Everything you need to know about marijuana plant stages

Marijuana plant growth requires certain environment and unique demands at each stage during its cultivation process. There are four important marijuana plant stages of growth that take around 3-5 months to complete. In order to harvest and preserve your marijuana plant in the best way, you need to provide proper at every stage.

It is best to plant seeds in late April. It will reach its harvesting stage during September and November. During the cultivation process, you have to clean and trim the plants regularly after they reach certain growth. If you grow marijuana indoors, you may smoke your harvest in a few weeks!

The 4 Marijuana Plant Stages

You need to take care of different factors at every marijuana plant stage. The growing stages of cannabis plants have been divided into four main sections :

• Germination (3-10 days)
• Seedling (2-3 weeks)
• Vegetative (3-8 weeks)
• Flowering (8-11 weeks)
• Harvest (8-10 weeks)

Every stage has different timings and specific days. Also, you need to take utmost care while at every stage to produce a healthy and high-quality weed. A small precision, you may learn about 7 stages of the cannabis plant growth cycle somewhere, because it takes into account the non-organic stages after flowering, like pruning, harvesting or preparing the cannabis plant for a new cycle.

1. Germination Stage of marijuana plant

Germination is the first marijuana plant stages. The germination of marijuana seeds begin around 3-10 days. At first, you need to wrap a good-quality marijuana seeds in a damp cloth until you observe sprouts on them. Then you can place them in the soil for further growth. The roots will grow downwards and the stem will grow upwards. It is necessary to provide them around 16 hours of light daily during the germination stage.

For germination, plants require a warm and humid temperature with proper ventilation and watering daily. The appropriate temperature for germination is 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 26 °C). Then, you will observe rounded leaves which are also known as cotyledons develop on the plants. These tiny leaves require continuous sunlight to make the plants healthy and strong.

2. Seedling Stage of marijuana plant

When the cotyledons begin to develop in the plants, it means that they have reached the seedling stage. The seedling stage generally lasts up to 2-3 weeks. At this stage, the plants require proper lighting for around 16 hours a day. In the beginning, the leaves have only one blade. But new blades start to develop gradually. It is very important to provide a certain amount of water during the seedlings because the roots are small and they don't need much it.

The seedling marijuana plant stages are also very delicate, if not taken proper care of, molds can appear on the leaves. Hence, it is important to provide a suitable environment for the plants to grow. The perfect humidity level should be around 65-80% with a temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit (22 °C). It is very important to know about the strain of the seeds so that you can take steps accordingly. Good quality seeds grow as thick and are short in height.

3. Vegetative Stage of marijuana plant

The vegetative marijuana plant stages begin from 3rd week and lasts up to 8 weeks. When the plants reach this stage, you need to transfer them into a big pot for more growth. According to the growth of the plants, you need to water the plants according to their needs. You should water the cannabis away from the main stalk so the roots expand for better water intake. You should have enough space for soil for the plants as they will grow up to 2-3 feet (60 to 90 cm).

During the vegetative stage, you can determine the male plants that can contaminate other plants. The cannabis plants grow very rapidly at this stage. The temperature should be around 68 degrees to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (21-22 °C). If you are growing Indica, the plants will be bushy and small while Sativa plants have a narrow shape and grow tall. Providing nitrogen in these plants is essential along with a minimum of 16 hours of sunlight daily. If you dry out the soil at this point, it will be better for the plants.

4. Flowering Stage of marijuana plant

The flowering stage begins from 8 weeks and lasts up to 11 weeks. It is the final plant stage of marijuana. They require around 12 hours of sunlight daily. The flowering stages have three different phases:

• Flower growth: At this stage, the buds begin to develop in the plants.
• Mid Flowering Stage: This stage begins from the 4th week up to 5 weeks. The plants stop growing because buds become bigger.
• Late Flowering Stage: The plants become sticky and flowers release a pungent smell. It is important to maintain the temperature and monitor the growth for harvesting.

The appropriate temperature is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit (21°C) with a relative humidity of 50%. You should provide them with essential nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium for healthy growth.

What should you do after the flowering stage?

After all the aforementioned marijuana plant stages, it is time for harvesting and other processes. The after care of the products is also very necessary:

Harvesting of marijuana plant

The harvesting stage begins after the plants have completed the flowering stage which lasts up to 8 weeks. The buds will begin to flatten and white layers will appear on them. This white layer is known as Trichomes. Remember that the quality, smell, and taste depend on the time of harvesting. It is better to harvest when the buds become brownish or red. It means that the plants ripen and are best to use.

The Pruning step

Pruning is an important process to remove the dead or unhealthy parts of the plants. This is done by using a pair of scissors. There are two types of Pruning- Dry and Wet. Most cultivators use the wet pruning method. The dry pruning method requires cutting off the leaves that contain high THC levels and sugar leaves. If you prune the plants early, it can disrupt the plant hormones and affect the taste as well.

Pruning of your plant

After pruning, the next step is how to store them. You can store cannabis for up to two years with vacuum sealing if we maintain the THC level for a longer time.

1. Remove all the impurities and seeds. .
2. Dry them completely under sunlight.
3. Keep them in an airtight glass container.

Also, it is very important to store cannabis with different types of strains in separate jars.

The different types of marijuana plants

You should have knowledge about the different types of cannabis plants. Different types of marijuana provide different types of effects. By knowing these plants you can tweak and enhance their quality while growing. Different types of Marijuana plants are :

• Indica: Indica is a type of marijuana plant that contains high THC and low CBD levels. They are short and dense. It relaxes the mind when consumed. The leaves are broad and have a fan-like structure.
• Sativa: It can grow up to 20 feet and its leaves are pointy and long. Sativa plants require darkness for up to 11 hours daily. It energizes the body and is also used for medicinal purposes.
• Hybrid: A hybrid strain of cannabis is made by mixing two cannabis strains. It has effects depending upon the dominant strain.
• Ruderalis: This type of cannabis plant does not contain CBD or THC. Ruderalis plants have the shortest height with approximately 1 foot. They are bushy and have broad leaves with thick stems.

Whether you are growing marijuana at home or outdoors, they should be given proper care. Also, you should make adjustments according to the climate of your region as well. Make sure that you are following the rules and regulations while growing marijuana at your place. To become a skilled marijuana grower you should know these different marijuana plant stages.

Tips for growing high-quality marijuana

These tips will help you to yield higher quality weed and complete the necessary requirements of the plants. Read the following to know about the tips which you can follow.

Marijuana plant stages

When you are growing marijuana you need to make sure that the seeds are reliable. A poor quality seed will not germinate. The seeds are produced by two parents of male and female genes. A good quality seed has a strong and dry texture with brown color. Whereas an undeveloped cannabis seed is greenish or white, they are not ideal for growing. Meanwhile, don't store the seeds for a long time. They can grow sprouts if they get moisture and heat. So make sure to plant them soon after buying. Keep them away from freezing temperatures which will kill their quality.

Cloning Process

Cloning is another process of growing marijuana. It means cutting off the branches of marijuana. When you plant these branches, they will grow into a plant. It will have the same characteristics and quality as the parent plant. Cloning cannabis can help you skip the initial planting stage of marijuana. You can buy clones easily from any dispensary. If you are using the cloning method, the parent or mother plant should be healthy and avoid cutting a flowering plant.

Production of Trichomes

There are different types of Trichomes in cannabis with different sizes and shapes. When the cannabis plants reach the flowering stage, the trichomes begin to activate. They have a hair-like structure and are responsible for producing terpenes and cannabinoids to obtain variety of strains. They are also helpful to protect the plants from any pathogens and harmful environment as well.

Final Thoughts on Plant Stage of Marijuana

This article will help you know the different marijuana plant stages and all necessary information about how to take care of them. The above extra tips will also help you to remain cautious at different stages. Now you are ready to grow marijuana all by yourself.

Initially, you will need some patience to understand the whole process and necessary steps. The above-mentioned steps of plant stages of marijuana will help you understand the requirement. After you gain certain experience, you can experiment with several strains with high yield and better quality.