Age Feminization Technique (AFT) or Rodelzation

Soma, the famous marijuana cultivator and breeder (he developed the now legendary NYC diesel strain) recommened the following organic method for making your own Feminized Seeds. It does not require any stressing of the plant or addition of sketchy chemical additives like gibberilic acid. It is sometimes called Rodelization, not for the subspecies known as Ruderalis but after a friend that helped him develop the technique. Soma sets forth this and many of his methods and philosophies in the short grow guide “Organic Marijuana Growing Soma Style”.
Marijuana is nothing if not a survivor. The best survival strategy Marijuana employs is getting humans to cultivate it for its many medical commercial and recreational uses. But this clever plant has more than humans in its arsenal of survival tools. Some lament marijuana’s tendency to hermaphrodization. However this ability is a genetic survival tools par excellence. Consider a lone female marijuana plant that has some how made it to flower. Without any males she would be deprived of the chance to procreate. But marijuana like some other plants and even some vertebrate animals has the ability to produce viable male reproductive structures. Previously unfertilized females will sometimes develop male “bananas” full of pollen at the end of the reproductive cycle. This creates an opportunity to deliver her genetic contribution to the next generation. A few seeds may develop after the males bananas shed their pollen onto the female buds. These very seeds have the potential to allow females to continue in the absence of males. This is evolutionary slightly disadvantageous because it does not allow for the diversity of a healthy gene pool. But it is much more advantageous then not surviving at all! The implications for humanity are staggering and I shall leave that to the reader’s imagination.

The AFT Technique for producing feminized seeds.
1. Let selected females continue to grow about 10 -14 days beyond normal fully ripe harvest.
2. Harvest the aged females and inspect for banana or male pollen sacs.
3. Remove any pollen sacs and store in an air tight plastic bag for up to 2 months
4. You must have some female plants that are in their second week of flower before the pollen begins to loose potency.
5. Using a fine water color brush take a small amount of pollen and gently apply to all the buds except the main colas (which you will keep for your use of course) Caution: pollen will be carried on the wind and remain viable for very long distances. Turn of all ventilation and fans when pollinating
6. Let the plant finish as normally and collect the seeds after the plants have been harvested and dried. You should have a selection of mature feminized seeds that are a cross of the original hermaphrodite and the seed bearing female.
That it folks! I have yet to try the technique myself but may give it a try. If you decide to give it a wirl let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the info, sure better then using hormones and going natural

I'm still wondering how you would know the difference between a stressed induced hermie and feminization. I know it says to wait 10-14 days after usual harvest, but the breeders are said to use ideal conditions and sometimes with cuttings not seeds. Either way i'm guaranteed to try this once i get a perpetual grow going. Good info. If you were to ask Soma on how long to wait he usually advises people to go with what the plants are telling you.

kailiwela44

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oh yeah, oh yeah.

Nice resource. I never did like the sound of that gibberelic acid, or whatever it's called. Organic is the way to go!

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supposed to be another liquid called stamen it!......
check this months high times......jorge cerv. has an article on it...including a few other ways
with the amount of femmed seeds coming out u can believe they are mostly NOT doing it the organic way
i have 10 femmed seeds (6 diff varieties) growing/vegging atm......going to see just how many turn out to be females......still awhile to wait though

Silver enhances stamen development in female white campion (Silene latifolia [Caryophyllaceae])
Silver enhances stamen development in female white campion (Silene latifolia [Caryophyllaceae]) -- Law et al. 89 (6): 1014 -- American Journal of Botany

It's interesting how silver in topical ointments is one of the strongest fungus fighters.
I bet silver protects plants to develop without interruption of outside infections. hmmm?

But I may be way off of this stamen source

All Somas method does is introduce hermaphroditic traits into the gene pool. Who wants that?

Fem seeds have their place I guess but are mostly marketed toward new uninformed growers.

IMO Feminizing is a detrement to the cannabis species as a whole.

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" It's not easy being green "

On my recent harvest I had a bag seed female and found some seeds in a bud. Not sure if the rest of the buds are full of seeds at this time. I had three other plants that had no seeds. What sex would the seeds be from this plant?

thanks

One point of view Kermit...and perhaps correct...but you may missed the point that late period hemaphridization is not an newley introduced genetic mutation...but rather a long held genetic adaptation...now if you mean take plants that feminize early or easily...then I see your point exactly...Plus I have to agree that despite Soma's many awards for breeding wonderful original stable strains...his expertise doesn't mean he is always correct...or more correct then you or me, it just means to me we should take his imput seriously and not simply dismiss it out of hand. Everyone may have an opinion....but some opinions (like Soma's) are based on a great deal of knowledge and experience..and not equal in at least that limited sense.

Though I do not consider myself a new or uninformed grower, I see some real value in fem seeds. I will also grant you that fem seeds are not worth it for most growers..but for someone that is sure they will be able to germinate, and someone that does not have continuous grow, and has limited space...fem seeds seems to be quite a nice deal. Otherwise if you are only growing two or three plants at a time...they could all easily turn out male making the entire grow a waste.

Also I have never had a fem seed from a quality seedband hermie on me. So this fear of hermaphradism run rampant may not not apply to these banks.

Good Question Joe

Your plant could have hermied a bit and so you would have female seeds that carry the early hermie trait Kermit was correctly concerned about

These seeds may also not be viable as you will somtimes find a plant making just a few seeds without fertalization.

Alternately...my buddy has had females pollinated from unknown grows of others in the area...pollen goes far on the wind and each of the millions of particles are capable of fertalization.

I would guess you would have to try to grow these seeds to be 100% certain.

If they don't sprout they may have been unfertalized
If they sprout and you have males and females...they may have been contaminated by some offsite pollen
If they are all female...well you know the deal
the trick is do they carry the early hermie trait (no good) or the late hermie trait (good according to Soma)

soma is my hero. and this method is very effective scott kudos to you.

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

I agree - Soma reminds us growing MJ can be an almost spiritual endevor rather than a commercial/material transaction between species.

not to mention how can you hate a guy with a cat named budz

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

When I finally can move back to California, I seriously want to work in a co op grow as a farmer or work in a dispensary, seriously

Beef up your skills and knowlege all you can Munch!...I am sure you won't be the only one looking for such positions...luck favors the prepared. You may someday run rather than work for a dispensary. I am hoping to start one in my state when the eventuality of legalization is realized here!

quick question, i know its said not to use the feminized pollen pods on the same plant they came from, but what about useing it on a sister clone? would that be engineering hermaphroditism into the strain?

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

If I understand your question moon

you could use the pollen on the same plant but the pollen saks develop when the buds are too close to done for many seeds to develop...so a sister clone would be fine.

thank ya kindly scott

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they call me ishmael, and mobys music sucks. smile if you get it.

back at you buddy

Would it be possible to harvest most of the bud first and just leave a few buds on the plant to do this with? I would be concerned with losing potency taking the buds past maturity like that.