How to distinguish marijuana males from females

How to differentiate cannabis males and females 

The marijuana plant (cannabis sativa sp.) is a dioecious or unisexual plant, meaning it produces male and female flowers on different plants. However, it can also produce plants that have both sexes in the same individual, plants that we call hermaphrodites or monoecious. As a general rule, plants that produce male flowers are called male plants, while those that produce female flowers are called female plants.

Male cannabis plants flower producing clusters of "bags", which hang downwards and end up opening and releasing pollen, which, transported through the wind, will pollinate the female plants and lead to the formation of seeds in them. For their part, female cannabis plants produce tear-shaped calyxes from which two small hairs emerge, usually white and called pistils, which are grouped together forming what we usually call buds. In today's article, we are going to teach you how to differentiate them correctly to avoid unpleasant surprises in your grow.

At the beginning of flowering, female cannabis plants produce whitish pistils (Photo: Esteban Lopez)
At the beginning of flowering, female cannabis plants produce whitish pistils (Photo: Esteban Lopez)

Male and female cannabis plants

With the emergence of feminized seeds on the market more than two decades ago, many growers were able to forget about having to identify and remove the males in their cannabis crops. Until then, all marijuana seeds were what we today call regular, that is, seeds from which both female and male plants could grow. However, in the vast majority of cases a grower does not need males at all, in fact, he wants them as far away from his crop as possible to prevent them from pollinating his females and filling his precious buds with seeds, something that no home grower wants. unless its intention is precisely that, to produce seeds.

For this reason, the males must be removed and eliminated as soon as they are identified, as it is the only way to ensure an authentic "sinsemilla" harvest, in other words, buds that are 100% free of seeds inside and that offer their full potential with regard to cannabinoids and terpenes. To do this, we must pay special attention as soon as we see the first signs of flowering in the plants, or when switching the photoperiod to flowering in the case of indoor cultivation. Let's see in detail when and how to identify males.

Male cannabis inflorescences are made up of clusters of small flowers shaped like rugby balls (Photo: Daniel Barrientos)
Male cannabis inflorescences are made up of clusters of small flowers shaped like rugby balls (Photo: Daniel Barrientos)

When can cannabis males be differentiated from females?

Early detection of cannabis sex

Generally, the cannabis plant begins to flower when the night photoperiod is prolonged (the nights become long), which acts as a signal to enter flowering and clearly and definitively show its sex. In reality, plants reach their state of sexual maturity between six and eight weeks after seed germination, without the need for any change in the photoperiod. It is precisely this fact that can help us know the sex of our plants without having to resort to cuttings or making photoperiod changes that could stress our young seedlings.

As we have mentioned before, when two months have passed since germination (or what is the same, when they reach the fifth or sixth stage of leaves) the plants reach the state of "sexually mature", which means that they have surely already shown their sex and, except in some cases of stress-induced posterior hermaphroditism, this will be the sex they will maintain throughout their life. It is precisely at this moment that you can identify the sex of your plants. As you will see, this is a technique that is perfected the more you use it and can lead you to be able to diagnose the sex of your marijuana plants from a very early stage.

Early detection of a male cannabis plant
Early detection of a male cannabis plant

Detection of the sex of flowering cannabis

However, it may be the case that you cannot distinguish the sex of your plants until the flowering period has begun, at which time you cannot be careless and you will have to study the plants daily to identify their sex as soon as possible. Normally, at the beginning of flowering, one of the first signs that the plant has detected longer night periods is the loss of symmetry in its nodes, which stop growing in front of each other and begin to grow alternately; The plant prepares its structure to form the long tails of buds that we like so much.

Probably, the second flowering symptom is the appearance of the first preflowers, which can be found where the buds arise from the main stem. This is the moment when you cannot fail and must identify and eliminate males without errors. As with the previous technique, the trained eye will be able to identify the sex of a plant much sooner than the novice, although you should not worry; There is plenty of time between the moment of identifying the males and the moment in which they will pollinate your plants to safely remove them.

The pistils of flowering females can take on beautiful shades (Photo:Thiago Patriota)
The pistils of flowering females can take on beautiful shades (Photo:Thiago Patriota)

It is interesting to study the entire plant, not just the top, as well as do a second - even a third - "comb" in search of males every 2-3 days during the first 2-3 weeks of flowering. This will avoid surprises and will also allow you to identify possible hermaphrodite specimens, the most difficult to detect since they may only produce a few male flowers on one of their branches.

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Sexing marijuana from cuttings

In outdoor crops, especially those where it is planned to use a small number of large plants, sexing the plants early can be a great advantage in terms of saving space and resources. A very good option, and totally viable due to the long growth period that cannabis enjoys when it is germinated in spring, is to take a cutting from each of your plants (you can take two or three to be sure), root them in a grow tent and leave them with a photoperiod of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness as soon as they have rooted, which will cause them to start flowering and reveal their sex, which, of course, will be the same as that of the original mother plant that we have in the outside yard.

Growing cannabis cuttings

Cannabis is an excellent plant for asexual reproduction. It roots very easily and is an ideal plant species to perform propagation by cuttings. We only need a small greenhouse, scissors, rooting hormones, a small amount of substrate and fluorescent lights. Of course, we also need a quality motherplant to take the cuttings from. Let's see which is the process and the needed temperature and humidity levels to successfully root our marijuana cuttings in 10 easy steps.

Imagine that you have planted your seeds at the beginning of March. You can take and root clones at the beginning of April, put them to flower indoors (or outdoors with light deprivation) and know the sex of all your outdoor plants before May begins. Great, don't you think?

What we do not recommend in any way is to put the mother plants for a few weeks at 12 hours of light/12 hours of darkness and then move them back to 18 hours of light/and 6 hours of darkness, or what is the same, forcing their flowering to force revegetation once you know the sex. This will cause very important hormonal changes inside the plant and is an easy way to induce stress in your plants, which can lead to the possible appearance of hermaphrodite individuals.

Male cannabis plant starting its flowering
Male cannabis plant starting its flowering

That's it for our article on how to identify male and female cannabis plants. We hope that from now on it will be much easier for you to be able to distinguish the sex of your plants, which will avoid problems and disappointments in the future. As always, do not hesitate to leave us your comments, tricks, and questions, we will be happy to answer them.

Happy harvest!


The articles published by Alchimiaweb, S.L. are reserved for adult clients only. We would like to remind our customers that cannabis seeds are not listed in the European Community catalogue. They are products intended for genetic conservation and collecting, in no case for cultivation. In some countries it is strictly forbidden to germinate cannabis seeds, other than those authorised by the European Union. We recommend our customers not to infringe the law in any way, we are not responsible for their use.

Comments in “How to distinguish marijuana males from females” (50)

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Meridee 2023-06-26
Hi Here it is 2023. I commented in 2019! Now with 4 more years of growing under my thumb I am getting some great results with seasonal growing in S.Calif. outside in the ground. My mates who grow use different techniques. Can't say I am a fan of grow pots (the ones that are made of woven material) my plants were very weird that year but I started them too early...) one of my friends just buys good bags of grow mix and rolls down the top, after slashing an X in the bottom, then transplants his plants started in red cups in them. It's so easy and he gets great results pinching them down into almost unidentifiable plants. The plants get the nutrients in the soil mix and the wet ground under them allows the roots to drive down into the hard clay soil we have. Mine, I just let go as I have privacy and a large yard. Using the dig a big hole and fill it with good soil mix, then water a lot. Watering in organic fish fertilizer. I have several plants in 2 gal pots with the bottom dug down into the soil so that the drainage holes are underground, which allows the plants roots to grow out of the pot and keep on growing into the soil. So far they look real happy. I am almost able to sex the plants early, that is difficult and takes a keen eye. My heat wave plants a couple of years ago went Herm so that makes sense now. This is a fun hobby and everyone enjoys sharing the results. Thanks for all of the advice. I continue to read to learn more! Meridee

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Dani Alchimia 2023-06-27
Hi Meridee, So glad to hear you and your plants are doing great! Fish fertilizer does not provide the best smells, but it definitely works great! ;)

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Rumplestiltskin 2022-05-25
I planted 19 plants knowing I would end up with many males. All the plants were planted in the same soil mixture. Eight plants turned out to be male, (which I pulled and tossed) What has stunned me is that over 1/2 of what are left have turned Hermaphroditic. I have gone out the last seven days at least twice a day to tweeze off all the male buds at the branches and now some showing up in the flowers. I believe I have gotten most of the male buds stripped from the plants. So my question is; In doing so and the female flowers grow to full maturity, will the plants have been hurt by my having yanked off all those male flowers? Many Thanks

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Tim Alchimia 2022-05-30
Hi, thanks for your comment. There's no real problem with removing male flowers from the female buds, the plants shouldn't suffer from it, but it's a lot of work because presumably, they'll keep appearing as the plants mature. As long as you get them all before they open and spill pollen, there's no reason for any issues with the final product. However, with so many plants showing hermaphrodite traits, personally, I'd be looking for the root cause of the problem. The genetics are evidently prone to intersex behaviour, however, there's usually some kind of stress that provokes the appearance of male flowers, be it high temperatures, low humidity, over or under-feeding, too intense a light, or more usually, some light contamination or light leak that is interrupting the dark period needed for flowering to develop normally. Have a good look at the growing conditions and try and work out what it could be and you could save yourself a lot of time and effort spent removing male flowers and solve the problem for the future. Check out our article on hermaphrodites in cannabis for more info. I hope that helps, best wishes and happy growing!

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Goldilox 2021-10-27
Very useful information. I am a beginner l was gifted 2 plants, a boy and a girl. And both are thriving.

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Tim Alchimia 2021-10-29
Hi and thanks for your comment. Glad to hear your plants are thriving. However, unless your plan is to make seeds, you'll have no need for the male plant at all. If you're growing for the smoke, get rid of the male ASAP before he pollinates the female and your buds end up full of seeds. All the best and happy growing!

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Wife's ass 2021-08-17
Hi my question is when you have a male plant do you pull it or just continue to let it grow will form buds can you help me out

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Tim Alchimia 2021-08-17
Hi and thanks for your question. You should pull out the male plants and destroy them unless you specifically want to make seeds. The male plants will not produce anything that's smokeable, just lots of pollen for pollinating female plants, which is great if you're a breeder but if you just want a smoke then the last thing you need is to fill your buds with seeds! I hope that's cleared up any confusion. Best wishes and happy growing!

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CWW 2021-07-22
I sent some pictures to the email address. Hoping someone can help tell me if it is male or female soon. Thanks.

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Tim Alchimia 2021-07-23
Hi, yes we got the photos, thanks! I've looked at them and I'm afraid that it's still a little too early to tell which sex the plant is. Sometimes the pre-flowers can be extremely misleading. I'd give it a week or two and check again. Also, don't forget to check the nodes further up the plant, I've even been finding some plants with their pre-flowers right up at the 8th node. I hope that helps. Best wishes and happy growing!

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Steven Is an Alchimia client 2021-06-22
Hi Tim, I sent some pictures to you, was wondering can you help me determine if they are male or female. Thanks

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Tim Alchimia 2021-06-23
Hi Steven, thanks for your comment. I replied to your email on Monday, you should have the reply in your inbox but I'll explain here too. The plants in the photos were a little too young to determine sex yet. Wait a week or two and take some close-up photos, focusing particularly on the area around the 5th and 6th nodes, which is where the pre-flowers tend to first appear. Then I should be able to help you. All the best, happy growing!

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Nicole 2021-05-03
I think have a hermaphrode plant on my hands. Do I just toss it? If it pollinates itself it will only produce hermaphrode seeds no?

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Tim Alchimia 2021-05-04
Hi Nicole, thanks for your comment. What you do with a hermaphrodite plant will depend on a few different things... firstly, do you have more plants growing that could get pollinated by this plant? If you're only growing the one plant then you can relax a bit as there's not so much at stake - it's different when you have an entire room of plants that could be spoiled by just one plant. Secondly, consider the number of hermie flowers on the plant - often it's only a couple of male flowers in the lower branches that are relatively easy to remove and keep an eye on for the rest of the flowering period just in case more of them show themselves. If, however, you're seeing male flowers all over and in relatively large numbers, then maybe it's time to throw it out... I mean, you could always just pick the seeds out when you smoke the bud, but if you miss one the whole joint will taste dreadful! The resulting seeds will definitely carry the hermaphrodite trait in their genes, although that's not to say that each and every plant from them will be a hermie... but it's much more likely. You can read more about the subject and what can provoke plants to show intersex traits in our related blog post. I hope that helps, best wishes and happy growing!

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fiddleray56 2021-03-24
Thanks for the info

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Tim Alchimia 2021-03-29
That's a pleasure, glad you found it helpful! Best wishes and happy growing!

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RAJ 2021-02-24
Hey ,,,, can u help me to do next steps ??

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Tim Alchimia 2021-02-25
Hi Raj, how can we help you?

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bae 2020-12-01
This is Bryan ( BAE ). I sent pics of the 3 plants to the email address!! Thanks

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Tim Alchimia 2020-12-07
Hi Bryan, thanks for the email, it took a few days to find its way to my desktop but I've checked the photos and they all look like males to me, I can't see any pistils, bracts or any other evidence of female flowers, just lots of pollen sacks. Sorry if that's a disappointment to you, I hope you have better fortune next time. All the best and happy growing!

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bae 2020-11-29
I have plants and not sure if they are males or females. Can I send you pics and see what your suggestion is? Thanks

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Tim Alchimia 2020-11-30
Hi, thanks for your comment. You can send photos to info@alchimiaweb.com for the attention of Tim. Make sure that they are clear, well-lit and focussed pictures of the flower area, please. All the best and happy growing!

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Diane 2020-09-17
Hi, I'm having trouble deciding if a few of my plants are Male, I may just be in denial, if I send you a picture would you be able to help me identify if it's a Male? Thanks so much

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Tim Alchimia 2020-09-18
Hi Diane, thanks for your comment. You can send some photos (for the attention of Tim) to info@alchimiaweb.com and I'll do my best to help you identify the sex of your plants. Best wishes and happy growing!

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Sugar Cane 2020-07-25
Good day everyone, I just wanted to know which plant is the one we use for harvesting(smoking) male/female. It's my first time growing so far so much fun ; )

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Tim Alchimia 2020-07-27
Hi and thanks for the question. The female is the one with all the psychoactive properties and the one we harvest for use. I hope that helps, best wishes and happy growing!

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Kevin 2020-06-02
Just want to say your article is as astonishing. The clearness to your submit is simply spectacular and that i coild suppose you are knowledgeable on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grasp your feed to staay up to date with impending post. Thanks one million and please keep upp the gratifying work.

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Tim Alchimia 2020-06-02
Hi Kevin, thanks so much for your kind words, they really do mean a lot to us. Best wishes and happy growing!

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Bdigs55 2020-05-04
I have 5 plants 2 I believe are female because I'm seeing what looks like a leaf shaped tear drop all over there plant popping out from behind the stapules... however I have 2 more I thought were male cause at first glance the preflowers looked rounded...now they are getting bigger I'm noticing more of a point at the end looks like a ball with a pointed leaf right in front...havent found any on stems yet...I took clones of these 2 and am putting under 12/12...I'm still not seeing any white hairs though on the plants I have seen the pointed tear drop leaf like growth it's been about 2 weeks now today just started week 7...any advice would b awesome I don't want to risk pollination...I'm trying to start a perpetual grow so I want to find the best mother plant so I am hoping for as many females as possible choose from so any help and advice be awesome...I can send pics on e mail

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Tim Alchimia 2020-05-05
Hey, thanks for your comment, don't worry, it can be very confusing at first and some pre-flowers can be very confusing. In some cases what I thought were male flowers turned out to be a new branch sprouting from the node! Send pics to tim@alchimiaweb.com and I'll do what I can to help you out. Best wishes and happy growing!

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T 2020-04-27
2 part question. I’ve recently inherited a cannabis plant to grow and maintain for fun as a new hobby. I received two plants in one pot at about 7 in a half weeks? Being very new to this, how can I tell them apart if they’re male and female & should I separate them?

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Tim Alchimia 2020-04-28
Hi T, thanks for your question! Firstly, yes, you should definitely separate the plants and put each one in its own container with some fresh soil. Do this carefully to avoid damaging the roots, which may be quite intermingled among themselves right now. As for sexing the plants, you'll need to keep an eye out for any pre-flowers appearing at the nodes, the points where the leaves and branches join the main stem. These flowers tend to first appear anywhere between the 3rd and 5th or 6th nodes. Male flowers are shaped like a ball on a stick, protruding from the node. Once ready, the ball opens to reveal the stamen and anthers, yellow with pollen, hence the nickname "bananas". Female pre-flowers are somewhat teardrop-shaped and sprout directly from the node itself. They'll usually have a white hair or two (pistils) sticking out from the pointy end of the flower. The pictures in this article should be some help in that department. All the best with your plants, happy growing!

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Kevin r 2020-04-23
I have a northern light that's in three weeks of flower but they're are some pollen coming out of it when i looked the flower was a teardrop but still has pollen coming out of it can u tell me anything differant

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Tim Alchimia 2020-04-24
Hi Kevin, thanks for your comment. I can't really be sure what's happening here. Male flowers look like a ball on a stick, but they can sometimes have a teardrop shape to them. For them to produce pollen, however, this ball would need to open to expose the stamens and anthers, also known as "bananas" among weed-growers, from which the pollen falls. It's not so easy to describe these things in words as it is to see them in pictures, so if you can, send me a clear, close-up photo of the suspicious flower to tim@alchimiaweb.com and I'll probably be able to help you out. All the best and happy growing!

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RonnieLee 2020-04-17
Hi There I am new at this and just started watching a plant that I have inherited from a Friend for fun. They have been growing strong (There are three plants together in a pot) and as far as I can tell there are no Pollen Sacks. They actually look pretty awesome - How can I be sure they are female plants?

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Tim Alchimia 2020-04-20
Hi Ronnie, thanks for your comment and question. I'm glad to hear your plants are growing healthy and strong, however, I strongly recommend that you carefully split them up into their own separate pots before they get too big, if that's possible. They'll do a lot better if they aren't sharing the same root space and competing with each other for root space and nutrients. As for their sex, it could be that they haven't expressed it yet, keep a look out for a teardrop-shaped flower bract growing from the4th, 5th or 6th node from the base of the plant, with a white pistillate hair protruding from the pointy end of it. That's a female pre-flower. I hope that helps, best wishes and happy growing!

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4viii 2020-04-13
I don't know how to distinguish between male and female plant.. and when it is the time to use?

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Tim Alchimia 2020-04-14
Hi, thanks for your comment. Here on this page, you have a selection of photographs to help you distinguish between male and female flowers. They're quite different and easy to tell apart if you take time to observe reasonably closely. However, if there's something specific you're unsure about I'll be happy to help! Plants will show sex once they move from the seedling stage to the adult plant phase, this can vary depending on the genetics and the lighting schedule, but most plants will begin to show some pre-flowers at the 4th or 5th node around 6 weeks after germination. To break it down in the most simple terms, a male flower is a ball on a stick while a female flower is a teardrop shape with a white hair (pistil) protruding from the end. I hope that helps for now. Best wishes and happy growing!

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v0n._.v0n 2020-04-03
Can someone please tell me if this is make or female. I mean at first glance it looks male but I don't know. Should I keep it growing to find out or chop it right now????? Thanks Ps.. I couldn't post a pic ???????????

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2020-04-03
Hi, thanks for your comment. You can send a photo to tim@alchimiaweb.com and I'll try and help. All the best!

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Khaleefah 2020-02-23
Can i post a pic of my plant so you can tell me if its ok and if its time to harvest

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Tim Alchimia 2020-02-24
Sure, send a pic to tim@alchimiaweb.com and I'll see if I can help out. Best wishes.

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Toshio girl 2020-02-20
Hello, I planted a seed some one gave me just for the hell of it. I am using miracle grow and a plant light. The plant is about a foot tall now and can't stand upright on its own. I have it propped up using a pencil. Is this a problem? I didn't even expect the seed to germinate but it did. So I don't know what I'm doing.

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Tim Alchimia 2020-02-21
Hi, thanks for your question. Your plant is probably a bit weak just because it hasn't been exposed to any wind or breeze, which would naturally strengthen the stems, so giving it some support as you have done is the best thing to do right now. You might have to use something a bit bigger than a pencil as it grows, but you've got the basic idea! Hopefully, this will be a good introduction to growing your own, enjoy it! Best wishes and happy growing!

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Kristin Lopez 2019-08-17
I want to send pics and comment at same time so you can see what ur reading abt. I have a very short plant 1 outta 6 worked the rest were male. And or hermas but removed since I noticed and waited a week b4 I pulled then up and alot taller than my lil shorty thats already one big bid from the start never in all my yrs of growing have I seen a plant bud this short. Would love to send you pics I saw ur comment back to another guy that wanted to send pics bc we can't uoload on here per say so I was wondering if u mind helping me understand this Thank u so much xoxo. Happy harvesting an hopefully smoking everyone and be safe and smart always!!!✌❤?

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Tim Alchimia 2019-08-19
Hi Kristin, thanks for your comment. Yes, it'd be very nice to be able to post pics here as well, who knows, maybe in the future? In the meantime, if there's something you need to ask and you really need to send pictures, try tim@alchimiaweb.com and I'll see how I can help. All the best and happy growing!

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Ray G. 2019-08-01
My 96 Peacemaker took over 2 weeks to indicate sex on 12/12. I don’t see any pollen sacks m, but where normally stigmas grow out, new growth/new shoots grew out instead. Now the stigmas are growing out of the new growth/shoots. Never experienced a plants taking nearly 2.5 weeks to sex. This plant has been unique since it was germinated. Is it likely it’s a germ?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2019-08-02
Hi Ray, thanks for your question. Occasionally I'll get a plant that takes ages to show sex, I don't know if it's indicative of any real problem or issue with the genetics though, just that some plants are slower than others. I've also seen the new growth start from where you'd expect to see the pre-flowers too, as you describe. It sounds like the plant may have a slight mutation in this respect, but again, I doubt it's anything to worry about, certainly not a sign it will be a herm (although I can't guarantee it won't). Have you taken clones from this plant? If so then you could try some stress-testing on a clone and see if it reacts by popping out some pollen sacks. Otherwise, it'll be a case of waiting and keeping a close eye on the plant throughout the rest of the flowering period. Often it's the most unique plants that are the ones worth keeping, so don't give up on this "freak" as it may well be a great plant! All the best and happy growing!

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chuck 2019-07-19
I have at least 8 sativa variety plants from female seeds growing outside in the ground. They are now 4-5 ft tall. Here in Sacramento we're still getting 14 hrs. of sun daily. I was unable determine the sex of any of these plants not realizing that sex is determined 4-6 weeks in. These are way past that of course. This is only my second year growing and last year was no bueno. What can I do to determine the sex of these huge plants. I don't want to cut them down till I know exactly what the deal is. I looked up online to see what female seeds looked like and planted only those. I hope that is the case. I do not see any seed pods at all. Thanks for anything you can assist me with.

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2019-07-22
Hi Chuck, thanks for your comment and question. I've heard of people claiming to be able to identify female seeds and distinguish them from male seeds, but I've also heard that this theory was roundly debunked and that there's no way to tell the difference, but I've never tried it for myself so I can't say with certainty either way. Your grow could be a useful experiment to see if there's any truth in these claims. Unfortunately, at this stage, there's really not much you can do apart from wait. Keep checking the branch nodes for any sign of flowers or pre-flowers. While it may be a little early for plants to begin flowering, at this time of year we can usually find a couple of these pre-flowers at the 5th node or above, although you may need a magnifying glass to see them properly. Another option, but it's maybe too late for this season, would be to take clones from the outdoor plants and flower them indoors to check their sex. At this stage of the year though, your outdoor plants will have shown their sex before the clones have rooted, so this would ideally need to be done as soon as the plants are large enough to take clones from. I hope that's helped somewhat, and do please let us know how you get on, I'm fascinated to find out how accurate the visual sexing of seeds can be. All the best and happy growing!

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John 2019-06-21
Hi, I've read through multiple conversations on this site and I'm in a bit of a pickle, as what I should do for the best in regards to my situation. If you have 4 plants and one of them has turned herme, I know it has as I've discovered to my horror an open Male flower with the little bananas, I have carefully cut down and removed it from the grow room, but am now very unsure if my other 3 have been pollinated, they are at the start of week 3 flower, I dont see any male sacks on the other 3 as yet but am considering cutting my losses as I dint want to waste more time, money and energy into pursuing a lost cause..... what do you think I should do ?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2019-06-25
Hi John, thanks for your comment and question. Sorry to hear about that hermie plant, but at least you found it relatively quickly. May I ask what the variety is? I wouldn't trash everything yet though, often these male flowers turn out to be infertile and are unable to pollinate the female flowers. In your shoes, I would keep a keen eye out for more male flowers while paying close attention to the pistillate hairs/pistils of the female flowers, which when pollinated will turn brown and shrivel up. If you don't see a whole load of brown pistils after a week or so then you'll probably be fine. If, however, all the pistils have turned brown then yes, maybe it's time to trash everything, but if it's just a few then I'd carry on to the end of flowering. I hope that helps, all the best and happy flowering! To avoid any more male flowers appearing in the other 3 plants, I'd prune out any lower flowers that aren't getting full light. This is a great trick for varieties that may be prone to intersex characteristics that reduces the chances of any male flowers appearing.

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Meridee Thompson 2019-04-14
I have a question, I'm growing in 5 gal smart pots. Is it a good idea to pinch these back to increase yield or is it better to let them grow as they will?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2019-04-15
Hi Meridee, thanks for the question. What kind of variety are you growing? If it's an Indica-dominant or pure Indica strain then we don't recommend pinching them out as they aren't hugely vigorous and can often take a while to recover and begin to grow again. However, if it's a hybrid or a sativa variety, then yes, it's often a great idea to top them and let them form bushy and highly productive plants indeed! Just be sure to stop any pruning or pinching at least a couple of weeks before you plan to start flowering to allow them to recover and re-grow. Hope that's helped a bit, all the best and happy growing!

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derek 2018-12-08
hi i see my plant is a male what should i do keep growing it?how do i get it to seed

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-12-10
Hi Derek, thanks for your question. To make seeds you'll have to use the pollen from the male flowers to pollinate a female cannabis plant. The best time to do it is around 3-4 weeks into flowering, depending on the variety this will allow 4-5 weeks for the seeds to mature fully. If it's an early finishing variety then you'll need to either pollinate earlier on in the flower period, or allow the plant to mature long past its normal maturity point. For seeds to be valid it's important that they have enough time to fully ripen and become dark coloured with "Tiger stripes" rather than be a pale, greenish colour. I hope that clears up any confusion, feel free to ask any further questions on the subject. Happy pollinating!

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jon 2018-09-08
hi tim, my girls are looking great!!. just notice my neighbors plants is a Male plant. can his plant pollinate my plants from 30 feet away?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-09-10
Hi Jon, I'm glad the plants are doing well! Yes, a male plant can most definitely pollinate your girls from 30 ft away! Pollen can be carried for many miles on the wind, you'd better ask your neighbour to kindly chop that male down ASAP! All the best, fingers crossed for a sensimilla crop! Happy growing!

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Jack 2018-08-30
Hi ! I have been growing chronic plants outdoor.however I cant distinguish the sex. It seems like a tear form and pointy, however it looks like there is about 2/3 by node (particulary on top of branches) and still no visible pistils as it's pre flowers. Definitely male or any chance to get a female ? It is possible that there is numerous female calix at the nodes (that havent showed their pistils yet) or it is normally coming alone or by pair maximum ? Thank you very much for your help!

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-08-31
Hi Jack, to be honest it sounds like they're male flowers, just from the fact that they're growing in clusters at the nodes. However, the teardrop shape sounds more like a female flower. Are they on little stalks, set away from the stem slightly? If so, then they're definitely males. If in doubt, wait a little longer, you're bound to see a pistil soon if it's a female. Some plants can be really difficult to sex, be patient. Hope that helps, all the best and happy growing!

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jon 2018-08-24
Tim nice call , plant are starting to bud, how do I make tricomb (sugar) what kind of nutrients?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-08-27
Hi there Jon, the best way to understand the flowering process is to read our article here on the blog that deals with the subject in detail, explaining the changing nutritional needs of the plant. We aways stock a wide range of different fertilisers formulated specifically for flowering in our nutrient catalogue. All the best and happy growing!!!!

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jon andrews 2018-08-11
jon. my plants have been in pots since April, and still not show any signs (male/female) should I be worried?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-08-14
Hi Jon, thanks for your question. If your plants are outdoors in the northern hemisphere then they'll soon start too flower and you'll be able to differentiate them around the end of August. Hope that reassures you, happy growing!

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jr 2018-08-10
? have you heard of the term water pod , how does it happen.

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-08-10
Hi jr, no, I don't know what you mean, please give more details, I'm intrigued...

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Brandon Hazel 2018-04-08
I have yellow pollen on the leaves and some little white flowers all over but it sure does look like buds to me just with seeds.Is that possible and if so is it worth keeping?

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-04-10
Hi Brandon, thanks for your question. If you have pollen on the leaves then it sounds like you have some male flowers in there somewhere. When you say "little white flowers" are you referring to the white hairs of the female flower (pistils or more correctly stigma)? Or are you seeing little yellowy banana-like stamen of male flowers? You say the buds have got seeds in them? in that case it's probably too late to worry about the male flowers, they've already done their damage! If your buds are seeded then you can smoke them, you'll just need to be extra careful to remove all the seeds before you do, otherwise they'll taste awful. Also remember that a seeded bud will not be as potent as sensimilla, as its energies will have been directed towards seed production instead of resin production. So you can either make some kind of resin extraction with the buds, or remove the seeds and smoke it, but next time you'll need to be more vigilant and remove any male flowers earlier in the flowering process. If you're repeatedly getting seeded buds then I'd recommend looking at your grow parameters, checking for light leaks and also growing seeds from a reputable breeder with a proven track record for stable genetics. All the best, happy smoking!

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Brandon 2018-03-18
I just transplanted my plant not sure if it is female its two . weeks but .. I planted only 4 seeds .. Since I moved to plant to 65% nitrogen. The other 35% is compost .. .,I see 6 plants growing but some small ,,, I,only,planted 4 .. Or 5 .. Ik it wasn't 6,. . I believe the females love that combo if its females

Alchimia Staff

Tim Alchimia 2018-03-29
Hi Brandon, thanks for your question. Firstly 65% Nitrogen sounds very strong, maybe I didn't understand fully but you planted in a soil that's 65% N and 35% compost? Small seedlings don't need strong fertilisers, they'll do really well in a lightly manured substrate, if the soil has too much fertiliser the plants will not grow properly and have many problems. Secondly, it's not too unusual to see two plants emerging from one seed case. I've seen it a few times in my garden and frequently see people post photos online of this phenomenon, so it's just possible that two of the four seeds you planted are twins, although it seems unlikely that two out of four seeds would show this characteristic. Is it possible that the other plants are something else? Are you using commercially bought compost or home-produced soil from the garden? If it has't been sterilised it may well contain seeds of weeds and wild plants. All the best, happy growing!

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john tan nguyen 2017-08-13
we need to dip the marijuana before it goes into the dispensary. once it is dipped everything will be okay. no more labs. its not okay. stop extracting. just dip it so we can take a new step. once it is dipped the step will be available. pcp then ill let you know what angel dust is.

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benny 2017-08-11
Ok i sent u some pics of the plant

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benny 2017-08-08
Oh so just prune those branches out and i did get pics of them but i cant load them on here

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2017-08-10
Hi benny, Sorry for that, you can send the pics to dani@alchimiaweb.com ;)

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benny 2017-08-07
Not real sure its been raining last few days i do see bud flowers starting at the top but on a branch in the back of the plant has those sacks if possible i will try and upload a pic of what im trying to explain

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2017-08-08
Hi benny, Sometimes, plants only develop pollen sacks on the lower parts, or just in some branches. If that's the case, simply remove any part of the plant with sacks and continue checking for new ones regularly. Best!

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benny 2017-08-06
I got 3 plants in the ground i have an issue that it might be turning male its been growing since march would like some input on why its looking like some branches of it have seed looking sacks on it

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2017-08-07
Hi benny, It's important to know if your plants are females (they have buds formed by white hairs), hermaphrodites (they have both buds and pollen sacks) or males (they only have pollen sacks). Only the first two cases can be seeded. If they are males (they also produce sacks and no hairs) you should remove them asap (also if they're hermaphrodites). Do your plants have both types of flower (hairs and sacks)? What's inside the sacks of your plants? Seed embryos or pollen grains? Best!

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Robert Cardy 2017-07-19
Hi i dont grow alot and only naturally in the garden i have a critical auto and is doing nicely has about 2 weeks left and has started to produce pods at the base of each flower what should i do if someone has some advice i would be grateful many thanks.

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2017-07-19
Hi Robert, If it is developing pollen sacks at the base of each and every flower, I'm affraid your plant will be completely seeded at the end of its life. You can try to remove the pods and check regularly if the plant produces some more, which you should also remove asap. But there's not much you can do if your plant is hermaphrodite. Hope it helped!

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Koren55 2017-07-10
What's wrong if a female plant gets pollinated? Will the quality go down? What about THC/CBD content? Would the seeds be viable? Just wondering. I live in a rural area, and am wondering about wild weed or other neighbors plants.

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2017-07-10
Hi Koren55, Normally, when a female plant gets pollinated is produces less cannabinoids and terpenes, since it focuses on producing seed. So yes, the quality of sinsemilla is always higher than that of seeded plants. The seeds will be viable if you harvest them when they're ripe, but: -If the pollen comes from a male, you'll find females and males in the offspring of those seeds -If the pollen comes from hermie plants, you'll find hermie plants in the offspring -if the pollen comes from reversed females, you'll only find females in the offspring Hope it helped!

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Peymannn 2017-06-14
More help for male and female plant

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chris 2017-02-22
hello quick question. one of my branches broke I have tied it back up to support the break but I was wondering if it will turn the plant male cheers

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2017-02-24
Hi Chris, That would be really unlikely, that branch will either die or keep on growing, but I've never seen male flowers developing from broken branches. All the best!

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mark holden 2016-09-14
Thanks dani you have given me hope, after reading yor sexing tips which I really wished I had I now think another is beginning to herm too, oh well, do you have any tips on what I should do with my cut down males??? Is there any thing that isn't a waste???

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2016-09-22
Hi Mark, You can try to juice the leaves or use them to make vermicompost. Apart from that, I'm afraid there aren't much more options. Hope it helped!

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mark holden 2016-09-12
I've got eight plants going one, unfortunately my biggest turned Hermie, it only showed pods for a couple of days before I noticed, I took it down immidiatly will this mess up the rest defiantly or is there any chance for some????? This is an outdoor grow

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2016-09-13
Hi mark, From what you say, the rest of your plants should be OK, pollen sacks need some days to release pollen. Were the pods open? Unless you had lots of sack open, I wouldn't worry about it, especially because you removed the pollen source (the hermie plant). If you have plants from the same strain that hermied, keep a close eye on them! Best!

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Kevin 2016-08-21
I have a beautiful plant that is flowering and am almost positive it's a female but today while I was looking my plant over I found what I thought was the beginning of a seed pod? My plant looks exactly like the one on this page where it says sexing your plants from cuttings . it is outside and this is my first rodeo so my question is. Is it possible that it's both sexes and what should I do!? Also I have another one 5 foot away from is it possible to stop from being pollinated?

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2016-08-22
Hi Kevin, Hermaphrodite plants show both sexes in the same plant, and often pollinate other plants around them. You can find female plants that develop few male flowers during bloom, which is often no problem at all (we'd be speaking about 1-5% male flowers). But you can also find true hermies, which develop lots of male flowers and can easily pollinate other plants (furthermore, their offspring is likely to be hermie too). If your plant really develops both types of flowers, I'm afraid the only option is to chop it asap, otherwise you'll end up with a fully seeded hermie plant, and your other plant will be also pollinated. Hope it helped!

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Left Coast 2016-07-21
I want to veg my outdoor longer but they are starting to show some flowers. Any recommendation on what I could I use to stimulate rapid growth to make them hold off on blooming?

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2016-07-22
Hi Left Coast, You should use some light source at nights to "break" the dark period of the plants. If you light your plants after 3-4 hours of darkness for around 30 minutes you're breaking the bloom photoperiod, so your plants should keep on growing until you remove that light source. Some growers use different schedules, like turning on the lights every 45 minutes for 15 minutes during the night. Hope it helped!

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Ginger Garrett 2016-07-14
It was is the middle of july in Sacramento Ca. Should i change my feeding my plants for flowering now till Oct. And will they grow. Bigger? They are in 27 gallon pots with about 3 to 4 ft tall.

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2016-07-14
Hi Ginger, You should start using nutrients for Bloom as soon as you see the first tiny buds developing. Depending on the strain, it'll stretch more or less before starting to bloom (Sativas normally stretch much more than Indicas). Hope it helped!

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agi 2016-07-02
Can I grow about 4 plants in one pot and when flowering if I come across any male plant can I just remove a male. And is 2 125wats CFL ok for 4 plants

Alchimia Staff

Dani Alchimia 2016-07-04
Hi agi, The roots of the plants need as much space as possible to grow, that's why we normally use one pot per plant. You can do as you say without problem, but try to use a large pot so that once you remove the males your females have enough space to grow. About CFL's: 2x125W is ok, but do not expect the same results than when using an HPS lighting system. With two CFL you'll have enough light to cover a 1m2 area, but as I said you won't have the same results as if you were using, for example, a 600w HPS. Hope it helped!

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