Modified on: 27/04/2022
Are there differences between autoflowering female marijuana seeds and male marijuana seeds?
The auto-flowering feminized marijuana seeds are in high demand in the cannabis market, as plants generate 99.9% of the female gender. As a result, marijuana growers do not need to go through their plantation to locate continually and clean (and eradicate) male cannabis plants.
It is a genuine advantage as it avoids the fear that male plants will pollinate female plants and destroy months of hard work! Furthermore, auto-flowering varieties produce flowers according to their age and not to the photoperiod. It means that they bloom automatically, and are ready to harvest within a maximum of 10 weeks, regardless of the seasons.
However, you may be wondering how to distinguish the genus of cannabis plants from the seeds. Proceed to the following paragraph to find an answer to your question!
What are the differences between female marijuana seeds and male seeds?
None! You can’t take a handful of mixed, non-genetically modified cannabis seeds, and find out, at a glance, which ones generate female plants and which give birth to male plants.
If so, those who grow cannabis should certainly not monitor and examine their plantations week by week to find out the stems with male characteristics. In essence, it would be enough for them to scrutinize the hemp seeds and discard the unwanted ones carefully. But this is not possible.
The only way in which the sex of a cannabis plant can be established, if you buy non-feminized seeds, is to germinate the seed and wait for it to grow. The genetics of the seedlings begin to manifest themselves after a few weeks: the female plants present, in the armpits of the twigs, small white filaments. Those of the male gender, on the other hand, have little balls, or pollen bags.
But be careful! Let’s talk about what growers who plant non-feminized seeds do. However, we do not recommend you do it. In fact, in the UK, it is forbidden to grow cannabis seeds, as they can generate plants and flowers with a high THC content. In our country, this is an offence punishable under criminal law or, in less severe cases, administratively.
Alternatively, farmers can send their seeds to laboratories that check the sex of the plant immediately after germination. But this is an expensive process.
There is good news: marijuana seeds producers have found a way to remove male DNA from seeds. The products derived from it are called: feminized cannabis seeds!
Read also: What are dwarf marijuana plants, and why should you use auto-flowering seeds?
What are feminized cannabis seeds?
The feminized marijuana seeds are specific seeds born from genetically modified plants. The result is the creation of seeds that produce 99.9% female cannabis plants, eliminating all the disadvantages that the presence of a male plant entails in cultivation.
The production of these seeds is really interesting. There are two methods, but the first one is the least secure and therefore the least used:
- (Less-used technique) Rodelization Feminizing: it consists of stressing a female plant by interrupting the cycle of light during the flowering phase and then to fertilise it. However, the chances of this plant generating seeds that produce female seedlings are not as high as the second technique.
- (Most used technique) The most effective method of feminization consists of vaporizing a solution of silver, or sodium thiosulfate, on female plants during the flowering phase. This process is capable of inhibiting ethylene, the hormone involved in flowering. After vaporization, the plants begin to produce flowers and pollen bags. The bags typically develop in male plants, but in this case, the plants are female. At this point, female marijuana plants are pollinated by genetically modified plants. The seeds that arise from them generate 99.9% female plants!
Growers certainly don’t have to worry about completing the whole feminization process. They only have to buy feminized cannabis seeds, such as those sold in our Sensoryseeds.com online store.
You should also know that a large number of cannabis producers require auto-flowering feminized hemp seeds. These seeds undergo further crossings so that they can automatically produce flowers, without undergoing light cycles.
Read also: Indica cannabis seeds: here’s what you need to know.
The production of autoflowering feminized marijuana seeds
From exclusively feminized hemp seeds, seasonal plants are born. Then, they bloom based on the hours of light and dark received, and 99.9% of them are females. They tend to start producing flowers when they get 12 hours of light and then remain 12 hours in the dark.
The autoflowering feminized cannabis seeds are the seeds that produce 99.9% of female plants. Still, they are born from the mix of Indica or Sativa variety and of cannabis Ruderalis plants. As a result, they inherit most of the characteristics of Ruderalis:
- A short stem.
- Autoflowering seeds are independent of the photoperiod. Autoflowering plants begin to bloom after a few weeks, typically 4 or 6 depending on the variety.
- Very fast flower ripening: auto-flowering plants are ready for harvest in less than 10 weeks.
- Strong resistance to pests, temperature variations and unfavourable atmospheric agents.
Due to the small size of the auto-flowering plants, they produce fewer flowers than seasonal plants. However, it is possible to optimize the harvest by planting a higher number of seeds (auto-flowering plants require little space, and they are also perfect for Indoor cultivation). You can even repeatedly start marijuana crops, as the seedlings have a concise development.
Do you want to buy autoflowering and feminized collectable seeds? Visit our SensorySeeds shop and choose the varieties you prefer!
