Males need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

[trichomes]

I have 7 seedlings under 24 hrs light. The child on the left is most Lady-like, she has 4 nodes at almost 4 inches. The other plants are a bit taller but with less nodes, my question is, Is it too soon to switch them to 12/12? thank you all!! Thank you for lightning fast response! I should have been more clear. All I want to do, is weed out the boys. The 7 seedlings have been under 24 hours light, I heard at least 3 nodes should be developed, befor changing light to 12/12 to determine sex. What is considered "big/mature enough to start 12/12"?? Upon killing the boys I will start the remaining girls under 24 hours of light. Thanks again!!

new pics below

 

[Richard Richardson]

Re: BOYS need Killing!!! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

It's never too soon

It depends on what size plants you want

 

[trichomes]

Re: BOYS need Killing!!! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

I just don't want to turn light back until the children are old enough for sex, I think 4 nodes is safe, anything less considered too early from what I have absorbed in my dome. thoughts??? thanks again

 

[The303Stoner]

Re: BOYS need Killing!!! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

I just don't want to turn light back until the children are old enough for sex, I think 4 nodes is safe, anything less considered too early from what I have absorbed in my dome. thoughts??? thanks again

The problem with switching now is your pot size it can take 1-3 weeks just to see the sex on some strains and they stretch at the same time. put the plant in the dark for 6 or 7 hours for one day if you have a faster flower plant or plants they will show pre flowers with in 14 days and this shouldn't stop veg at 6 hr but 7 hr. can flower some strains. But can be re vegged

 

[trichomes]

Re: BOYS need Killing!!! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

Thank you all for replying! I have heard that when starting from seeds of unknown sex, that it is NOT recommended to go BACK to 24 hours of light (for the girls) once I have killed the boys. I have never had a problem going from seeds under 24 hrs, then switch light to 12/12 for sexing to weed out the boys, then going BACK to 24 hours with the girls for making them mothers, or to let then veg for another month before going to 12/12 again for flowering. Some say that this (24 to 12/12 & back to 24) can make for sex confusion within the remaining girls. thoughts? good or bad process I am considering? thanks to all responders, your input is something I cherish!

 

[Richard Richardson]

Re: BOYS need Killing!!! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

If you have never had a problem with it, go for it.

All seeds are unknown sex. Or feminised and then there is no point in doing this.

 

[MacEFL]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

If it were me I would keep them in veg until you can take a cutting and after it roots, put it into 12/12. If it is a female you can re-veg it instead of the plant you plan on keeping. Let the little one get stressed. I took cuttings from a plant in flower and it took almost 6 weeks to get roots. And then a few more before it started growing like crazy. All those weeks spent re-vegging your plant could be getting huge! Just watch for balls.

 

[trichomes]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

good idea, I gotta make a decision

If it were me I would keep them in veg until you can take a cutting and after it roots, put it into 12/12. If it is a female you can re-veg it instead of the plant you plan on keeping. Let the little one get stressed. I took cuttings from a plant in flower and it took almost 6 weeks to get roots. And then a few more before it started growing like crazy. All those weeks spent re-vegging your plant could be getting huge! Just watch for balls.

 

[Blazinazn]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

Maybe repot n then switch to 12/12 if ur worried about them out growing their current pots. I would think it is safe to switch now to determine sex. Once they show their gender u can switch back to veg mode. They'll slow down in growth when u do this cus the plant is "re-organizing" its hormones. But it should only be about a week before she gets back into full veg mode.

 

[Lester Freeman]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

Like Rico said, you can start 12/12 from seed, it just depends on how large of plants you want.

In terms of "sexual confusion", I was comparing this scenario to an ideal world, where in nature you would never see this type of light change, it would equate the Earth going around the Sun in its orbit as it has done for millions of years, and then reversing that orbit right during flowering time. However, in terms of genetics, it becomes a probability problem, because at that point you are talking about a small level of stress going from sending flowering hormones, and back to vegetative hormones, the probability exists that the organism may be more likely to express hermaphroditic genes in response to that stress. That's just my opinion based off trying to think like a plant. Since it's a probability function, it definitely coincides with how one may not find this to be an extreme problem all the time.

I think there has definitely been some over-thinking going on here, comes with a good batch of herbs...but yeah revegging can be done successfully without changes in genetic expression, since it is a probability function.

Good luck with them plants trics

 

[Richard Richardson]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

That is a very good point, Lester

You think like a plant well

I brought 6 late-planted females inside this year as we only had 9 or 10 hrs of daylight left outside,

So they got almost 3 extra hrs of sunlight a day more under 12/12 inside.

3 of them hermied in response to a later cold spell.

not classic hermaphrodite, but like late in flower stress hermis, except early in flower.

I ate and smoked most of the hermied buds before i thought about feminized seeds!

The strain was really strong (wappa X CH9), so I'll let that pollen fly wherever it wants to

 

[trichomes]

Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!

It may be too soon, but I think I see balls, thank you

 

[The303Stoner]

Re: Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!

looks fem or hermie

 

[canabinerd]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

Those are just the budding secondary branches, preflowers will emerge from right in-between where those are and the stipule, which is the long narrow tounge looking projection at the base of the stem.

I don't much see the point in being in such a rush to sex them. It doesn't take much light or room to veg 6 plants long enough for preflowers emerge for most strains. I would put them in 1 gallon pots and let em' go for another couple weeks, then if you just couldn't wait any longer you could put a bag over one branch of each plant to sex it.

 

[trichomes]

Re: Boys need Killing! OK to start sexing at 3" with 4 nodes?

thanks, I'm no rush, I'll keep these under 12/12 till they show. I'm aware of the reasons why plants can have sex issues when seedlings go from 24 to 12/12, then back to 24 when you have confirmed girls. I've done this a few times, never had a Hermie.
I would forget to remove the "bag" if I tried the "daily- bagged-branch" method of sexing.

 

[trichomes]

Re: Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!



I always see boy signs before girl signs appear.

looks fem or hermie

 

[David Bowman]

Re: Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!

I always see boy signs before girl signs appear.

Interesting, as I thought the girls matured first so that they would be ready to accept the pollen when the boys matured and released their pollen. At least that's the way it went for my grow.

 

[trichomes]

Re: Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!

I'll keep u posted, you're probly right, this is only my 3rd time starting from seed. thanks again!

Interesting, as I thought the girls matured first so that they would be ready to accept the pollen when the boys matured and released their pollen. At least that's the way it went for my grow.

 

[trichomes]

Re: Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!

I'll keep u posted, you're probly right, this is only my 3rd time starting from seed. thanks again!

I'd bet Rico knows, we'll see if Suave finds this misnomer about balls first. I read that boys show first with most strains, we always gotta wait on them bee'atches.

 

[trichomes]

Re: Are these showing sack? Re: Boys need Killing!

You are correct, the girls showed first, thanks again.

Interesting, as I thought the girls matured first so that they would be ready to accept the pollen when the boys matured and released their pollen. At least that's the way it went for my grow.