Contents:
- 1. Male cannabis plants
- 2. What is pollen?
- 3. What is pollen used for?
- 4. How to collect and store pollen?
- 5. How to use pollen?
- 6. In conclusion
Just like female cannabis plants, male plants also flower but they don’t produce buds. Male cannabis plants develop pollen sacs that release pollen when they reach maturity.
Male plants are vital in the production of new cannabis strains but can be a nightmare for home growers because they can pollinate your female plants, filling the buds with seeds.
1. Male Cannabis Plants
Plants can be Monoecious or Dioecious. Dioecious plants are those which have distinct female and male plants, meaning a plant will be male or female and the male needs to pollinate the female to produce seeds. Monoecious plants are those which have both female and male parts and are known as hermaphrodites.
The cannabis plants can be both Monoecious and Dioecious, although it is mostly found with separate sexes, you can and you will see Monoecious cannabis (hermaphrodites) in nature and even in your growing space.
Hermaphrodites happen when the cannabis plant gets stressed. If she senses death is near, she will start developing the other sex to guarantee the survival of her species. This allows her to pollinate itself, producing seeds without the need for another plant.
2. What Is Pollen?
As you may know, buds are the flowers of the female cannabis plant. Male plants also flower, but unlike female plants, they produce pollen sacs. Pollen sacs are small balls that open up when they’re fully mature, releasing pollen.
The tiny pollen grains hold the male plant’s DNA information which combines with the female gametes that contain its DNA information, resulting in cannabis seeds.
Pollen is produced by male cannabis plants and contains the male gametes. To produce seeds, a male plant needs to pollinate a female plant. This is how breeders produce new genetics, this way new terpene profiles and types of high can be achieved.
3. What Is Pollen Used For?
Pollen is used to create seeds. In nature, pollen allows the cannabis plants to perpetuate its species.
For breeders, this allows the creation of new strains. By crossing two different strains, breeders can come up with distinct and unique colors, flavors, and aromas.
For example, our new Gorilla Cookies Auto is a cross between our Gorilla Glue Auto and Girl Scout Cookies Auto.
This is achieved by collecting the pollen from one strain and pollinating the buds of the other one.
4. How To Collect And Store Pollen?
Collecting pollen isn’t too hard but you will need to be careful, it is super light and the slightest breeze can spread it all over, it can also stick to your hands, clothing, and hair, so you should be super cautious if you have female plants around.
The best way to collect it is to check every day and be aware of when the male flowers are reaching maturity.
When they’re about to open you should have a ziplock bag, a container, or any other way to hold it without it being able to get away.
Have in mind that pollen is extremely sensitive to light and moisture so you should keep it in a dry cool place, if you’re gonna store it for more than just a few weeks, keep it in the refrigerator.
A good tip is to use silica gel sachets to make sure the pollen is kept dry.
5. How To Use Pollen?
Pollinating your female plants is super easy, you just need to get the pollen to stick on to the buds, either by shaking the male plant, spreading pollen all over or by carefully applying the stored pollen on the buds with a brush.
Just remember that to produce good seeds you need to pollinate when the pistils are fully formed, which is around 3-5 weeks into the flowering stage.
6. In Conclusion
Even though they’re not so popular nowadays, male cannabis plants are essential to perpetuate the cannabis plant, for the creation of new strains and the discovery of new combinations of terpenes.
Although home growers won’t usually cultivate male plants, they’re extremely important for cannabis in general.