Experienced marijuana users and cultivators know that the buds that we come to prize, for medicinal purposes of course, comes from the female plant. Males produce very little cannabinoids, and are of no real value except for breeding purposes (which is often the case in humans as well). Males produce the pollen that creates the seeds in the female bud. Virgin females that produce no seeds are richer in THC and CBD, as well as other cannabinoids. Mature buds with no seeds are often called “sinsemillia,” and are the standard of quality that is presently expected.
First you must identify unwanted male plants and forcibly remove those bastard’s from your growing area. This can be very tricky because one cannot tell whether a plant is male or female until they are matured. Plants will expose their naughty parts when the lighting cycle is reduced to at or around 12 hours of light per day. This change in lighting will induce what is known as the flowering period. Often a grower will take clones from a mother, then flower it prior to any of the clones to confirm that all of the babies will grow up as all girls.
After about one week of flowering a plant will show its sex. To determine the sex, check the top of the plant and between nodes. Nodes are where the branches come together. Females will have white hairs, called pistils that will sprout. Males sprout green to yellow pollen sacks that hang like testicles. (See image) Remember to continuously monitor your girls as they mature, some may hermaphrodite. Watch as the bud grows for pollen sacks or small yellow flowers forming in the bud. If you see a flower get rid of the plant right away. Misting the air with water can help remove pollen from the air.
