How worried should I be about HERMIES caused by stress!?

[lampost]

So hermies have become my greatest nightmare at this stage.

If one is growing a stable medical strain, how concerned should one be about hermaphrodites pollenating and ruining one's entire crop? My understanding is that if you have a stable strain (ie, not bagseed) then the only thing that will cause hermaphrodites is stressful/unnatural environmental conditions (like light leaks, messed up temps, crazy pH, etc).

I think I remember hearing that the pollen created from stress-induced hermaphrodites is not viable. In other words, if stress caused a plant to turn hermie and produce balls/pollen sacks then that pollen would be sterile and wouldn't pollenate the other females in the room. Is that really the case? Or can stress-induced hermies heavily pollenate the females and ruin your crop with extremely-seeded buds?

A few seeds here and there would be fine, but I'm worried about all of the plants getting seeded. I've got Sour Diesel and I've heard that has hermie tendencies...

Calling all hermie experts! What stresses are most likely to cause hermies? I know photoperiod fluctuations are probably number one. What are some others?


Please post links to any other good threads or info on stress-induced hermies

[WashougalWonder]

So hermies have become my greatest nightmare at this stage.

If one is growing a stable medical strain, how concerned should one be about hermaphrodites pollenating and ruining one's entire crop? My understanding is that if you have a stable strain (ie, not bagseed) then the only thing that will cause hermaphrodites is stressful/unnatural environmental conditions (like light leaks, messed up temps, crazy pH, etc).

Bag seed is not necessarily unstable. A stable strain is one that consistently grows the same phenotypes from a seed batch. You can and probably do have very stable seed stock in bag seed.

I think I remember hearing that the pollen created from stress-induced hermaphrodites is not viable.

Hogwash

In other words, if stress caused a plant to turn hermie and produce balls/pollen sacks then that pollen would be sterile and wouldn't pollenate the other females in the room. Is that really the case? YESOr can stress-induced hermies heavily pollenate the females and ruin your crop with extremely-seeded buds?Ruin as in not sensimillia or ruin as in throw out? It is all still good to smoke.

A few seeds here and there would be fine, but I'm worried about all of the plants getting seeded. I've got Sour Diesel and I've heard that has hermie tendencies...

Calling all hermie experts! What stresses are most likely to cause hermies? I know photoperiod fluctuations are probably number one. What are some others?


Cold
overwatering
wrong PH
too much nutes
heat
light cycle disruption
lack of air


Please post links to any other good threads or info on stress-induced hermies
Just pick off the sacs if there are only a few. Look at the very bottom branches and the very top colas.........or save the pollen and play around with making your own seeds!!

[lampost]

Thanks... damn, looks like I need to be extra vigilant. A few seeds would be OK and would be the end of the world (~5 per eighth). But if it got totally seeded out I'll be bummed.

I used a NO PEST STRIP on week 1 of flower for 7 days, so plants were definitely stressed for fresh air since I turned of fans and sealed it up most of the time. I think 1-2 of the recently transplanted plants are also having issues with pH so I've definitely got to get that resolved within the next week (they are Sour D too).

[pappabear]

don't forget to spray with water before removing the sacks to deactivate the pollen. And wash your hands before handing the rest of your garden.

[lampost]

So I guess I was trying to determine moreso what the likelihood of getting hermies is?

In your grows is this something that happens often? Say your pH gets out of whack and it takes a week or so to get it back in line.... plant is stressed... are you guaranteed to get a hermie!?

I know this is entirely environmental and strain-dependent, but for those of you who have a few grows, have you run into hermies a lot? Were they stressed hard or was it just a simple mistake like watering once without pH'ing or not turning the air-cooling fan on one day?

I'm just trying to get a feel for how common these fuckin' bastard children are!

[senorx12562]

I don't think there are any guarantees of anything re hermies. One thing I know is true however. The pollen will be viable should it happen. If you are vigilant though, you should see it happening with plenty of warning to prevent fertilization of your other plants by getting rid of the offending parts of the plant or getting rid of the whole thing.