Cannabis plants are just like other living things. They go through different stages of growth as they mature and become ready to harvest. It’s important that you understand these stages so you can grow your cannabis plant. Each stage requires different nutrients, light levels, and different conditions. Growing cannabis indoors can take up to 8 weeks, while growing it outdoors may take 6 months. Although they have very different life cycles, autoflowers as well as photoperiodics both go through similar stages. They will also develop the same. Here is a guide that will help you understand the four stages. Market Business News created the Germination image. When you start the germination stage, the first stage in a cannabis plant’s life cycle begins. The germination process can take between 2 and 3 days depending on how good the seeds are. The way you choose to germinate your seeds is up to you. As long as the conditions are right, taproots will start appearing. After the taproots emerge from the seedshell, it is possible to plant them. Once they do, wait until you see the cotyledons. These tiny leaves absorb light and help your plants survive. The Seedling Stage: The light cycle for the seedling stage should be 18/6. This will enable your plant to photosynthesise. Once your plant has developed sufficiently, your first pair of leaves, after the cotyledons, will only have one finger (aka the apex), then you’ll start to see typical cannabis leaves. Market Business News. The 3rd pair of leaves that develop is the true first. As your plant grows, more fingers will develop, sometimes reaching 12 finger size. A cannabis plant can be considered in its seedling stage up until it begins growing real leaves. Once it develops 3-fingered or more leaves it is now officially in the vegetative phase. Seedlings can be fragile so don’t overwater them. This could cause mold and a deficiency of oxygen. The Vegetative Stage As mentioned above, your plant will be in the vegetative phase once it develops its first true leaf pair. Once it has developed 3-4 leaves truely, your plants can start to grow exponentially. If you wish, you may start training your plant. Market Business News. Keep in mind that your plants are growing and your roots will get larger so increase the watering rate slowly. You will also have to begin feeding your cannabis plant. It doesn’t really matter what kind of nutrients you like, so long as your plants get enough Nitrogen (N), Potassium, and Phosphorus, they’ll thrive. You will need to adjust the light cycle from 12/12 to allow your cannabis plants to enter the preflowering stage. This is where your plant will start to show their sex. Created using images from https://2fast4buds.com/autoflowering-cannabis-seeds. This only applies to photoperiodic plants because they depend on the light cycle to trigger flowering, autoflowering strains grow and flower under the same light cycle, either 18/6, 20/4, or 24/0 so if you don’t want to deal with this, it’s recommended you look into https://2fast4buds.com/autoflowering-cannabis-seeds Now, depending on the type of genetics you’re growing, your cannabis plant may be male or female but if you’re not a breeder you only want to grow female plants which are the ones that produce buds. The buds should begin to form a few weeks later than the pre-flowering phase. This means that you are officially entering the flowering stage. You will need more Phosphorus and Potassium, but less Nitrogen, as your plants won’t develop much leaves or branches. It’s a good idea to start your cannabis journey with high-quality genetics. Related article: What is Cannabidiol?
The Growth Stages for Cannabis Plants
