Jump to content
The Corroboree
Slybacon

HEMP gender testing

Recommended Posts

If someone wanted to avoid putting more effort into a plant then needed how would one test the gender of a plant early and determine whether it is worth the effort???

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You can really only confirm the sexual expression of the plant once it is sexually mature. Pistils will appear around the upper nodes for females and pollen balls for males. If you are growing from a bag-seed then 9 times out of 10 it will be a female. Female plants have no Y chromosome so when they hermaphrodite to produce a seed (generally what you'll find in a bag is this sort of seed) there will be no Y chromosome to allow any male expression.

EDIT: This should be merged with the "dope is number 1" thread.

Edited by apothecary

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sexually mature for a plant like this is all in the lighting right, I mean if i took a small clone then sent it to head would this tell me acurately what the sex of the mother is or could this stress give a false reading???

When you say Bag seed do you mean one from a nice smoke you have had with the odd seed in it????

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The plant will generally be mature long before light cycles change to induce flowering. We are talking the 1-1.5 month mark from germination. If it is a cutting you can almost be guaranteed it is a female, who would be silly enough to take cuts from a male?

Yes that is exactly what I mean when I say bag seed.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If it is a cutting you can almost be guaranteed it is a female, who would be silly enough to take cuts from a male?

 

Thats right but if the plant you take a cutting from is only 2 months old and you dont know the sex, what i mean is i will take a cutting and then expose to shorter light cycles maybe 2 weeks for flowers or buds to start appearing. Has this cutting got a chance of turning male even if the mother is female or will this be a fairly accurate test?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

yep, sending a clone into early flowering is a good methode.

maybe not 100% proof but, certainly very accurat.

the problem is that male flowering, so i was told, is not triggered as much by the photoperiode.

and some enviromental factors (like poor care) might give you more males aswell.

the seeds apo is talking about are not as common, i think, but you are right, how you describe them as the odd one in the bag.

this happens if growers have no male plants, but some of the females, produce once in a while a a very small nummber of male flowers. it's very easy to overlook those male flowers, anyway, they only appear rather at the bottom of the plant, so again only a few female flowers might get pollinated, because the pollen will just fall downwards (unless the is wind).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thats right but if the plant you take a cutting from is only 2 months old and you dont know the sex, what i mean is i will take a cutting and then expose to shorter light cycles maybe 2 weeks for flowers or buds to start appearing. Has this cutting got a chance of turning male even if the mother is female or will this be a fairly accurate test?

 

Sorry, I understand your q now.

I think it is completely unnecessary. At two months old, you should be able to examine the nodes to determine sex.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

hey... found this at another forum. fair chance it's total bollocks but some folks at said forum actually reported success with it. so who knows?

worth a look i guess...

post-2376-126356605625_thumb.jpg

seed_sexing.jpg

seed_sexing.jpg

Edited by xodarap

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

it used to be said back when most plants were seed grown that if there were a number of plants together the males would be a lighter colour and less bushy.

t s t .

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Unfortunately SWIM seems to have a surefire way to determine male plant. From SWIMS experience, Every plant which is the biggest and healthiest turns out to be a male, the plants with the largest sun leaves, the best dark green colour seems to be a male. Always seems to be the real tall great looking plants!!!

Of course this is only an observation and in no way can tell the plants sex.

Edited by Atlas

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i managed to find that diagram thing ^^^^^see my last post

hmmm?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

interressting diagram, never heard of that one before...

i personally doubt a connection between this ring (the anulus)and the gender,

but i'm willing to be converted.

i agree with the people who claim to be able to distinquish male from female,

and agree that it is not a 100% always right thing.

males are more upright growing, less branches, less wide, and often have wider internodes (the stem distance between where the leave come out is longer) than the females.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i agree with PH & atlas' last comments. males may often appear to have more sparce foliage & tend to grow taller quicker, although as said thats just a general thing & not 100%

this is what Robert Connell Clarke has to say about it in his book Marijuana Botany:

"The first sign of flowering in Cannabis is the appearance of undifferentiated flower primordia along the main stem at the nodes (intersections) of the petiole, behind the stipule (leaf spur). In the prefloral phase, the sexes of Cannabis are indistinguishable except for general trends in shape."

"When the primordia first appear they are undifferentiated sexually, but soon the males can be identified by their curved claw shape, soon followed by the differentiation of round pointed flower buds having five radial segments. The females are recognized by the enlargement of a symmetrical tubular calyx (floral sheath). They are easier to recognize at a young age than male primordia. The first female calyxes tend to lack paired pistils (pollen-catching appendages) though initial male flowers often mature and shed viable pollen. In some individuals, especially hybrids, small non-flowering limbs will form at the nodes and are often confused with male primordia."

"Cultivators wait until actual flowers form to positively determine the sex of Cannabis."

"The female plants tend to be shorter and have more branches than the male. Female plants are leafy to the top with many leaves surrounding the flowers, while male plants have fewer leaves near the top with few if any leaves along the extended flowering limbs."

Edited by xodarap

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

long segment between nodes and fast growing usually = male. As an observation.

Edit: In comparison to others germinated at the same time using same materials etc.

Edited by C_T

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

malefemale.gif

male_female_cannabis.jpg

130638d1117126967-male-female-first-plant-grown-m_and_f.gif

Hope that helps a little. Got a great book somewhere I bought years ago. I'll try and find it and post some stuff from it.

Gen

*Edit* I am an idiot and didn't read the post right. As some one already said the only way tell gender is when the plant reaches sexual maturity. I read about feminised seeds that offer 95 percent female rate but I think there is a fair amount of bullshit behind this. If the grower is breeding for gender traits then you are sure to loose some quality in the smoke imo

Edited by Genesis

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i posted this in the 'dope is no.1' thread & seeing as these threads haven't been merged as was suggested i'll post it here as it's relevant.

I've found a good method of sexing plants for the outdoor sinsemilla grower.

For many herbaceous plants i find striking cuttings in a glass of plain water to be the most successful & reliable way to strike roots on cuttings prior to planting out. this is a quite common method used by gardeners for all sorts of herbs. cuttings are taken as per usual & simply placed in (a glass of) water & left in a dimly lit area until they strike roots. dehydration is not a problem because cuttings get all the moisture they need from the water they're sitting in, therefore no humidity dome or similar is needed to maintain a humid environment & cuttings will always remain erect & hydrated.

now... a very simple way to determine the sex of just about any monoecious herb who's flowering is triggered by a shortened photoperiod is to simply take cuttings from all plants as per usual & place in (a glass of) water as above, then put them straight under a 12 hours on/12 hours off light regimen. they should begin to show signs of their sex within a week. they usually don't even need to set any roots before they show signs of their sex. simple cool white compact flourescent lights are adequate for this.

remember that for showing sex as well as striking roots with this method, only ambient light is needed, for if the light is too strong it will stimulate the cuttings to photosythesize & try to grow with no roots & you don't want this. of course if striking roots is your purpose & not showing sex a 12/12 light regimen would not be used.

the usable light from a CFL does not cast much more than 8 or so inches from the bulb so in this situation you would keep the CFL bulbs about a foot away at least from the cuttings, probably even a little further... they will still be affected by the photo-period & be stimulated into flowering.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i posted this in the 'dope is no.1' thread & seeing as these threads haven't been merged as was suggested i'll post it here as it's relevant.

I've found a good method of sexing plants for the outdoor sinsemilla grower.

For many herbaceous plants i find striking cuttings in a glass of plain water to be the most successful & reliable way to strike roots on cuttings prior to planting out. this is a quite common method used by gardeners for all sorts of herbs. cuttings are taken as per usual & simply placed in (a glass of) water & left in a dimly lit area until they strike roots. dehydration is not a problem because cuttings get all the moisture they need from the water they're sitting in, therefore no humidity dome or similar is needed to maintain a humid environment & cuttings will always remain erect & hydrated.

now... a very simple way to determine the sex of just about any monoecious herb who's flowering is triggered by a shortened photoperiod is to simply take cuttings from all plants as per usual & place in (a glass of) water as above, then put them straight under a 12 hours on/12 hours off light regimen. they should begin to show signs of their sex within a week. they usually don't even need to set any roots before they show signs of their sex. simple cool white compact flourescent lights are adequate for this.

remember that for showing sex as well as striking roots with this method, only ambient light is needed, for if the light is too strong it will stimulate the cuttings to photosythesize & try to grow with no roots & you don't want this. of course if striking roots is your purpose & not showing sex a 12/12 light regimen would not be used.

the usable light from a CFL does not cast much more than 8 or so inches from the bulb so in this situation you would keep the CFL bulbs about a foot away at least from the cuttings, probably even a little further... they will still be affected by the photo-period & be stimulated into flowering.

 

would it not be possible to put the mother plant into veg quick (ie 2 weeks) and then once sex is shown (if male chop down) and if female bring back to the veg cycle till there is enough plant material to make desired amount of clones??

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

would it not be possible to put the mother plant into veg quick (ie 2 weeks) and then once sex is shown (if male chop down) and if female bring back to the veg cycle till there is enough plant material to make desired amount of clones??

 

yeah apparently a lot of indoor growers do that with no problems. the only issue is that changing light cycles erratically like that, sending the whole plant into flower, then back to veg can shock it. certain strains & varieties i'm sure would be better able to handle this & if it's for a short enough period like you say then it probably would be fine, although shocking the plant by messing with it's bio-rhythm's can cause it to stunt or go hermaphrodite etc

the method i spoke of is really well suited to outdoor growing as it allows plants to be left outside & just a small cutting to be taken into a light box etc. it means you only need a very minimal light setup (in a cupboard or even a well light-sealed cardboard box...whatever) & only cheap CFL globes & is really practical for anyone to manage & they don't need an entire grow room/expensive setup. & while the cutting is in the light box the whole plant can stay outside & continue to veg happily.

Edited by xodarap

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×