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Home / How to Tell if a Possum Is Male or Female

How to Tell if a Possum Is Male or Female

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If you're growing marijuana and want to maximize the buds you get, you need to know how to identify female and male pot plants. Almost all growers prefer female weed plants because only females produce the buds with THC content for recreational or medicinal purposes. Male weed plants have low potency compared to female plants, and they're kept to mostly produce seeds. We'll teach you how to spot the early signs of male vs. female cannabis plants so you can prevent males from pollinating the female plants (and ruining your crop). Most importantly, we'll show you how to tell which plants will give you buds!

  1. 1

    Look for thicker, sturdier stalks with fewer leaves on male plants. A male weed plant, compared to a female plant of the same strain, generally has a thicker stalk. That's because it gets taller than female plants and needs to be able to support the weight. They also have fewer leaves than female plants.[1]

  2. 2

    Check the joints on the stalk for male flowers. The little balls that grow on the joints of the stalk (where the other branches meet the main stalk) are the main indicators of male plants. These flowers release pollen and need to be removed for a better crop.[2]

    • If you're trying to create new plants or reproduce, you need to leave these balls undisturbed.
    • Female plants will have these bulbs too, but will also have long, translucent hairs on them. If you only see 1-2 bulbs on a plant, wait. If more develop with long hairs, don't cut them because that means the plant is female.

  3. 3

    Check your plants regularly from July to September to sex them. If male plants are allowed to pollinate, they will severely lower the potential crop of your female plants.[3] That's because, once fertilized, female plants spend energy producing seeds instead of THC, leading to a smaller harvest. If you are growing indoors you will likely be visiting your plants regularly, so the following checks should be easy to do.

    • You need to check every plant to determine if it is male or female, as one rogue male can wreck your harvest.
    • In general, you can tell if a pot plant is male 7-10 days (indoor) or 3 weeks (outdoor) before you can tell if a plant is female.[4]

  4. 4

    Treat hermaphroditic (both sexes) plants as males. Marijuana plants can grow both sex organs.[5] If you see any of the telltale male pollen sacs on the joints of the stalk, you should trim them like you would a normal male plant. They will still release pollen that can ruin your crop.[6]

    • "Hermies" are generally undesirable plants, and they can ruin a small crop with their pollen if you're not careful.
    • A plant that has both pollen sacs (small buds on the joints of the stalks) and pistils (small translucent hairs) is hermaphroditic.

  5. 5

    Throw out or remove male pot plants unless you specifically want seeds. Once you've determined a plant is male, you need to get rid of it or it will ruin your crop. Do not try and remove the buds by hand, as missing even a few will significantly decrease your crop. While most growers simply throw the plants out, a few keep them around for breeding purposes. If you do, put them in a separate room from the females, and make sure you don't track pollen in from the male room to the female room on your clothes or hands.[7]

  1. 1

    Let the plants grow for roughly six weeks before sexing them. Marijuana plants, male and female, will be identical in the first 6 weeks of life. It is only after they've begun developing their sex organs later on that you'll be able to differentiate them.[8]

    • You can purchase "feminized" seeds as well, which usually create close to 100% female plants. However, there are occasional errors, and you should still keep a close eye on your plants to make sure there are no rogue males.[9]

  2. 2

    Check the joints of the stalk for small, translucent hairs. Once the plant has matured enough, a female weed plant will begin flowering. At the joints where the branches meet the main stalk, you'll see small, translucent hairs, known as pistils, coming out of a small, tear-shaped bud tucked in the joint. Frequently, there will also be "growth tips," which are new branches and groups of leaves, growing as well.[10]

    • Male plants will have the small buds (pollen sacs) but will not have the associated hair growing out of them.

  3. 3

    Look for fuller bodies of leaves when compared to males. If you're trying to sex mature plants, one of the easiest and earliest signs of a female cannabis plant is how bushy they get. Male plants have thicker, sturdier stalks and very few leaves. A female of the same strain will be shorter and bushier, with more leaves, especially near the top.[11]

  4. 4

    Separate your females from any males, as only females create buds. Only female pot plants will produce enough THC for recreational or medical use, but they won't be as potent if they become fertilized. If the pistil gets pollen, it will create a seed, and all the plants' energy and nutrients will be spent making seeds instead of big, THC-full buds.[12]

    • If your pistils are an orange-brown color, that means they've been pollinated and won't produce as high-quality of buds.

Add New Question

  • Question

    Can I bring an outdoor plant indoors?

    Grow Experiments

    Grow Experiments

    Community Answer

    In general it's not a good idea, because you can bring bugs and other things into your house, but as long as it's not being kept around indoor plants, it should work. Just make sure to keep an eye on the plant and give it plenty of fresh air, as that is likely what it is used to. Keep in mind that the sun is the best grow light, though, so you should leave it outdoors if you can!

  • Question

    Can I ground up male plants to use as a CBD mixture?

    Community Answer

    Yes, the largest amount of CBD in a plant is in the stalk of a male plant.

  • Question

    Why would my female plant not bud?

    Community Answer

    It needs a light cycle with a minimum of 12 hours of uninterrupted, complete darkness every day to trigger and maintain flowering.

  • Question

    What do I do if my marijuana plants are not producing pollen sacks?

    Community Answer

    Be grateful, because you probably have female plants. Female plants are the only plants that produce buds.

  • Question

    I have a 6 month old indoor plant but it is not budding or showing any male gender. The plant stands about 51 inches tall; it appears to be healthy, very green, most of the nodes are standing up instead of sagging. What could be the problem?

    Community Answer

    Plants usually need around 12 hours of darkness to bud. That is why they bud at the end of the summer. If you have these indoors where they get light for more than 12 hours, that is your problem.

  • Question

    How do I trim the female plant to grow another plant?

    Community Answer

    Cut the smallest branch and make sure it's one of the young ones that will be flowering. This is called cloning.

  • Question

    Why do my plants only have 3 leaves?

    Community Answer

    A plant with 3 leaves is ruderalis, a wild outdoor variety. There are 5 types: indica, sativa, ruderalis, Australian bastard weed, and duck's foot.

  • Question

    Do male plants all have balls on their joints?

    Community Answer

    All males have pollen sacks at all leaf branchings.

  • Question

    What is the best type of light to use?

    Community Answer

    Many advise metal halide for vegetation and high pressure sodium for flowering. If your want to use blue light for vegetation, use 6500 k (cool white) CFL because you can keep them close and avoid stretch. HPS is fine for the entire grow because the lack of blue keeps them short.

  • Question

    What do I do if I over-water my plant?

    Community Answer

    Let the soil dry out before watering again. Cannabis plants are resilient and will usually recuperate from over-watering.

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  • Check frequently once your plants have hit the 6-week mark – you want to know your plant's sex as soon as you can to avoid accidental pollination.

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Article SummaryX

If you're growing marijuana plants, it's important to be able to tell male and female plants apart, since only the females produce the buds that contain high concentrations of THC. To identify male and female marijuana plants, make sure they've been growing for at least 6 weeks, since both types of plant look the same in their early stages. Then, look for male plants to have thicker stalks and fewer leaves than their female counterparts. You can also tell if a plant is male by checking for little flowers or bulbs at the joints of the stalk and branches. By contrast, you'll see small, translucent hairs on the same areas of a female plant. Once you've identified that a plant is male, remove it from your growing area to prevent it from pollinating the female plants, which will result in your THC harvest being reduced. For tips on what to do with plants that have both male and female organs, read on!

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How to Tell if a Possum Is Male or Female

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Female-and-Male-Marijuana-Plants