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How to Sex Marijuana Plants

Marijuana Preflowering

Although generally considered one of the trickiest parts of growing your own marijuana, sexing is quite straightforward and will become easier as you gain more experience. The reason for sexing your plants is so that you can remove male plants before they have a chance to pollinate the females. If this occurs the females will start to develop seeds and this will divert their energy from THC production. Pollinated weed is still smokable, we’ve all had weed with seeds, but the potency will be significantly decreased.

Careful observation of flowering is the only true way to sex your plants, although you may get a clue from their growth patterns. Male plants tend to be leggier than female plants with a longer internodal length. Female plants are squatter with more leaves and a bushier aspect.

Towards the end of the summer, as the hours of daylight decrease, changing light levels will trigger your plants to produce flowers. The appearance of pre-flowers at branch junctions is what you are looking for.

Male pre-flowers should be clearly visible to the eye, although a magnifying glass will make your job easier. Male flowers form at the junctions of the branches and stem and the pollen sacs form little balls.

How to sex marijuana plants

Female pre-flowers will also form at the junction of branches and stem and will normally start to form at the fourth or fifth branches up from the base. They are easily distinguished by the appearance of pairs of tiny white hairs, known as pistils.

Marijuana Preflowering

At this stage your plant is just about to enter the flowering phase of growth and now is the time to remove the males if you wish to.

Flowering

As the plant enters the flowering stage its growth patterns and nutrient requirements will change. The vigorous vegetative growth will slow, stems will elongate and flower formation will begin rapidly at first before slowing. Your plant now needs less nitrogen but more potassium and phosphorous so now is a good time to add some ‘super bloom’ fertilizer. Follow the packet instructions for fruiting or flowering plants.

Flowering

The female flowers will start to form kolas around the branch junctions with a main one at the growing tip of the plants. If you look closely you will see the seed pods and these will swell; either with seeds if your plant has been pollinated or with THC as false pods if you have removed the males.

Kolas

As the flowers become ready for harvest the pistils will darken and the seed pods will be swollen and sticky with resin and THC trichomes.

Ready to harvest

HowtoGrowMarijuana.com has a wealth of information for growers. We hope you now understand how to sex your marijuana plants. It might be worth reading some of the questions and answers made by our visitors below.

 

From the forum

How to Grow Marijuana Forum - Growing Marijuana Indoors & Hydroponics

125 thoughts on “How to Sex Marijuana Plants

  1. japar says:

    hey how do i identife a malefemale tree a tree that makes both buds and male flowers

  2. Mister Kay says:

    Do you think you can determin sex early, like 5 inches tall by the direction of the bigger leaves. I notice some leaves are north to south and others are east to west. It might be an indicator, do you agree?

  3. TOM says:

    mid January started plants in “Aeroponics” indoor system. I just changed light cycle, so hope for nice crop. 2 plants… one a clone of the mother, the other a seed from same plant. White widow.. the new plant is producing nine-bladed leafs! Today; this plant is 5 feet tall,the clone about 4-1/2 feet tall.

  4. Xman says:

    Hi I’m a newbie with 7 plants in 4′ x 4 ft. closet is that enough space, also when do I start sexing the plant they are 2″ to 4″ in.

  5. Sam says:

    mistermac, wait til evening one hour before dark. You dont want to hurt those presious babes.You want to be able to see what you are doing.
    Take A shovel, stay six inches from the plant.Make A circle around the plant. then ever so gently push the shovel under the plant and pry up. Pick up the ball and transplant to your planter. Make sure there is fresh dirt under the roots in the potter.Water imediatly with A rooting solution, to remove air pockets. I sujjest you wait till dark to bring them in your house.

  6. Sam says:

    Jerome you have what they call a hermaphidite plant. It will have rhe male pode and thisles with white hares. you dont want that plant in your garden.I hope you have only one, they are pretty rare.

  7. JW says:

    It usually takes stress to cause a mutation that signifigant. It must be warm where you are. You should watch yours real tight when sexing though. January is a 12 hour light month so you did experience some form of stress. even now there’s probably only 14 hours of light a day. I would think your plants would have started flowering right out of the pot. I know they didn’t but your veg stage had to be something less than standard start. Take that shit indoors and you play mother nature. Good luck brother.

  8. Karen says:

    i am interested in what technique you used this time around to have such healthy and fast producing plants.Any advice you could give me would be so greatly appreciated .
    I like yourself had a fairly good season last yearw5 mp.But with the time and energy used I felt with a little more research I probally should of done several things different,including my soil,and quite honestly several more things.
    normally I never send or ask for information on something this personal But after reading your post i really couldn’t resist not trying to seek any help you might could give me.Thanks so much for your time.and information you’ve already posted.

  9. Roberto says:

    I planted late in january, but doing well in pots outside.I have heard that females can change sex to become males and pollinate the other females.Any truth in this?

  10. James says:

    If ya want to grow a shorter plant loaded with buds apply some PIX Not only for shorter plants also it will change the IR signature Triple super phosphate will increase the yield Dap is great also cheers

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