Hermies! Why does a female grow balls!

[Guest]

I had a Sour Bubble BX3 clone that was an all female on the first grw. On my 2nd grw it turned Hermie! I also had a Blue moon rock female next to it and it also turned out Hermie. Why is this? What did I do wrong? Everything was done exactly the same as the first grow. Anyone please list the possible reasons for a plant going Hermie. Anyone else had this problem?

I had to cut down those two. I freakin hate hermies. I will not tolerate them in my grw room. I also lost this Sour Bubble bx3 mom, it was my last one. Too bad no more are available.

 

[TGT]

Sometimes a plant will go hermi from being stressed slightly. Usually this occures from something out of the ordinary, such as a quick change in day time/night time hours, nutrient stress, letting bud for too long or just something small that the plant doesn't like. Some plants are more delicate, while others take a great deal of stress to form. It is different with all plants, some won't even hermi - but this is rare. What is a fact is this is a survival mechanism for the plants to fullfill it's duties in life. Sativa's are the most prone, while it still happens to indica's. Could have just been something different that wasn't there last time. Can you think of ANYTHING that was different this time around?

TGT

 

[Bones]

similar thing happened to me

similar thing happened to me

when I had plants turn hermie, it was all down to very small light leaks - the places where the light from outside was hitting the buds in their dark periods is where the male flowers were forming. I only had a few male flowers so i just checked thoroughly every day and picked em off.

Im only a noob so youv'e probably checked this, or weren't as foolish as me and left no light leaks in the first place, but if you haven't it's one of the many things that could cause it

 

[Guest]

If you had a clone that was truly 100% female and it turned hermie the only thing I've ever seen cause this is when the dark hours are interrupted with light or a light leak during dark hours.You can literally beat the shit out of it,treat it real bad like an unwanted stepson and it will not hermie without light manipulation.I believe a more likely situation is the original seedplant had a nad or two hidden that you never saw.

 

[kov]

I used to stress the hell out of some of my plants. Taken them out of the box to the outside sun, stood them on my windowsill subject to different light sources including my regular home lamps shining on them in different times of the night, sometimes I brought them back to my box without following a strict timing regime. And I never had any hermies out of these plants.

On the other hand some indoor plants very well tended to, had hermie traits.

Contrary to the popular opinion about turning hermie because of stressing by some stupid light leaks I say GENETICS is the culprit in most if not all the cases of hermieing, it may not show in first generation but in 2-nd, 3-rd, etc.

Sorry, never bought the light leak idea myself.

rgds, kov

 

[Guest]

You may not buy it Kov,but why dont you see for yourself?I know for a fact from experience that light leaks will definately cause a plant to herm.I had a blockhead clone,probably fifth or sixth "generation" turn herm on me from a light leak.I had a mite problem,and before I learned about no pest strips I used Pyrethrum bombs.For 3 nights in a row the light from the vegroom across the hall would go into the flower room after the lights went out,it got 6 hours of indirect light for 3 nights in a row.Onm,y 1 clone hermed but there was no doubt as to the reason why it heppened,try it yourself sometime if you dont believe it.

 

[Guest]

kov This is interesting...I believe, that if you dont folow a stricked
light source, light schedule: like you say, in the window,outside, lights on at night,etc... That you are right! If they never get used to a schedule they dont know the difference.
Although plants grow faster on a schedule and
I would only recommend keeping a tight schedule! But if you do and you get a light leaks, the plant more often the not, will hermi!

Willie!

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone.

There were absolutely no light leaks. I am thinking maybe the light was turned on for 1 more hour than the 12 needed or off for 1 more hour than needed. Could this be the culprit?? Damn people will not listen. No matter how many times I tell em. Got to do things yourself if you want things done right. Dammit.

No nute burn whatsoever was noticed. I am using foxfarm products. Everything from they're soil to their bloom powders. The remaining plnts are blue moon rocks and G13*hsh plant. They look all female. Hope these stay that way.

What else could it be, please note what you know about hermies.

Peace

 

[Guest]

Well Im one of the unbelievers...

Im careless with my light cycle...

have light leaks...

yada yada....

and Im sure I dont get any more hermies than anyone else does....

Im sure this will drive some crazy but it is what it is...


genetics

 

[dre86]

imo too genetics, some have it some not.

 

[Guest]

imo too genetics, some have it some not.

How do explain Chakal's problem? He has two strains sitting side by side.
Is it contagious as well as genitic?

Willie!

 

[Guest]

Well I've been growing a lot longer than 5 years but in the 5 years I've been growing indoor strains from a seedbank,I've only had 1 hermie and like I said it was definately from the light across the hall.I've had this blockhead for close to 3 years now,this was the first year about 5th or 6 th "generation" so theres no doubt it wasnt genetic.I used to get quite a few genetic herms experimenting with bagseed,these were genetic without a doubt.I still have yet to find a genetic herm from seedbank stock,although I'm sure its there.We are used to seeing female plants with male parts but there are also male plants with female parts.We dont usually see these because when we see a male part,we normally discard the plant before any pistils show."making" a herm is real easy if you have doubts,I'm sure within a weeks time anyone can cause a plant to herm with light manipulation

 

[Guest]

I am growing out some KC Brains seeds. I heard many stories about these seeds being
hermi prone (genetics).
I have 4 fems 2 males no hermis!
One is 9 days from harvest.
In the 25 years that Ive been growing. I have grown many,many bag seeds...I have only seen 2 hermis! IMO hermis are rare> Unless you are messin up!

 

[TORC]

All, read that again, ALL of the plants have the means to hermie when they feel it necessary. This is a natural way of carrying on the species, survival instinct. Any variety can hermie. Stress can lead to hermaphroditism and is the usual culprit. Stress in nature is the trigger, as it is indoors. If you are getting hermies and think your room is light-leak proof, you should probably think again. Unless you've looked from every conceivable angle, I mean all angles from the inside and from outside, to make sure there are no light leaks. Over fertilizing can also cause this. I also believe that a room that never has a male somewhere around it will eventually start to hermie as well. Plants send out pheromones much in the same way we do, they know if there are males around or not. Eventually nature will decide and that decision will be to throw a few male flowers so that there will be future generations.

 

[Brownpants]

I agree with what TORC said, and to add that different strains have different thresholds for turning hermie depending on the genetics. The source of the stress might be difficult to determine, it could have even happened in the vegetative state, or could have been the temperatures, light leaks, age, ferts etc...

Just keep on growing!

-BP-

 

[Guest]

Ok fine....

Lets do a little experiment....

THis to do with feminized seeds....

The way soma makes his feminized seeds to to let his females go some extra weeks....

eventually many produce male flowers... he uses this on young female clones and voila....

soma has feminized seeds....

So in our discussion....

We had a plant we just loved.... and it was great grew thru harvest and not a male flower anywhere....

to produce feminized seeds all we need to do is dink with the lights and clones from that plant will produce male flowers?????

Ive been on a lot of boards and Ive not seen this done..... it would be awesome if its true....


or....

does this light leak thing only apply to seed plants?????

 

[Guest]

Rodelization: The Soma way of female seeds

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following is an article written in High Times' 2006 Seed Guide


Creating feminized cannabis seeds is an art.Just like art,there are a few different methods of application.I have written about some of my different methods of making seeds in previous HIGH TIMES articles.I have used gibberellic acid,PH stress,light stress and fertilizer stress to force my female plants to make seeds.All of these methods are harsh on the plants,and some,like the gibberellic acid,are not organic.In my search for cleaner,more earth-friendly ways of working with the cannabis plant,I have found a new to make feminized seeds.

Feminized seeds occur as a result of stress rather than genetics.All cannabis plants can and will make male flowers under stress.Certain strains like a higher pH,some a lower one.Some like a lot of food,some like much less.There is quite a lot of variety in marijuana genetics,and you can't treat every plant the same way.

It takes many harvests before you really get to know a particular strain.Just like getting to know human friends,it takes time.I have grown the same strains for close to a decade and am truly getting to know every nuance the different plants exhibit.I can recognize them from a distance.I must say that I got a lot of help from my friends,both in making seeds and in learning new and better ways of working with this sacred plant.

I named this new method "Rodelization" after a friend who helped me realize and make use of this way of creating female seeds.After growing crop after crop of the same plants in the same conditions,I noticed that if I flowered the plants 10-14 days longer than usual,they would develop male "bananas".A male banana is a very slight male flower on a female marijuana plant that is formed because of stress.Usually they do not let out any pollen early enough to make seeds,but they sometimes do.They are built-in safety factors so that in case of severe conditions,the plant can make sure the species is furthered.

To me,a male banana is quite beautiful thing.It has the potential of making all-female seeds.Many growers out there have male banana phobia.They see one and have heart palpitations;they want to cut down the entire crop,or at the very least take tweezers and pluck the little yellow emergency devices out.I call them "emergency devices" because they emerge at times of stress.


In the Rodelization method,the male banana is very valuable.After growing your female plants 10-14 days longer than usual,hang them up to dry,then carefully take them off the drying lines and inspect for bananas.Each and every banana should be removed and placed in a small bag labeled very accurately.These sealed bags can be placed in the fridge for one or two months and still remain potent.


For the next phase,you need to have a seperate crop that's already 2.5 weeks into flowering.Take your sealed bags of pollen out of the fridge,and proceed to impregnate your new crop of females.To do this,you must first match the female plant and the pollen from the same strain in the previous crop.Shut down all the fans in the grow room.Then take a very fine paintbrush,dip it in the bag of pollen and paint it on the female flower.Do this to each different strain you have growing together.I have done it with up to 10 different kinds in the same room with great success.


I use the lower flowers to make seeds,leaving the top colas seedless for smoking.This method takes time (two crops),but is completely organic and lets you have great-quality smoke at the same time you make your female seeds.If you're one of those groweres who's never grown seeds for fear of not having something good to smoke,you will love this method.


You can also use this pollen to make new female crosses by cross-pollinating.The older females with the male bananas can be brought into the room with the younger,unpollinated females when they are three weeks into flowering.Turn all of the circulation fans on high,and the little bits of pollen will proceed to make it around the room.Do this for several days.Six to seven weeks later,you will have ripe 100% feminized seeds-not nearly as many as a male plant would make,but enough to start over somewhere else with the same genetics.

As a farmer who has been forced to move his genetics far away from where they started,I know very well the value of seeds.My friend Adam from TH-Seeds in Amsterdam has a motto that I love to borrow these days: "Drop seeds,not bombs".

 

[Guest]

I get a kick out of soma acting like he invented that process lol,DP has been making their fem seeds like that for years and years.He doesnt use light manipulation to cause herms,he just flowers past harvest time hoping the plants will produce a little(female pollen),Thats totally different than "light poisoning" which is what I experienced and hermed a plant only a couple weeks into 12/12

 

[Guest]

http://cannabisculture.com/articles/1332.html

I cant disagree with you on that point....

But Im not so much infavor of this method anyway...

since you are selecting your plants based on them going hermi late in life...

but back to the point of my little experiment....

If I had a plant which did not hermi at all ever....

This would be a perfect plant to do a light trick with....

Ive never liked the term light poisoning......

One author I read advocated a 7 hour light cycle on half the clones the toher half the normal amount.... some turn hermi and that pollen can be used for seeds.....

Ive not tried it but did read it some time back....

 

[Guest]

They plants grown from fem seeds shouldnt herm or form any banannas in late flower,if they do they are no good.The banannas come when you let it go a couple weeks longer than normal,they better not herm anyway.Right now I've got more fem seeds going then I ever had,just to hunt for new pheno's.Female seeds cindy 99 ice and grapefruit and dutch passion mazar and blueberry.So far all female seeds plants are 30 days from harvest and no male parts,mazar and blueberry in late veg showing female preflowers.I think its a lot better than it was just 10 years ago.I have an eagle eye out for male parts and premature turning pistils though