Hemp belongs to bipartite representatives of the flora, which means that adult plants can have either female or male sexual characteristics. But there is a third option – hermaphrodites. These plants are able to pollinate both themselves and other bushes nearby. In practice, this means the risk of loss of effective crop qualities.
1. What is cannabis hermaphrodite?
2. Why to get rid of hermaphrodites when growing.
3. Appearance of hemp hermaphrodite.
4. Causes of hemp hermaphroditism.
5. Actions when hermaphrodites appear.
Why is this happening, and what to do in a situation where you found such a representative in your greenhouse? We’ll tell you in our article.
What is hermaphrodite hemp?
The word “hermaphroditism” itself means the presence of both male and female sexual characteristics. In marijuana, this is manifested in the fact that both pistil cups and stamens are immediately present on one bush. As a result, this plant is able to self-pollinate, which negatively affects the quality and quantity of the crop.
Most often, signs of hermaphroditism occur in cannabis under the influence of severe stress when the growing conditions are not met. Also, this feature can be inherited.
Why are growers so afraid of hermaphrodites in their grobox?
Let’s say you have a tent in which you grow 6 bushes of excellent marijuana varieties. You buy seeds only from a proven seedbank, always choosing feminized versions. Even under such conditions, something may go wrong during the grooving process, and at some stage one of the bushes will begin to degenerate into a male plant. This process is called “sealing.” If male flowers appear early enough, then pollen from them will fall not only on this plant, but also pollinate all the bushes located in the grobox. Further, all the forces and energy of plants will be directed to the formation of seeds. Inflorescences will remain small, and the level of THC in them will be extremely small. Agree, far from the most rosy prospect for the grower.
If you count on the fact that if you did not ask about the crop, then at least you will collect seeds, then this is also a small miss. Depending on the cause preceding hermaphroditism, there is a high probability of obtaining seeds with exactly the same set of genes. That is, by planting such seeds, you will again grow hermaphrodites and will not receive a decent harvest. However, if the cause of male sexual signs in hemp was a stressful situation, that is, the likelihood of getting quite healthy female individuals from the collected seeds.
Feminized marijuana seeds
Most crop growers do not want to risk and waste their own strength and time on a likely failure. That is why it is better to closely monitor the plantation and regularly check inflorescences for signs of hermaphroditism.
How to distinguish hemp-hermaphrodite?
Usually hermaphrodites initially develop as female plants and only in the middle of life they begin to show male signs. Only during the pre-color period can it be visually determined that the plant is hermaphrodite. During this period, stamen-bearing flowers are formed on inflorescences.
In the photo hermaphrodite marijuana plant looks like this:
Along with ordinary female pestles, several pollen bags were formed.
Ordinary female flowers are located very tightly to the stem. In shape, they resemble a bulb with two pestles sticking out of it (stigmas). It is they who serve as pollen traps. Male flowers more resemble a slightly elongated pouch with a long leg. They are located far enough from the stem to scatter pollen over the maximum distance. Male flowers are formed by the so-called bunches of 5-10 or more pieces.
But not in all cases, male signs will appear immediately with the beginning of cannabis flowering. If we are talking about a stress reaction, then the formation of stamens may well begin at the end of this phase. Even if this property was inherited genetically, then, for example, sativa varieties develop quite slowly and can show the first male signs by the end of the life cycle. Then the so-called “bananas’ ‘ appear on the already formed female inflorescences. So they are called because of a similar shape. They are not very similar to ordinary pollen bags, have a more elongated shape and a light green or yellow color.
Another difference from pollen bags is that as soon as “bananas” appear, they immediately begin to pollinate neighboring female flowers. If on the inflorescence there are only a couple of such “bananas,” then they will not be able to do significant harm, but if there are a large number of them, then such inflorescences should be immediately removed. It is better to harvest an undersized crop than to be left without it at all.
What leads to cannabis hermaphroditism?
As we have already mentioned, the main causes of hermaphroditism can be two: genetics or stress. If it is more or less clear with genetics and nothing can be done here, then we will consider the issue of external influence in more detail.
Here is a list of errors that can cause such changes:
Non-observance of the light mode. It is believed that the probability of the appearance of hermaphrodites is greatly affected by the interruption of the sleep regime. Try to limit the presence of even scattered rays of light on plants at night. This also applies to outdoor cultivation, select a site where light from street lighting will not land.
Excessive use of fertilizers. Stress from shredding can also cause hermaphroditism. If the plant is in the final stage of the life cycle, then an overdose may no longer appear on the leaves.
Inappropriate microclimate conditions. If the room is too wet/dry or the temperature is higher/lower than permissible, such a plant reaction is also possible. The plant tries to survive in harsh conditions and quickly give offspring, pollinating itself.
The light is too dim, bright or the light source is located close to the plant. Often this problem is faced by grovers who have a tent space limited in height, and the bush has grown too large, and it is no longer possible to raise the lamp above.
Excessive trimming. Not all hemp varieties are ready to lose most of their foliage. Before performing defoliation, check in the class certificate whether this class is calculated for such a procedure.
What if hemp-hermaphrodite grows in grobox?
Try to look into the grobox daily so as not to miss an important moment, in case male flowers still appear on some of the bushes. “Bananas” can form and disperse pollen in almost a day.
When they see pollen bags, they should be removed as soon as possible. This must be done extremely carefully with sharp scissors or tweezers. Try not to shake flowers so that pollen does not scatter around the room and does not settle on your hands or clothes. After performing the procedure, wash your hands thoroughly and spray the bushes with water, it will help neutralize the remains of pollen. Inspect the bushes daily and repeat the procedure if necessary.
If hermaphrodites proved themselves at the very initial stage of flowering, and there are too many male flowers, then it is better to get rid of such plants at once. In the future, they can pollinate other bushes and lead to larger problems.
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If you noticed male flowers at the very end of flowering, then you should not worry much about this. If the inflorescences have already fully formed, then pollen will not greatly damage them and will not have a significant impact on the quality of the crop.
And yet it is better to fight any problem at an early stage. The sooner women’s flowers are pollinated, the worse the harvest will be. Strictly monitor compliance with growing standards and regularly inspect bushes for male flowers.