What are the early signs of male or female cannabis plants?

So, why do we need to know the difference in male and female cannabis plants?

Because only female plants produce flowers (buds, nugs, etc.), making sure that your female plants stay well away from any males and the pollen that they produce is crucial in getting the most potent, high-quality buds from your grow. If even the slightest sprinkling of pollen lands on your precious female plants, there is a very high chance that they will start to focus their energy on producing seeds growing the biggest, dankest, frostiest, stankiest buds possible.

By the end of this article, just a few minutes away, you will have a full understanding of not just the tell-tale early signs of male and female plants, but also everything else that goes into cannabis sexing and gender, and why it is so important for a successful grow.

What is the difference between a male and female cannabis plant?

The biggest difference, and the one we are most interested in, is that female plants produce buds while male plants do not. Both hobby and commercial weed cultivators grow the plants with the express intent of harvesting buds.

The buds are covered in trichomes, where the vast majority of the good stuff (cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids) is produced and stored. While male plants do produce a small amount of trichomes, the difference is not even worth mentioning when compared to a female plant.

The differences expressed in the plants themselves are pretty clear, even in the early stages of growth. The first difference you will notice is in the pre-flowers, which appear during the vegetative stage of growth (before flowering). More on this later...

Can you get male plants if you are growing feminized seeds?

Now, this is a question we hear all the time, and fair enough! Growers want to know that their feminized seeds are exactly that - 100% female. There is a bunch of misinformation out there on this subject, so let us clear things up once and for all.

In all honesty, we wish that we could say that 100% of feminized seeds will produce a female plant, but that is not the case. As with everything in life, there is always a small chance for error. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as environmental stressors, genetic abnormalities, or simply human error during the feminization process.

However, the chances of a feminized seed producing a male plant are extremely low. On average, around 99.9% of our feminized seeds will produce a female plant. This is still an extremely high success rate, and we can confidently say that feminized seeds are the way to go if you want to guarantee an all-female weed garden.

All we are saying is that it is important to understand that there is a very low chance that you may end up with a male plant, so understanding how to spot the early signs of male and female plants is something that all weed growers should have a solid understanding of.

How early can you tell the sex of a weed plant?

This one is (slightly) cultivar-dependent, as each strain of weed has its own unique characteristics and growth patterns. Even within a single set of seeds from the same batch, there may be phenotype variations that can affect when the 'pre-flowers', or the early signs of sexing in a plant, show up.

However, for the most part, cannabis plants should start giving us a peak into their potential gender within 3 to 6 weeks of germination, or during the time the fourth to sixth nodes develop.

Keep in mind that male and female pre-flowers can look pretty similar, especially in the first few days after they appear. Next, we will go into the intricacies of differentiating pre-flowers.

What is a node?

A ‘node’ is the term we use to describe where a new set of branches or leaves form on the main stem of a plant. When counting the nodes, you start from the very bottom, where the plant meets the soil and count up from there.

What are the early signs of a female cannabis plant?

The first sign of a female cannabis plant is the appearance of 'pre-flowers' in the 'crook' of the nodes (right where the node and the main stem meet). Female pre-flowers are usually longer and slightly narrower than their male counterparts, although they are produced in exactly the same area.

The biggest sign that you have a female plant on your hands is the appearance of two white hairs on the pre-flower. These are the pistils, which eventually develop into the sticky, resinous buds.

Another sign is that female plants are crossed stipules. These are small growths that cross each other, look like little leaves, and appear right where the branches meet the main stem.

What are the early signs of a male cannabis plant?

Male cannabis plants will produce pre-flowers that are smaller and rounder in shape, with no visible hairs or pistils. They sometimes grow in a slight 'spade' shape, with a small stem connecting the base of the pre-flower to the main stem.

Male plants also do not produce stipules, and may have fewer branches, fan leaves, and a thinner stem than females.

What should you do if you have a male cannabis plant?

GET RID OF IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

No, seriously - unless you are trying to create your own strain (in which case, we highly recommend doing your research and learning how to breed plants selectively), there is no reason to keep a male plant around.

A single male plant produces enough pollen to pollinate an entire room or garden of female plants, effectively ruining your chances of getting any usable buds.

When do male plants begin to release pollen?

Thankfully, it takes a little while for male plants to start releasing the pollen they are building up in the pollen sacs, giving you enough time to identify the plant and remove it before it can do any damage.

Male plants typically begin to release pollen around 2-3 weeks after the pre-flowers appear.

Can female plants grow pollen sacks?

Yes, and this is something that most growers will encounter at some point.

Cannabis plants have the ability to turn 'hermie', or hermaphroditic, meaning they can develop both male and female reproductive organs. This can be triggered by a number of factors, the most common being stress.

Heat stress, nutrient stress, light stress, and even high-stress training techniques can all cause a female plant to produce pollen sacs, which can then go on to pollinate itself and the rest of your crop.

While it is something that most growers will run into at some point, it is not something that you should be overly worried about if you treat your plants well and provide them with a stable growing environment.

But it is definitely something to be aware of, and to keep an eye out for when growing feminized seeds. If you do notice any pollen sacs developing on a female plant, it is best to just treat it like a male plant and remove it from the grow area.

Cannabis plant gender identification FAQs

Do male plants grow white pistils?

No, male plants do not grow white pistils. The presence of white pistils is a clear indication that the plant is female.

Are regular cannabis seeds male?

Regular cannabis seeds have a 50% chance of producing male plants and a 50% chance of producing female plants.

Do male cannabis plants grow taller?

Generally, male plants will grow taller and less bushy than females of the same cultivar, but this is not always the case.

Do male plants bud?

No, male plants do not produce buds. Only female cannabis plants produce the sticky stuff we are all after.