this is a hermie...right? [pic]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this from comparing other pictures, but other bud sites show similar balls with pistils coming out. Just need to be sure I'm identifying this correctly, because if I am I somehow ended up with 3/4 shemales.

Living in good conditions. Bagseed (something pretty fruity), 3rd week flower, consistent 72-78 deg F, heating pad, 25-30% humidity, organic grow using combo of blood meal, fish emulsion, and bat guano, ph 6.5, MG organic potting mix.

There may have been a small light leak during the first week of flowering. I mean tiny. Filtered through white plastic. Not enough to illuminate my hand at even just a couple inches. Problem has since been corrected.

Why did they decide to do this? Stress levels are extremely low. Other pic is a group shot of the same plants. 2 of those plants have the sacks in the first pic. Already culled one.

Thanks!

yes, that is a hermy.

fdd2blk said:

yes, that is a hermy.

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Thanks for the positive ID!

Through the info I gave, is there anything that stands out that may have caused them to turn? Would like to avoid this in the future.

Also, and I'm sure this has been asked before, but can I chop 'em off as I see them, or is it a lost cause once they start appearing? Any way to minimize self-pollination?

i'd say they wouldn't be worth growing out. when i see "true" hermies like this i always relate it to genetics.

fdd2blk said:

i'd say they wouldn't be worth growing out. when i see "true" hermies like this i always relate it to genetics.

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Hope you don't mind if I grill you for another question, but could you please clarify "true hermie" for me? I've seen many pics that were hermie that didn't look quite like mine. Would be interested to know the difference.

Good to know that it's a good chance it's not me. Don't want to have to worry about this the next time around.

Thanks for your help. Seen you post a lot as I've been lurking. You are a great help to many. [/kiss ass mode]

ETA: 1 more. If I grow these out and let them pollinate, will the seeds be predisposed towards hermaphrodites?

BentStick said:

Hope you don't mind if I grill you for another question, but could you please clarify "true hermie" for me. I've seen many pics that were hermie that didn't look quite like mine. Would be interested to know the difference.

Good to know that it's a good chance it's not me. Don't want to have to worry about this the next time around.

Thanks for your help. Seen you post a lot as I've been lurking. You are a great help to many. [/kiss ass mode]

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a lot of plants will be female and will flower fine if they are not stressed. once stressed though they start to show male flowers here and there. i think these are "unstable strains". when a plant shows male and female flowers from the beginning under non-stressful conditions i consider this a "true hermy". it was genetically mapped to be hermy no matter what.

ya its usually genetics, although if you introduce nutes wrong they have the potential turn, I have heard.

he difference is in the make up of you plant. Each strain h their way of showing sex. I heard if you pinch off the balls before they pollinate you might be able to save them. Needless to say you do run the risk of missing one ore not being unsuccessfully. If you are unsuccessful th the balls with open end pollinate in the air and destroy your whol crop.

fdd2blk said:

a lot of plants will be female and will flower fine if they are not stressed. once stressed though they start to show male flowers here and there. i think these are "unstable strains". when a plant shows male and female flowers from the beginning under non-stressful conditions i consider this a "true hermy". it was genetically mapped to be hermy no matter what.

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Great, thanks for clearing that up.

Did you happen to catch my edit above. May have cross posted.

From above:
ETA: 1 more. If I grow these out and let them pollinate, will the seeds be predisposed towards hermaphrodites?

I think you answered me with your last post. Herm dominance in the dna, right?

Koabear said:

ya its usually genetics, although if you introduce nutes wrong they have the potential turn, I have heard.

he difference is in the make up of you plant. Each strain h their way of showing sex. I heard if you pinch off the balls before they pollinate you might be able to save them. Needless to say you do run the risk of missing one ore not being unsuccessfully. If you are unsuccessful th the balls with open end pollinate in the air and destroy your whol crop.

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That's actually how I found the first sack. I separated one and took it out of the room to look at it. Put a scissors to the base of a ball and it exploded. Pollen went clear of the plant. First time that's happened.

Oh well, first indoor attempt. These were tests as they came from a really seedy bag. Good, but seedy. That should have tipped me off right there though, heh.

pollen will travel to everywhere in your house even if you have the doors closed speacil seals it will ruin your crop if it is in i say a half mile of your plants.

Koabear said:

pollen will travel to everywhere in your house even if you have the doors closed speacil seals it will ruin your crop if it is in i say a half mile of your plants.

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I'll be sure to keep a closer eye in the future, but like I said this was just a test. New room, new environment. Wanted to test it out and iron out the problems before doing anything special. So if these seed, not a biggy.

Will a bleach/water rubdown neutralize any pollen that may have made its way into the box?

In my first grow I had 3 males, 4 females and a true hermie bastard. Out of the 4 females only 1 of them is in very good shape, the others have had issues and I'll be lucky to get a few bowl packs out of each. I opted to take the risk because of my lower total yield production and have left the herm in the grow room. Every 1-2 days (they have been flowering for just over 3 weeks) I pull the hermie out of the grow room and with a magnifying glass and a small pair of trimming scissors carefully snip off the balls from the base of the node - leaving the female parts untouched. This has been working very well so far as none of the other females have showed any signs of pollination on any of the nodes. Another option to consider if you don't want to terminate the herm is to make a plastic-like cocoon around it so that any pollen released stays within the herm's area. If you go this route remember that your plant needs co2 and other chemicals, so the plant will have to be removed from the grow room for brief periods while you take off the covering to treat/clean/water/whatever. Of course if you have a bunch of healthy girls the easiest thing to do would be to massacre the she-male.

BentStick said:

I'll be sure to keep a closer eye in the future, but like I said this was just a test. New room, new environment. Wanted to test it out and iron out the problems before doing anything special. So if these seed, not a biggy.

Will a bleach/water rubdown neutralize any pollen that may have made its way into the box?

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a good cleaning will rid the room of it. it won't "ruin" your crop. you may have seeds that's all. bud is just as good except it has seeds. i have had males in every room. i use them for pollinating. if done properly it's not an issue.

magic said:

Another option to consider if you don't want to terminate the herm is to make a plastic-like cocoon around it so that any pollen released stays within the herm's area. If you go this route remember that your plant needs co2 and other chemicals, so the plant will have to be removed from the grow room for brief periods while you take off the covering to treat/clean/water/whatever. Of course if you have a bunch of healthy girls the easiest thing to do would be to massacre the she-male.

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Given those two options, I think I'll take the one which involves massacring this unholy freak of nature. My apologies to any hermaphrodites who may be reading this

fdd2blk said:

a good cleaning will rid the room of it. it won't "ruin" your crop. you may have seeds that's all. bud is just as good except it has seeds. i have had males in every room. i use them for pollinating. if done properly it's not an issue.

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I've read in a few places that THC production goes down as seed count goes up as all the energy is going towards seed production. Fact/fiction?

BentStick said:

I've read in a few places that THC production goes down as seed count goes up as all the energy is going towards seed production. Fact/fiction?

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bullsh*t!!!! .........

THC is in the make of oyur plant they will never lose any % unless your doing something wrong