Growing cannabis is a great example of something you don’t always have control over, such as nanners. In the end, nature will end up doing what it needs to do. This can be frustrating to some growers because they will tend to blame themselves for any problem.
This is often the case when a grower starts to see nanners appearing on their cannabis plant. Bananas is the actual name for these little growths that typically come out from the early to late stages of the flower.
Nanners are long, skinny yellow growths that grow out of your cannabis buds. They represent the exposed male stamen that is responsible for producing pollen. Because they don’t need to burst open, they can pollinate your female plants at any time. They are a sign of stress or weak genetics.
Nanners can happen for a variety of reasons and in some cases, they can be unavoidable. There are certain things to consider before just blindly throwing out the plant that you have. Let’s take a look at why nanners develop and when to discard the plant.
Let’s Talk About Nanners
Nanners will generally grow from the middle of a bud in flowering cannabis plants. It is a form of hermie (hermaphrodite) and can create seeds if not taken care of in a timely manner. Bananas are the final effort of your cannabis plant to reproduce and make seeds.
They are thin, yellow, banana-shaped growths and can emerge straight or slightly curved. This characteristic is why they were given the name in the first place.
Normally, a male plant will produce a sac around the stamen so that pollen can build up before being released. If you open up a male cannabis pollen sac, you will see a bunch of nanners inside.
If you see them in the early stages of flower then you might have an issue and need to toss the plant. This means that either your genetics were created by a hermie or you stressed out the plant so much that it felt it needed to hit the alarm and produce seeds.
This can commonly be caused by an imbalance in PH or your climate, or caused by disease. The important thing to remember is that if you have them, they will just get worse.
If you see them by the end of the flowering cycle then you might be able to squeak a harvest through, however, if you notice brown or red pistils right next to the nanner, it has already been pollinated.
What Exactly Causes Nanners?
Nanners are generally caused by a few overarching issues, these can include:
- Genetics – Some plant strains are prone to making nanners while others can hold off the stress enough to produce flowers. If you have a hermie it probably came from a hermie, it is written in its DNA. Make sure to look for feminized seeds to ensure it doesn’t happen
- Light – Light stress is a common reason that nanners are produced. It is often caused by having your grow light too close to the plant.
- High Temperature – Too much heat also stresses out your plant and if left for long enough can trigger nanners. If you have high heat and high humidity then the chance of having nanners is high.
- Disease – This can be partnered with extreme stress from nutrient deficiency. If your plant is not getting enough nutrition it will panic and want to create seeds as quickly as possible. Ensure that you are feeding your plant according to the age and specific nutrient recipe you are using.
Learn more about different changes in the appearance of your cannabis plant, such as black spots, white cannabis hair, red stems, and more!
