Sex: How To Determine At An Early Stage

aeviaanah

Well-Known Member
Hows it going everyone? It has been about 6 weeks since these plants have sprouted and I thought I would share how I determine sex at an early stage. The first signs we look for when determining plant sex usually emerge between day 35 and 45 from seed sprout. This is an estimate and can change with different variables including strain.


One observation I have noticed is males typically show sex before females. When determining sex I usually look at the second or third node down (from the top) as they are easiest to see without emerging leafs getting in the way. Male staminates look like little balls and at early stages can easily be confused with an emerging female calyx. Staminate flowers are located at the node between the stipule and emerging branch. Here is an image showing an emerging male staminate.

[Early signs of male staminates- As you can see the male organ holds more of a round shape]


Through time the balls will begin to multiply and stack, you will end up with something like this:

[Late signs of male flowers just before they have opened, releasing pollen]


A calyx is the pear-shaped sex organ produced by the female plant and resides at the base of the pistils. Often females will produce calyx's before the pistils emerge, these calyx's can be mistaken for male staminates if not given enough time to develop. It is not until pistils emerge from calyx when we will be able to fully determine that plant is in fact female. Here is an image showing pistils emerging between stipule and an emerging branch.


[Early signs of female pistillate with pear-shaped calyx]


As you can see the females pistils resemble golden/yellow hairs and at times can even be pink. More and more pistils will begin to show and in a few weeks given the proper photo-period will resemble this.


[Female around week 2 of 12/12 showing many pistils.]


I hope this helps a few people determine sex at an early stage. It is always safer to wait another few days to be sure of sex. You will have plenty of time before male flowers open and pollinate your crop. Males will not pollinate until the flowers have opened fully, thus releasing pollen. Please feel free to correct me if there is any wrong information posted. Also, let me know if you feel something important has been left out or has stated vaguely. Take care!
 

Snow Crash

Well-Known Member
Did you find all information to be correct?
You were pretty right on with it man.

I think the only thing I'd add is a time frame for people to watch for them.
I find my Male plants start to sex somewhere around day 35 of vegetative life.
Female plants usually sex around day 45 of vegetative life.

Not really a rule, and different for each plant, but sort of a guide line to give them an idea of how long it takes from seed to figure out the sex of a plant.
I've also found that going 12/12 from seed takes about 25 days to sex a plant. Personally, I find 3 weeks of veg and then switching to flowering to be about as fast as a plant can be forced to finish. Took me 11 weeks on an 8 week strain from 12/12, and it took me 11 weeks on the same strain with 3 weeks veg... Except the vegged plant harvested almost 3x as much.

Still though, it covers the basics, and that's what new growers need to see. I can remember when I didn't know what part of the plant I was smoking, much less that there were male and female plants. The pictures make the thread, especially that early ball shot, probably the earliest I've seen online.
 

aeviaanah

Well-Known Member
Hey man, Great Post Someone needs to Sticky This thread!!
Yo goodolboy whats up!? Howd you like the tutorial?

THANKS! Subbed. Gonna try some "predictions" this afternoon after work. It'll give me something to do.
Cool go ahead and post pictures if you need help, be sure to let us know!
An excellent review of the most basic info.
Thanks man!
You were pretty right on with it man.

I think the only thing I'd add is a time frame for people to watch for them.
I find my Male plants start to sex somewhere around day 35 of vegetative life.
Female plants usually sex around day 45 of vegetative life.

Not really a rule, and different for each plant, but sort of a guide line to give them an idea of how long it takes from seed to figure out the sex of a plant.
I've also found that going 12/12 from seed takes about 25 days to sex a plant. Personally, I find 3 weeks of veg and then switching to flowering to be about as fast as a plant can be forced to finish. Took me 11 weeks on an 8 week strain from 12/12, and it took me 11 weeks on the same strain with 3 weeks veg... Except the vegged plant harvested almost 3x as much.

Still though, it covers the basics, and that's what new growers need to see. I can remember when I didn't know what part of the plant I was smoking, much less that there were male and female plants. The pictures make the thread, especially that early ball shot, probably the earliest I've seen online.
I agree, good information. I edited the first paragraph stating plants usually show between 35 and 45 days. Thanks!
 

alan2526

Member
I read this thread, and I see where aeviaanah said that males will never produce hairs. I just watched a youtube video, with some old dude saying that there can be very fine hairs on the tops of newly sexing males. Can anyone give a second on this? That video was the first time I'd heard that, and that's what lead me here. I've got one that's going into flower tomorrow (~day 38-39), and there is a super thin hair stretching across the node space (from what looks like 1 stipule traveling across the node space and having a tiny tip barely reaching a stipule directly across the node space)<-if that makes any sense. It appears that a flower is coming up through what I thought was a stipule, but now upon further research realize it could be a pistillate preflower. Well, please comment about this, and thanks in advance for anyone that does.
 

aeviaanah

Well-Known Member
I read this thread, and I see where aeviaanah said that males will never produce hairs. I just watched a youtube video, with some old dude saying that there can be very fine hairs on the tops of newly sexing males. Can anyone give a second on this? That video was the first time I'd heard that, and that's what lead me here. I've got one that's going into flower tomorrow (~day 38-39), and there is a super thin hair stretching across the node space (from what looks like 1 stipule traveling across the node space and having a tiny tip barely reaching a stipule directly across the node space)<-if that makes any sense. It appears that a flower is coming up through what I thought was a stipule, but now upon further research realize it could be a pistillate preflower. Well, please comment about this, and thanks in advance for anyone that does.
yea ive never seen that but that doesnt mean its not true. i would just flip the lights and keep an eye. you have plenty of time before males release pollen anyway
 

DumpsterKeeper

Well-Known Member
This seems like an appropriate thread for my question:

I'm not quite sure if I have a boy or a girl here. I could have sworn I saw a pistil, but it was so tiny I can't be sure. The macro on my camera doesn't work too well, but can anyone here tell if I have a male or female at this point?

The plant is a Mango bagseed on day 13 of 12/12

20110310203538.jpg20110310203448.jpg20110310203433.jpg

Thanks guys!
 

aeviaanah

Well-Known Member
This seems like an appropriate thread for my question:

I'm not quite sure if I have a boy or a girl here. I could have sworn I saw a pistil, but it was so tiny I can't be sure. The macro on my camera doesn't work too well, but can anyone here tell if I have a male or female at this point?

The plant is a Mango bagseed on day 13 of 12/12

View attachment 1486823View attachment 1486824View attachment 1486825

Thanks guys!
i couldnt see any signs of a male or female. take a few more pictures...either more clear or in a few days.
 
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