What is Hermaphrodite Cannabis?

hermaphrodite cannabis

Hermaphrodite plants refers to plants that possess both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphrodite cannabis is one of the many plants in the world that belong to this unique class. In the cannabis world, a lot of obscurity still exists especially when it concerns hermaphrodite cannabis. In this article, we will discuss all that you need to know about hermaphrodite cannabis plants, what causes them, their usefulness as well as how to prevent them.

What is Hermaphrodite Cannabis?

As mentioned above, an hermaphrodite cannabis plant is a plant that possesses both male and female reproductive organs. A hermaphrodite cannabis plant is also known as "hermie". In order to fully understand what a hermaphrodite cannabis plant really is, it is important to break down the differences between a male cannabis flower and a female cannabis flower.

Male Cannabis Flower: A male cannabis flower is shaped like a small green ball. This type of cannabis flower looks like a seed, round on one end and having a pointed end on the other. The male cannabis flower pollinates the female flower when its sac opens up.

Female Cannabis Flower: A female cannabis flower is quite different from the male ones. It is known as the pistil. Female cannabis flowers are buds that are shaped like a small tear-drop. They also usually have two white strands that look like hair hanging out of their pointy tips. The bud area of the female cannabis flower is called the calyx while the two white strands are known as stigma.

Now that we know the difference between male cannabis flowers and female cannabis flowers, we can proceed to discuss the causes of hermaphrodite flowers.

Causes Of Hermaphrodite Cannabis

Hermaphrodite cannabis plants have both the female buds, and the seed-like male flowers on the same plant. There are two different types of hermaphrodite cannabis based on the cause of their hermaphroditism. They are:

True Hermaphrodite Cannabis: This type of hermaphrodite cannabis plant is caused naturally by the plant's genetics. Male and female flowers usually grow separately on such cannabis plants. Cannabis cultivators can not do much to change the structure of true hermaphrodite cannabis.

Stress-Induced Hermaphroditism: This refers to hermaphroditism that is induced in cannabis plants due to stress that comes with their living condition. This type of cannabis hermaphroditism can be easily avoided.

Below are a few ways in which stress cause hermaphroditism in cannabis plants:

Temperature: Temperature can be a big stressor to your cannabis plants, and cause them to develop both male and flowers. Cold temperature is not particularly good for them, and should be kept minimal. As little as a single cold night is enough to stress your cannabis plants, and result in hermaphroditism. You should also be mindful of drastic drop in temperature.

Drought: Like every other plant, your cannabis plants need water to survive. Your cannabis plants interpret lack of water, as a sign of dying and could result in it resorting to hermaphroditism as a means to survive.

Light Leaks: Light leaks affect your cannabis plants so it is important to avoid their occurrence. The night time is dark time for your cannabis plants. Always keep their space as dark as possible, taking out every small leak of light. These light leaks no matter how small might confuse and shock them into hermaphroditism.

Harvesting the cannabis plants late can also cause hermaphroditism.

Other causes of hermaphroditism include damaged roots, broken branches, over-fertilization as well as insects.

Why Are Hermaphrodite Cannabis Undesirable

You might be wondering why hermaphrodite cannabis plants are usually avoided. The reason is quite simple, most cannabis cultivators are interested in growing pure female plants. This is because female cannabis plants produce buds, which are very desirable to most stoners. Male flowers do not produce buds but only seeds, making them desirable only to cultivators who intends to produce seeds. In an hermaphrodite cannabis plant, when the male flower pollinate the female flower, the cannabis they produce usually have a lot of seeds in them. This is why most cannabis consumers do not enjoy hermaphrodite cannabis.

How To Prevent Hermaphroditism In Your Cannabis Plants

Remove Stress: You have to take away all kinds of stress from your cannabis plants during their flowering period. Always water your plants and ensure that they are all exposed to the sunlight. Keep the temperature warm at all times, and avoid leaving the plants in the cold.

Hygiene: Keeping your cannabis plants in a clean environment is good for your cannabis plants, as it allows them grow in favourable conditions. Check your plant from time to time. Look out for insects and make sure to get rid of them.

Harvest At The Right Time: Always remember to harvest your cannabis plants at the right time. Failure to do so might result in the growth of a male flower. Check the trichomes from time to time, in order to be sure when it is time for harvest.

Carry Out Research: It is important for you to find out all about a cannabis strain before deciding to grow it. Take your time to read about the strain and all about its characteristics. Surf the net to find comments from previous growers of the strain in order to be sure that you are on the right path. Doing all of these will help you make the right decision when deciding on a cannabis strain to grow.

Actions to Take If You Find Hermaphrodite Cannabis

The stage that you found a male flower determines the best action to take. If you find a male flower during the beginning of flowering, you should take it out of the growing space with immediate effect. Finding male flowers at full flowering stage is a bit more tricky. There are two options for you depending on the volume of male flowers. If it is just a few male flowers, you can take them out with a tweezer before sterilizing the area. If a large quantity of male flowers is spotted, you should eliminate the flowers from where they bloom.

Bottom Line

You should not panic or worry about harvesting hermaphrodite cannabis. Simply follow the tips above, and you can be sure to have a hitch-free cultivation process.