Farmers often tend to discard male cannabis plants while cultivating cannabis on a large scale. This is mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, they take up a lot of space and nutrients, which the female plants would have otherwise used. Secondly, they trigger pollination among the female plants, resulting in seed production rather than the much-awaited flowers. Therefore, they are plucked from the roots and thrown away.

However, male cannabis plants can majorly contribute to cannabis cultivation if grown properly. You need to know the tips and tricks to get the most out of these plants for fruitful cultivation. Learn the details mentioned below.

How Are Male And Female Cannabis Plants Different From Each Other?

You will be able to tell whether a cannabis plant is male or female right before it starts flowering. Once the vegetative period ends, the plant develops certain parts which predict its gender. For example, if the plant develops sacs in the nodes or joints, then it is a male plant. It will also have fewer leaves and a thicker stalk. On the other hand, if two hair or bracts develop in the joints, it is a female plant. You can figure it out within one to three weeks after the vegetative stage. Indoor plants have the tendency to project their sex faster than outdoor cannabis plants.

Anatomy Of A Male Cannabis Plant

You can also figure out the gender of a cannabis plant during the vegetative stage. The process is difficult to absorb at first and requires practice and precision. What you do is look for “pre-flowers” in the plant. They are found in a small V-shaped area of the plant where the stem meets the stalk. In male plants, pre-flowers have sacs, while in female plants, pre-flowers contain hairs or small pistils.

What Are The Benefits Of A Male Cannabis Plant?

Male cannabis plants are not totally wasted- they do have certain benefits. They are as follows:

Diversified genes: Cannabis is a dioecious plant, which means it will have both male and female features. It helps in effective pollination among the plants, resulting in good breeds. This is what remains the main focus of farmers throughout the breeding season.

Although a cannabis plant can self-pollinate, female plants continuously pollinating will result in weaker breeds in the future. Conversely, male cannabis plants play a major role in retaining the strength and diversity of the plants with effective pollination.

Stronger genes not only help in maintaining plant diversity but can also enable further experimentation in the medical field. For instance, many cannabis plants may respond miraculously to various medical experiments. The scope is huge, and the intrusion and experimentation done are very less. Male cannabis plants help to imbibe the idea of medical growth with specific studies in the field of marijuana treatments.

Pest control measures: Male cannabis plants can work as insecticides and pesticides to help control the growth of insects outdoors. They produce vital terpenes which can act as insect repellents for other crops. It is true that male plants cannot pollinate without female plants, but they can be put to other important uses.

Increased potency: Female plants indeed have high levels of cannabinoids in their flowers which make them increasingly important. However, it does not mean that the male plants are nothing but waste materials. They also produce THC and CBD, which are required for cannabis treatments.

A cannabis plant derives features from the male as well as the female plant equally. Therefore, the male plant also contributes to the strength and fertility of its offspring. As a result, male cannabis plants can be used to make hashish (in fewer amounts) when harvested on a large scale.

The resin and cannabinoid content of the male plants helps to produce healthy, disease-resistant plants. The breeding becomes massively successful if both male and female plants have high CBD concentrations. What you get are several healthy seedlings that are going to take the features forward.

Why Male Cannabis Plants Need To Be Retained?

The old idea of the supremacy of female cannabis plants needs to be updated. Or else, all male cannabis plants will die an immature death, though they have much to offer. A proper study in this field is necessary so that future cannabis plants can grow in a healthy way. Female plants might be more productive and desirable, but male cannabis plants have their own major roles to play in breeding and pollination.

FAQs

Do male cannabis plants have THC and CBD?

Yes, definitely. Both male and female cannabis plants produce THC and CBD. Female plants have THCA in their flowers, making them more desirable for medical marijuana treatments. Male cannabis plants have adequate levels of THC and CBD (in the case of hemp plants) that help in successful pollination.

How can I differentiate a male cannabis plant from leaves?

Male marijuana plants have fewer leaves than female plants. They have approximately five to nine leaves towards their higher end. You can easily differentiate the male plant with its visibly few scattered leaves. It is one of the ways by which male and female cannabis plants are segregated after they are fully grown.

Can a male and female cannabis plants stay together?

Yes, they can surely adapt and grow together. Moreover, it also helps in pollination, thereby resulting in good breeds of cannabis plants in the future. However, you need to take care of their nutrient supplies. Or else, the male plants will take away all the nutrients, and the female plants will not grow well. Therefore, make sure that they have an adequate nutrient supply so that each plant can grow to its prime.

Consult our experts at Kif Doctors to know more about medical marijuana treatments. You can also get an appointment with our doctors online. So hurry and contact us soon.