How to differentiate between female and male marijuana?

Without a doubt, this is one of the most frequently asked questions by people who are new to the world of cannabis. How to differentiate male from female marijuana always confuses many enthusiasts. This distinction is essential to guarantee the quality of the final product and directly affects pollination, bud production, and the harvest. While female plants produce the precious resinous buds, male plants are mainly used for seed production and genetic breeding. In this complete guide, we will show you how to properly identify each one and what to do once you’ve figured it out.

Female and Male Marijuana

The differences between a female and male marijuana plant are visible, as this is one of the few plants where sex can be distinguished based on external structures. In other plants, you need to search for sex through their DNA, but this is not the case with marijuana, where it can be seen with the naked eye.

Here we show you an image of a male plant and a female plant, can you tell which is which? Whether you know it or not, keep reading to learn all the differences and how to distinguish between them, even when it’s not so obvious.

Detailed Differences Between Female and Male Marijuana

There is one main difference between male and female marijuana plants, and for that reason, cannabis enthusiasts are typically only interested in the females.

Female Marijuana Plants

Distinguishing between male and female plants is extremely important because only female plants contain active properties, which is why most growers are only interested in female plants. By active properties, we mean significant concentrations of THC, CBD, CBN, and other cannabinoids, in other words, the flowers filled with resin that contain these cannabinoids.

Male Marijuana Plants

The male, on the other hand, does not produce buds and does not contain active properties, or it has such a low concentration that it cannot be used for the same purposes as the female. Instead of producing buds, the male releases pollen, which pollinates the female plants, causing them to stop producing buds and start focusing on seed production. So, if you are aiming for a harvest of active ingredients, once the males are identified, they need to be removed.

We offer you content with all the particulars, and even some very important secrets, about male marijuana plants, which you can access at the following link:

Marijuana Plants with Both Sexes

It is possible to have a marijuana plant with both sexes, although it is uncommon. This can happen due to certain genetic peculiarities and the influence of external factors. These are called hermaphrodite plants, and they are generally not useful for any cannabis enthusiast. If you find a hermaphrodite plant, it is best to remove it because it will self-pollinate and produce seeds instead of buds. In addition, its pollen can be carried by air and fertilize nearby plants, or even travel kilometers away.

How to Differentiate Female from Male Marijuana

The female marijuana plant produces buds. At first, these appear as small white hairs located in tiny buds between the main stem and the large leaf stems. From this same point, alongside the bud, a secondary branch will grow that will develop more buds. To be more precise, female plants form a calyx from which the white hairs called pistils emerge, which can vary in color slightly depending on the variety. Over time, the calyxes grow, and so do the number of hairs, forming the buds that eventually pile on top of each other and harden.

The male marijuana plant, on the other hand, produces small balls, first attached to the main stem, then hanging down from the same area where the female’s bud would form. Male marijuana is easy to detect because it usually hangs down in pairs, unlike the female’s structure which points upwards. These male flowers open up into four sepals, from which four stamens emerge that release pollen. Once this stage is reached, it is unsafe to have female plants near this male, as it may already be releasing its ‘love dust’ into the air. Before this happens, the male plant must be removed.

To learn the differences between male, female, and hermaphrodite plants and avoid mistakes, here is a comparative table summarizing the key characteristics of each plant type:

With this table, you can quickly identify the most important characteristics of each type of plant and make informed decisions for your crop.

Methods to Identify Sex Before Flowering

While most marijuana plants show their sex during the flowering stage, there are methods to identify sex earlier. One of the most effective is DNA analysis, which can detect the plant’s sex in its early growth stages. Another, more accessible but less precise method, is to observe the pre-flowering stage: between the first 3-6 weeks of the plant’s life, small formations may appear at the nodes, which provide a clue as to whether the plant will be male or female. Although these methods are not infallible, they can help give a preliminary idea of the plant’s sex.

Conclusions

Now, you can take another look at the photo we showed you at the beginning of this article. We’re confident that now you won’t have any trouble identifying which photo shows the female marijuana and which one shows the male, right?

We hope this content has been useful for helping you understand how to differentiate female marijuana from male. Continue reading our monograph on the most potent marijuana, as it is not always easy to distinguish it from the female or male plants, so we are sure you will find it very interesting.

Brais Nieto

Founder of Experiencia Natural, creative and entrepreneur, designer, master in grower and marketing. For a normalization of all plants and substances, giving priority to patients and users.