Newb: Male or Female? Pics Here. Day 14 Flower - Thanks!

[ol hippy]

Thats ok I'm no ace grower either , a bud enhancer is just one of the many different additives to add during the flowering stage . Some work great others just a waste of money , I just ordered some big bud from advanced nutrients and am asking around as to who uses what . Remember it's always better to underfeed than to over feed . Easier to add more than to watch you plant burn ! I jewelers lupe works good , if you've got good eyes you should be able to tell cloudy from clear etc. The hairs should be about 80% red or brown and the buds should look nice and swollen and heavy !!

 

[ol hippy]

Heard about a method to sex early. A guy says he "flowers" the plants at something like 6 inches; and then once he has identified the females, he puts them into veg. Is this right? To do this, do you put seedlings right under HPS @ 12/12 and wait to see the gender; then switch the ladies to MH with 18/4 to veg?

Reason I ask is I have two very expensive plants that I was sure were females from seeing pistils or pre-flowers; so I cloned them. Now the two are 4 ft tall in 2nd week of flower, and they turn out to be boys; so all the clones are boys. I've never had plants show sex so late. There's gotta be a better way to not waste 2 month nurturing supposed females just to have them turn out male after all that work! Help? Thanks

2nd question: now that I have two beautiful males, but no females to create a few seeds, what is the best way to preserve the males until I get some girls. Can I put them back into veg, cut off all the flowers as they show up and that was force the boys to live longer and flower them later when I have some girls? Thanks

Dixiecal, If the flowers are ready just place a plastic bag around it and shake the pollen into the bag /save and when you want to pollenate a fem just place the bag over the fem flower and shake the bag .. Don't feel bad about the males my last 2 grows I had 8 out of 10 males !

 

[dixiecal]

Wow, OH, thanx. Should I keep the pollen in the refrig? I've heard this may make it last. Need a nice male clone of Euphoria? Really expensive beans!

 

[SciFi]

Heard about a method to sex early. A guy says he "flowers" the plants at something like 6 inches; and then once he has identified the females, he puts them into veg. Is this right? To do this, do you put seedlings right under HPS @ 12/12 and wait to see the gender; then switch the ladies to MH with 18/4 to veg?

Reason I ask is I have two very expensive plants that I was sure were females from seeing pistils or pre-flowers; so I cloned them. Now the two are 4 ft tall in 2nd week of flower, and they turn out to be boys; so all the clones are boys. I've never had plants show sex so late. There's gotta be a better way to not waste 2 month nurturing supposed females just to have them turn out male after all that work! Help? Thanks

2nd question: now that I have two beautiful males, but no females to create a few seeds, what is the best way to preserve the males until I get some girls. Can I put them back into veg, cut off all the flowers as they show up and that was force the boys to live longer and flower them later when I have some girls? Thanks

You have to have a plant in sexual maturity to be able to see flowers on it, in veg or flowering. IE, a clone from a mother that's 60+ days into veg. Putting a plant on 12/12 will not force the plant to flower until it's reached sexual maturity no matter what.. You're better off learning the strain, and running 24hr until the pre-flowers show, cause they'll be bigger.


I have two females in a grow right now that show pre-flowers at about 45 days into 24 hour veg, so I cloned them. Still trying to get that technique right, but I'm working on it.

 

[StinkFinger]

Thats ok I'm no ace grower either , a bud enhancer is just one of the many different additives to add during the flowering stage . Some work great others just a waste of money , I just ordered some big bud from advanced nutrients and am asking around as to who uses what . Remember it's always better to underfeed than to over feed . Easier to add more than to watch you plant burn ! I jewelers lupe works good , if you've got good eyes you should be able to tell cloudy from clear etc. The hairs should be about 80% red or brown and the buds should look nice and swollen and heavy !!

If you've produced bud you've smoked, you're an "Ace" in my book Ol'Hippy!

I'm probably pushing these on the top end of the nute calculator, last check was about 1600ppm. I'm using the Aggresive Bloom mix below. It appears the Liquid KoolBloom I'm using might be the bud enhancer you mentioned. I can't compare it to anything because this is the first grow, but I know the plants aren't complaining, ;-)

I did clip a small piece of a couple of fan leaves to check with the Lupe, but still it's hard to determine yet, stuff still looks clear to me. Based on what you said, they do appear to be putting on some weight, several branches I've recently had to tie up. I think I still have a little bit to go based on the 80% red/brown hairs. I'm betting right now it's closer to 30-50% red hairs currently showing.

Thanks for pointing these things out for me! Really appreciate the tips.

SF

 

[Be Irie]

You have to have a plant in sexual maturity to be able to see flowers on it, in veg or flowering. IE, a clone from a mother that's 60+ days into veg. Putting a plant on 12/12 will not force the plant to flower until it's reached sexual maturity no matter what.. You're better off learning the strain, and running 24hr until the pre-flowers show, cause they'll be bigger.


I have two females in a grow right now that show pre-flowers at about 45 days into 24 hour veg, so I cloned them. Still trying to get that technique right, but I'm working on it.

Sorry, I have to step in here..... You can sex a plant at anytime, when you change to 12/12 it WILL change.... You can just check and throw it back in veg when it shows. It will slow it down for a week or two while it switches back to veg.

As for your males, here is a good read it should give you a few ideas.
Pollination Method

 

[StinkFinger]

Wow, OH, thanx. Should I keep the pollen in the refrig? I've heard this may make it last. Need a nice male clone of Euphoria? Really expensive beans!

DixieCal.

I'm gonna give a shout-out to one of the guys here running a breeding journal, you should check it out if you get a chance.

The Butcher's Slaughter (Breeding Journal)

I've been following it pretty closely, and while it's "above my pay grade" it's pretty fascinating to see how the entire breeding process works.

He's really friendly, so if you have any questions, I'm sure you'll get an answer. Just wanted to provide another resource.

Good Growing!

SF

 

[StinkFinger]

Sorry, I have to step in here..... You can sex a plant at anytime, when you change to 12/12 it WILL change.... You can just check and throw it back in veg when it shows. It will slow it down for a week or two while it switches back to veg.

As for your males, here is a good read it should give you a few ideas.
Pollination Method

No worries. Glad you chimed in! And you are sooo right, I accidentally had my plants in and out of flowering twice. And it DID take a bit of time for them to reverse back to veg state.

 

[dixiecal]

Hey, thanks, Stink. Great link to a great grow, lots of helpful info.

 

[dixiecal]

I think I'm gonna try that method of sexing early by forcing them to flower temporarily. I suppose what you do is when the young plants are about 4-6" high, switch them to 12/12 (can I do this with MH or do I need to use HPS?) until they show gender; then switch them back to veg. That experience I just had with two prize plants not showing they were boys until 2 weeks into flower did me in!--3 months of work down the drain (All of my other plants showed sex at a reasonable time--around 4th-5th week of veg.--I swear these two showed female pre-flowers at that stage; fooled me)

 

[StinkFinger]

I think I'm gonna try that method of sexing early by forcing them to flower temporarily. I suppose what you do is when the young plants are about 4-6" high, switch them to 12/12 (can I do this with MH or do I need to use HPS?) until they show gender; then switch them back to veg. That experience I just had with two prize plants not showing they were boys until 2 weeks into flower did me in!--3 months of work down the drain (All of my other plants showed sex at a reasonable time--around 4th-5th week of veg.--I swear these two showed female pre-flowers at that stage; fooled me)

DixieCal.

I know how frustrating that is! I learned it the first time around, and since have ordered only Fem seeds.

You can use either light (MH or HPS) for 12/12, probably just stick with the MH since you're going to revert back to veg. Patience when reverting back to veg will probably be the hardest wait, but at least you'll know.

Please keep us informed, love to hear how you make out.

Thanks
SF

 

[tommysnoboard]

I stink...its rather easy actually, but understant being a Newbee. Do dome research and look at the photos on this site. Of course you know that when you see the hairs, that's a female.

 

[StinkFinger]

I stink...its rather easy actually, but understant being a Newbee. Do dome research and look at the photos on this site. Of course you know that when you see the hairs, that's a female.

Hey Tommy.

I hear you man! I'm pretty cool with Male or Female, but hitting my 1st hermie's kind of through me for a loop. Wasn't really expecting to see both parts, ;-)

Thanks man!
SF

 

[dixiecal]

Thanks, guys for the help and moral support. I'm gonna try the early flower technique for sexing early on new plants from now on. I haven't had any problems telling sex until now. I have been able to tell easily by about 4-5 weeks into veg. These two plants just fooled me--they showed what I thought were hairs or pre-flowers, so I was confident that they were girls.

I haven't bought fem seeds because I would like to produce some seeds of my own to avoid paying big bucks all the time for seeds. So I want a male or two now and then.

These two were just such a bummer because they were a touted as a superstrain, very expensive, and they acted/looked like females for 10 weeks! It was exciting because they exploded out of the pots--I've never seen any plants grow so fast, so vigorously. And they were 4 ft tall, beautiful sativas, bushy, lots of nodes, absolutely perfect, the best in my garden. I cloned them about 6 times. Then last weekend they suddenly turned male on me--lots of male flowers! I don't think they are hermies, they just flowered late with male flowers. Bummer!

Now the problem is all the clones are boys, and I have no girls going from this strain, so I have no bud, and can't use the males to make some more seeds. Catch 22. So I have germinated 4 more seeds in the hope that I can keep these males alive long enough for a new girl to reach flowering. But its a long way off--maybe 8-10 weeks minimum.

Meantime I'm either gonna get some pollen off the males and try to store it (vacuum packed, in the refrig)--or, maybe I'll try snipping off all the male flowers as they appear--this may keep the male plants going, because they should then keep trying to flower. If this doesn't work, then maybe one of the clones, being younger, will still be around by the time I can get a girl to flower. Frustrating; but FUN!

 

[dixiecal]

Are these hermies? (I hope the photos show--had trouble figuring out how to post a photo.) Female flower on top of male flowers. This is from one of the plants I mentioned that showed male during week 2 of flowering.

Well, sorry, photos don't show up. The "insert image" button allowed only a URL, not a path on the hard drive.

Anyway, I've heard that hermie seeds are no good, because next generations will be hermies. Is this right? Sounds logical.

 

[StinkFinger]

Hey Dixie.

Here's a quick thread how to post pictures.

(Basically you have to load them to your "gallery" and then use the URL provided with the "insert image")

Photo Gallery Guide: How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos

I don't think it's a guarantee that you'll end up with hermies, but from my last experience the likelihood is much greater.

What I learned, if you're "playing around" and want to experiment then it's ok to use bag seeds, if you are looking for almost guaranteed ladies, then you need to use fem seeds or clones.

SF

 

[crustedfilth]

def a girl. Lady luck was on your side this time around.

 

[dixiecal]

Thanks. Well, here is a photo. Took me 10 min to reduce size, upload, click back and forth, lost my reply twice, had to re-type it. I put in 2 photos, but only one shows up. (They make this hard--should be easy--should be able to just drag photos into the post).

Anyway, these look like hermies to me. I hope it was because I stressed the plant by dragging it out of the greenhouse into 50 degree nights as soon as I saw it male flowering. This is two weeks later.

I guess the link to the 2nd photo is below:


https://www.420magazine.com/gallery/data/500/rsz_cimg0023.jpg

 

[StinkFinger]

Anyway, these look like hermies to me. I hope it was because I stressed the plant by dragging it out of the greenhouse into 50 degree nights as soon as I saw it male flowering. This is two weeks later.

Don't think it's your fault. Really think it was the bag seed. Which probably came from a hermie itself. Damn genetics.

If you want, you can grow it out, from what I hear, it'll smoke good, you'll just have to deal with seeds. It'll give you some experience as well. Just a suggestion.

Grow on brotha!

SF

 

[dixiecal]

Yeah, I guess I'll grow it out, get some seeds. As I understand it the seeds will be good for 1 additional grow. Funny, cuz these seeds were supposedly from a superstrain that was real expensive. That's why I hope the hermie business was from abruptly topping the plant and changing its climate. Before I did that, it was 100% male.