Nanners on Cannabis Buds: Causes, And How To Prevent Them

Imagine this — you are happily smoking a joint and inspecting your flowering cannabis plant. You are excited about the upcoming harvest and looking forward to harvesting your plant. But suddenly, you notice that the buds don’t look normal. 

Wait a second; why does it appear like your cannabis buds have banana-like things growing on them? Well, this is a sign of trouble. But, don't panic! You can fix it if there aren't too many of them. 

What do these bananas or nanners mean, what causes them, and what can you do about them? Learn everything you need to know about nanners on cannabis buds.

What are Nanners or Bananas on Cannabis Buds?

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If you’re growing cannabis for its buds, you are growing female ones — female plants are what produce flowers. On the other hand, male plants produce pollen sacs, which are essentially useless for growers aiming for buds. 

Bananas are the inner side of the male flower, which is known as the stamen or pollen sac. Normally, a male cannabis plant produces this sac that contains all the pollen that fertilizes the female plant. Once the pollen is mature, the pollen is released and when the sac opens, you’ll see banana-shaped structures inside. 

Here’s the thing: these nanners or bananas don’t need to open up to let out pollen because they are situated within the sacs themselves. So, the pollen grains are directly exposed to the flowers. 

In other words, once the nanners start showing up, they immediately start spreading pollen and fertilizing the flowers in their vicinity. In some cases, these nanners end up being impotent or sterile, but it’s still rare, which is why you need to avoid these nanners or bananas from growing on your female cannabis plants. 

How to Spot Nanners on Cannabis Plants?

Spotting nanners or bananas or male pollen sacs is important if you want to preserve the quality of the buds. Nanners can pollinate all female plants in the vicinity, so unless you want buds full of seeds, you must pay attention and detect them before they pollinate everything in sight. 

If you have just a couple of nanners, it’s not such a big deal. But, wait, that’s only if you’re growing one single plant. If you’re growing several female plants, even a single nanner can be problematic. And, since you want sinsemilla or seedless buds, you should pay extra attention to identify the signs and take swift action.

Here are some key indicators to watch out for:

• Banana-shaped Structures

The most obvious sign is the presence of banana-shaped structures on the cannabis plant. These structures that usually look like elongated sacs typically emerge from the nodes or bracts of flowers. Nanners can come in various colors where some of them are green and some can be yellow. 

• Protruding Stamens

Often, nanners will have stamens — the reproductive organs of the male plant that produce pollen. You’ll notice that these stamens protrude from the tip of the nanners. Unlike the hairy pistils on female flowers, stamens are thicker and more conspicuous.

• Appears in Clusters

Nanners can be seen either on their own or in groups depending on the severity of the situation. Sometimes, you may spot a single nanner that prompts you to quickly take action and inspect the entire plant for more of them. Other times, you may not be so lucky and see several nanners in clusters within buds. Needless to say, these clusters are as quick as Usain Bolt when it comes to pollinating the buds in and around the plant. 

• Location 

Nanners tend to show up in specific spots where there’s too much stress or hormonal imbalances. Typical locations for growth include branches, inner nodes, and parts that are affected by stressors like excessive heat, light exposure, or nutrient deficiencies.

• Changes in the Bud Appearance

The presence of nanners can alter how cannabis buds look and develop. Some buds may grow abnormally and some may grow thin and small with less density. Sometimes, growers take training techniques to the next level by cutting off the tips of the buds to stress them and force them to grow bigger and denser. However, most often, these techniques backfire and lead to nanners. 

Now you know what to look for when searching for bananas or nanners. What do you do next? Well, as always, inspect the plant at the first sign of trouble. Once the plant starts flowering, make it a habit to look for pests, nutrient deficiencies, and other problems and you’ll automatically discover nanners if there are any. Make sure you use a magnified glass as these little buggers are tiny and you may miss them. If you locate a bright green banana-shaped structure, it’s most likely a nanner and you will have to take action. 

What Causes Bananas on Cannabis Plants?

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One cause for bananas on cannabis buds is genetics since some strains are more susceptible to producing them than others. Sometimes, it can happen even if you procure good-quality seeds. If it happens too many times, you can avoid the seed bank; if not, simply chalk it up to bad luck and move on. 

Cannabis plants inherit characteristics from their parent plants, including the tendency to produce nanners. Breeders frequently aim to enhance traits, like THC levels or specific flavors when selecting plants. Sometimes, they may breed healthy plants with plants that are prone to producing nanners unknowingly, which is why you get them in your plants. 

At times, landrace strains that have been bred for a long time contain genetic markers that raise the chances of nanners, especially when they become genetically unstable. Most of these strains produce consistent results for a long time, but a few of them could start producing offspring that are prone to develop nanners. 

Breeders are more knowledgeable and aware of these genetic variations. They use various techniques to present them but when they breed several strains vigorously to create hybrids or improve features, they can unintentionally introduce genetic traits associated with nanners. Like everything else in life, plants can take positive as well as negative qualities. 

Apart from genetic instability, the plant can produce nanners due to mutations as well. Typically, this occurs due to aggressive breeding methods and stress. These mutations can alter the genetic makeup of the plant which eventually results in the formation of nanners. 

To prevent these genetic issues, breeders often stabilize desired traits while minimizing unwanted ones. They carefully select parent plants and test them rigorously so they are consistent and stable to produce future generations. Suffice it to say that you’ll rarely see nanners if you purchase seeds from top seedbanks or breeders. 

However, the chances of nanners appearing due to genetics are less than other factors like stress. Some strains are so susceptible to nanners that even a little bit of stress can cause them. But there’s a catch — it usually takes up to a week of stress for these bananas to occur for high-quality strains. If they occur within a couple of days, you have purchased low-quality seeds. 

Sometimes, female plants can grow bananas due to other reasons, too. For example, if you let your female plants grow even after the buds have matured but you don’t harvest them, they will grow bananas as a last-ditch effort to produce seeds and reproduce. 

This is where the plant tries to self-pollinate; this process is known as rodelization. But don’t confuse this for hermaphroditism since your buds are already past the ideal moment for pollination. They won’t produce so many seeds, but you will still have to trim away the bananas after harvest. That said, not all strains grow bananas even if you let them grow far beyond their harvest time.

So, we mentioned stress as the main cause for the plant to produce nanners. Let’s get into the details of each type of stress that can affect the plants:

1. Light

Perhaps the most common external stress factor that causes female cannabis plants to produce bananas or hermies is associated with light. 

Excessive exposure to light is one factor that can greatly impact cannabis plants especially when they are in the flowering stage. This is because the light cycles regulate hormone production and reproductive functions in plants. 

For example, high light intensity can be problematic. Yes, light is important for processes like photosynthesis, but that doesn’t mean you give them excess. Just like nutritious food is important for humans, but you won’t be able to eat excessively every day, can you? Eventually, your body will resist and show signs that you’re going on the wrong path. 

Similarly, light, although necessary for plants, will be detrimental if you provide way more than necessary. Cannabis plants thrive when they get light with optimal intensity but when the light from sources like grow lights and even direct sunlight is too much (think of a 1000w HPS bulb in a 2X3 grow room), it leads to photoinhibition. This is where the rate of photosynthesis surpasses the plant's capacity to utilize that energy effectively. Naturally, this sort of imbalance can have an impact on the metabolic processes of the plant and trigger nanners. 

In addition, inconsistent light cycles could be a problem too. During the flowering stage, cannabis plants, especially photoperiod ones, depend on the light cycle to synchronize their physiological functions and kickstart bud development. Any disruptions such as leaks or interruptions during this delicate flowering phase can confuse the plant's internal clock and disturb its balance. Naturally, the plants go through a lot of stress and start producing nanners as a defense mechanism. 

What’s more, light stress can disrupt the intricate hormonal balance that governs plant growth and development, especially affecting phytohormones like auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins. Prolonged exposure to light or irregular light patterns may disturb how these hormones function and cause imbalances that have the potential to force the plant to form nanners. 

You have to be conscious of light stress, especially during the flowering stage. It’s a period where cannabis plants transition from growth to reproductive stages through significant physiological changes. They are highly sensitive during this stage and all their focus is on fattening the buds and resin production. At that point, extended exposure to light can heighten stress levels and raise the chances of nanner development. 

Therefore, you should work on avoiding stress as much as possible by providing optimal lighting conditions. For example, if you think that your plants often struggle with light, go for lights that allow you to adjust the brightness. Also, to prevent light leaks, conduct proper research before purchasing grow tents as you want something that doesn’t allow light to leak in at all. This is very important as light leaks can trigger various responses in the plant. It can start revegging again where it reverts back to its vegetative stage and grow abnormally or it can become a hermie. 

Adjust the height as well because you don’t want the plants too close to the lights. Often, growers forget to adjust the lights and the end results are never pretty. Not only will the buds lose their potency and terpenes, but the extreme stress will also force them to become hermies or develop nanners. 

Finally, make sure the light cycle is consistent. Get a timer and set up an automated system that automatically switches the lights off after 18 hours to ensure that your plants get an 18/6 cycle every single day with no exceptions.  

2. Extreme Temperatures 

Similarly, extremely cold or hot temperatures can also trigger the production of nanners or bananas. In some strains, this can even cause hermes. 

Temperature changes can also influence the growth and development of plants. So, you have to first understand how temperature shifts affect your plants to prevent nanners and maintain plant health.

When cannabis plants are exposed to extremely high temperatures, it can prevent them from performing important functions necessary for their survival. For instance, high heat disrupts metabolic processes like photosynthesis and respiration which will eventually affect absorption and growth. Moreover, excessive heat can damage cells, alter protein structure, and prompt stress responses in the plant.

Cannabis plants develop nanners as a survival mechanism against high heat. This is to produce pollen as a last-ditch attempt to pollinate themselves to continue their race. This is why you see nanners even in female plants because the plant is trying everything possible to produce seeds. Nanners develop pollen so the plant can be self-pollinated. As you can guess, this can impact bud quality and potency negatively which is not favorable for growers.

On the other hand, you're probably thinking that your plants are safe if you’re growing in cold climates. This is untrue because the plants will start reacting negatively even when the temperatures dip down too much. When temperatures drop suddenly, especially while cannabis plants are flowering, it can startle the plants and trigger stress reactions. 

The cold weather slows down their metabolic processes, hampers their growth, and disrupts how they absorb and transport nutrients. Moreover, if there's frost or freezing temperatures it could harm the plant cells and tissues as well.

In response to such chilling temps, cannabis plants might grow male pollen sacs as a survival tactic to ensure their legacy. By producing these sacs, the plant increases its chances of fertilizing flowers and passing on its genetic material to future generations.

To prevent nanners from forming due to temperature swings, you should do your best to maintain ideal conditions when growing indoors. If growing outdoors, you're at the mercy of the weather, but indoors, you can control the temperatures in various ways. For example, if the weather is too cold, use heaters. You can also add more oscillating fans as increasing ventilation throughout the grow tent can help the plants. 

If you don't want extra expenses, you should plan ahead and cultivate cannabis when the temperatures are between 65 to 80°F or 18 to 26°C. This way, you can reduce the bills considerably.

If not, you should protect the plants from extreme cold. One common tactic is to shift them indoors when it’s too cold outdoors. If it’s too cold indoors as well, try and use some insulation on the grow tent to bring in some heat. This can help reduce the impact and protect plants from frost damage. 

Finally, if possible, select resilient cannabis strains that can withstand temperature changes. Most seedbanks claim their strains are resistant. Thus, do some research, go through diaries, and look at how others are growing such strains. 

If you take care of the temperature, you will avoid nanners to a great extent. 

3. Water

Water is an important part of growing cannabis — you already know that. But if you don’t irrigate the plants properly, they could experience something called water stress that can negatively affect the health of the plants. 

Whether it's due to lack of water, overwatering, incorrect watering techniques, or variations in the levels of moisture in the soil, the plants can experience a variety of issues. For instance, when plants face extended periods of not having water at all, they will experience drought-like conditions. They will begin wilting due to dehydration and show stunted growth. This type of stress can ultimately lead to the plant producing nanners. Again, this is a survival mechanism. But, most often, the plant simply dies before you can even identify the nanners. 

Conversely, when the plants get too much water, the soil gets saturated. If you use containers that drain well, most of the water drains out; however, sometimes, the water doesn’t drain out and the roots get waterlogged. This can lead to limited oxygen supply to plant roots and suffocate them. Many times, they also suffer from issues like root rot. 

Another issue is that the plants struggle to uptake nutrients from the soil, eventually leading to various deficiencies. At this point, you may notice yellowing or browning leaves, stunted growth, and increased vulnerability, to diseases. Thanks to all that stress, plants may develop nanners as their way to cope with extreme environments. 

In addition, how you water the plants will also matter. Just like you follow a certain routine to feed the plants nutrients, you need to follow a schedule to water as well. Do not randomly water whenever you wish to. Instead, pay attention to what the plants are trying to tell you and you’ll help them grow. 

Typically, you can water once in 3 days, depending on the size of the container and the stage of the plants. During the flowering phase, they will need more water. As a general rule of thumb, lift the containers to see if they are light. Water only when the top soil is dry. If the container is heavy, it means there’s water in the root zone and you can wait until it gets light again. This way, you can set up a schedule and water them only when necessary to maintain a proper balance so that the soil isn’t too moist or dry. 

It’s fairly easy to revive an overwatered or underwatered plant and the plant will begin to grow normally; however, if this happens repeatedly during the flowering phase, you might see nanners. 

4. Other Problems 

But these aren’t the only reasons that can cause nanners to grow on the buds. Female plants can grow bananas if they suffer from issues like root rot, pH problems, nutrient deficiencies, nutrient toxicity, overfeeding, bug infestation, mold, aggressive defoliation, or high-stress training. 

How to Differentiate Between Bananas and Hermies?

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Nanners and hermaphrodites represent two different signs in cannabis plants. But, since both of them involve the production of pollen to produce seeds, you could get confused. Although they are somewhat similar, there are some differences between the two in terms of their causes, characteristics, and impact on plants. 

First off, nanners, or male pollen sacs, form within the buds. They contain stamens or reproductive organs of the male, produce pollen, and tend to appear sporadically without fully developed male flowers. They don’t pop up on every bud or branch of the plant.

Hermaphrodites, commonly known as hermies, are plants that possess both female reproductive organs. They exhibit both pollen sacs and female flowers (pistils) on the plant enabling self-pollination and seed production.

Nanners typically form on the plant due to environmental stressors or hormonal imbalances during the flowering phase of cannabis plants. From fluctuations in the temperature to nutrient deficiencies and inconsistencies in watering and lighting, many of these factors can trigger stress in the plant and force it to form nanners as a survival mechanism to ensure reproduction.

For example, if a specific cannabis strain turns hermie when it's extremely cold, it will usually grow hermie every time it gets exposed to low temperatures. On the other hand, bananas that occur in cold conditions may not always occur in the same strain due to the same reason. 

On the other hand, hermaphroditism can occur due to genetic predisposition, stress, or a mix of both. Sure, the plant can develop nanners also due to its genetics, but it commonly happens due to stress. With hermies, some cannabis strains may have traits that make them prone to hermaphroditism while stressors like variations, temperature changes, or nutrient imbalances can trigger the growth of male flowers on female plants.

One major difference lies in how they look. Nanners are elongated structures that resemble bananas or tiny male pollen sacs. They usually appear on the nodes or bracts of flowers. Typically, they range in color from lime green to pale yellow. 

Hermaphrodites have both female flowers on the plant. Male flowers (pollen sacs) typically look like clusters of balls or sacs while female flowers (pistils) look like thin strands of hair sticking out from swollen calyxes. Hermaphrodite plants can show varying levels of intersexuality; some produce mostly female flowers while others produce mainly male flowers.

You may be inclined to refer to your cannabis plant as hermaphrodite if it starts growing bananas, but that may not always be the case. These are two different conditions with overlapping symptoms. 

For what it’s worth, you don’t need to differentiate between the two because the end result is bananas and seeds in the buds. But hermies are more predictable because you’ll see male pollen sacs growing on the plant even before the buds start developing bananas. 

How to Fix Bananas in Cannabis Buds? 

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Have you ever faced an issue when your seed ends up growing into a male plant? The best thing you can do here to protect other female plants in the garden is to discard the male plant right away. This is what you need to do here, too. You must treat your female plant with bananas as a male plant. 

The pollen sacs may open and pollinate other buds, too. So, it is wise to cut your losses and discard the plant entirely. This is especially true in one case — your plant is growing bananas in normal conditions — because this is where it will get worse. In short, if the plant isn’t yet mature and has white pistils with a long time to go for harvest, you need to make some decisions. It’s even more important if you have quite a few plants in the vicinity. If you prefer saving the plant somehow, move it to another location. 

The rule of thumb here is the earlier these nanners occur in the flowering stage, the more time they have to pollinate other female plants in their vicinity. 

However, don’t worry if nanners occur during the late-flowering stage. It’s not wise to discard the plant after months of hard work. Instead, dip your tweezers in some water and pluck the nanners out gently. Make sure you clean your grow room thoroughly after harvesting the buds to prevent future female plants from getting pollinated. Pollen is very light and gets stuck in many places including the lights. Thus, clean everything and then plant the next set of plants. 

If you still get seeds after doing everything, it’s okay. A few seeds aren’t all that bad if you think about it. It’s better than just tossing the plant, isn’t it?

How to Prevent Nanners in Cannabis Buds?

While you can’t do much if your female plant ends up growing bananas, you can still take a few basic steps to prevent this problem from occurring in the first place. 

The first tip you must always remember is to pick high-quality genetics. Avoid bag seeds, so you don’t have to deal with low-quality genetics or male plants. Instead, purchase feminized cannabis seeds from trusted seed banks that have stabilized the genetics before selling the seeds. 

Next, you must ensure the environment is ideal for the cannabis plant. So, set up the right space, temperature, light, humidity, et al. for your cannabis plant. Then, you should also avoid stress and fluctuations in the environment to avoid this from occurring again. 

In any case, as mentioned earlier, you should avoid light leaks and inconsistent light cycles. Light leaks can do a number on your cannabis plant, and if not hermies, they can still cause your plants to re-veg in some cases. 

You should also keep an eye on the nutrients you feed your cannabis plants. Know the right ratios you need to give to your flowering cannabis plant for healthy development. Avoid overfeeding the plants, too, as it causes stress and nutrient burns. 

Similarly, only use training methods that you are adept at using. If you don’t know what you are doing, you should avoid doing that. And always look out for bananas. You never know when they may surprise you. 

Can you Grow Seeds Produced by Nanners?

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Yes, you can grow the seeds produced by buds at the very end of their flowering cycle. This technique is called rodelization. Considered one of the easiest ways to produce feminized seeds, this approach avoids any use of chemical additives or external factors that could potentially pose long-term health risks. Therefore many individuals prefer this method although it’s slightly unpredictable compared to other techniques used by breeders. 

So, how do you do it? Well, the process is fairly straightforward. If you’re reading this because your plant developed bananas during the last few weeks of flowering, you already know that female cannabis plants can sometimes develop pollen sacs if you let them go past their maturity. Again, remember that the plant is just trying to save its race by trying to produce seeds. 

While you may panic seeing the nanners at first, you can simply pluck the nanners gently and store them. Then, you can pollinate other plants once they are about 2-4 weeks into their flowering phase. Note that the pollen from this technique will not be as abundant as those you get from male plants. Sometimes, the nanners can be sterile and won’t do any good as there won’t be any pollen in them. 

However, if there’s still some pollen in it, carefully store them in ziplock bags and put them in the freezer. They should be good to use for about a month or two. Then, once you’re ready with other flowering plants, dip a fine brush in the pollen and rub it on the pistils of other female plants when they are early in their flowering stage (about 2-4 weeks). You’ll see that the white pistils turn brown in just a day, which means that they are pollinated. 

Now, all you need to do is wait and let the plant grow as usual. In a few weeks, the buds will develop seeds and you can harvest them when they are mature. The resulting seeds will be female or feminized seeds. 

And, what about the seeds you find in the buds resulting from nanners? Yes, you can grow them too. The offspring will be female as well. But, note that the plant is highly likely to turn into a hermie too as it inherits those characteristics from its parent plants. 

Ironically, your plant may take a long while to produce nanners especially if you intentionally don’t harvest the buds. Most breeders from reputed seed banks take utmost care to prevent hermaphrodites so the plant may not produce any pollen at all. 

Summary: Nanners on Cannabis Buds: Causes, And How To Prevent Them

Nanners or bananas on cannabis buds is never a good sign. It may be caused due to genetics, inconsistent light cycles, extreme temperatures, light burns, and stress. If your plant grows nanners in the early flowering stage when the buds are still young and you have many female plants around, you may need to either shift the plant to another location or toss it. This way, the other plants will be safe. 

However, if the buds grow nanners in the late-flowering stage, pick out the nanners with tweezers and clean your grow tent thoroughly to protect future plants. Going further, you should understand what caused the issue and fix it, so you can prevent this problem in the future.