How much is too much stress?

[NorthernHoney]

I was just reading Parkone's thread about his late harvest Hermi and it was very interesting, but I am curious, How much stress does it take to make a female hermie? Is it nute related stress or moving the pot?
As I am just past first week of flowering I was just curious. Thanks.

 

[pcduck]

I think that most stress occurs from light leaks.

 

[NorthernHoney]

Oh o.k. I gotcha

 

[OldHippieChick]

good question NorthernHoney - been wondering as much..... also wondering just where I should be looking out for these evil hermi balls..... I read somewhere that they grow out the tops of the buds????? any feedback anyone ?

 

[legalize_freedom]

There are all kinds of stress like duck said Light leaks is the big one, but extreme heat or cold, different light cycle changes, too much/little nutes, overwatering/underwatering...basically anything bad done excessively

 

[leafminer]

If it's going to hermie it will. Genetics ...

 

[jmansweed]

Intersexed plants are genetic. Hermies are stable female phenotypes that show both sexes as a cause of stress. Plants expose those things in nature that are consistant and rely on these things to grow and prosper. Indoors, disruptions in these consistant factors (light, food/watering, air etc) can and eventually will lead to female plants developing male flowers - known as a hermies. These male flowers can show up any place on a bud site. Sometimes I've seen them well hidden under a large bud sight. Other times little yellow bananas come pocking their way out the top of a cola. Rarely, I've had them develop inside a bud - seen only at harvest time. As a side note many times severe stress can even make the male pollin unfertile - though I would never risk relying on that factor.

I've always viewed this reaction to stress as the plants last ditch effort to reproduce. It essentially realizes that death is near, induces early senescence, and attempts to seed itself ensuring next years plant. Unfortunatly, once she turns hermie there is usually no turning back. Intersexed plants are genetically designed to have both male and female flowers. I'll post some pics if I can dig them up.

 

[2Dog]

ok I had one plant hermie on me that I stressed a grip..She was outside for almost 1.5 weeks in 30-40 degreee weather, sprayed with alcohol water many times, trimmed of branches and leaves that were too covered, had her light cycles totally messed up...moving a pot wont do it..

 

[IRISH]

moving a pot CAN do it 2 dog...if your moving it excessively persay from a cooler outdoor spot, to a warm tropical room set up with false lighting and forced air...going from one extreme, to the other on a continuous basis, yes, this may be a cause of triggering the gene to herm sooner than it normally would, anyway...

did you get all that? LoL...

bottom line...jman said it beautifully;;; it was gonna herm anyway...how soon is the question???...thats up to the grower...if you have her tweaked to 64 days, and she spits nanners at 65, well she comes down at day 58-64...

hope that gives a bit more insight...

 

[sixtreduce]

could clones turn hermie....

 

[IRISH]

yes. if the mom had the trait...

 

[2Dog]

moving a pot CAN do it 2 dog...if your moving it excessively persay from a cooler outdoor spot, to a warm tropical room set up with false lighting and forced air...going from one extreme, to the other on a continuous basis, yes, this may be a cause of triggering the gene to herm sooner than it normally would, anyway...

did you get all that? LoL...

bottom line...jman said it beautifully;;; it was gonna herm anyway...how soon is the question???...thats up to the grower...if you have her tweaked to 64 days, and she spits nanners at 65, well she comes down at day 58-64...

hope that gives a bit more insight...

Irish..she simply said moving..not going from one extreme to another which I stated already that a change in temps..extreme did cause mine..rotating/moving a pot will not since I rotate all of my plants and many others here do as well.. I also move them in pots during the sumemr to catch the best sun...
also this plant wasnt going to do it anyways..I had clones from her that did not hermie and the guy I got her from as a clone did not have hermies...so it isnt a genetic issue but a stress one in my mind two totally different things...

 

[IRISH]

2dog. i'm talking about going from indoor, to outdoor on a continuous basis...

ok, i'ma go back to the corner now...:confused2:

 

[pcduck]

Last year's candy grow we did, I stress the poor girl unmercilessly and she did not hermie, she did not have the hermie trait in her. If the breeder does there job right the plants should be able to take quite a bit of abuse without throwing nanners this includes eating themselves up when you forget to harvest them..

When growing outside the plants go through a lot of stress without turning hermie. High winds, down pours, broken branches in some cases, just not light leaks maybe there is something with light leaks and hermies more than abuse stress. Bottom line get good generics and they will not hermie unless of light leak even then good generics are pretty tough.IME

 

[2Dog]

2dog. i'm talking about going from indoor, to outdoor on a continuous basis...

ok, i'ma go back to the corner now...:confused2:

and what you are saying totally makes sense..going from indoor to outdoor different extremes..but I didnt see honey talking about those scenarios.. she asked how much stress does it take?
the question of moving the pot is very broad.. and we both took it in different ways. both are good answers IMO..

 

[legalize_freedom]

I've only had hermi's once and like duck said they were from bad genetics. I move my plants once a week, I have to move them out of my grow box to water them, the only ones that have hermied are the ones that my buddy screwed up trying to make femenised seeds. (idiot...lol) This had been a good strain untill he forced a hermi (light schedule stress) I had grown this strain for over 10 yrs, and never saw 1 hermi, until he messed with it.

 

[NorthernHoney]

Thanks everyone, I was just wondering. The word stress is so broad. I know I don't have light leaks because I have been down there when the lights go out and it is very very dark. I was more curious about the moving around and nutes during the flowering process. I don't know about the genetics of the ob's because I got the seeds from a head shop and the kid was clueless or at least acted clueless so I am not sure if the hermie gene is there or not. There are so many terms used that I don't know what they mean and I hate to look stupid when I ask, I need a mj lingo book for Dummies.
Happy New Year everyone.

 

[legalize_freedom]

Well you used to be able to say that if they came from a reputable breeder, they are probably stabalized, but there are so many breeders these days it's hard to tell, and it seems that many are just tossing pollen around to make a buck. 15-20 yrs ago there were only a hand full of breeders, with the popularity of the internet, the fly by nights came out of the woodwork. Honey, your just going to have to grow it out, and see, if it works out for you, keep running it, if it don't try another breeder. Good Luck sister!

 

[NorthernHoney]

Thanks, they look good actually at least I think so, they are getting all kinds of bud sites on them. The one ww looks kind of sad but has a lot of new growth and several nice bud sites, the other ww looks good. I will post pics in a week or so when they start filling in better.
I have been reading and reading but the books and magazine don't really answer the stupid questions and I don't have anyone to ask so I ask here.

 

[legalize_freedom]

come on....no questions are stupid! I wish I had a place to ask questions yrs ago, it might have saved countless plants...there is only one way to learn, that is to try it. You just have the luxury of a place like this to help you out.