In this article we will look at the main differences between a male cannabis plant and a female marijuana plant, and explain why some growers choose to grow regular marijuana seeds.
Nowadays, most of the seeds presented in the catalogues of the different seed banks are feminised seeds. That is, seeds that will only produce female plants, capable of producing flowers for consumption.
This may seem like the only option for a grower, but it would be forgetting an important part of cannabis culture. Regular seeds are also available on the market, which can produce both male and female cannabis plants.
We will look at the differences between a male and female marijuana plant, how to recognise a male plant and why some growers only buy packets of regular seeds.
What is the difference between a male and a female cannabis plant?
A male marijuana plant will produce pollen to fertilise female plants. A female plant produces flowers that will be consumable once harvested, but they can also receive pollen from male plants to produce seeds.
People who want to grow marijuana plants to consume buds should therefore be careful about the type of seeds they buy. Having a male plant inside a production cupboard can ruin an entire crop, filling the buds with hundreds of seeds.
Learning to recognise a male marijuana plant
To recognise a male plant, you will have to wait for the flowering period. During growth there will be no significant differences, although the experienced grower will notice that a male marijuana plant tends to be more vigorous and to finish its growth cycle at a greater height.
Once flowering begins, a male marijuana plant will excel in flower production. Small clusters of small bells grouped in panicles can be observed, hanging downwards and eventually opening and releasing pollen.
A female plant at the beginning of flowering will offer tear-shaped calyxes from which two little white hairs emerge to later produce what we know as marijuana buds.
Hermaphrodite cannabis plants
No grower wants to see hermaphrodite plants in his growing area. These are plants that are usually mainly female, but still develop some male flowers.
If the male flowers produced are fertile, the grower will be unpleasantly surprised to find seeds inside the buds intended for consumption.
Unlike pollination between a male and female marijuana plant, seed production from hermaphrodite pollen will not be desirable.
Seeds produced by a hermaphrodite plant will tend to produce other hermaphrodite plants. Therefore, it is clearly not advisable to grow seeds of hermaphrodite plants.
The hermaphrodite trait is present in the genetic code of a plant, although its appearance can be promoted by exposing plants carrying this trait to various stressful situations, such as very high temperatures, pest attacks, lighting or irrigation problems…
Use of a male marijuana plant
At first, one might think that all growers would want to grow only female plants capable of producing flowers for consumption. However, many growers prefer to resort to regular seed packets for several reasons.
Making your own crossings is a very rewarding experience and much easier than you think.
By keeping mother plants, female and male, it will be possible to pollinate different varieties with each other, so that you can enjoy your own unique genetic creation.
Ideally, you should have a dedicated space for growing and storing mother plants, looking for the phenotypes with the most interesting characteristics. This involves applying the pollen from the selected male plant to the buds of the selected female plant to create your regular seeds.
And let alone new crosses, breeders will always need regular seeds and male plants to pollinate female flowers and produce seeds.
How to get a male marijuana plant?
Nothing could be easier. Just choose genetics with regular cannabis seeds, to be sure to get male plants. At Bulk Genetics we offer you a selection of regular bulk seeds, so you can make your selection to save a mother plant, male or female.
There is no exact ratio, i.e. you are not guaranteed any male/female ratio if you start with 10 regular cannabis seeds, for example.
However, you would have to be really unlucky not to be able to enjoy several male specimens germinating several regular cannabis seeds.
We hope that this article will have helped you to know the differences between a male and a female marijuana plant, how to recognise them and above all how to grow regular seeds and make your own selections, and maybe your first crosses.
