Weed Read Time: Determining The Sex Of Cannabis

female hairs and buds

In order to determine the sex of cannabis you will check your plants between 4 and 6 weeks after germination. You want to check the branches near the top of the stalk for sex organs. Female buds will have a calyx with two white hairs coming out of them. While males will have these ball-like sacs or oval-shaped pollen sacs. They almost look like footballs. I usually need to get a magnifying glass or a loupe in order to get a good look.

male flower

Another way to determine is that females have thinner stalks and have more leaves while males have thicker stalks and fewer leaves. It is not an exact science. I have had males that didn't show their sex until they were in their flowering. I have also had males show sex while vegging and actually dropping pollen.

If you don't want seeded bud, then it is advisable to shop the males immediately after determining. As soon as you see those oval-shaped sacs start forming. If you have any doubt then you can wait until you are positive about the sex of the plant. Most of the time I would say, the males are taller naturally. In nature they usually get taller and release their pollen in order to pollinate the shorter females however, this isn't always the case. I've grown strains where the females are taller so look at the clues as guideposts but not always the case. There are always exceptions in nature. Nodes are where the stems and stalks meet. This is where you want to check for sex.

Sometimes the organs appear fourth down at the nodes so it helps to start checking your plant within the timeframe of 4 to 6 weeks in vegetative growth.

Example of a Male

Since cannabis is dioecious, It is either male or female. Female plants are what produce the buds and are prized for their higher resin production and potency compared to males.

You can toss the males in the composter or make tea with them. Some people smoke them. Seed breeders test out the males for potency to get an idea of genetics that will carry over from the male's genetics.

You also want to check your females for any sign of hermaphroditism. That is where the plant has both sex organs. Some sativa landraces are naturally that way to survive however, in the grow room look out for any balls or sacs appearing at the nodes of your plant. Many times certain females with male sacs when are stressed by several factors. It is best to toss out any females that begin to grow pollen sacs otherwise, you will end up with a bunch of seeds. Sometimes the pollen that appears in banana-looking sacs also can wreak havoc on your garden and seed your females so it's a good idea to examine each plant carefully and check all the node sites just to be on the safe side.

Lab testing is another more expensive option. There are many companies and breeders that lab test by taking a small sliver of the leaf up to a week after germination.

Many people like to buy Feminized seeds so they can avoid the work that comes with sexing the plant. They use hormones and think that will stress a female to produce male sacs and they collect the pollen and pollinate another female which in turn makes feminized seeds. There is a slim chance you can get a male but another problem some have is having Fem seeds produce Hermies. Some breeders swear by Fem seeds. I personally go by the stability of the strain. People stress test females and males and put them under harsh conditions and breed only with the ones that don't hermaphrodite.

There are many factors in determining the sex of your plant. Usually with regular seeds, you get a 50/50 ratio of males to females but it can vary. Good luck with your determination quest. Once you get used to checking gender it's not all that difficult to identify.