Growing Tip: Eradicate Males Before Pollination
When cultivating your medicinal marijuana plants, it is imperative you identify and remove the male plants from the garden, or your buds will eventually be full of seeds. A bud that is too seedy can't be smoked - at least not until someone picks all the seeds out first. Needless to say, this is a frustrating, big pain in the ass and an errant seed will always ruin at least one bowl per session. Also, seedy bud is less potent because it is not as dense - the female plant diverts her energy away from THC production during pollination. Finally, no buyer wants to buy pot full of seeds and casings.
Seedy Pot Brings a Lower Price per Ounce
The bottom line is seedy pot brings a much lower price for the grower. For example, instead of $200-$250 an ounce, a buyer expects to pay only $40 for an "o" of "Shwag" or "Mexie" weed. Therefore, a grower or caretaker needs to be careful to identify the difference between a male an female marijuana plant so the male can be eradicated before pollination.
How to Distinguish Female from Male Plants
Males develop "pre-flowers" that resemble testicles or groups of ball-sacks on the third or forth internode of the main stem (called "primordia").
Females, incidentally, also develop primordia - but it will resemble a small pod with hairs growing from it.
When you see the male primordia develop, cut the plant off at the base asap, especially if it is next to a female plant. [If the plant is isolated, consider harvesting it just for the seed]. To avoid inadvertent pollination, don't shake the male plant around too much upon removal from the garden.
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