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Trouble!
Stresses and problems:
Things that can cause stress and eventual hermaphroditism among your plants, and the ways to prevent them, include the following:
-Light leaks. Check during the dark period to be certain no light is coming through cracks or ductwork.
-Heat stress. Keep temperatures below 85 F at all times. 75 or thereabouts is comfortable for your plants during their lights on cycle. Spikes up to 95 will not kill the plant, but are a source of stress. Night temperatures should be only 10-15 degrees F less than day temps. Low temps are also dangerous, and if you grow in a cellar, lift your plants up off the floor on shipping pallets or a table.
-High humidity. Humidity more than about 50% runs the risk of mold in your buds. Again, cellars can be dangerous. An application of Kilz oil-based primer on exposed moist concrete is a way to help kill and prevent mold that is already present. Old carpeting can also harbor mold spores. Moldy buds are dangerous, can cause respiratory ailments, and should NEVER be smoked under any circumstances.
A rootbound condition. Allow about a gallon of soil per foot of main stem that your plant will finish at. A plant flowered at 1 foot will be very happy in a 3 gallon pail with PLENTY of drainage. Holes drilled up the sides of the pot are wonderful to help aerate the roots, prevent root rot, and aid in uptake of nutrients. A plant that has been aggressively trained and pruned will naturally need a larger pot- just use your instinct when choosing pot sizes. Free pots can be found out back of the Hadley Garden Center on Rt9 in Hadley MA in a large wooden crate. They should be thoroughly bleached before use. The square white pots sold by Liquid Sun in Putney VT are IDEAL for flowering indoor soil-grown plants, and I typically finish a trained plant at 24” in a pot like that.
Fertilizer problems. Overuse of supplements can stress your plants to the point of herming. When you try out a new one, apply at a dilute rate to see how your plants react to it. High temperatures will make any undesired effects much more severe.
Identifying and dealing with herms:
Hermaphrodite flowers will show a tiny, ~3mm long, creamy-yellow growth that looks like a banana set in amongst the calyxes. This is a male flower, called a 'herm' or 'nanner' by growers. It contains pollen with no Y chromosome. The pollen is usually viable, and will lead to a seedy crop. The offspring will be virtually ALL female; however, this is STILL not a very desirable thing to have happen in your garden!!! You can easily pick the male flowers out with a pair of tweezers or your fingernails if they are long. Check regularly. In a smaller home grow, the option of throwing out the whole plant really isn't one you have to take. Go through weekly and comb the female buds for herms. If a plant shows any, remove them, and tag the plant so you know to check it more regularly. Fix any cultural problems you may be having. Overripe plants will also start throwing nanners on you, so be careful how long past the harvest date you go. A fine mist of clean water will render pollen non-viable, but avoid adding moisture to the buds and the air surrounding them, as mold may form.
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