Marijuana plants include several phases during their development. Each stage in their life requires a distinctive quantity of water, nutrients, and light.
It’s critical for planters to understand the phases and how long they last. This is to decide what your plants need to grow. When it comes to training, pruning, and trellising your marijuana plants, finding out where they are in their growth truly is essential.
Now, planters, it’s time to take some notes for the stages of marijuana growth. Let’s scroll down to discover.
How Long Does it Take to Grow a Marijuana Plant?
The length of a marijuana grow depends on different factors. It is hard to tell an exact number.
Growing a marijuana plant from the seed can take between 10 and 32 weeks. Beginning with a clone or an auto flower seed will save you time.
The most change in growing time happens during the vegetative phase, which happens after the seedling period and before blooming.
You can push the weed plant to blossom if it is small. However, this method is appropriate to carry out growing indoors. And if it’s large, push the plant after a few weeks.
If you’re growing plants outside, you’re at the mercy of the seasons. You need to wait for the sunsets in the autumn. This is the right moment for the blossom and move to the harvest session.
When Should You Grow Marijuana?
Growers often receive their seeds from February to April. You should plant by the end of April if you’re growing outside.
Because seedlings are more sensitive, some gardeners may start their seedlings indoors in more comfortable conditions and then plant their seeds in the ground after they’re a bit taller.
If you’re cultivating auto flowers or clones, you would have another month of grace. By July, most plants should be outside and in the ground.
From September to November, the harvest takes place. This is dependent on your local weather condition as well as the climate. Planters have to harvest their crops by the end of September.
You can grow marijuana anytime you want if you’re growing it inside. Please remember that the outside environment will have an impact on your growth area. In the winter, you need to install heaters.
And, in the summer, fans and air conditioners are necessary. Aside from that, you may start seeds anytime you want. You may turn them into flowers whenever, depending on the size of the plants.
The time for planting marijuana also depends on your location. Please carefully check the climate and weather before starting your crop.
What Are A Weed Plant’s Growth Cycle Stages?
Marijuana growth includes four stages:
- Stage 1: Germination (3-10 days)
- Stage 2: Seedling (2-3 weeks)
- Stage 3: Vegetative (3-16 weeks)
- Stage 4: Flowering (8-11 weeks)
Before the first stage starts, storing seeds is an important session. For optimum conservation, store your seeds in a dark and cool location, such as the fridge. Putting the seeds inside a plastic bag is a great idea. When the time for germination comes, take your seed out in the open at room temperature.
Then, you need to place your seed in a glass of water for about 12 hours to maximize the germination chances. If the seed floats, it’s definitely not viable, but it may still germinate. If the seed sinks, it’s most probable because it’s alive and well, ready to germinate.
You shouldn’t leave it in the water for so long. The seed needs oxygen, and if it doesn’t, it will sink and die.
After checking the seeds, it’s time to plant them. Let’s observe their growth stage by stage.
Stage 1: Germination
- Stage length: One day to two weeks
- Light requirement: 16 hours/ day
Plants employ sexual reproduction to pass on their genes to future generations. Male and female marijuana plants are required to reproduce. Hermaphrodite plants do exist on occasion. However, they aren’t something you should worry about right now.
Growers show their preference to the female plants since they can generate a large number of trichomes. Trichomes are white crystals filled with cannabinoids like THC and CBD.
Male plants are nearly worthless. However, if you keep them there, they may contaminate your harvest.
So, you should focus on choosing the female seeds. Seed banks will offer you this , so you will find it easy to locate the seeds.
If you employ ordinary seeds, you’ll have a 50-50 chance of getting female or male plants. If you choose feminized seeds, you’ll get 100% female plants.
After you collect the seeds, it’s time to germinate. Every seed includes a cannabis plant that is ready to sprout, but it will require some gentle care and love.
The seeds may require water and heat to sprout. Or, they would become dormant.
There are several methods for germinating cannabis seeds. Yet, the paper towel approach is the most common. It’s quite simple and timesaving. Please follow the steps below:
- Lay the paper towels on a dish, and wet them with water. Place the marijuana seeds on the paper towel in a random pattern.
- Take the extra paper towels and put them on a separate dish. Cover the other dish with this one to keep the marijuana seeds inside.
- Maintain a temperature of 70 to 90 ˚F in the room, and ensure the paper towels are still damp.
Keep an eye on your seedlings from time to time. The seeds will eventually form a white taproot. Be patient as germination might take from 24 hours or more.
Move the seeds to a growth medium once the taproot has developed. You could utilize a different growth medium based on your growing knowledge, and your finances. While some individuals opt for hydroponics, first-time growers are more likely to choose soil.
Take extra caution when touching the seed. It’s best not to touch the taproot because it’s weak and can break.
Stage 2: Seedling
- Stage length: two to three weeks
- Light requirement: 16 hours/ day
The germinated seeds are starting to grow. From the ground, a little marijuana plant can grow and begin to take on recognizable features.
It will form two leaves that spread from the stem to receive sunlight in the seedling stage.
As the plant starts its first development cycle, its distinctive marijuana leaves will emerge at the top.
The plant will also begin to extend its root system during this period. It is technically a seedling while this is going on.
Pot plants can continue at the seedling period for two or three weeks. Yet, in exceptional circumstances, this period can extend up to six weeks. The amount of time depends on the strain you’re cultivating as well as a few other things.
You’d better maintain the seedling at 77˚F with a moisture of approximately 60%. When the leaves have developed, marijuana often likes the white light.
Stage 3: Vegetative
- Stage length: three to eight weeks
- Light requirement: 16 hours/day for indoor planting; or 6 hours/ day for outdoor planting with the support of direct sunlight.
You should move the plants to big pots as soon as the vegetative stage arrives. They will be quickly expanding at this time as they absorb more carbon dioxide and nutrients. This enables them to swiftly grow leaves and adopt form.
Plants will now grow higher, resulting in vertical expansion. People’s plants have reportedly grown two inches tall after 24 hours.
You can recognize what sort of plants you’re cultivating now that they’ve developed distinguishing features. Sativa will grow taller and wider. Meanwhile, indica will grow shorter and bushier, with thick foliage.
In addition, the conclusion of the vegetative stage is an excellent time to check for male plants in your crop. As the plants progress through this stage, females will begin to produce white pistils. Meanwhile, males will create pollen sacs. Eliminate the plant from the area if you detect these sacs.
The basic rule is to control the temperature from 68 to 77˚F and the moisture between 50 and 70 percent during this stage.
Nitrogen is the most important nutrient. However, you may also boost the amounts of other important nutrients in the diet. The plants will require 16 to 24 hours of sunshine every day.
Stage 4: Flowering
- Stage length: six to eight weeks
- Light requirement: 12 hours/ day
This is the most important for you as a farmer since it is the final stage of growth.
Reduce the amount of light that plants are exposed to as they approach blooming. It’s best to have a light cycle of 12-hour dark and 12-hour light.
The plants start to generate a sticky coat on the leaves as they blossom. Trichomes will grow as well. This indicates that the plant’s cannabinoids are flourishing. The amount of time the marijuana spends in the blooming stage determines its eventual potency.
At this flowering stage, the temperature should be between 68 and 77˚F. A humidity of approximately 50% is also advisable. You may now cease providing the plant nitrogen and increase the phosphorus and potassium intake.
When To Harvest Marijuana Plants?
This part determines the best time to harvest! You’ll need to keep a close check on your plants to know when it’s time to harvest them. The final product’s fragrance, flavor, volume, and potency can all be affected by your timing.
See also: How to Harvest Cannabis Plants
Examining the pistils attentively is a helpful tip. It’s time to pick them when they start to turn brown and the leaves become yellow. Experts recommend harvesting the plants after 70 to 90 percent of the pistils have turned brown.
If the pistils are completely brown, the marijuana is likely to be overripe. As a result, it will not taste as nice and have fewer nice effects.
Is there ever a time when it’s too late to pick the marijuana plant? The marijuana harvest is too late if the branch is swollen and the yellow leaves all fall off. Marijuana at this stage will most likely smell and taste bad, and may even be harsh.
Harvesting early rather than later is better in most cases. The strength of cannabis picked prematurely has not yet reached its peak, but it will likely taste and smell better than marijuana that has gotten overripe.
So, get yourself a sturdy pair of scissors and wait for the appropriate moment to harvest your plant.
Preparing for Next Season
You’ll need more seeds if you want to keep developing your own weed unceasingly.
You should remove the male plants from your marijuana crop. It means your females will not pollinate and produce seeds. As a result, it’s doubtful that you’ll be able to work with your own seeds.
Buying additional seeds from the seed bank is one solution. You may keep on buying and exploring new strains this way.
Some producers, on the other hand, prefer to employ cloning. Simply cut a stem of four inches from your crop’s most prolific plant. Then, plant it in a rooting medium.
The plant that emerges will be genetically similar. It makes the process of growth predictable and straightforward. However, it does imply that you receive the same thing every time, which might become tedious.
Conclusion
We have just gone through four stages of marijuana growth. Learning the stages of marijuana growth is the first and foremost step toward producing a healthy crop.
Throughout the procedure, keep an eye on your plants’ evolution. Remember to consider maintaining a record of their progress. You can determine which approaches work best to produce the desired outcomes as you go through experimentation with your crops.
Hopefully, you will find this article helpful. If you need any further information, please feel free to ask.
