Female or male cannabis plant?
Identifying whether your cannabis plant is female or male is a crucial skill for any grower. Female cannabis plants produce the potent buds you want for consumption, while male plants can pollinate females, leading to seeds instead of buds. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to spot the difference between female and male cannabis plants, why it matters, and how to avoid pollination issues. With clear tips and visuals, you’ll be ready to grow high-quality buds. Let’s get started!
Why Identifying Cannabis Plant Gender Matters?
When growing cannabis for consumption, you’ll want to focus on female plants. Females produce buds rich in cannabinoids (like THC and CBD) and terpenes, which give cannabis its aroma and flavor. Male plants, however, produce pollen that fertilizes females, causing them to focus on seed production rather than bud development. This results in smaller, less potent buds. To maximize your yield, you’ll need to identify and remove male plants early. For beginners, using feminized cannabis seeds ensures a >99% chance of female plants, saving you time and effort.
What Is a Female Cannabis Plant?
Female cannabis plants are the ones you want for smokable buds, often called nugs. They develop flowers with calyxes—small seed sacs that would produce seeds if pollinated. Without pollination, females focus on growing large, dense buds covered in trichomes (resin glands). These trichomes are packed with cannabinoids and terpenes, making them the most valuable part of the plant.
If unpollinated, a female plant will swell her buds and boost trichome production to attract pollen. This results in the thick, potent buds you’re after. In rare cases, a female may produce a seed without pollination (a “bag seed”), especially if harvested late.
How to Identify a Female Cannabis Plant?
Spotting a female cannabis plant becomes easier during flowering. Here’s what to look for:
- White Hairs (Pistils): As flowering begins (often when days shorten or you switch to a 12/12 light cycle), two white hairs appear at the leaf axils (where branches meet the stem). These hairs show up before buds form at the branch tips.
- No Pollen Sacs: Females don’t develop small balls or clusters in the leaf axils.
It’s tough to determine gender before flowering, so regular checks during early flowering are key.
What Is a Male Cannabis Plant?
Male cannabis plants don’t produce buds but are vital in nature for pollination. They develop clusters of small, ball-like structures in the leaf axils, which are pollen sacs. When these sacs burst, they release pollen as a fine dust, carried by the wind to fertilize female plants. If a male pollinates a female, she’ll focus on seed production, resulting in smaller, less potent buds. Males produce some terpenes but very few cannabinoids, making them unsuitable for consumption.
How can you recognize a male cannabis plant?
Identifying a male cannabis plant is straightforward during pre-flowering:
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Pollen Sacs: Look for small, round balls forming in the leaf axils. These sacs will also appear at the branch tips as the plant matures.
- No White Hairs: Males won’t show white pistils. If you see balls instead of hairs, it’s a male.
Check your plants regularly during the vegetative stage to catch males early.
Suzy's tip: If you grow with regular seeds, you can make a cutting from the plant. If you put it on a 12/12 light schedule, you'll see the gender after a few weeks.
Removing male plants
When growing cannabis for consumption, you will need to remove the male weed plants. This prevents fertilization with the female flowers. When a female plant is fertilized, you don't get cannabis, but seeds. So, buy feminized seeds as a beginner. Then you have a >99% chance of female plants. That saves you a lot of work. In the unlikely event that there is a male among them, you can now recognize him.
Why You Should Remove Male Cannabis Plants?
When growing cannabis for buds, removing male plants is essential. If a male pollinates your females, they’ll produce seeds instead of potent buds, reducing your yield’s quality. By identifying and removing males early, you ensure your female plants can focus on bud production. For beginners, we recommend using feminized cannabis seeds—with a >99% chance of female plants, you’ll avoid the hassle of gender identification.
Suzy’s Tip: Use Cuttings to Determine Gender Early
Growing with regular seeds? You can determine a plant’s gender before it fully flowers. Take a cutting, place it on a 12/12 light schedule (12 hours light, 12 hours dark), and wait a few weeks. The cutting will reveal its gender—white hairs for females, pollen sacs for males—allowing you to identify and remove males from your main grow. For more growing tips, check out our cannabis growing guide.
Suzy’s Tip: Use Cuttings to Determine Gender Early
If you’re growing with regular seeds, you can determine a plant’s gender before it fully flowers. Take a cutting from the plant, place it on a 12/12 light schedule (12 hours light, 12 hours dark), and wait a few weeks. The cutting will reveal its gender—white hairs for females, pollen sacs for males—allowing you to identify and remove males from your main grow.
Beware of Hermaphrodite Cannabis Plant
Sometimes, cannabis plants can develop both male and female sex organs, known as hermaphrodites. This survival mechanism is often triggered by stress (e.g., irregular light cycles, nutrient issues). Hermaphrodites can appear at the start of growth or during flowering. If you spot both white hairs and pollen sacs on the same plant, it’s a hermaphrodite. Remove it immediately, as it can self-pollinate or pollinate other females, leading to seedy buds. Regular monitoring is key to catching hermaphrodites early.
