Cannabis cultivators the world over know the obsessive, purgatorial feeling of waiting for their plants to mature to discern sex—female, male or hermaphrodite. A male plant, while essential for reproduction, can also run rampant across a garden and devastate an entire crop of flowering female plants—intended for consumption—by inadvertently pollinating them and causing hermaphroditism. The male plant can be culled or managed in a way that will allow it to play a vital role in the reproduction cycle.
There’s no way to ascertain if a seedling is male or female with the naked eye. Growing plants can be a nerve-wracking experience for growers as they wait to see if the plant will mature.
Plants express their physical characteristics as they grow. Sexe can be determined by size. In the initial stage, males grow higher and faster than females. The intermodal spaces of male plants are also longer. Intermodal space refers to the distance between the stem and the leaves of a plant. In the early stages of growth, female plants are shorter than males and have a more squat appearance.
The male plants will also develop a thicker stalk earlier than the females. The taller plants need this to be supported. Usually, the male plant provides fibers that are used for fabrics and in other industries. Although the female plant can also be used as an industrial fiber source, it is usually the male plant that is chosen. Female cannabis plants are more similar to hemp. Male cannabis is the opposite. Although its fibers are similar to those of male hemp, the cellulose in male cannabis is less robust.
The aim is to produce a plant without any seeds. The plant is also known as sin similla. This is a Spanish term that means “without seeds.” Sinsimilla is the term used by most people to describe the combination of the two words. The sinsimilla flower is the unpollinated female of a plant.
In both genders, flowering usually begins in the third to fourth weeks of growth. It is possible to see more recent evidence that the plant is male. However, when they begin to flower is what makes it clear. The buds start to appear when the stem reaches the end of the limb.
The bud of a male plant is purely green. It is only later that the flower appears. Looks like a flower that’s not yet opened. As the female plants sprout, they will produce a sprout which looks like long, thin flower petals. The pollinating flower will open on the sprouts of male plants. In the absence of the male, it pollinates the females causing seeds to form. This will result in a less powerful female plant that will yield less bud. Also, you will have to carefully remove the seeds from the pipes or they may occasionally explode due to the burning of a seed.
In situations where seeds are required, a man is present in the plant. Leave the males where they are and circulate their pollen with a strong fan. This will encourage the females to produce a lot of seeds.
You can identify a mature grain by the texture and appearance. A mature seed has a texture that is firm and smooth, often with a few spots. When all seeds have the same appearance, it’s time to collect the seeds.