Practical use of male cannabis plants
It is often said that male cannabis plants are of little use and are often the result of poor cultivation. Admittedly, the male plant does not produce flowers, nor THC (or very little). We tend to find it unusable ... However it is essential in the production of quality female plants, and can see many advantages in growing cannabis.
The male cannabis plant
You can easily recognize a male plant to its appearance to its only vertical growth, thus presenting few branches. It is a rather puny plant with few leaves, unlike the female plant, which tends to divide in width.
Male plants are generally considered unnecessary and are usually discarded. But pollination by males is still essential to produce more cannabis plants (unless working from clones). This is a process that is usually best left to breeders so that growers can focus on producing edible, seedless buds called sinsemilla.
Could the male plants be used for something more beneficial to cannabis growers? Surprisingly, male plants have more uses than you might think.
The benefits of fertilizing with a good buck
The obvious function of male cannabis plants is seed selection, and genetic continuity (see strengthening). When pollinating females, males provide half of the genetic makeup inherited from seeds. For this reason, it is important to examine the genetics of male plants. Their shape, growth rate, resistance to pests and mold, as well as resistance to climate change, can all be passed on to improve the quality of future generations.
But if you grow cannabis to produce quantity, you must eliminate male plants. Thus, you will prevent the fertilization of the flowers of the females. But if the female plant is fertilized with a good male, you will get some seeds high quality (to the detriment of the consumable quantity).
More genetic combinations mean more varieties ...
… And when you have more variety, there are more characteristics to choose from. Not only does this mean that the gene pool is kept alive, but we can also start selecting for pathogen resistance, growth rate, general health; and even different profiles of cannabinoids and terpenoids.
No males, no automatic flowering plants
You may have noticed that seed banks only offer varieties to automatic flowering feminized. This is because male plants can have autoflowering traits, and these can be transmitted by breeding them with the pollen of an autoflowering female plant. You can then produce feminized, autoflowering plants that truly reproduce. Unfortunately, these autoflowering feminized plants cannot be cloned (or with difficulty), and they will not produce seeds unless fertilized by a male.
Hemp fiber
When it comes to hemp fiber, male cannabis plants produce softer material while females are responsible for producing coarse and stronger fiber, as with the hemp concrete.
Concentrate production
It may be surprising to find that male plants can be psychoactive in nature - although much less potent than female plants. Plants do not produce buds, but small amounts of cannabinoids can be found throughout the plant, which can be extracted to produce hashish or oils.
Protection of the culture medium
Cannabis plants provide more benefits in the garden than producing buds. Both male and female cannabis plants produce aromatic oils called terpenes, which are associated with the fight against pests and diseases.
Dried material from male cannabis plants can also be used to produce terpenes-rich oils that are applied to repel insects and pests as a natural spray against insects.
Fields of male hemp provide a source of pollen for stressed bees
But the male hemp plant can also help some insects, such as bees, which are currently undergoing extinction.
Industrial hemp plants are becoming part of the menu of American bees. However, neither hemp nor other strains of the Cannabis species cultivated for recreational or medicinal purposes offer insects the slightest nectar ...
Yet, a large variety of bees appeared in two experimental plots of hemp during a collection experiment.
Soil improvement
In addition, cannabis plants are deep-rooted plants with long, taprootable roots. Swiveling roots are known for their ability to dive deep into the soil and break down poor soil.
This allows moisture and nutrients to seep in and improve soil quality.
Pollination
Of course, we focus largely on female plants, and with good reason. But it is important to recognize and cherish the characteristics of male cannabis plants. Females can produce the buds we know and love ...
But by limiting the diversity of males, we could lose potential benefits that we don't yet understand. Some males may have compounds that we don't know exist. Professional growers know that a good male plays an important role in cannabis development, and as a whole.
If you are attempting to take advantage of any of these benefits without intending to pollinate your cannabis plants; keep in mind that cannabis pollen is good for travel. So over long distances, he is determined to find the right female ...
It helps to have a good understanding of how pollen works and how it moves (by ventilation).
Especially before embarking on one of these alternative uses so as not to accidentally pollinate your own plants or those of a neighbor ...
To read :
13 reasons why industrial hemp will be part of the 4.0 industry
