Identifying the sex of a cannabis plant is crucial for cultivators, as only female plants produce the smokable flower buds that contain the psychoactive compound THC. Several key characteristics can help distinguish male from female weed plants, enabling growers to separate them early in their growth cycle and optimize their cultivation efforts.
One of the primary indicators of a female cannabis plant is the presence of pistils, which are the reproductive organs that produce the plant’s seeds. These pistils appear as small, white hairs that emerge from the calyx, the cup-like structure where the flower buds form. As the plant matures, the pistils will turn brown and become more visible, indicating that the plant is in the flowering stage and producing buds.