How do I select a male?

[Powertech]

So I was thinking about letting my current grow produce some seed, but was wondering the best way to select a male. I’ve never even seen one in person fully developed. I have 8 plants going strong, if half are male, how would I go about selecting which one to use to pollinate the girl I select?

 

[Thundercat]

Male plants have various characteristics just like females. Some smell strongly, some have stronger flower structure, some flower faster, some have better stem structure or node spacing. So in theory you would select whichever one had features you liked .

 

[curious2garden]

So I was thinking about letting my current grow produce some seed, but was wondering the best way to select a male. I’ve never even seen one in person fully developed. I have 8 plants going strong, if half are male, how would I go about selecting which one to use to pollinate the girl I select?

Why choose one? Do an open table pollination and mine all the genetics. Then drill down in subsequent generations on selection for habit, size, finish time etc...

 

[Powertech]

Why choose one? Do an open table pollination and mine all the genetics. Then drill down in subsequent generations on selection for habit, size, finish time etc...

Choosing one so I don’t have to pollinate everything. Was planning on having the male in its own tent, and using some of its pollen to paint the lower buds on the female I pick

 

[curious2garden]

Choosing one so I don’t have to pollinate everything. Was planning on having the male in its own tent, and using some of its pollen to paint the lower buds on the female I pick

If you just want a few seeds and aren't interested in breeding or mining it's genetic heritage then pick a male that simply looks good to you. Fastest to mature, best habit, et cetera

 

[Dreaming1]

Got me to thinking about this. Has anyone seen any science about thc production from the genetics side? Does the male contribute? Is there a way to test a male to see if it is going to lead to a stronger offspring other than doing the work of growing the seeds all out and keeping track of everything for generations?
We've been selecting by visual traits and effects, but some chromatography or something would be helpful.

 

[Powertech]

Got me to thinking about this. Has anyone seen any science about thc production from the genetics side? Does the male contribute? Is there a way to test a male to see if it is going to lead to a stronger offspring other than doing the work of growing the seeds all out and keeping track of everything for generations?
We've been selecting by visual traits and effects, but some chromatography or something would be helpful.

Exactly. I’ve seen runt females turn into beasts, but without letting all males fully mature, and keeping the pollen separate seems like a pain in the ass. Wish there was a test or lab I could send a clipping to that would tell me what traits each has

 

[kroc]

Id definitely suggest grabbing the cannbabis breeders bible. Tons of info in there thatll answer all your questions. A couple tidbits would be select for vigor, structure etc on males and clone it so if it breeds well you can still keep it around. Also you actually dont want fast flowering males, should look for fast flowering females if you want that passed on.

edit: if they are the same strain you can just pick your favorite male and hit your favorite female to make f2's of that strain.

 

[JohnDee]

Pt,
You may not detect odors but by stroking the stem...and then sniffing fingers gives you that plant's scent...and you can smoke male flowers. Certainly not as powerful as females...but adequate for selection. (a DJ Short hint)
JD

 

[GrowRijt]

but without letting all males fully mature, and keeping the pollen separate seems like a pain in the ass.

Welcome to breeding cannabis. It’s a pain in the ass and isn’t for those short on patience. For me, totally rewarding PIA. Also IME males pass on all sorts of traits. Size, vigor, structure, potency, flowering time etc. And selecting early males will for sure get you earlier flowering females. In one breeding test I’ve shaved 10 days off progeny flower time. If over 20 ish generations you always select early males you will create an auto flower. I generally look to pass on vigor and structure combined with loud stem rub and flowering time. Happy hunting.

 

[curious2garden]

Got me to thinking about this. Has anyone seen any science about thc production from the genetics side? Does the male contribute? Is there a way to test a male to see if it is going to lead to a stronger offspring other than doing the work of growing the seeds all out and keeping track of everything for generations?
We've been selecting by visual traits and effects, but some chromatography or something would be helpful.

@cannabineer

Actually what would be useful is knowing what alleles contribute to THC/CBD and terpene production and running PCR LOL. Anyway good thinking, let's see what the chemist says.

 

[cannabineer]

@cannabineer

Actually what would be useful is knowing what alleles contribute to THC/CBD and terpene production and running PCR LOL. Anyway good thinking, let's see what the chemist says.

I don't know about the genetics.

But males produce resin trichomes, and those would be an interesting source for analytical(like chromatographic) scrutiny. As Annie suggests, PCR would be a way to get hard data on the genetic side of the question.

I don't know how useful this is, but the fact that big breeders are very protective of their males tells me that they contribute importantly to the offspring's potency and cannabinoid ratios.

 

[kroc]

I don't know about the genetics.

But males produce resin trichomes, and those would be an interesting source for analytical(like chromatographic) scrutiny. As Annie suggests, PCR would be a way to get hard data on the genetic side of the question.

I don't know how useful this is, but the fact that big breeders are very protective of their males tells me that they contribute importantly to the offspring's potency and cannabinoid ratios.

well i think the main thing is that males are hard to keep around, in a lot of situations. Unless you have a dedicated father room, or a tent, its a risk. So most people only keep pollen (which can only last so long). Males will also drop pollen in veg so this poses another issue. The only reason they seem protective is because they finally found a gem of a match up. You really dont know what the male brings to the table until you flower the offspring. By that time the male is usually dead and most people dont take clones. So i guess they are protective, but for good reason. Its a bitch to breed a stable line over years unless youre dedicated to breeding. People like dutch passion, bog, nirvana, bodhi etc have dedicated father rooms to keep clones constantly rolling.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

if you have a female you particularly like, you can use colloidal silver on a couple of lower branches, collect the feminized pollen, apply it to another female you like, and you have all the feminized seeds you want of a couple of strains you know you like.

 

[Powertech]

Well come to find out now that they are 3 weeks old, I must have mixed up the seeds, so I have some Blue Cookies and some Ice Cream Cake. Absolutely love both strains, so I guess I’m now in the pheno hunting game as I plan on crossing them, getting enough seed to last 4-5 grows and finding the best pheno I can, then spread the love. If I ever find one, I won’t charge for seeds. Everybody should have the best

 

[Powertech]

I was going to do crosses originally, then was going to do a run of each to find the best then do a cross. Guess I’m doing a cross now and will mine the seeds over the next decade until I come up with a real winner worth sharing with the world

 

[Powertech]

Does anybody know of a Blue Cookies x Ice Cream Cake cross yet? If so by who and what is it called? If there isn’t one and I find a jackpot worth sharing do I get to name it? My guess is I have to find a big company or somebody famous to get behind it before anything. Doubt it will happen but with good genetics anything is possible.

 

[waterproof808]

Best way to select a male is to clone it and grow out its offspring and decide if you like what it produced. Until then, everything else is pretty meaningless...you can choose a male with a loud stem rub, produces trichomes, etc. and it can still produce garbage offspring.

 

[Lucky Luke]

Males and Pollen 101 By Subcool

Males and Pollen 101 By Subcool Most growers never have the opportunity to learn the male of the species in detail and I thought it would be fun to discuss what I look for when choosing a male, how we go about collecting pollen and how we breed a full sized plant. Before we talk...

www.rollitup.org

 

[Father Ramirez]

Does anybody know of a Blue Cookies x Ice Cream Cake cross yet? ... do I get to name it?

Of course you get to name it. That’s why there are thousands of silly strain names that have nothing to do with the ‘medicine’. It’s why Monkey Tirds and Lesbian Wedding Cake are the hottest strains out right now!!
Hurry before they’re out of stock. Don’t grow your own hack genetics. You need the expensive seeds we have!
Hype and shite. Breed your own. It will crush store bought without you even trying hard