You may remember from botany class that most flowering plants are hermaphroditic (meaning they have both male and female sex organs). However, there are some plant species with separate male and female plants. Marijuana is one such plant.
Are you curious to find out how the sex of a weed plant affects your marijuana experience? Here, we break down the difference between female vs. male cannabis species.
Female cannabis plants are used to create the products you know and love. These particular plants grow flowers (or buds) with the majority of the cannabis’s THC. In contrast, male plants only have trace amounts of this cannabinoid. Since female flowers have greater levels of THC, they are more potent, producing the high that tokers are after when they use cannabis products.
Marijuana cultivators are typically interested in unpollinated female weed plants because pollinated female plants use all their resources to produce seeds, resulting in low-quality buds. Expert growers know to remove male plants before their pollen sacs burst to produce smokable buds.
Growers can determine the sex of their cannabis plants by looking at the physical traits of each. Female plants are known for their slender stalks, lush leaves, orange or white hairs, V-shaped pistils, and resinous buds. These are also shorter than their male counterparts.
Instead of flowers, male cannabis plants grow pollen sacs. Once these sacs burst, the male plants pollinate the female plants.
Even though they do not produce buds used in cannabis products, male weed plants are not completely worthless. They are essential for a grower’s breeding program and enable cultivators to create new marijuana strains. They can also be used in concentrate products like hash and to make hemp material for shirts, tablecloths, and more.
Male weed plants can be identified by their thick stalks, sparse leaves, and pollen sacs with green and white flowers. If you place a male plant next to a female plant, the male variety will be taller.
We can’t talk about the difference between male vs. female cannabis plants without mentioning hermaphrodite plants. Hermaphrodites contain both male and female parts, so they will grow flowers and pollinate those buds themselves.
Sometimes plants naturally become hermaphrodites, while in other instances, they turn when they are under enough stress. What causes a cannabis plant stress? Being exposed to light during their night cycle, getting too much or too little water, being affected by certain insects or pathogens, and being poorly transplanted are just a few ways a plant can be placed under stress, causing it to turn into a hermaphrodite.
Because these plants can pollinate other female cannabis plants, growers often choose to get rid of hermaphrodites. In this way, they protect the quality of the buds produced by their female plants.
Unless you’re trying to grow your own marijuana, you don’t have to concern yourself with the difference between female and male cannabis plants (though the information is great for a conversation starter!). At Good Tree, we cultivate high-quality female plants to ensure our products are highly potent and tasty. Whether you’re shopping for weed pens online or want edibles delivered, you can trust we’ll hook you up with the best products. Shop online today!
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