Early detection of male and female preflowers

Bluebugfreak

Active Member
This is my first post so I hope I'm sharing this in the right area. I've been growing for a year and this is my fourth grow. Throughout every grow, I am always learning so much.

For this grow I decided to look through a loupe and try to detect sex as early as possible. I took some pictures and thought I'd share since it was an epiphany for me!

One pic is of a male which you can see a tiny stem and a ball on the end. The other is what I believe to be a female - more of an pear shape with a point, attached closer to the main stem (can't see a tiny stem like the male preflower). But I guess I won't know for sure until it pops a hair.

The first place I have noticed the preflowers showing up is at the node where I topped it a few weeks ago and the first node up on both stems after that. First preflower spotted around 4 weeks of veg.

My plants are currently 6 weeks old, 4.5 weeks in veg.
 

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Sativied

Well-Known Member
This is my first post so I hope I'm sharing this in the right area. I've been growing for a year and this is my fourth grow. Throughout every grow, I am always learning so much.

For this grow I decided to look through a loupe and try to detect sex as early as possible. I took some pictures and thought I'd share since it was an epiphany for me!

One pic is of a male which you can see a tiny stem and a ball on the end. The other is what I believe to be a female - more of an pear shape with a point, attached closer to the main stem (can't see a tiny stem like the male preflower). But I guess I won't know for sure until it pops a hair.

The first place I have noticed the preflowers showing up is at the node where I topped it a few weeks ago and the first node up on both stems after that. First preflower spotted around 4 weeks of veg.

My plants are currently 6 weeks old, 4.5 weeks in veg.
That's probably a male yes. I'd use a small loupe to remove the doubt. And then I'd still leave it for a few days because after sexing hundreds as early as possible I still make a mistake occasionally. With a loupe you can see pistils a day or two earlier, they will be more transparent glass-like instead of fuzzy white.

If it doesn't have the shape of the left (which is about to push out pistils)
View attachment 3386955

and looks like the right or a more round ball (with the sides slightly curving inwards), it's a male.
Have to agree with OP, second is female. Almost pear shaped indeed. In the pic of the female flower in my quote above you can see the indent going from the top to the bottom of the pear. That slits open at the top where the pistils emerge:
upload_2015-4-5_3-24-22.png
 
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ebcrew

Well-Known Member
Still looks a little early to know 100%.

what type of loupe are you using? (also where did you find it?) im using a cheap one (with led) i got from china for 3 bucks but i think my phone's magnifier app is better.
 

Bluebugfreak

Active Member
Still looks a little early to know 100%.

what type of loupe are you using? (also where did you find it?) im using a cheap one (with led) i got from china for 3 bucks but i think my phone's magnifier app is better.
Hi Ebcrew,

I'm using a 60x loupe, also with led, also from China :-) it works great! Got it off amazon. I also bought a 100x lighted scope from B&H - amazing quality but not as convenient in my opinion.

I didn't know about the magnifier app! I'll check that out. Thanks!
 

ebcrew

Well-Known Member
Hi Ebcrew,

I'm using a 60x loupe, also with led, also from China :-) it works great! Got it off amazon. I also bought a 100x lighted scope from B&H - amazing quality but not as convenient in my opinion.

I didn't know about the magnifier app! I'll check that out. Thanks!
magnifier app is amazing, its called " magnifier" and i recommend purchasing the app for 2 bucks and getting the better zoom features, and plus you can take pictures within the app.. recommended for sure.
 

Bluebugfreak

Active Member
Just an update- the preflowers pictured in the first post were the sex as suspected! A couple other of my plants were not as obvious and some that I thought were male were female and vice versa. Bottom line is, don't cut em down until you are 100% sure! :-)
 
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