Double plant reg seeds and pull males?

[plantingplants]

I had a little bit of a late start so I'm wondering, if I can get my pots ready within one to two weeks from now, when my seedlings are ready to transplant, maybe I could just double and triple plant some pots and yank the males as soon as they show?

Instead of transplanting into 7 gallons and growing in hoop house until sexed. It would eliminate transplanting and hoop house building. Or maybe i could make little mini houses for them in the pots...

 

[jbarsk8]

You could certainly do that, but if youre gonna go through the trouble of building something...a single hoop to fit everything would be easier than mini houses for each. It is easy and cheap.

 

[plantingplants]

Maybe the soil volume will make up for the lack of warmth and humidity?

Maybe there's a super easy solution. Like putting in a central stake in each pot and then four short ones at each corner., then draping a square of plastic over it, and securing the edges to the outer stakes.

But even without a plastic contraption I think I might just do it.

 

[MedResearcher]

Probability can be a bitch at times. Statistically, planting 2 starts, you have a 75% chance of getting at least 1 female. So if you planted 20 pots or mounds with doubles, 5 of them would end up with 2 males.

Few years ago, we planted some late seed. Changed my mind last second wanted to do different genetics. I put 4 starts in each mound. Only did about 10 like this, 1 of them all 4 were male! Another had 3 females.

We got hit by the evil probability this year a bit to. Popped 33 seeds of 1 variety, ended up with 22 females. Sounds great, but.. a different variety which I also wanted we only did 11 seeds and ended up with 2 females! Tried to get a good diversity going, but now over half the garden will be the same.

Enough rambling, if you have enough starts and you do end up choosing to double plant. I would suggest even triple or 4x planting. Then just cull the less desirable females, better chance you will fill every pot/mound with a nice female.

 

[plantingplants]

Thanks. Don't know how I forgot about probabilities. Those aren't so good BUT, I have enough fem plants going that I could almost guarantee one female in each pot. ...but yes I might end up with 3 in a a handful pot and just 1 in a few others. But it may be a worthy experiment in single vs double vs triple planting?

I'm just watching a couple plants in 2 gallon next to a couple in 7 gallons and the 7 gallon girls have bigger fan leaves and more vigorous growth. It would be great to just put my starts straight in.

Maybe I'll try it with half the pots and compare growth. I thought growing my seedlings in full sun and taking them in to be warm at night would grow them faster than close fluoros @ 18 hrs on but that wasn't the case. So I may be wrong. Night warmth could be more important at this stage.

 

[tech1234]

if you have enough seed just plant 10 or so 10 gallons and use the females from those to fill whatever pots turn out all male.

 

[plantingplants]

tech1234, your post was sitting in the back of my mind but I hadn't really considered what you meant exactly. It's transplant time and I think your idea is the winner. I'm going to do exactly that! One per pot, and grow the rest in 7 gallons, ready to replace the males. Great idea!

 

[tech1234]

glad I could help!