A plant's sex matters to industrial hemp growers. Although plants having sexes may initially sound strange, specialists know that cannabis is the only plant whose males and females can be distinguished visually.
Which type you use depends on why you are growing it. For stalks or fiber, variety matters more than sex. For medical cannabis, both matter.
How can you identify cannabis sex?
One of our most frequently asked questions is how to distinguish female and male seeds. Despite many online myths, it is impossible to determine sex by looking at a seed. You can be certain only when using feminized seeds.
Normally, sex cannot be identified until the plant begins growing. Only after reaching a certain maturity can it be identified as male or female.
Cannabis seed types by sex
Regular cannabis seeds
These seeds are available in our country and may be planted with ministry approval in the 19 provinces where hemp cultivation is permitted. They are the world's most widely used type, but approximately half produce males: the seeds are a mix of male and female. Regular seeds cost less than feminized ones.
For details about hemp types, we recommend this article.
Feminized cannabis seeds
Feminized seeds are used to grow only female plants. Growers produce them by carefully stressing female plants. A stressed mature female produces seeds to preserve its genetic line. Its seeds retain the mother's genetic makeup and contain only female chromosomes.
Feminized seeds are larger and more robust, but cost more than regular seeds, sometimes a major disadvantage. They are mainly preferred by farmers producing high-CBD biomass. Their sale and cultivation are prohibited in our country.
Autoflowering cannabis seeds
These are mainly used in countries where CBD production and recreational cannabis cultivation are permitted. Autoflowering seeds produce plants that flower regardless of climate and weather. Their sale and cultivation are prohibited in our country.
Cannabis changing sex
Sometimes growers do not want male and female plants together. If you need only females, for example to produce CBD oil, one male among them can ruin the entire harvest. Farmers may therefore want to separate males.
However, cannabis can change sex under certain conditions. Environmental exposure or stress may cause it to change sex, fertilize itself and continue reproducing. If you do not notice early, an intersex plant among your females will harm the others.
