Quote Originally Posted by WashougalWonder
I think I may have been the one to post the original.

I still believe that when first coming out of the soil, the red stems are going to be female. Later they will just get green but as the plant gets a little older just the leaf stems will get a dusting of red on the upper surface of the stem. To the best of my feeble recollection I have never had a male that had the red discoloration.

This is not an every time thing, just mostly. Currently I found one that looked male on sprouting. It is a female. It does not have any red at all in the leaf stems. So, my theory is not perfect just something that is more common in females.

Yes the purple can also mean deficiency.....but not at the itty bitty first stage of life when it is living off the cotlydon (sp?).

I am not fool enough to stick my neck out and say that this is perfect, just a theory and observations of growing over 30 years.
I was hoping to find the original owner of this theory. Thank you for your theory by the way. So far, your theory has been correct. I also noticed a brite green female once that did not show any purp except for where the stem of the leaf actually met the leaf.

I have still yet to see a purp male, unless it hermied some how!?!?

I will stick by your theory until proof it is wrong, it has been 100% correct thus far.