# How much light to keep male growing ?



## rebel (Nov 3, 2013)

I put my 6 WW under 12/12 a few days ago. They are about 4' tall.
I want to select a male(providing i have one) to get some seeds.
I read somewhere that it doesnt take much light to keep a male going until pollen is saved.
If so, how much light ? i have an extra t5, 4bulb, 4' long. will this be enough ?
One more question, once a male starts getting nanners, how long until theyre ripe for pollen ? And is males like 2-3 weeks earlier showing before females ?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 3, 2013)

Where are you going to keep the male?  I would recommend an entirely different building than where you are keeping your girls.  Pollen goes everywhere.  Have you considered cloning?

While males will sometimes show sooner than the females, sometimes they don't.  I generally only have about a week-10 days difference between the fastest and the slowest if they are the same strain.  And like I mentioned, the males are not always the first to show.


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## 4u2sm0ke (Nov 3, 2013)

I agree with the *HempGodess *here.....If you can clone the sellected Male you would be better off..By the time you collect the pollen The females will be towards the end of the time frame..IMO...I like to use a friends house that dont grow.....all tough some say not much light is needed  I like to still stay with 3kpsf min....and dont collect the very first start of pollen as its not as viable as say a weeks after dropping...Best of Luck

:48:


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## Wetdog (Nov 3, 2013)

You can certainly clone males. This one never showed preflowers and I took 6 clones and kept them under T-12's along with the host plant.

I really thought it was female, tight internodes, bushy growth and I was really surprised when it went outside in early spring and showed balls. I'm using it for a cubing since it was so much nicer than the male I used originally.

Wet


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## Locked (Nov 3, 2013)

I have kept males in a bathroom downstairs from my grow room under a single 26w cfl. Fed him the bare minimum and collected his love dust. I would recommend stripping down after collection and washing all the clothes you had on. Pollen can get everywhere. I always want to chuck some pollen and then when it comes down to it I just take more clones of my best females.


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## homebrew420 (Jan 11, 2014)

The pollen getting everywhere is a well propagated myth. Haha. What I mean to say is pollen travels on wind, keep aair movement to a minimum, if no wind... its not going a where but to the floor. Only viable for a 10ish he period so long as no water contact.
under 24hrs use a t8 or a few cfls if space is tight. Always 24 hrs light...and they will likely drop pollen after reAching maturity anyways.


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## 4u2sm0ke (Jan 11, 2014)

All it takes is to walk around makes enough air movement to move the pollen...even the simple thing as opening a door makes air movement...So  I say its no Myth..


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 11, 2014)

homebrew420 said:
			
		

> The pollen getting everywhere is a well propagated myth. Haha. What I mean to say is pollen travels on wind, keep aair movement to a minimum, if no wind... its not going a where but to the floor. Only viable for a 10ish he period so long as no water contact.
> under 24hrs use a t8 or a few cfls if space is tight. Always 24 hrs light...and they will likely drop pollen after reAching maturity anyways.



Not a myth at all.  And it is virtually impossible to have no air movement.  Like 4u said, Just walking around creates quite a bit of air movement.  And pollen can collect on clothing and hair.  In addition, every grow space needs ventilation...even those small spaces eked out to keep a male.


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## Locked (Jan 11, 2014)

homebrew420 said:
			
		

> The pollen getting everywhere is a well propagated myth. Haha. What I mean to say is pollen travels on wind, keep aair movement to a minimum, if no wind... its not going a where but to the floor. Only viable for a 10ish he period so long as no water contact.
> under 24hrs use a t8 or a few cfls if space is tight. Always 24 hrs light...and they will likely drop pollen after reAching maturity anyways.



So I guess you don't have any ventilation running then?   It's not a myth. a little bit of pollen goes a long way. It might not ruin a crop but it can cause some seeded bud to happen.


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## homebrew420 (Jan 12, 2014)

Of course no vent and air movement around a male if he is dropping pollen. Two pieces of visqueen making "rooms" 6 ft apart.  VERY rarely did I have contamination issues. So I say "myth". 
just my experience though.

Peace


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## homebrew420 (Jan 12, 2014)

I have kept males for very long periods, they all have dropped pollen in veg. Not trying to rage the males, therefore no air movement in the male tent. They do fine.

Peace


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## DancesWithWeed (Jul 5, 2014)

id say its a myth, that you think its a myth.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 6, 2014)

I have kept males in a storage shed separate from the house and still had pollen somehow find its way to some of the girls.  You cannot have a grow with NO ventilation--temps will get too high and the plant just needs fresh air.


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## vostok (Aug 10, 2014)

Hamster Nailed it....lol
In most shower stalls in the east ..sits a lonely half starved skinny male, waiting for sex, keep them in the shower with a curtain pulled, keeps the rogue pollen from wandering around, wet ot humidity kills the pollen, so shower daily to condense any wild pollen that will wash to the drain, 
once the balls noticeably develop, lean the plant in the shower on a mirror, or glass picture frame, and scrap up the pollen daily and store in your fridge/freezer, with uncooked rice to again reduce humidity, stays fresh in freezer fr up to 3 months and fades to nil in 6 months.
but lately I snap a twig of healthy footballs and store in a glass, like a flower in my bathroom, for up to 2 months change water every 2-3 days, can go longer but insert fast food drinking straw and blow bubbles into glass every day ...is fun ..lol


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