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How long does it take to fully grow a marijuana plant?

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hydroponics led grow lights ECO Farm

Are you not sure how long marijuana plants take to grow? Well, the first thing we recommend is to have patience, something that applies to pretty much everything in life. Plants need enough time to grow and develop correctly, and time is what can tell a nice productive plant from a pile of branches lacking in both foliage and yield.

Today we’re going to talk about normal growth times and the different stages that your plants will go through. Maybe some of these questions sound familiar to you;

  • How long does cannabis take to germinate/flower?
  • What can I do to make my plants flower earlier?
  • Can I speed up the growth?
  • Which is the fastest, highest yielding plant?
  •  What is difference between grow weed indoor by using marijuana grow tent and outdoor? 

These questions are probably best answered with the age old phrase, time is gold. Obviously a lot of the answers are quite subjective and we can’t give any absolutely concrete times, but we’ll do our best in this article to provide you with a general idea of how long a marijuana plant takes to grow.

The germination process

First, there is the germination process. This is usually the process that people give least importance to, but, it is of vital importance because if we do not do it correctly we can spoil the seeds. The techniques for germination are very diverse, from the typical technique that uses a napkin or wet paper, to the use of stimulators or planting the seed directly in soil, on a jiffy disc or in a glass with water.

The best thing to do is to use the napkin or wet paper and, as for the time, to re-emphasize that it is relative. It will not only depend on the conditions of water, humidity or oxygenation, we will also have to consider the quality of the seed, its fertility, the variety or strain in question. However, the seeds usually take between 24 and 72 hours to germinate. Sometimes we find seeds that can take 5,10 or 15 days to arrive.

The Growth or Vegetative Stage

Secondly, we find the growth or vegetative phase. This phase is central to the development of the plant and therefore one of the main concerns for cannabis growers. It is in this phase, when the seed has been germinated and planted, in which the plant acquires its morphology and its optimal size to later be able to produce the flowers (our harvest).

During this phase the plant needs a lot of direct sun-light as it is developing. You can choose a indoor grow light.

Now, we are in the greatest photoperiod of the plant, between eighteen hours of light by six hours of darkness. The hours of darkness are also of vital importance as they will produce the correct exchange of gases. This exchange is essential for the optimal metabolic development of the plant cells of our strains. The length of time that plants should be growing will be determined by various factors such as environmental (temperature, light, humidity), plant (variety and strain) and external factors (fertilizers, soil quality or the grower’s experience).

The flowering phase

On the other hand, we have the third phase, flowering. This phase is the last stage of plant development and one of the most important. The beginning of this period will be determined by the hours of light, outdoor, or by the development of the plant during the growth phase, indoor. Since the interior can control the moment in which we want it to start blooming, we must wait for the plant to have the right physiognomic characteristics to produce good buds.

In autoflowering varieties, the beginning of the flowering phase will mark them themselves, while in feminized or regular seeds, we should be the ones who, through the change of photoperiod, point out when they should start to flower (setting 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness). Another issue is outdoor, where the calendar will determine the tempo. As for determining the end of the flowering process, point out that it is something completely subjective. There are people who prefer to wait more or less, although there are certain factors that can give us a general idea. 

End of Flowering and Harvest

Firstly, the development of buds, which should fatten to cover most pistils. Secondly, the correct maturation and oxidation of the buds, which will be determined by the color and shape of the pistils and trichomes, which may be orange or brown in color. Finally, the hardness of the bud can also be an indicator of the time of cutting, although there are varieties that produce softer buds and therefore this indicator does not always work. However, we can point out that autoflowering plants will usually complete their flowering in eight weeks, whereas feminized plants can take up to ten, twelve or even thirteen weeks.

Indoor VS outdoor grows

Another major factor affecting the grow time of your cannabis plants is whether you choose to grow indoors or outdoors.

For outdoor growers, grow times can vary greatly depending on when they plant their seeds. If you start your grow in early spring, your plants will experience a long vegetative phase that usually lasts up until the end of summer or the beginning of fall (when the days begin to get shorter). If you plant late, however, the vegetative phase of your plants is significantly reduced.

From there, your plants will enter their flowering period. This stage can last anywhere from 6 to 14 weeks depending on the genetics of your plants. Some indica varieties, like Skunk, can flower in just 6-7 weeks while sativa strains usually take a bit longer. Sativas usually have a flowering time of around 9-12 weeks, but some pure Hazes are known for a flowering period up to 14 weeks.

Indoor growers, on the other hand, have much more control over the length of their grow. This is due to the fact that they can manually control the light and dark periods their plants are exposed to and force their plants to flower as they see fit. Full spectrum LED grow light is highly recommended, which provides plants in all stages from veg to flower with everything they need in the natural sunlight. 

Indoor growers tend to leave their plants in their vegetative phases for 2, 3, or 4 weeks by exposing to at least 18 hours of light per day. After these few weeks they switch to a light schedule of 12/12 to induce flowering. Some growers, however, may choose to keep their plants from flowering for longer, allowing to bulk up and develop even further and ultimately produce more buds later on.

Once your plants enter their flowering stage, you’ll then have to wait another 6-14 weeks until harvest depending on the genetics of your plants.

Conclusion

By way of conclusion, as we have seen throughout the article, the duration of the periods is very relative and depends on a great variety of factors. However, some generic and approximate calculations can always be offered to guide the grower.

According to these estimates, marijuana takes about three months to grow completely for autoflowering versions, and four to five or more months for feminized strains depending on crop method and expertise. Don’t forget that drying and curing will take a month or two more.

We’re going to insist on the fact that depending on how you grow your plants as well as the strain you choose to grow, each phase will be longer or shorter, and therefore so will the entire life cycle. Feminized strains will take longer to be harvestable, and autoflowering strains will take less time.

And don’t forget that patience is a virtue for every grower out there!

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