertilize a female flower. As a result, you end up with plants that are either hermaphrodites or females, but never males.
In the right conditions, feminized marijuana strains can gain resistance against becoming hermaphrodites. This means the seeds are guaranteed to grow into female plants. It is a process that saves commercial growers, in particular, a great deal of time and money.
Feminized cannabis seeds produce marijuana plants almost genetically identical to the self-pollinated female parent plant.
Also known as ‘cloning by seed,’ it is a reliable way to avoid producing male plants. On the downside, finding a stable mother plant for seed production is expensive and time-consuming.
A high percentage of feminized seeds become hermaphrodites. This scenario results in marijuana flowers with seeds in them and lower overall yield. Don’t use feminized seeds if you intend to breed plants. On the plus side, this type of seed is ideal for beginners who want to avoid male plants infiltrating their cannabis garden.
Cannabis Plant Clone
The process involves cutting a small branch from an already established cannabis plant, often referred to as a “mother plant,” getting it to establish its own root system, and thus become its own cannabis plant.
A typical clone is about 6 inches in length, give or take, and after cutting it off the mother plant, the clone is put into a medium such as a root cube and given a hormone to encourage root growth.
After roots develop, it is then transplanted into a pot or the ground, and it will grow like any weed plant.
This is a great way to share cannabis genetics.
Cannabis seeds vs. clones
Both options present their own benefits and drawbacks. Here are the reasons why some growers prefer cannabis clones.
Pros of clones
- Starting with a clone ensures that the gender of your plant is female.
- Another big benefit is that it speeds up the cultivation process. Seeds take time to sprout and grow into a plant. A clone already is a plant, and is several weeks ahead of the process compared to a seed that has yet to sprout.
- Clones are less delicate than seeds, at least in the beginning. A rooted clone is much easier to keep alive and nourish than a newly sprouted, delicate seedling.
Cons of clones
- Clones lack a taproot. Instead they grow secondary roots also known as a fibrous root system.
- Some cannabis clones carry diseases and/or pests.
Now let’s take a look at seeds. Here are the reasons why some growers prefer seeds.
Pros of seeds
- Cannabis plants started from seed have a taproot, which many believe supplies more support for the plants.
- When you start from seed, you are not inheriting the potentially nasty pests and diseases from a mother plant. A seed is ‘clean’ so to speak.
- Seeds last a long time when stored properly, which is a huge advantage to going the seed route.
Cons of seeds
- A grower invests quite a bit of time before they know if the seed is male or female, even if the source they purchased the seeds from is reliable, it’s still a risk.
- Seeds are very delicate after they pop. It doesn’t take much to kill them.
So there you have it. The choice is up to you, but 420 Trainers has given you all the information you need to make an informed, practical choice.
See you in the next one!