<HR style="COLOR: #d1d1e1" SIZE=1> From what I've read, generally hermies are a bad thing. But "Sometimes a female plant contains male flowers, its rare but it happens. The male flowers on a female plant contain the same chromosomes as the female plant itself (X-X). This means that the Female plant can fertilise itself and can grow seeds that can only contain Female Chromosomes and thus grow female plants." So if a hermie is taken away from your main grow as soon as it's showing its sexes, and allowed to go to seed, wouldn't you most likely have a supply of feminized seeds?
wouldn't really know about the fem seed thing on the other hand, i've succesfully ended a grow at the begining of summer (started inside, went out early and harvested in july) which had mostly hermies (bagseed, light stress) and there is a couple seeds, but nothing terrible. and it is most definitely smokeable. keep in mind though that the plants were spread out on a balcony, and not locked in a box with other females
True for the most part except that I believe the hermie has to fertilize a different, fully female plant. Check out this section from Mel Franks grow bible on feminized seeds: Producing Female seeds by Mel Frank p. 296,297 To develop seed that will yield exclusively female plants requires some luck and careful observation, but it is simple. Remember that some female plants occasionally bear an isolated male flower. Marijuana plants are normally either female (xx chromosomes) or male (xy chromosome). MJ plants, although predisposed genetically to be male or female, have a degree of latitude that very often is affected by the environment. A plant that should be exclusively female may bear an occasional male flower and vice versa. THE POLLEN FROM THIS ISOLATED MALE FLOWER ON A FEMALE PLANT HAS ONLY THE X CHROMOSOMES, the genes for female plants. By carefully collecting the pollen from this male flower and pollinating female flowers (which also carry only x chromosomes), ALL THE RESULTING SEED WILL YIELD PROSPECTIVELY FEMALE PLANTS (XX CHROMOSOMES). The only difficulty to producing female seed is in finding an actual source of female pollen. Many South East Asian plants characteristically bear some male flowers among mostly female flowering buds. These seeds give rise to seeds that will reflect their parents; that is, female buds mixed with male flowers. Don't breed these natural hermaphrodites. What you want to find is that rare female plant that perhaps develops one or two male flowers. This plant is genetically female. Carefully collect her pollen, and fertilize an exclusively female plant; ALL THE RESULTING SEEDS DEVELOP INTO PURE FEMALES. The only other certain candidate for female pollen is a female that has flowered well with pure female flowers, but late in life the plant reverses to male flowering. This is not that unusual when the plants are left to grow for an extended time, or if there is an erratic photoperiod. Usually you have to wait for an unusual happenstance to find a solitary male flower on a female plant, but, there are presently known SIX DIFFERENT CHEMICAL TREATMENTS THAT INDUCE FERTILE MALE FLOWERS TO GROW ON FEMALE PLANTS. Gibberellic Acid (GA) is the chemical most commonly available.