What does a Hermie Pot Plant Look Like?

When growing cannabis, cultivators always aim to produce healthy and high-yielding plants. However, sometimes nature has different plans, and a pot plant may exhibit unusual traits, including becoming a hermaphrodite.

What is a Hermie Pot Plant?

A hermaphrodite pot plant, also known as a hermie, is a plant that develops both male and female flowers. These plants are neither entirely male nor fully female, and can self-pollinate, leading to a crop with genetically unstable and low-quality seeds.

What Does a Hermie Pot Plant Look Like?

It can be tricky to identify a hermaphrodite cannabis plant before flowering. However, during the flowering stage, a hermie plant will develop both male and female flowers. They typically have larger than average flowers with elongated calyxes and are prone to growing clusters of immature pollen sacks, resembling a hermaphrodite reproductive system.

How to Prevent Hermie Pot Plants

To prevent hermaphroditism in cannabis plants, cultivators must ensure the plants receive the right environmental and nutritional conditions. This includes maintaining stable light cycles during the growth and flowering stage, avoiding temperature fluctuations, and providing the right nutrient balance. Additionally, keeping the plants free of stressors such as pests, disease, and physical damage can help prevent plant stress that may trigger a deviation in the plant's sex.

What to Do with a Hermie Pot Plant

Unfortunately, hermie plants are difficult to salvage, and their flowers are typically low-quality and less potent than female plants. Therefore, it is often best to remove them from the grow area to avoid pollination of the remaining plants, leading to low-quality seeds or buds.

However, some cultivators may choose to keep the hermie plant in a separate area to avoid pollination and use their flowers for seed production. This can be a viable option for breeders who want to create their cannabis strains or experiment with new genetics.

Conclusion

A Hermie pot plant is an unusual occurrence that can be harmful to your cannabis crop if left unchecked. Keep an eye out for the signs of hermaphroditism during the flowering stage, and take steps to prevent the growth of such plants. If you do find a hermie, it is best to remove it from your grow area and avoid pollinating your other plants to ensure healthy, high-quality buds.