Hermaphrodite curious

[Jackalope]

Here is a bit of a advanced question to some of the more experienced growers. I have a test plant of Purple Afghani that started showing male pods. We all know that as a hermie. I also know there are lots of forms of it. I am pulled lots of pods off of plants that never continued to hermie. A bit of stress can do that with some strains. I see a dried pod or 2 just about every harvest that went unnoticed. They have never been a problem. We also see bananas on some plants that seldom carry pollen. Then there are the full blown hermies where the pods are in the buds themselves. These form all the way through the plant.

Stay with me here. I need a back story to come up with the question LOL. This plant was the one different plant from the very beginning. That is why I am trying to save this one plant. When I spotted one loan pod on the stalk of this plant I looked everything over really well. It is the only plant that is doing it. I found pods in a couple of the buds on the lower part of the plant. Here is what I found.

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• Jackalope
• Sep 7, 2020

Hermaphrodite curious

There were 5 buds in all. I trimmed each one off. All the rest of the plant was clean. I had a place for it away from the rest so I am able to flower this plant if it cooperates. As long as the pods don't climb into the upper buds I am going to let it live. I feel I really need to see why this plant was different.

Now we are getting to my questions. The reason I am letting it go is because it is only on the lower part of the plant. The same place random pods show up. I think it may have something to do with low light levels. I have thought about trimming all the lower buds off so they are not affected. If I do this the only places pods could form is on the upper buds. Where I don't want them. At the end of flower we let the plant suck all the nutrients out of the leaf before we remove them. That way they don't start pulling nutrients from other leaves till it is needed.

My question! Do I trim all the lower buds so pods don't form on them? Or do I leave them as sacrificial lambs?

 

[bobrown14]

If you want seeds leave them on. If you don't was seeds trim them off.

Can leave a few on you will only get a few seeds if the strain is worthy thats what I do.

This is very common. More common than we like to think.

If you don't want to deal or experiment with it just clean up all the lower growth out so there's no place for the reproductive parts to form. This is how plants reproduce without a male present. It's in the genetics.

I've seen this happen with plants that are grown with FEM seed WAY more than regular seed. With a caviat - that being long running equatorial Sativa. These plants expect males to be present to create seed from. No males not problem the plant has the ability to self pollinate.

When I run REG seeds I usually get a male or 4. I will on purpose keep a male alive around the female plants that way the female plants tend to not make male bits since there's a male present. By the time the male plant is getting close to letting his pollen go the female plants are past that stage of making there own male bits and then I chop the male.
I do that regularly. Leave a male around and keep a close eye on him.

 

[nivek]

interesting reply to an interesting q. indeed

i would love to see the science behind this comment tho

I usually get a male or 4. I will on purpose keep a male alive around the female plants that way the female plants tend to not make male bits since there's a male present.

not because i don't agree with it,, just cuz i like science. a bit of telepathy goin on here or perhaps a simple chemical exchange goin on,, which i know for sure happens with these plants,, proven every time i touch one,, it exudes odours instantly,, odours that were not there before the touch

i have and have plenty of male parts in my female only zones,, as stated,, usually late into flower and sativas just seem to do it,, period

but i grow from lots of seeds i produced early in my growing life and many or most of those seeds were produced by accident or on purpose, by hermies

but i grow em often and can deal with the odd hermie,, recently i finished a couple off outside because of hermying

cheers y'all

 

[bobrown14]

Anecdotal science or as we in the weed industry call it .... bro science bro. lol

I'm basing my "theory" on the fact that plants have pheromones and communicate to each other with them.

One plant tells another plant there's a herbivore munching on me, the other plants start putting off pheromones to defend against the animal.

I know this is science there are grasses that can actually poison herbivores if they over graze them. This is why we see farmers rotate fields for grazing, Its not just to protect the grass its also for the animal health.

So why not for sex right? We hoo-man use pheramones for sexual reproduction.

 

[Jackalope]

bobrown14. Thanks for the informed reply. I am glad to hear you say that these plants are more common than we think. I have found the same thing. On occasion it really pisses me off. Mostly I just cut them down and go on.

I don't know for sure this plant is going to be special. I only know it is different. So seeds are not part of the plan. If a few show up no problem. I mostly want seeds on other plants. Might be a little iffy to grow some of the seeds it makes itself. I am sure they will have a bit more of a chance to hermies showing up.

I am not a science guy. From what I know of science and marijuana I find lots of pot holes in the road to discovery. The science part of marijuana is a little tough. So many different strains that act so much different. The more divers the strain the more variables there are. It is not that science can give us the answers. It is just going to be a bit of time for it to catch up with everything being so random. Plants are like people. No matter what they look like. They will find a way to express their individuality.

I will keep this thread going while the plant is alive. This way we can all watch together what kind of plant this one will be when it grows up. Maybe she want to be girl more than a boy. Or just be both which is what she is now LOL.

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

Plants are like people. No matter what they look like. They will find a way to express their individuality.

This is quite profound

 

[Jackalope]

That might have been better in my "Why you don't think stoned" thread LMAO.