There is one thing that always annoys and concerns growers and that is the hermiting of cannabis plants. These plants are sometimes referred to as hermies. Hermies are usually female plants that produce male pollen at some point during flowering. Hermaphrodism occurs in many fruits and vegetables, including cannabis.
It can happen that at the very end of the flowering period, female cannabis plants still frantically and desperately produce seeds as a last attempt to pass on and preserve their genetics. Even if it is then already too late for the plant to produce ready-made seed from its own flowers, these plants produce pollen in the hope that it will find an immature other plant nearby. Hermies are thus also an occasional survival mechanism of cannabis plants, a last evolutionary attempt to reproduce.
What can promote hermaphroditism?
- the light cycle is not properly maintained, light/light residues enter the grow box during the dark phase
- the plant has developed a hormone disorder due to too much stress
- the climate conditions are not right (temperature, CO2, oxygen, ventilation)
- the lighting does not fit
- Seeds from street otts or other unknown sources; the electricity needed for cultivation and the time it takes is not exactly little. Therefore, do not save at the wrong end and use high-quality seeds with which other growers have already had good experiences.
- Experiments with plant hormones if you don't really know very well
- Seeds are used that have been produced during the grow. In the interest of stable and high-performance varieties, seeds, including feminised seeds, may only be produced from regular plants! Too much inbreeding must not be done, because this can lead to a considerable loss of genetic quality. Seed banks that focus on stable genetics pay attention to important factors such as these.
- Excessive heat >27° degrees
- late harvest
How to deal with hermaphrodites?
- If a cannabis plant already has both male and female flowers at the beginning of flowering, unfortunately there will be no choice but to remove it from the growroom and destroy it.
- If hermaphrodites appear in full bloom or towards the end of the flowering phase, there are 2 possibilities:
- If a plant actually has only a few male flowers, you can try to remove them with tweezers (sterilised with alcohol), spraying some water on the part. Continue to observe the plant well and every day to see if male flowers appear. If possible, do not touch the flowers to avoid infection with germs.
- If a plant produces many male flowers towards the end of the flowering phase, it should also be removed, preferably before it can release its pollen.
If isolated male parts appear on a female plant at the end of the flowering period, it is usually too late in the cycle for this to negatively affect the harvest of the same plant (or old ones). So it doesn't matter in that case and you don't need to worry or panic, nothing else will happen.
very few male parts, this plant can fortunately stay
Hermaphroditism in cannabis plants becomes a problem in the growroom when male flowers appear early in the flowering phase. It is therefore important to distinguish whether we are dealing with a true hermaphrodite, which produces large numbers of male flowers alongside female flowers early in the flowering phase, or whether we are only dealing with 1 or 2 isolated male flowers (at the end of the flowering cycle), which were produced by the plant for the sake of survival. Hermaphrodites that constantly develop early male flowers should be removed from the growroom immediately, they can endanger the harvest and fertilise the other plants, so that instead of juicy, potent resinous buds, they end up producing a plethora of seeds. Plants that produce very large male flowers should also be removed.
This plant has many male flowers and should rather be removed so that it does not damage further yields.
How to avoid hermaphrodites:
- Avoid stress as much as possible and keep the exposure time exact and precise
- Ensure a perfect climate in your grow box
- Cleanliness and hygiene at the grow
- Good control of the plants, correct use of fertilisers
- Constant control of pests and diseases and effective treatment if present
- Use high quality seeds
- Make sure you have the right lighting and avoid letting light into the grow box during the dark phase.
Many years ago, when feminised seeds were created and came onto the market, they often still had a clear tendency to hermaphrodite. With high quality cannabis seeds and good reputable seed suppliers, this is no longer an issue and feminised cannabis seeds no longer have a higher tendency to hermaphrodite thanks to improvements and developments in breeding. Hermaphroditism is very rare in high quality seeds when it is a naturally occurring mutation, as it can be in nature.
Today's feminisation techniques are sophisticated and elaborate, based on a lot of experience and knowledge. Some cannabis strains, especially those that are also more demanding in their needs, are more prone to hermaphroditism in poor conditions and stress (e.g. light pollution, fertilising mistakes, etc.) and are therefore recommended mainly for experienced growers.
