[imagesource: iStock / stevanovicigor]

Probably, you, as a cannabis grower, have already figured out the way to identify and toss male cannabis plants in order to prevent them from pollinating female ones.

But the surprising fact is that male marijuana plants appear to be as useful as females. Did you know that? If not, this article is going to be a great guide about how to make those males work.

How do I identify a male plant?

Primordially, you can identify the sex of the plant after approximately 3-4 weeks for male plants and 4-6 weeks for female ones. This is the time when cannabis pre-flowers are typically developed. As little versions of adult flowers,  they are usually used for identifying the marijuana plant’s gender in the vegetative stage, which is pretty early. 

So, how do we know if we deal with a male cannabis plant or not?

Typical “male” cannabis plant features:

1. Pre-flowers looking like a “spade” from a card deck;
2. No white pistils (pollen sacs instead of them).

Typical “female” cannabis plant features:

1. Fat bottom;
2. Narrower and longer than male plants.

Important!

Sometimes, you may not notice pollen sacs immediately as they can be not so obvious in the early stages of growth. In this case, you had better wait until you see multiple grape-like hairless pre-flowers stacked together. Once you notice them, you know for sure that this cannabis plant is male.

Once you identified the cannabis plants’ gender, separate the male ones from the female ones to prevent breeding.

Ways to put male cannabis to use

As we know how to identify if the cannabis plant is male, it’s high time we put them in use.

Breeding new strains

It’s possible not only to grow stains for consumption, but also to create strains with the qualities you want (for instance, faster turnaround, higher yields or more resinous buds). This can be a great chance to use your males.

Important!

Male plants provide up to 50% of a cannabis seed’s genetic makeup. Consequently, you’d better choose only the best males for breeding new strains. The better males you select, the better qualities you will get for future generations.

Your males can also be used for THC-rich concentrates (cannabutter in particular). Male plants are psychoactive even though they are not as potent as females. 

Interesting fact: male cannabis plant’s leaves contain a higher THC concentration than female plants in the vegetative growth stage. 

Pay attention to the sepals and other areas of pollen production of the male cannabis plant as these are the places where most resin is concentrated. 

Such THC-rich parts are great to be used for making cannabutter, hash and other concentrates.

Make juice or tea

One more great way to use male cannabis plants is to make THCA drinks like teas or juices. The beneficial effect for the human body comes from special cannabolic acids (CBDA and THCA) being consumed through juices and teas.

Drinking cannabis juice is a good way of consuming male marijuana plants as you are not supposed to worry much about side effects or getting high.

The only recommendation for cannabis juice consumers is not to use too big leaves and thick stalks because they can make the juice taste bitter.

Use it in your regular garden

Both females and males are sources of terpenes – aromatic oils making cannabis so fragrant and tasty. Terpenes are also considered a great tool for pest and disease control. That is why you may use it in vegetable or flower gardens. 

You can also dry male marijuana plants to make a terpene-rich oil which is very effective in repelling pests and insects.

Important!

One more time, make sure that your males and females are separated if you do not want cross-pollination to happen.

Produce hemp fibre

Like females, male cannabis plants are the source of fibre. However, fibres produced by the two types of marijuana differ in a significant way. Therefore, their usage is also different for each type.

But in this article we are talking primarily about male cannabis plants, so here are the reasons why their fibre is better than females’ fibre:

• fibrous and firm stalks that can be used in the production of softer materials;
• softer and thinner fibre (compared to females).

As a result, such qualities are the reason why so many people buy and produce household items made of cannabis fibre (bed linens, towels and many other things).

Summing up 

Often male cannabis plants are considered almost useless, as females have resinous and more potent buds. However, now we know that it is not true. They can be used both for consumption (healthy THCA juices) and gardening (insects and pests control).

Nevertheless, you should always remember to protect your females as pollen grains are able to travel far.