I want to know the gender of my cannabis plants. How can I determine this?
One answer “How to determine the gender of cannabis plants?”
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I want to know the gender of my cannabis plants. How can I determine this?
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Determining the gender of your cannabis plants is an important part of any grow because it allows you to identify the certain characteristics associated with each sex. Knowing the gender of your plants helps you to determine the best course of action to achieve the desired results. Before you can determine the gender of your plants, it’s important to know some of the basics about how cannabis plants reproduce.
Cannabis plants reproduce by producing seeds which contain the genetic information to grow more plants. Male and female cannabis plants are needed in order to produce viable seeds. Male cannabis plants create pollen which they distribute to female plants, while female plants instead produce seeds. As such, it is important to determine the gender of your plants early in the growth process. Doing so ensures that you have the proper amount of male and female to ensure that pollination and seed production occur.
The first step in determining the gender of your cannabis plants is to look for pre-flowers. As the name suggests, pre-flowers appear before actual flowers form and are visibly smaller in size. They start to appear early on in the vegetative stage, which may be anywhere from 2-6 weeks after planting. Pre-flowers look different depending on the gender of the plant, with male plants typically having small round balls, while female plants will have more oval-shaped ones. If you’d like to verify that they are pre-flowers, take a close look at them through a magnifying glass to look for the small hairs at the base of the flower.
Once a cannabis plant reaches the flowering stage the differences between the sexes become even more apparent. To determine the gender of your plants at this stage, look to the nodes where the branches and leaves come out of the stem. On male plants, you’ll notice small balls forming at the nodes. These are the male flowers. On the other hand, female plants will start to form small hairs at the nodes. These are called calyx and are the female flowers. From a distance, you may also be able to tell the difference between male and female flowers based on their shapes. Male flowers typically hang in clusters and are more cone or spade-shaped. Female flowers on the other hand, are round or tear-dropped shaped.
By knowing the gender of your cannabis plants, you can make sure that your plants have the proper conditions for their needs. Male plants, for example, are only necessary for producing viable seeds, so you can reduce their stress by removing them when they are no longer needed. On the other hand, female plants need to be protected to ensure that pollen can be successfully transferred to them in order to create viable seeds.
Understanding the gender differences of cannabis plants helps you to develop the proper growing strategies to achieve the desired results. With this knowledge, you can make sure that your plants are receiving the best treatment to maximize their potential.