The Growing Stages of Cannabis

The cultivation of cannabis is becoming more common as more and more countries legalize the cultivation of cannabis. We seem to be seeing the imprint of cannabis cultivation all over the world. Climate is not a very important factor for the cultivation of cannabis, but watering, fertilization, and light time are very important. So we need to know the growth stages of marijuana, and what each stage requires.

Generally speaking, cannabis takes 3-8 months from sowing to harvest, and they are annual plants, which means they only grow and survive for one season and then die, so their growth cycles are well differentiated.The growth stages of cannabis can be broken down into four primary stages from seed to harvest:

50. Germination (3-10 days)
50. Seedling (2-3 weeks)
50. Vegetative (3-16 weeks)
50. Flowering (8-11 weeks)

Germination stage:

The first stage of cannabis starts from the seed, which takes about 3-10 days to germinate. During this period, the cannabis should be guaranteed six hours of sunlight per day. Developing cannabis seeds are hard and dry. Color is light brown to dark brown. When the round leaves are seen emerging from the soil, the cannabis plant changes from seed to seedling.

Seedling stage:

The seedling stage of cannabis is generally 2-3 weeks. This stage requires 18 hours a day indoors and 6 hours outdoors. As a sprout, cannabis initially produces leaves with only one ridged leaf. Once the new growth develops, the leaves will grow more leaves. Mature cannabis plants will have 5 or 7 leaves per leaf. At this stage, plants are vulnerable to disease and mold. Keep the environment clean and monitor excess moisture. Be sure to give it plenty of light. Healthy seedlings should be vibrant green. So if the color is not right, the grower should seek countermeasures in time.

Vegetative stage:

The vegetative phase of cannabis is where the plant actually begins to grow and usually lasts 3-16 weeks. The roots and leaves of cannabis are developing rapidly at this stage. Be careful to increase watering as the plant develops. When it's a seedling, it needs water close to the stem, but as it grows, the roots also grow outward, so you'll need to water in soil away from the stem so the roots can stretch and absorb water more efficiently . And, at this stage you should feed them high levels of nitrogen so they have nutritious soil. It is also important to note that at this stage, the plant has grown sexual organs. Males need to be separated from females at this time to avoid pollination.

 Flowering stage：

   The flowering stage is the final stage of the growth of the cannabis plant. Most strains bloom within 8-9 weeks, but some may take longer. Outdoors, flowering occurs naturally when the daily light the plant receives decreases as summer moves into fall. Indoor growers can trigger the flowering cycle by reducing the amount of light.

The flowering period is divided into three sub-phases:

50. Flower germination (weeks 1-3): Plants will continue to grow and females will develop pre-flowers - pistils or white hairs will develop, which is the start of buds.
50. Mid-flowering (weeks 4-5): The plant itself will stop growing and the flower buds will begin to hypertrophy.
50. Late flowering/maturity (week 6 and beyond): Trichome density will increase and plants will become sticky; keep an eye on the color of the pistils to tell when to harvest.

Once a plant moves from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage, there are many changes to consider. Do not prune when plants are blooming, as it can disrupt their hormones. Plants should be trellised so that the buds are supported as they develop and air can flow over the plants while giving them nutrients for flowering or phosphorus.

  In a word, we should give the proper water, nutrition, light in proper stages. As a grow light manufacturer, we truly hope that our lights could help our customers get a lot. If you want to choose suitable lights for your plants or your growing place, please contact us.