There are some very important differences between male and female cannabis plants that home growers should be aware of. The main distinction is that female cannabis plants produce buds while male cannabis plants do not. For this reason, home growers will mainly want to cultivate female plants only and avoid males. Male cannabis plants typically do not produce any substantial amount of THC, CBD, or any other minor cannabinoids.
One way to ensure that you do not run into the problem of cultivating males is by purchasing feminized seeds from a legal source. Pristine Seeds are feminized, easy-to-grow at home, and are available in regulated retailers across Canada.
How can I tell if my cannabis plant is male or female?
Cannabis plants go through a variety of growth stages including seeding, vegetative and flowering. Marijuana plants typically do not reveal their gender until late into the vegetative state/early in the “pre-flowering” stage. The plant’s sex should become clear as early as three weeks and as late as seven weeks after sprouting.
When the flowering stage begins, plants start growing buds (female) or pollen sacs (male) depending on their gender. You’ll want to pay attention to where the main stem connects to the individual nodes AKA the ‘branches’. This is where cannabis “pre-flowers” will show up. Feminized cannabis will develop a calyx (the beginning of a bud) with one or two wispy white hairs (also known as pistils or stigmas) poking out. Male plants will develop pollen sacs, commonly referred to as “balls” by many cannabis growers. These balls will typically show up a week or two after changing the plants from vegetative to flowering.
What should I do if my cannabis plant is male?
Kill it – immediately. If a male cannabis plant is allowed to grow freely, eventually the sacs will fill up, burst open, and spread pollen all over the surrounding area. If your female cannabis plants are anywhere near the males when this happens, you will lose your entire crop that you’ve worked hard to cultivate. Male cannabis plants will pollinate female plants, resulting in low-quality seeded buds that are next to impossible to consume. This is why it is very important to identify the gender of your plants quickly and remove any male plant threats as soon as possible.
What should I do if my cannabis plant is female?
Celebrate! Feminized, non-pollinated cannabis is commonly referred to as “sensimillia” (Spanish for “without seeds”). Sensimillia is known to be high quality and potent. Once your plant shows signs that it is female, continue with the flowering stage process and get ready to harvest some Pristine buds.
