How Early Can You Sex Seedlings?

Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member
I've been searching on this subject (since, apparently, it matters what sex your plant), and I can't seem to pull up any results. I've tried using several different terms to find this information to no avail, so now I post yet another noobie question: How early can you determine sex of your seedlings?

Mine still have their baby leaves and one set of "glandular" leaves (I made that up, I have no idea what the normal leaves are called, and if I ever knew I've already forgotten). These are all germinated from seeds out of my last batch o', and this is all being done on the cheap because mortgage is more important than anything else, which is why the babies are sharing some pots at the moment, to be separated this week into whatever I can fashion or nick.

Knowledge is POWAH!
 
pterzw

pterzw

Well-Known Member
Around one month old plants will grow "preflowers". From their shape you can tell male from fem.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member
THANK YOU! That's the answer I've been searching for. :D I've been studying the pictures in the FAQ and other linkage people provide, so I think I can tell the male dingleberry from the female bits.
 
joebuck

joebuck

Well-Known Member
I'm glad you asked that, Seamaiden - I was looking for the same info since I saw the first little signs of preflowers on mine today. Thankfully, the ones that I can see clearly seem to be indicating a lovely lady in the g'house! There's a pic in my gallery.

Good luck!

 
MsMILFweed

MsMILFweed

Well-Known Member
I can sex my plants by the time they're a 4 wks-month old by looking at the pre-flowers, though some strains may take a little longer.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member
Crap, MILF, I missed your post. I don't know what strain this is, though I might be able to find out. It's not a particularly stoney weed, but it does the job just fine. I actually don't care for weed that's "too good", because it tends to make me nauseous and I can never seem to break the buds down into small enough bits that it doesn't happen. Weird, huh?

I keep meaning to ask you, is that your snake? Ever get nailed by a constrictor? Their bites HURT. :x
 
MsMILFweed

MsMILFweed

Well-Known Member
Seamaiden said:
Crap, MILF, I missed your post. I don't know what strain this is, though I might be able to find out. It's not a particularly stoney weed, but it does the job just fine. I actually don't care for weed that's "too good", because it tends to make me nauseous and I can never seem to break the buds down into small enough bits that it doesn't happen. Weird, huh?

I keep meaning to ask you, is that your snake? Ever get nailed by a constrictor? Their bites HURT. :x
Click to expand...
Heh, and I'm so used to smoking this good shit that it doesn't hardly get me high anymore.

The snake isn't mine (thank gawd) .. the pic is Nancy Botwin of Weeds (Mary Louise Parker)


 
Ativas

Ativas

Well-Known Member
In my experience it is quite difficult for beginners to determine what is a true male/female pre-flower. (Even many experienced growers have difficulty at times.) Not to say that you couldn't do it SeaMaiden, 'cause how the hell would I know? :-) I would just hate to see you pull females by mistake. I never try to judge sex until bloom but there are many that do. If I really need to know the sex of a seedling I will take a clone and put the clone in bloom. For me, that's the definitive method. Here's some info for you from my bag o' knowledge ...

<-----
"Identifying a true preflower is way to tell sex before changeing to 12/12. That way you can take clones from the known females without wasting the time and space on males.

(Kifit) "Do not try to sex a seedling based on the very first preflower you see with a 25x times microscope.....wait and make sure. The time between using a 25x to spot the very first preflower sex and the plant dropping pollen is at least 10+ days away and so it's safe."

"It's best to cull a male only after you are 101% sure - when you see 2 or 3 (or more) immature male flowers bunched together on the internodes or the top growing tip - this is a male, for sure, females preflowers have white " spears " that appear in a vee. ..but "every now and then a sexually indistinguishable flower appears" (Ed Rosenthal)

After a few weeks in veg, plants will begin to show their sex. Usually the males show first. The male preflower is a miniscule ball. It appears that there is a small piece of foliage that covers the ball and protrudes outward when the male preflowers first appear.

Many times preflowers will appear at the fourth or fifth node, whereas the plant is on the 7th or 8th node. These preflowers usually don't develop into full flowers, but are only an indicator of the plants sex.
----->

More ...

<-----
Most indica strains will preflower anywhere from 4-8 weeks after the first set of true leaves develop, but that doesn't mean all strains will. Some sativa's won't even show preflowers until a few weeks into flowering. When preflowers first start to develop they are unrecognizable as to which sex they are. They'll need a few more days or up to a week once the first sign of them to tell which sex they are, so don't jump the gun, wait until you are 100% sure of the sex before you toss your males.

Sexing a plant can be done by inducing flowering by cutting lighting down to 12/12 or by just letting a plant mature and preflower by itself. Once a plant starts alternating branches the plant is mature enough to fully flower with the best results (for yield and quality). Alternating branches usually starts on a small side branch first and will move to the main stock some time after that. all you need to see is the first set of alternating branches and you know the plants are ready to flower, even if the plant is not fully showing preflowers yet - but most will show at this time.
----->

Just some thoughts ... hope it helps.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Well-Known Member
Yes, it helps a LOT! Thank you. :)

I likely won't be culling my males. I want to also be able to produce seed, though I may also root via cuttings (that's the clone thing, yes?), especially if I ever get my hands on the stuff my son grows (if the little son of a bitch would just call me back! oops.. if he's a son of a bitch, that makes ME the... :shock: :lol: ). I don't know what strain I'm growing, either, but I'm trying to find out.

Photoperiod will not be controlled by any outside factors, this is an outside "deck grow", so within a pretty short period of time the photoperiod will have significantly more light time than dark. We shall see how that affects flowering.
 
Ativas

Ativas

Well-Known Member
With a full outside grow they go into the flowering cycle after the summer solstice - June 21? I think, maybe ...

Yes, the 'root via cuttings' kanoodle would be the clone thingamajig. :-)

I never sweat over the sexing thing myself. Seems like a lot of people hate to see a single seed in their bud, but me, I like a few hanging around. Keeps me supplied if I need 'em. (And I enjoy crossing strains.) Besides, once the male 'bananas' appear, you still have time to pull them (the males that is, pulling on the bananas does nothing for them :-)) before they release pollin anyway. I usually wait and let a couple o' sacs open to release a little pollin, but not much, and therefore get a small handful of seeds out of it which is not a problem ... my yields are excellent anyway so why not take a few seeds along the way?
 
LemonHerb

LemonHerb

Well-Known Member
MsMILFweed said:
Heh, and I'm so used to smoking this good shit that it doesn't hardly get me high anymore.

The snake isn't mine (thank gawd) .. the pic is Nancy Botwin of Weeds (Mary Louise Parker)


Click to expand...
I would say it's only 70% Mary Louise Parker, and a good 30% portion of photoshop, mostly around the ass area.
 
tat2d420

tat2d420

Active Member
I found this on another site and it has worked for me in the past. Easy way to sex plants early:weed:

Now the plants should be on their first or second node of spiked leaves. Fertilizer is not yet needed at this stage. Continue to water whenever the soil feels dry. Make sure your plants are protected from animals. Also, watch for and molds. Any plants with mold on them should be removed immediately. Be careful not to shake the plants because the mold spores will break off and effect other plants. If your are using Jiffy-pots transplant when the fourth set of spiked leaves appears. Simply place the plant Jiffy-pot and all into the soil. The pot will break down and allow passage of the roots. Once the plants have developd six or seven nodes they should be fertilized with a complete 20-20-20 fertilizer. Other combinations can be used, just make sure it contains all three macro-nutrients N,P,K.
The plants can also be sexed at this stage. To do this a piece of a black plastic garbage bag can be secured to the end of a branch using twist ties. Apply the bag so that the branch receives 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Ex. On at 6PM off at 6AM. Within three weeks the male plants will have what look like little balls forming on the branch. The females will have two tiny white hairs emerging from a immature calyx. The males can now be removed and you are guaranteed a crop of all females. Remove the plastic from the branch of the female and she will begin growing again.
 
tyke1973

tyke1973

Well-Known Member
If you can sex a seedling then you will go into a hall of fame.It can be done but you would need a lab and a few very clever men or woman.There is only one way to sex a plant and find out it's true sex and that's flower it unless it's a auto_Or the best way if you are wanting to keep a plant bk for cloneing is to take clone's of the plant's label them and flower the clone's that you have took.
 
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