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Plant Sex Test
- Thread starter Zeez
- Start date
I know a guy in the states that uses one of these services and he thinks it is worth every penny. From what I have seen of his grow threads (different forum) , he has received accurate results. The test seems to screen out possible hermies as well.
I can see it being useful but the cost needs to come down to 5 bucks before I'd consider it worthwhile. For a cash cropper working from seed services like this could be a very valuable tool.
I can see it being useful but the cost needs to come down to 5 bucks before I'd consider it worthwhile. For a cash cropper working from seed services like this could be a very valuable tool.
The sex tests I've seen are accurate but they didn't include hermaphrodites. If it's a female that throws male flowers it shows as a female. Whether it's worth spending the $ depends on your situation. Vegetative plants are cheap to grow and it's a matter of time before you learn the sex. If you're limited by space and numbers and don't plan on breeding it's a good idea. Even if you're keeping the males it's nice to know which are which and you don't have to give them the same amount of care and lighting.
i will have to go read thru the guy's thread where he mentions how much, shows the report and what company he uses. I'm in Canukistan so not sure if we have these tests availlable up here.
If I remember correctly... and sometimes I don't LOL... the tests show definately female , definately male, and then some plants the results don't fit in those two categories so are assumed to be hermies.
I'll try and find the thread and the whole story but as I said, it's on another site.
If I remember correctly... and sometimes I don't LOL... the tests show definately female , definately male, and then some plants the results don't fit in those two categories so are assumed to be hermies.
I'll try and find the thread and the whole story but as I said, it's on another site.
Describe the proces from start till end.
You took a small part from a small unsexed plant....etc?
P
ReikoX
Knight of the BlackSvn
The two tests were a tad different. But the process was the same. First you order the kit and when it gets delivered, you take the sample from the plant and return the sample. A week or so later you get the results online.
They Phylos test instructs you to use a cotyledon and smash it between two pieces of "paper" and send them back that with no plant material. The Steep Hill test has you snip a small piece from one of the first true leaves into their collection envelope and send them that back.
I'm pretty sure I had to pay postage to send both back...
They Phylos test instructs you to use a cotyledon and smash it between two pieces of "paper" and send them back that with no plant material. The Steep Hill test has you snip a small piece from one of the first true leaves into their collection envelope and send them that back.
I'm pretty sure I had to pay postage to send both back...
Treevly
Active member
Which company will you use next time?
Treevly
Active member
At 'how many days in' do you do that flip? Thanks
I went to the companies' websites to check up on things since my memory isn't always correct. The tests check for 'Y' chromosome, females have two 'X', males have an 'X' and a 'Y'. Which means they don't detect hermaphrodites, only males.
They tell you to use the cotyledon and that you can only test young plants a few weeks old. This isn't really true, if you ask them through emails they'll tell you they can test plants of any age. They're leery about sending a leaf that could contain THC through the mail.
You aren't really sending a leaf though, you're sending a 'smear'. I'd recommend sampling early in the morning or right after the lights come on, using plants that are full of water. You'll need to do your test over if you screw up and use a leaf that's too dry. They send you special paper, you smash the leaf onto it squeezing out as much juice as you can onto the paper.
The pricing I found is around $60 for 4, almost $900 for 88. Close to the break even point, I estimate around $5-20 to grow a male. You can switch your light cycles to force early sexing but it's not my favorite method. Besides the money you save on dirt and fertilizer the space under your lights or the sun is the biggest saving.
They tell you to use the cotyledon and that you can only test young plants a few weeks old. This isn't really true, if you ask them through emails they'll tell you they can test plants of any age. They're leery about sending a leaf that could contain THC through the mail.
You aren't really sending a leaf though, you're sending a 'smear'. I'd recommend sampling early in the morning or right after the lights come on, using plants that are full of water. You'll need to do your test over if you screw up and use a leaf that's too dry. They send you special paper, you smash the leaf onto it squeezing out as much juice as you can onto the paper.
The pricing I found is around $60 for 4, almost $900 for 88. Close to the break even point, I estimate around $5-20 to grow a male. You can switch your light cycles to force early sexing but it's not my favorite method. Besides the money you save on dirt and fertilizer the space under your lights or the sun is the biggest saving.
Add the work. Getting bags of soil, repotting, aggressive trimming, shuffling everything around after culling several males the size of a refrigerator and giving more room to plants already known to be keepers when using sex testing.
Phylos charges $60 for a card of 4 tests. The price can go down to $10 per for 100 tests. If it is reliable and hermies are not an issue then it looks like a pretty good deal.
