PERCENTAGE OF
FEMALES
From literature it
appears that the growth of a male or female plant from seed,
except for the predisposition in the gender chromosomes, also
depends on various environmental factors. For growers who are
well experienced, percentage of female plants is 60% - 90%
female, but less experienced growers can end up with 100% male
plants. The environmental factors that, according to literature,
influence gender are:
- a higher
nitrogen concentration will give more females (at
the three-pairs-of-leaves stage and continue for two or three
weeks).
- a higher
potassium concentration will give more males (at
the three-pairs-of-leaves stage and continue for two or three
weeks).
- a higher
humidity will give more females (at
the three-pairs-of-leaves stage and continue for two or three
weeks).
- a lower
temperature will give more females (at
the three-pairs-of-leaves stage and continue for two or three
weeks).
- more blue light
will give more females (at
the three-pairs-of-leaves stage and continue for two or three
weeks).
- Fewer hours of
light will give more females (at
the three-pairs-of-leaves stage and continue for two or three
weeks).
- In later stage,
as you increase the light, the plants grow faster and show more
females/less males. Sixteen hours of light per day seems to be
the best combination, beyond this makes little or no appreciable
difference in the plant quality.
- Another idea is
to interrupt the night cycle with about one hour of light. This
gives you more females.
- Spray dilute
Fish Emulsion ( 1 tablespoon per gallon ). When the plants have
three sets of true leaves, plus the top sprout, give them a
wetting spray of Fish Emulsion. Do it once a day for three of
four days. Top and bottom of the leaves.
- To achieve 100%
female plants is to expose young seedlings for several hours to
an atmosphere of Carbon Monoxide. It doesn't hurt the plants,
but it could kill you.
- Treatment of
hempseed with ethylene gas will increase the resulting number of
female plants by about 50%. Ethylene is produced by certain
plants (i.e., bananas, cucumbers and melons), and these can be
used to treat hempseed in a simple manner. About two weeks
before you plan to sprout the seeds, place them in a paper bag
or envelope and put that in a plastic bag with the peels of a
ripening banana or cucumber. Replace the peels after a couple of
days, and change the bags to prevent mold.
- When hempseed is
treated with the female hormone estrogen, percentage of females
that are produced will increase by about 10%. Dissolve a birth
control pill in water and soak the seeds overnight in the
solution. After the initial soaking, continue to treat the seeds
by sprouting them on a paper towel soaked in the solution.
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