Did my girl go hermi?

[Makeminefullgrown]

I should know the answer, but I wanna make sure…….
I’m growing 2 feminized diesels, end of week 2 of flower. I think one of the 2 has hermied..
Can someone confirm or deny…..?
And if it’s a hermi, should I pull the plant and destroy? I don’t see any male parts on the other one.
Is it possible to pluck the balls and watch it closely ??
This sucks….but I know it happens all the time.
Thanks for the help guys

 

[Roy Growin]

I would just chuck it a long way away right now or you risk contaminating your grow room

 

[013]

You called it spot on MMFG, you can pluck away but 1 open sac is all that’s needed. Be advised spraying plain water defeats pollen.… but most would slip a bag over Shims head, seal it tight and send it packing

 

[OGpapa]

Yup take it across town and set Hermie free

 

[SmokingWings]

Is it possible to pluck the balls and watch it closely ??

Yes, it is possible. I have run into male flowers a few times.

The male flowers can be pinched off. If they have not opened up they can be destroyed just by squeezing them which sometimes can be easier to do than trying to pick the part off without disturbing the female parts of the bud. Occasionally, on small branches near the bottom of the canopy, just about each bud can have one or two male flowers and it was easier to just cut the whole small branch off.

When I have had plants start to show the male flowers at 2 to 3 weeks after female flowering started I would run into a second batch showing up again, often about 2 to 3 weeks after removing the previous batch. Then again in another 2 to 3 weeks. With these plants I would consider the production of male flowers to be hard-wired right into the genetics of that batch of seeds. Any clones taken off those female plants, either while the mother was in vegetating mode or very early in the stage followed the pattern. As long as I stayed on top of looking and removing or crushing the "balls" before the bananas got too large I did not have any seeds on the plant or any other plants in the room. But, it is a lot of work. I will rarely continue to keep sprouting from the batch of seeds or taking cuttings for clones when this situation comes up because of the extra work needed.

Then there are the female plants that will start to produce a few male flowers towards the end, often around 8 to 10 weeks after flowering starts. These plants are making some sort of "last minute" attempt to perpetuate their specie by producing a few seeds. The tricky part is that I would find the male flowers tucked right into the buds and not hanging loose like in your photos above. The way to see them was to look for the banana since the balls were usually hidden. These male flowers could show up anywhere on the plant and not just the lower canopy as mentioned in the other example. I would sometimes find a banana or two in the very top buds so a complete check of the entire plant was needed. Again, with a bit of time spent I would rarely find a seed after harvest.

I found the best way to avoid the second example of plants producing male flowers late in flowering was to stop leaving the plants in the flowering tent for week after week waiting for more amber trichomes. Once the buds show their full size and the trichomes appear to be as milky as they are going to get it is time for harvest.

Best part is no one has complained. Instead they say the "high" or "buzz" or whatever they want to call it is better. And they are happier with the taste and smell. And, I have to agree with them so no more spending weeks waiting for "couch lock" amber.

 

[Makeminefullgrown]

Your comments about waiting too long for ambers is totally in line with what I’ve experienced. I’ve waited and I believe doing so reduced the overall stickiness and smell of the buds.
I look at quite a few diaries and most growers still harvest too early, but I think it’s mostly beginners who don’t have much experience watching a plant mature.
I used to firmly believe that a plant shouldn’t be harvested if there were any white pistils showing, period.
I’ve backed off that notion a little and pay more attention to the progression of the buds. If they’ve gone through their swell, have mostly cloudy trichs w/ minimal clears, and have that ripe aroma, I’ll usually call it done.
It’s hard to break old habits though….my last run was 3 plants and i think I let 2 of the 3 go just a touch too long.
Maybe I’ll get it right this time.

 

[SmokingWings]

Your comments about waiting too long for ambers is totally in line with what I’ve experienced. I’ve waited and I believe doing so reduced the overall stickiness and smell of the buds.
I look at quite a few diaries and most growers still harvest too early, but I think it’s mostly beginners who don’t have much experience watching a plant mature.
I used to firmly believe that a plant shouldn’t be harvested if there were any white pistils showing, period.
I’ve backed off that notion a little and pay more attention to the progression of the buds. If they’ve gone through their swell, have mostly cloudy trichs w/ minimal clears, and have that ripe aroma, I’ll usually call it done.
It’s hard to break old habits though….my last run was 3 plants and i think I let 2 of the 3 go just a touch too long.
Maybe I’ll get it right this time.

Yes to all the points you bring up.