Do male cannabis plants produce seeds?

While cannabis is a dioecious plant (meaning it can be male, female, or hermaphroditic), the short answer to whether male cannabis plants produce female seeds is no. The longer answer is also technically no, but requires a little more explanation. Don’t worry, we’ll introduce you to the basics of feminized cannabis seeds and show you what you can do with male cannabis plants. Let’s dive in.

Understand male, female, and hermaphroditic cannabis

We mentioned that cannabis is dioecious. While this may not seem unusual since humans are dioecious too, it is an incredibly rare trait. Only about 7 percent of all flowering plant species produce separate male and female plants. And that’s important because all of the cannabis we consume is sinsemilla (seedless females). Our guide to sexing cannabis makes it quick and easy to find out what you’re working with. In short, male cannabis plants produce pollen sacs and females produce pistils. It is also possible to have hermaphroditic plants, although these are more likely a result of stress. However, there are fully genetic hermaphroditic strains that produce both pistils and stamina.

Most often, non-genetic hermaphrodites are either fully hermaphroditic or female with some male flowers. Male cannabis plants very rarely produce female parts, but it can happen. In the rare event that this happened, the seeds would likely not be viable either. Because if the plant is predominantly male and manages to produce viable seeds, the chances of getting female seeds are next to impossible. The offspring in this scenario should only be XY.

How are feminized seeds made?

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The bottom line is that cannabis is genetically wired to produce an equal 50:50 split between male and female seeds – unless it’s grown from clones. Still, the methods we have for making feminized seeds are not bulletproof. Feminized semen will be about 99 percent female, but it is still possible (though unlikely) for a renegade male to creep in. In other words, a 99 percent guarantee is better than pretty much any birth control I’ve ever used in my life, and I still don’t have any kids. Those are pretty good chances.

The feminization process involves forcing the female plants to produce pollen and thus pollinate other females, resulting in only XX offspring. There are basically two ways to get feminized seeds. The first is to spray on female plants with topical solutions, forcing them to produce male pollen sacs. Remember that after spraying, these plants cannot be used for smoking – consider them a write-off. The second way is to take advantage of the unnatural state of Sinsemilla.

It would be very unnatural to see a sinsemilla plant in the wild. The pollen from a man’s pollen sacs can pollinate female plants up to 2,000 miles away, although realistically it is about 3 km. When the sinsemilla has passed the main stage of maturation, it produces male pollen sacs as a final attempt at self-pollination. Self-pollinating Sinsemilla naturally produces all XX female seeds.

So what’s the point of keeping male cannabis plants?

Can’t you produce feminized seeds or enough cannabinoids to be consumed, plus the potential to ruin a crop? It seems like the cannabis grower is on a crusade to wipe out the males! Realistically, there are a few other uses for male plants other than being crushed as fertilizer. Male plants are essential for breeding and can actually be used to make cannabutter for edibles and infusions. It may not result in such an intense high, but there is certainly some benefit to keeping your guys to yourself. Nowhere near your females, of course, unless you want to breed.

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