Can you Tell the Sex of Cannabis Seeds

Out of all the considerations in growing cannabis, the sexual intercourse of the seeds is one of the most challenging factors. The intercourse of the plants are is important because growers are only rooting for the thriving of the female plants as they produce big THC-enriched buds or in some cases, the medical benefits CBD-enriched marijuana strains bring. Considering the properties of both male and female plants, it’s easy to say that it exhibits significance in the sexing of the plants. 

Through the years of research and study, growers remain to be fond of growing marijuana that has not undergone pollination resulting in a production of cannabis plants rich in potency. 

In this post, we will help you understand the difference between the two sexes. One of the questions frequently asked by newbies in growing cannabis is can you tell the sex of cannabis seeds? Allow this article to briefly discuss their differences as well as how to identify the gender of the seeds. 

Cannabis Plant Reproduction 

The reproduction of human beings is similar to what happens in separating the male and female plants. All plants possess four total sex chromosomes. Three of X-chromosomes and one of Y-chromosomes. The female plants contain XX chromosomes and the male plants contain XY chromosomes that are essential for production. The split between the male and female is 50-50 wherein they have the opportunity to develop once the dominant side is already present thus identifying the seed or the plant as a male or a female. 

There are three classifications of sexes in cannabis; the male, female, and hermaphroditic. Each of these sexes contains certain genitalia in which the hermaphroditic is entitled to both. It has both a pistil and a stamen. The gender of the cannabis is dependent not only on the genetics but as well as the environmental factors they are associated with. This is why we highly suggest being well-acquainted with the traits of both male and female plants to understand their unique properties that you may find interesting during growth. 

Female Plants 

In the process of growing cannabis, both the male and female can produce flowers. The male ones bloom first and the female ones will bloom right after. In terms of physical appearance, the female plants are recognizable. They grow sacs with two stigmas similar to the appearance of a feather. Female plants will eventually bloom and open either white, yellow, or pale yellow flowers. They also have white-colored pistils that often found hairy. This is where the male pollens are trapped. The stigmas are located in the node region where the main stalk is. The stigmas will bloom a branch coming from the main stem. 

Note to growers, if the female plant is left in a long period in the vegetative stage, they will begin to deliver the signs of the presence of female hairs. Before proceeding to the flowering stage, change the light schedule during growth. Be wary of the signs the female plant is showing. 

Male Plants

The counterpart of the female plants is, of course, the male plants. Considering that they contain XY chromosomes, expect the differences in terms of the appearance and how they affect the marijuana plant once they have grown. But what is a male plant exactly? What good does it do if the female plants are most rooted by the growers? 

Male plants grow tear-shaped balls formed and filled with pollen. Within a week or two of growing, the balls will bloom and this means they are already beginning the flowering stage. The sacs will continue to grow up until they burst and spill the pollens. They will be used further for sexing the male and female plants.

Can You Tell the Sex of Cannabis Seeds? 

As an ongoing question of the growers, can you tell the sex of cannabis seeds? We all know that this is a hot topic that most cannabis communities are curious about. There’s nothing much to explain when it comes to the myths. It can be a challenge to identify sex just by looking at the cannabis seeds. Besides, if identifying is as easy as looking at the seeds, the growers wouldn’t even bother to buy feminized seeds and just buy regular ones and identify the sex. 

Marijuana plants should not undergo sexual intercourse or sexing not until the plants have begun to grow. The appearance is somehow similar to any plants currently at the vegetative stage. This can be a good basis to know when they are ready. As soon as the plants progress to the flowering stage, they will exhibit obvious signs as to what sex they are. To answer the question, cannabis seeds cannot be identified as male or female up until they grow and the male and female genitalia shows. 

How to Determine the Sex of the Plant? 

Now that we have answered your question “Can you tell the sex of cannabis seeds?”, it’s now time to teach you how to determine the sex of the plant. If you do not have access to feminized seeds, this section will be beneficial. Besides, they are not always available in stores that’s why it would be best to learn how to differentiate female and male marijuana seeds. 

Step 1: 

Wait until the cannabis plants have finished the vegetative stage and ready to begin the flowering stage. As much as possible, keep a close eye on the plant and evaluate the changes and features they have. Check if they have already flowered or they’re not yet ready. 

Step 2: 

One of the tips we highly suggest is to store and leave the male and female plants separately. Leaving them together for a long time can make unwanted pollination possible. When they are accordingly pollinated, they tend to create faulty marijuana plants and they will not produce a remarkable weed harvest. 

Step 3: 

Even in the early stages, it’s not that difficult to identify whether if the marijuana plant is a male or female. A tip we can spare to tell the sex of the cannabis plant even before the flowering stage is to use a small black bag right over a small portion of each of the plants. Either a branch or a cola. This tip will allow the part of the plant to undergo the flowering stage earlier than the other parts of the plant. 

Step 4: 

Once the buds have already formed, then this means the plant is a female. It is much efficient to know the sex at an earlier stage to sort the male and female plants from one another. If you cannot identify the sex when they are just seeds, this is the fastest way to know the sex of the cannabis plant. 

Takeaways 

Can you tell the sex of the cannabis seeds? Unfortunately, no. There may be other alternatives that can be used to speed up the process. If you’re trying to sort male from the female seeds for research purposes, that’s a good thing. Discovering the unknown is the continuous process of getting to know the ins and outs of growing marijuana. But if you’re doing this process for no apparent reason, it’s not that bad to purchase feminized seeds from online shops and dispensaries.