Marijuana plant life cycle & growth stages - 420Horticulture guide 2021

Like other flowering plants, cannabis has the same growth requirements, whether cultivated indoor or outdoor. It needs light, air, water, nutrients, a growing medium, and a definite amount of heat for efficient growth.

There are multiple stages of cannabis growth throughout its lifecycle. And different growth stages call for varying amounts of light intensity, water, and nutrients.

Along the way, we'll uncover the following questions

• Stages of marijuana growth (Germination, Seedling, Vegetative, Flowering)
• How long from seedling to vegetative?
• When does the vegetative stage start?
• How does it take for pot/cannabis to grow?
• How long does the flowering stage last?
• When did the weed plant start to bud?

How long from seedling to vegetative?

Seedling (2-3 weeks), Vegetative (3-16 weeks), Flowering (8-11 weeks)

In general, it takes around 10-32 weeks, or about 3-8 months to grow a seed into a weed plant. The process can be quick if you start with a clone or an auto flower seed.

A clone is a little piece of plant that has been cut off (a "cutting") from a parent plant and then allowed to make roots of its own.

If you are growing indoors, you can force the marijuana plant to flower after a few weeks when it is small. If you are growing cannabis outdoors, you are dependent on the season & have to wait until the sun starts to fall for it to flower and then harvest.

It is crucial to know cannabis growth stages and how long they last to understand your cannabis plant needs and when.

Additionally, knowing at what stage the plant helps when to prune, train, trellis, and harvest your marijuana plant.

Here we will discuss everything about the Marijuana plant life cycle & growth stages.

Germination Stage :

During this stage, moisture, heat, and air activate hormones present in the seed's coating. These activated hormones send signals to other cells to multiply and increase cell size.

Once the seed is germinated or sprouted, you can place it in a growing medium(soil). The cannabis taproot will grow downwards, and the stem of the seedling will start growing upwards.

When the plant unfolds from the casing of the seed, two rounded cotyledon leaves will grow out.

These leaves initially take sunlight, which is essential for cannabis health and stability. As the root develops, the stem will also rise, and you will begin to see the first fan leaves growing.

At this point, a cannabis plant can be considered at a seedling stage.

Seedling stage (2-3 weeks) :

When the marijuana plant enters this stage, it starts developing more traditional cannabis fan leaves.

As a sprout, the marijuana seed develops leaves with only one ridged blade. As growth develops, you will see more blades on plant leaves (3,5,7, etc.).

Mature cannabis plants have 5 to 7 blades on each leaf, but some plants may have more.

In the marijuana seedling stage, be careful not to overwater the plant - its roots are tiny, it does not need much water to develop.

At this time, cannabis plants are sensitive to diseases and mold. Be sure to give plenty of light. Keep the environment clean and monitor excess humidity.

Some outdoor cannabis growers take care of plants under artificial grow light to help them pass this delicate stage efficiently.

To know more about how to choose best version of grow light (LED grow lights) - refer to this article.

If you have a clone from a breeder, it will be a seedling. Then you can skip the seed germination stage.

Vegetative stage (3-16 weeks) :

At the vegetative weed stage, the plant's growth takes a boost. It is required to transplant your plant into a larger pot as the roots and foliage are developing. You can begin topping or training your plant at this stage.

Indoors, 16-24 hours of light is maintained for the best marijuana growth output. For indoor marijuana farming, grow lights are equipped in cannabis grow tents for maximum yield.

Also, it is essential to increase water input as the plant develops. Cannabis plants appreciate healthy soil with nutrients at this stage. Feed them with a higher level of nitrogen.

Additionally, it is required to separate male and female cannabis plants as male plants pollinate female plants, putting stress on a plant. It can degrade your cannabis quality.

Flowering stage (8-12 Weeks) :

This stage is the final stage when the cannabis plant starts growing resinous buds. Indoor cannabis farming has an advantage over outdoor.

You can trigger the flowering cycle by reducing the number of light cannabis plants receive from 18 to 12 hours a day.

Some changes to consider once the plant goes from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage:

• Never prune plants in the flowering stage; it can reduce their hormonal strength.
• Plants should be trellised so buds will be supported as they develop.
• Nutrient requirements of the plant need to be fulfilled.

When did the weed plants start to bud?

In Marijuana indoor farming,

• Light must be of proper spectrum & intensity.
• Air must be warm & CO2 rich.
• Ample water is required(not excessive).
• The growing medium must contain an appropriate level of water, oxygen for robust growth.

When all these needs are met at an optimum level, it results in the most satisfactory cannabis plant growth.

Buds typically grow towards the end of the flowering stage. There is not much budding at the beginning of the flowering stage. And when buds reach the mature stage, their growth process slows down.

Once buds reach full maturation. Hurrah! It's time to harvest.

Final Words :

In this article, we focused lights on the biology of growing marijuana plants from seed to harvest. But there is much more involved in cannabis farming.

If you are an indoor cannabis grower, then it requires a bit of investment. And it will reward you with outstanding cannabis yield in return. Indoor farming requires to grow lights for the light spectrum requirements of a plant. To know more about the best affordable grow lights for max cannabis growth - refer to this article.