Identifying and Dealing With Hermaphrodite Cannabis Plants

Nature is more powerful than humankind will ever be, and it will always find a way. One awesome display of its versatility is the evolution of hermaphrodite plants. These sneaky plants with two sets of reproductive organs pollinate themselves! They can usually be placed into two categories: true hermaphrodites, which have both pistils and sacs and nanners, which have small growths resembling bananas, giving them their name.

Like male plants, if you have a hermaphrodite plant in your crop, you run the risk of pollinating the females which will then direct their energies to seed production instead of the flowers, dramatically reducing the yield and potency of your harvest. In addition, females are the ones that give us gorgeous flowers full of cannabinoids like THC and CBD, so wouldn’t you want to direct your growing efforts towards them instead? 

In this blog post, we’ll share with you how we identify hermaphrodite cannabis plants, what causes hermaphroditism, and how you can deal with them so you can enjoy a rich, bountiful harvest!

Key Takeaways

• Male plants have green or yellowish sacs that contain pollen while females have white, hair-like structures called pistils.
• A pollinated female plant will direct its energy into seed production instead of flower production, which can significantly decrease yield. 
• Genetics play a significant role in determining the threshold that a plant might become a hermaphrodite. 
• Another common reason for a triggering a plant to become a hermaphrodite is light leaks during flower.
• Once identified, remove the hermaphrodite plant immediately and keep it away from females.

Identifying Male, Female, and Hermaphrodite Cannabis Plants

Female Cannabis Plants

As mentioned before, female cannabis plants have pistils, which are small, hair-life structures that appear during the flowering stage which can be about 4 to 8 weeks after germination, depending on strain. These pistils are what catch the airborne pollen, transporting it into the calyx where the seed will begin to develop. 

Male Cannabis Plants

Male cannabis plants have green or yellowish sac-like structures that contain pollen. They do not have pistils and tend to grow faster and be much taller. They also tend to have thicker stalks and fewer leaves. 

Hermaphrodite Cannabis Plants 

True Hermaphrodites

True hermaphrodites have both, containing equal parts of male and female. Some nodes have male pollen sacs while others sprout pistils, and eventually flowers. They can also develop both structures on the same site. 

Self-pollination happens when the sacs burst open, sending pollen into the air and pollinating the flowers, inducing seed production. This isn’t what we want, because if a plant directs its energy into seed production, there would be less energy directed to growing flowers and trichomes, which is where all the cannabinoids like THC and CBD are. 

Nanners 

Nanners are banana-shaped, pollen-containing structures that can appear in female plants. These structures look like green or yellow elongated sacs that can emerge from the nodes or flowers. 

Nanners also often have stamens, which are the reproductive organs of the male plant. These stamens grow from the tips of the nanners and are thicker and more obvious than the pistils on females. 

Causes of Hermaphrodite Cannabis Plants

So exactly how does a marijuana plant become a hermaphrodite? Several factors can cause a plant to develop into a hermaphrodite, but it usually boils down to a human or environmental cause. Plants are sensitive creatures and nature is all-powerful, so it is understandable that when a plant is stressed, it goes into survival mode, and for them, that means pollinating themselves. 

Here are some common reasons for hermaphrodite cannabis plants. 

Incorrect Training Methods

When done correctly, low or high-stress training methods in cannabis cultivation like topping and tying down can lead to healthier plants and better buds yields. However, when done improperly or too aggressively, the plant enters into a state of stress, goes into survival mode, and might become hermaphrodite. 

Prolonged Flowering

If you hold off your harvest for too long, the prolonged flowering period might cause the plant to attempt to pollinate itself before dying. 

Environmental Stressors 

Cannabis plants are sensitive to temperature, light, humidity, and moisture levels. Be sure to keep the plant at the appropriate temperature of 68 to 77°F and 40 to 60% humidity, depending on your chosen strain. Check with the seed producer if you are unsure. 

If growing indoors, maintain the light cycles of 12 hours light, 12 hours dark during flowering, and avoid any light leaks. When watering the plants, don’t overwater, and keep the substrate moist but not wet. Monitor the pH of your nutrient solution and run off. Ideally, the pH should be 5.6 to 6.4 for hydro and a little higher for soil. 

Nutrient Balance 

If your plant is malnourished, it could also go into survival mode and attempt to pollinate itself. Be sure to feed the appropriate amount of nutrients based on the selected strain and check closely for signs of a deficiency. Some common signs of a nutrient deficiency are curling leaf tips, yellowing leaves, brown or rust-colored spots, and a droopy, wilting look.

Also, avoid overfeeding which could lead to nutrient burn, which is a condition when the plant is saturated with too much fertilizer. Most seed banks, like HomeGrownCannabis, provide detailed instructions on what and how much each strain needs to be fed. 

Cannabis Seeds Genetics 

Sometimes, cannabis plants can inherit hermaphroditic genes from their parent plants, and feminized seeds tend to be more prone to become hermaphrodites. Whether occurring naturally or as a result of genetics, stress can introduce hermaphroditism into any female plant. 

How To Deal With Hermaphrodite Plants

If a female plant becomes a hermaphrodite, that can increase the chance of other females also doing so. To avoid that, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to deal with hermies.

Step 1

The first thing you do is move it immediately away from the females or out of the grow room to prevent pollination. 

Step 2

Then, you can snip off the male parts of the plant by removing the bud site where the sacs are or the entire branch. Alternatively, you can remove and destroy the entire plant. 

If preserving the plant, be careful not to shake the plant or handle it too roughly as this may cause the sacs to burst and the pollen to be released. 

Step 3

After removing the male sections, monitor the plant closely to ensure that there is no more male growth. 

Step 4

After handling hermaphrodite plants, wash all your clothes and equipment such as trimmers to avoid accidentally pollinating the females. 

Step 5

While you might be successful dealing with one hermaphrodite plant, you’ll need to troubleshoot your grow to try and determine if there is an obvious cause and address it. 

Uses of Hermaphroditic Cannabis Plants 

Some growers might choose to destroy any hermie plants but you can still get some use out of them. For example, once you’ve separated the hermie, you can just let it grow out so that you can harvest loads of seeds for later use. 

If your goal is to pollinate and breed new strains or hybrids, you can extract the pollen with a cotton bud or paintbrush and transfer it to the females.

In addition, hermie plants still contain THC in their flowers and pollen sacs which you can extract to make cannabis concentrates like hash, rosin, tinctures, and oils.

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