Can I increase my odds of getting a male for breeding?

[fuzzymuffin]

I'm looking to do a seed run and have a limited number of seeds to work with (6.) I'm working with Northern Lights. I purchased 20 of them a couple years ago (I don't grow much) and have never gotten a male despite them being regs. Is there a way to increase my odds of getting a male to work with?

 

[yortbogey]

stress... there enviroment

 

[fuzzymuffin]

Stress? Like low temp or low nutes?

 

[willyweed]

i read in a grow bible to plant them very shallow,gives a higher % boys
all the best .ww

 

[Chimera]

Q: Can I increase my odds of getting a male for breeding?

A:, No, gender is determined genetically.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

check out www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=278587 in the growers forums. SeafOur is testing out a method of looking at the caldera of the seed to determine sex for when it pops. I just popped some seeds using SeafOur's method and I will be curious to see what happens. He is up over 90% correct in determining the sex so that might help you.

 

[Asche]

keep nitrogen high,
and you get more male

i read that up once if its true or not
shall everybody see for himself

good luck!

 

[RoadRash]

I'm looking to do a seed run and have a limited number of seeds to work with (6.) I'm working with Northern Lights. I purchased 20 of them a couple years ago (I don't grow much) and have never gotten a male despite them being regs. Is there a way to increase my odds of getting a male to work with?

It sounds like you are having the kind of luck many growers would love to have.

I suggest trying 240 ppm Colloidal Silver & trying the Feminized seed route.

The luck you need, you aren't having, and feminized pollen will give you a chance to capture good genetics in seed form.


A typical CS concentration is 48 ppm so the normal 240 ppm CS is diluted 5:1 (1 part CS to 4 parts distilled water).

 

[bugman52]

check out www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=278587 in the growers forums. SeafOur is testing out a method of looking at the caldera of the seed to determine sex for when it pops. I just popped some seeds using SeafOur's method and I will be curious to see what happens. He is up over 90% correct in determining the sex so that might help you.

I was reading the same thing looks insterding.

 

[aridbud]

Maybe fact or fiction. Information below from web site: http://www.growingmarijuana.com/sex-of-plant.php

I've done side-by-side experiments. Several points hold true.....temperature, environmental stress and light spectrum affects plant sex.

"The different environmental factors that affect plant’s sex Generally, to have a sinsemilla or a seedless female plant is every grower’s ultimate dream. That’s why growers have been in dire search of ways to ensure that the majority of their seedlings will turn out as females. However, some of the factors affecting the plant’s sex are purely environmental and they are particularly hard to control especially when growing outdoors.

These factors will start to influence the seedling’s sex once it develops 3 pairs of real leaves.

Remember, the seed’s cotyledons are not considered true leaves.

1. Humidity: When the surrounding humidity is high then female plants are more likely to develop. Conversely, a low humidity level increases the chance of developing male plants. Also, if the moisture level of the growing medium is low then male plants are likely to happen. The same condition goes for the seedbed’s moistness.

2. Temperature: If the temperature is low then the grower is more likely to have female plants in his garden. However, if the temperature is high more male marijuana plants will emerge.

3. Nitrogen: To have more females in your cannabis garden, increase nitrogen (N) level. A low nitrogen level will likely create more males.

4. Potassium: Unlike nitrogen, a lower concentration of Potassium (K) will promote the development of female cannabis plants. Oppositely, a higher Potassium level will increase the tendency of having males.

Note: In order to have more female plants in your garden, increase Nitrogen level and decrease Potassium level during the first2 weeks of development.

5. Environmental Stress: If your seedlings are subjected to any kind of environmental stress then they will likely turn out as males as they mature.

6. Color of Light: A light with blue spectrum generally increases the likelihood of having females, while a red light is favorable if males are wanted.

7. Hours of Daylight: The photoperiod or length of light exposure influences the sex. If seedlings are exposed for about 14 hours then more females will develop. On the other hand, a photoperiod of 18 hours or more will tend to generate more male plants.

8. Soaking: When the seeds are pre-soaked in Gibberellic acid prior to germination then they will most likely become female cannabis plants when they are fully matured. "

 

[Asche]

ups the other way around sorry for disinforming
thanks aridbud for posting that one!!!

 

[candidly]

Young cannabis plants do not initially have a sex. It is 'chosen' by the time the plant reaches sexual maturity. Higher temperatures and other stress will definitely cause more males to develop.

 

[Chimera]

Young cannabis plants do not initially have a sex. It is 'chosen' by the time the plant reaches sexual maturity. Higher temperatures and other stress will definitely cause more males to develop.

^^^ That is absolutely false, so much complete nonsense in this thread.

Cannabis gender is controlled genetically, end of story. This is not news, it's well documented in the scientific literature, I can test for gender as of the moment the individual pops through the shell and shows the first piece of true leaf using a PCR method of detection for specific genetic sequences.

Cannabis gender is controlled by an XY system of sexual determination, with the heterogametic sex (XY) being the staminate or male gender.

aridbud post up the results of your experiment, and the statistical methods you used to conform your results vs expected probabilities.

The rest is hearsay and is completely false.

-Chimera

 

[willyweed]

this is what i was going by perhaps it is wrong !

I would have to disagree with you on this one. Ed Rosenthal's Growers Hand Book, Jorge Cervantes's marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible, many threads, and many searches throughout google tell me differently.

Here is a quote from Jorge Cervantes's book; "Environmental Factors start influencing sex the moment the seedling has three pairs of true leaves (not counting cotyledons). Environmental factors that influence sex determination of cannabis include but are not limited to:
-Increasing the level of nitrogen makes more female plants. Lower the nitrogen level to create more male plants. Increase the level of potassium to increase male tendencies;lowering the potassium level encourages female plants. A higher nitrogen and a lower potassium level for the first two weeks increases females.
-Low temperatures increase the number of female plants, warm temperatures make more males.
-High Humidity Increases the number of female plants. Low humidity increases male plants.
-Low growing medium moisture increases male plants.

 

[MJBadger]

Higher temperatures and other stress will definitely cause more males to develop.

That is a fact proven . If you germ seeds regularly you will find a higher fem ratio if the temps are low 70`s , pump it up to high 70`s or low 80`s & you will have more male .
All the shouts of genetic gender means sweet FA until the seed pops , the treatment of that seed can sometimes determine the gender the seed will develop .

 

[willyweed]

i do think that this information is wrong ! but i did read it,so perhaps it may create a stress induced male as opposed to a true male .

 

[Chimera]

.......

Here is a quote from Jorge Cervantes's book; "Environmental Factors start influencing sex the moment the seedling has three pairs of true leaves (not counting cotyledons). Environmental factors that influence sex determination of cannabis include but are not limited to:
-Increasing the level of nitrogen makes more female plants. Lower the nitrogen level to create more male plants. Increase the level of potassium to increase male tendencies;lowering the potassium level encourages female plants. A higher nitrogen and a lower potassium level for the first two weeks increases females.
-Low temperatures increase the number of female plants, warm temperatures make more males.
-High Humidity Increases the number of female plants. Low humidity increases male plants.
-Low growing medium moisture increases male plants.

Well the breeding chapter says otherwise and there is a diagram which only proves my point, please look it up. I happen to know because I wrote that specific chapter for that particular book.

Fwiw, that info is gleaned from DP's marketing material about their early feminized seeds, published around the time they were using intersex plants instead of STS-reversed pollen donors and had many, many customers with intersex plants. That info is not taken from a reliable source, imo.

~~

If you germ seeds regularly you will find a higher fem ratio if the temps are low 70`s , pump it up to high 70`s or low 80`s & you will have more male .
All the shouts of genetic gender means sweet FA until the seed pops , the treatment of that seed can sometimes determine the gender the seed will develop .

With all due respect badger, that's a crock. I've germinated many many thousands of seeds in my day and all the regular seeds statistically approach 50/50 males:females the more seeds you grow. When you grow smaller lots you 'think' you see things that you assume make the gender lean towards one direction or another, but as the population size grows the apparent 'effect' disappears. I've grown many sets of seeds and used genetic markers to screen for the presence of the Y chromosome and it is %100 percent concordant with gender outcome.

You can alter gender expression with ethylene blockers or by spraying males with ethephon, you can pull crazy stresses on plants and make them show as intersex, but that effect is transient and does not alter the gender. Gender is determined by genetics, as stated previously, not by environment. This has been discussed ad nauseum over a series of internet fora, including this one so I'm not going to rehash it all here.

You can lead a horse to water....

-Chimera

 

[willyweed]

now that is sub -zero cool ! chimera i will go look at my book shortly ,thank you for your contribution .

 

[Asche]

well so under the line its possible to increase the odds.

maybe also without ethylene blockers first
if it helps fuzzymuffin good luck with your males.

 

[aridbud]

^^^ That is absolutely false, so much complete nonsense in this thread.

Cannabis gender is controlled genetically, end of story. This is not news, it's well documented in the scientific literature, I can test for gender as of the moment the individual pops through the shell and shows the first piece of true leaf using a PCR method of detection for specific genetic sequences.

Cannabis gender is controlled by an XY system of sexual determination, with the heterogametic sex (XY) being the staminate or male gender.

aridbud post up the results of your experiment, and the statistical methods you used to conform your results vs expected probabilities.

The rest is hearsay and is completely false.

-Chimera

I did this maybe 20-25 yrs ago, Chimera. I'll be GLAD to do it again to show you environmental stress DOES create sexing!!!!! My breed partners STRESS plants to get more males to choose from....

And incorrect...hermies (intersex/hermaphrodites) not have simply XY....it's much more involved than that.

Read up on botany article:
"Sex chromosomes of flowering plants"; 2007.
http://www.amjbot.org/content/94/2/141.full#sec-2

Sounds like you are not open to what other masters have said....so you can believe what you believe.

So, let it go at that....no need to have a war over such strong perceptions.

You believe what you want to believe. Let others do the same....they can make up their mind.....rather than you saying "It isn't so!"