Find out how you can use a legal male hemp plant.
The male cannabis plants, not only with regard to legal hemp but also in the case of psychotropic marijuana, are generally disdained by the growers of this product.
In fact the pollination leads to seed the inflorescences of the female cannabis plants, while one of the main products to obtain from them are the inflorescences.
For this reason male plants are usually eradicated and, if feminized seeds are not used, the germination of a male cannabis plant is often seen as a tragedy.
Despite their bad reputation, male cannabis plants are still rich in properties and play a central role in the cultivation and spread of cannabis.
Below we list six valid reasons why male plants are in any case more than useful.
1) Usefulness of male hemp: biodiversity and survival of the species
Male plants are essential for selecting and creating new cannabis varieties: the major part of the most valuable marijuana plants, with their flavors, aromas and the most appreciated by consumers are hybrids, or the result of selective processes where male plants play a central role.
Species like the White Widow, the Blue Cheese and the Sour Diesel would not exist today except through the selection of the best varieties of male plants so as to be able to pollinate female plants of other types.
The selection of a good and strong male plant usually takes place according to the main criteria:
- Rapid growth and flowering are not signs that indicate a strong male plant. Usually those that take more time are selected, a symptom of a growth process that affects every part of the plant and a homogeneous development;
- The stems of the strongest male plants are thick and hollow: expert growers claim there is a proportion between cannabinoid concentration and the type of stem, so plants with thin or shriveled stems are discarded;
- The airy buds are another symptom of low cannabinoid concentrations, which is why plants with dense and compact buds are preferred, a sign, moreover, of a potential good yield;
- The smell is another important factor: an intense aroma is one of the signs that characterize a male plant capable of leading to hybrids with excellent yields and excellent qualities;
- Without the hybridization process the biodiversity of cannabis species would be greatly reduced, exposing the entire species to the risk that selective diseases will undermine their survival.
Read more: Cultivation of legal hemp: contributions and authorizations to grow hemp in Italy
2) Resistant and flexible fibers
The fibers of the legal male hemp plants, unlike the female ones, are much thinner and more flexible, appearing as optimal for the realization of the finest fabrics and the use in general in the textile industry.
In contrast, the fibers of female cannabis plants are much more rigid and historically used in the production of canvases for sails or cordage, that is less valuable materials than fabrics.
Nowadays the demand for more flexible and thin fibers makes male cannabis plants an excellent culture of industrial cannabis, with which to make sheets, tablecloths and handkerchiefs of cloth.
3) Medicinal roots of legal male hemp
The roots of male cannabis plant contain a series of substances with therapeutic effects, which make them excellent ingredients, once properly treated, for hemp teas, wraps or other herbal products.
In particular, significant concentrations of:
- Friedeline, an antioxidant that protects the liver;
- Epifriedelanol, a substance on which research on the oncology of numerous American institutions is being concentrated;
- Pentacyclic Triterpene, an effective antibacterial, diuretic and anti-inflammatory.
4) Dietary seeds of legal hemp
Cannabis seeds, for the delicate taste reminescent of sunflower or almond, are excellent diet supplements, being rich in fatty acids (omega3 and omega6), vegetable protein and magnesium.
The sale of seeds for food is one of the main reasons why legal hemp crops are also seeded and then threshed.
Read more: CBD Oil
5) Soil regeneration
The cannabis plant does not like pesticides and industrial fertilizers: the diffusion of its cultivation involves in itself a lowering of the use of highly polluting chemicals for the environment.
Furthermore, the legal hemp plant is a self-cleaning, it means that the growth rates and the conformation of the network of roots do so that the other plants, especially the weeds, do not have enough space and light to develop.
Cannabis has the enormous advantage of absorbing heavy metals and other pollutants present in the soil and improving fertility, presenting itself as the optimal choice in the case of rotational crops or fields to be used for more demanding and challenging crops.
6) Insect repellent
The terpenes of male cannabis, in particular limonene and pinene, are excellent parasites repellents of the following plants:
- Potatoes: male hemp protects against mildew and golden nematode.
- Cabbage: prevents the infestation of cabbage plants.
- Cotton, as the legal hemp plant repels the cotton larva.
- Wheat: the two terpenes are unwelcome to the root worm.
In particular, the smell of cannabis is particularly useful as a mosquito repellent!
So if you were wondering before reading this article: “But male hemp can be smoked?“, Now you know that no, you can’t smoke it.
However, you know 6 reasons why the male variety of light male cannabis is still useful, although it is not as popular as the female plant.