One of the most incredible things about growing marijuana is watching the entire life cycle of the plant in just one year or three months. The cannabis growth cycle is long and arduous when considering what it takes to turn a small seed into a huge plant, but the end result is hard to pin down. The plant’s characteristic changes represent individual vegetative phases, a characteristic that is imitated in plant and animal life across the land. Read on to learn more about the cannabis life cycle and what to know about each stage.
Overview of the growth cycle
The growth cycle of cannabis mainly depends on whether you are growing or not Indoor or outdoor weeds. Indoor growing allows you to manipulate growing conditions and thus “trick” the plant into flowering earlier than it normally would outside.
Outdoor weeds operate around the clock of the sun and rely on hot, long days to reach their full potential. A greenhouse herb is somewhere in between where you can use the light-deprivation technique to control its growth stages.
Generally, it takes 4-8 months to grow marijuana from seed. However, you can shorten this life cycle by using automatic streaming strains or by starting with a clone. Many farmers refer to October as “Croptober” since this is the most popular time of year to harvest. outdoor marijuana.
Cannabis plant growth stages
Of course, all marijuana plants start as seeds. These seeds are the product of the male plant that fertilizes the female plant. As a general rule, weed seeds are relatively impervious to whatever you throw at them and will survive for quite some time. However, they are prone to “freezing to death”. It becomes unusable if exposed to temperatures below 20°F for any length of time. Let’s explore what happens next.
Germination
If you can prevent the seeds from freezing, the next stage is germination. During this stage, the seed is exposed to moisture and light to get it out of its shell. You don’t necessarily need soil to germinate, but it will need some type of soil Nutrients Value once it begins to grow. The germination stage is usually indicated by two leaves of cotyledons that appear above the soil.
The germination phase takes 3 to 10 days, although some seeds will germinate in as little as 24 hours or as long as 2 weeks. During this time, the seeds require 16 hours of light per day.
Plant
Once the seed germinates, the seedling stage begins. This is the time when true leaf growth with classic spurs begins to appear. During the seedling stage, the plant will develop a more stable root system that anchors itself deep into the soil. It also paves the way for the production of chlorophyll which will be needed for growth later in the cannabis growth cycle.
The seedlings need to be kept warm and fed with nitrogen-rich nutrients at this time. Keep the lights on for 16 hours a day. This stage lasts between two and three weeks, although some breeds have extended this stage as long as six weeks.
Vegetation
Your plants begin to take shape as they enter the vegetative growth stage. There’s a big growth spurt happening, and don’t be surprised to see it extending even two inches a day as the young plants gobble up the nutrients. During the vegetative stage, plants become more responsive to light, which is why indoor growers can control light conditions a lot during this time.
As it develops, sativas will take on a slender appearance and pointers will begin to appear more rounded and streaked. However, that’s not all that changes – the vegetative stage is like puberty for your plants. The male plants will grow pollen sacs, and the female plants will produce two white pistils. Make sure to remove those pollen bags, so you don’t end up with any problems with pollination.
Keep these babies warm, hydrated, and well-fed, and they’ll take off quickly. The lights can remain lit for up to 16 hours, but up to 24 hours continuously. The vegetative phase lasts about 3-8 weeks.
Flowering
The flowering stage is the home extension of all marijuana plants. Less light encourages the plant to produce its buds when it reaches the end of its life cycle. The flowering phase lasts between 6-9 weeks and is divided into three parts:
- before flower | Weeks 1-3: The pistils are evidence of before the flowers, and these white hairs indicate where the buds grow.
- middle of flower | 4-5 weeks: The plant stops growing and directs all its energy into the formation of flowers. The pistils will turn from white to amber as the buds become fatter.
- late flower | Sixth week of harvest: The buds become sticky as the trichomes ripen, filling the air with the scent of fresh cannabis.
Less than 12 hours of light per day is optimal for plants in the flowering stage. As the plants mature, be sure to rinse them to remove any salts and nutrients remaining in the plant. You’ll know it’s harvest time when the trichomes turn light brown, almost like brown sugar or caramel. Do not wait too long to harvest, otherwise the THC content will degrade. When in doubt, choose an early harvest over a later harvest.
Harvest
It is finally time to cut back the plants once they reach full maturity. This is done by cutting the plant from branch to branch and hanging it to dry. It’s important to take extra care when cutting and moving twigs to avoid damaging the fragile trichomes.
The dry room should maintain humidity levels between 40-50% and will need to be hung for approximately 10-14 days. Excess moisture can lead to mold, a few buds can’t dry out very quickly, and you end up with crumbly weeds.
Pruning
After the hemp has dried, it’s time to prune the shoots. This is a laborious process, since you must first remove the shoots from the stem and pick off all the fan leaves. Then, using sharp scissors, snip off the sugar leaves from all sides of the bud. The goal is to remove enough and not too much. It seems that every grower has a different preference for how to trim the weeds, but the most important thing is to maintain the shape and shape of the bud.
Once the shoots are trimmed to perfection, it’s time to treat them. This part can take up to two months and involves sealing the buds in an airtight container. For the first few weeks, “burp” the jar by opening and closing to allow oxygen in, then sealing it again keep it in a dark place. The curing process creates a better weed taste and smoother smoking experience.
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