Help identifying pre-flower

Hello everyone

I have a couple of plants I'm growing from bag seed that are between weeks 5 and 8 of veg (they were sowed as I smoked my way through the bag, so not all the same age)

They all seem to be ready for flowering, but I'd prefer to tell males from females before flipping the switch. So far there are a couple showing the white "hairs" that I have been able to confirm as female; a couple of others only have pre-flowers. I was almost discarding those as male, but on close inspection, these pre-flowers seem a lot "pointier" than the photos I'm seeing online

Can anyone please confirm whether this is a male pre-flower, or if I should wait a little bit more to be certain?

Looks to be a female.

The calyx will be more pointy than the pollen sack.

fritz_lang said:

Hello everyone

I have a couple of plants I'm growing from bag seed that are between weeks 5 and 8 of veg (they were sowed as I smoked my way through the bag, so not all the same age)

They all seem to be ready for flowering, but I'd prefer to tell males from females before flipping the switch. So far there are a couple showing the white "hairs" that I have been able to confirm as female; a couple of others only have pre-flowers. I was almost discarding those as male, but on close inspection, these pre-flowers seem a lot "pointier" than the photos I'm seeing online

Can anyone please confirm whether this is a male pre-flower, or if I should wait a little bit more to be certain?

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If you have any doubt, let plants go until you see the preflowers. The calyx when ready will release pistils, this means the plant is mature and is ready to mate! It’s flowering time! Wait for the pistils to pop out of the calyx before flipping your light cycle. If the plant starts producing pollen sacks, destroy it away from your grow! Unless you want to potentially pollinate all your females

Those aren't pre-flowers........they're the start of new growth.

Hey, thx for the replies!

@MickFoster just to clarify, what I believe to be pre-flowers are the two structures such as the one I've circled here (the real pointy thing I know is just leaf matter)... there was indeed new growth going on at that place, I cut it so I could get a clear shot

MickFoster said:

Those aren't pre-flowers........they're the start of new growth.

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The little hair like things on each side of the node, if they cross it is an early sign of a female. If they are parallel, most likely a male. All females I’ve had have crossed those things

fritz_lang said:

Hey, thx for the replies!

@MickFoster just to clarify, what I believe to be pre-flowers are the two structures such as the one I've circled here (the real pointy thing I know is just leaf matter)... there was indeed new growth going on at that place, I cut it so I could get a clear shot

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As I said.......those are not pre-flowers........they are new growth.

Raspberrykiwi said:

The little hair like things on each side of the node, if they cross it is an early sign of a female. If they are parallel, most likely a male. All females I’ve had have crossed those things

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Those are called stipules.

looks like a male preflower but its not very clearly visible



btw topping or other stress can make the wrong preflowers appear...

MickFoster said:

Those are called stipules.

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That’s right. I couldn’t remember. Stipules crossing is a sign of female plants. At least from what I’ve seen and read

Raspberrykiwi said:

That’s right. I couldn’t remember. Stipules crossing is a sign of female plants. At least from what I’ve seen and read

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no, this is a myth. you need to look at the preflowers instead, these "white hairs" are the most easy visible proof of a female. if it could be seen from the stipules we would be looking at these...

Thanks everyone for the replies. For future reference, that plant turned out to indeed be male

I didn't know plants show their sex before flipping the lights

elgatonegro420 said:

I didn't know plants show their sex before flipping the lights

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They definitely do lol

Is this a boy or a girl. I feel like it looks like a boy with the picture I have that’s closer up

Kingtut22 said:

Is this a boy or a girl. I feel like it looks like a boy with the picture I have that’s closer up

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Hard to tell. Give it 2-3 more weeks and then we can see

Raspberrykiwi said:

Hard to tell. Give it 2-3 more weeks and then we can see

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Okay I was getting worried it might be a herm. It’s a bag seed but would love for it to work out

Not to necro this post but its definitely valid still as I have what I believe to be chem dawg x growing much longer than 6 weeks (i don't actually know exact age?) and it is having a hard time determining its sex as well.
Been growing for 2 decades and have never had so many males outdoor and indoor in one season! Anyways, my indica dominant strain is growing much better than any other M. Jane plant I've ever grown but refuses to sex out! Long story short, i can't flip my light schedule as I'm also growing bush beans, sweet corn, parsley, dill, wild radish, rhubarb, pumpkin, two species of poppy, mango and red cedar trees! My 18on 6off has to stay...
I dont care if it doesn't go to flower, i just don't want to waste the next three months until spring on a male. WTD?

Raspberrykiwi said:

That’s right. I couldn’t remember. Stipules crossing is a sign of female plants. At least from what I’ve seen and read

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Straight myth. I just pulled a male with crossed stipules.