What You Should Know About Gender in Cannabis Plants

Understanding cannabis plant gender and reproduction is crucial to a successful harvest, but it can be quite confusing. This comprehensive guide will explain the plants reproductive process, hermaphroditism, and what to do with male cannabis plants.

Plant Reproduction

Marijuana plants are dioecious, which means there are two separate genders. Each plant has two pair of chromosomes; male plants have XY, while females have XX. Like humans, there is an almost equal number of females and males.

Cannabis plants can be hermaphroditic, which means that they may have two sets of reproductive organs (pistils and stamens). The plant’s gender depends on its genetics and certain environmental factors. That is why, when cultivating cannabis, it is important to learn the traits of male and female plants.

Gendering Cannabis Plants: Trait Identification

Though it’s crucial to learn the differences between male and female cannabis plants, it’s difficult because a plant’s gender isn’t immediately apparent. Marijuana plants’ gender does not reveal itself until the garden has been on a 12/12 light/darkness cycle for an extended period, but for some growers, waiting that long is impossible.

When male and female plants are grown alongside one another, the male plants pollinate the females. Female plants with no seeds have more THC, while males make much less. Therefore, it is best to determine the plant’s sex as soon as possible. Preventing cross-pollination is the most effective way to ensure high-quality buds. This is also where the appeal comes in for growers to order feminized seeds to remove that guesswork from the growing process.