I'm running their blueberrry cupcake right now and a good portion of them have hermed. Yeah, plants bred outdoors will be adapted to the outdoor environment, and vice versa. The stress of the indoor environment being foreign and strict could absolutely be triggering intersex traist. I don't think it means we should avoid them altogether, it just means you should know what to expect when ordering them. And in humboldts defense, I've had plenty of seed packs from indoor breeders go herm as well, sometimes much worse than what I'm seeing with the cupcakes.
The intersex expressions I've had with HSC strains, with one exception (Old Growth OG), have been somewhat "manageable"; most of the balls appear at the 3rd-5th internodes with a few being crafty and hiding under leaves and etc...it's a pain in the ass for about two weeks straight and then it seems to level out. Blueberry cupcake followed with this route; she is now on day 47 and looks (and smells) absolutely amazing. Raspberry parfait , sitting next to her, has had zero intersex issues.
Previous to this, I also experienced intersex with Bigfoot Glue (again, mainly 3rd-5th internode areas) and just a very small number on Vanilla Frosting. Both turned out amazing but it was a lot of work (and paranoia, lol).
There seems to be a product out there that has been demonstrated to help preclude intersex traits from popping up called "Switch" (Optic Foliar). It has a sordid history of potentially having banned substances in it ...but there's some pretty strong evidence that , when used (sparingly) at day 7 and 17 , it will act as a preventative of sorts. Has anyone tried this stuff?
Given how amazing BB Cupcake seems like she will end up being, I may give this "Switch" stuff a shot , knowing that BB Cupcake will most likely demonstrate intersex traits with each run.
But, it sure gives me pause when considering jumping on some of these new 2023 strains that HSC is releasing. BB Pancakes sounds like a real banger but ...maybe it will bang you with an assload of ball sacks along the way. Damn.