Growing marijuana is a pretty long and challenging process that requires a lot of knowledge about the lifecycle of the plant and the different stages it goes through to grow.
It can be tricky for beginners to know what to do, and before long you can find yourself with dead cannabis plants, or poorly growing marijuana, and who wants that?
If you want to grow cannabis, you’ll need to learn how to make healthy plants. This article discusses the different growth stages of marijuana and how you can grow successful plants. Just keep reading to find out more!
How Does Cannabis Grow?
Cannabis grows in stages. Plants grow differently depending on the type of strain. Some strains take longer than others to mature. For example, some strains take up to two months before flowering while other strains flower within a few weeks.
When you buy seeds from a reputable company, they will tell you how long it takes for your plants to mature and when they’ll start to produce buds. You can also ask them what kind of light they recommend for growing cannabis.
Growth Stages
The following stages are how cannabis plants mature. Your plant’s quality will depend greatly on your knowledge of its life lifecycle, so make sure you learn everything you can before you begin the growing process.
Stage 1: Germination
Seeds should be kept moist and dark until they become mature. Once matured, seeds should be placed in a damp location such as a cup of water or a wet paper towel.
Marijuana plants start growing when they’re exposed to light and water. The cotyledons (first true leaves) are round and green.
When the plant gets big enough, the first true leaves appear. Roots form and the whole thing starts to get bigger.
Stage 2: Seedling
Marijuana leaves are made up of between 3 and 13 fingers. The number of fingers varies depending on the strain. Some strains have leaves with only 1 finger while others have leaves with 13 fingers.
To make sure you get the right amount of fingers, try different strains until you find the perfect one.
Leaves with four finger-like appendages grow out of a cannabis plant. These leaves are called trichomes. The trichome buds are usually located near the bottom of the leaf.
A healthy cannabis plant should be short and thick, and its leaves should be bright green. Your growing environment should be clean and moisture-free during this stage to prevent disease.
Stage 3: Vegetative Growth
Cannabis plants grow faster when transplanted into bigger pots. As they mature, they produce more leaves, nodes, branches, and roots, and they will be ready to flower.
Nodes develop in pairs when the plant is young, but as the plant matures, they alternate.
There are two types of marijuana plants: Sativa and Indica. Sativa plants are taller than Indica plants. Watering needs to change during the growth process.
The tips of the roots should be watered first because they’re closer to the surface. Also, your plants will need a lot of soil space for growth.
Cannabis is grown using hydroponic methods. Plants must be watered frequently, but not too much to avoid drowning.
They also need to receive sunlight every day, and indoor growth requires a full cycle of light and dark.
The plants need light to go into the flowering phase. Cuttings are the best way to grow plants from seedlings.
Stage 4: Pre-flowering
Male plants have two stamens (male organs), while female plants have two pistils (female organs). A male plant usually has larger flowers than a female plant.
Male plants need more sunlight than females. Male plants have sacs full of pollen, but female plants do not.
Cola is the center of a cannabis plant where flowers grow close together. Colas are usually located near the bottom of the stem.
There may be many colas on each plant. Plants without pollination produce sinsemilla, but plants with pollination produce sensimilla.
Sinsemilla produces higher amounts of THC than sensimilla because it contains less CBD.
Sensimilla has a high level of THC. Sinsemilla can be identified by the white hairs on the bracts of the plant’s nodes.
This means that the plants must be grown under very specific conditions. The plants grow faster once they reach this stage, but if the conditions are wrong, the plant may stop growing entirely.
Stage 5: Flowering
Cannabis flowers naturally during the night. When you harvest it, the pistil colors change from white to red. The trichomes become milky then opaque and finally amber-colored.
This means that cannabis has entered the flowering stage and has high levels of cannabinoids. Trichomes produce THC, terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids as flowers cluster.
Cannabis plants enjoy warm weather, moderate humidity, and benefit from intermittent blooming nutrients.
Harvesting cannabis flowers when they’re ready for harvesting is important because it gives you the most potent product.
You should check the color of the hairs growing inside of the pistils. When they become darker than the rest of the bud, then you know it’s time to harvest.
Cannabis plants produce a lot of flowers, but most of them are white or orange. White pistils contain high amounts of THC, while red pistils contain high amounts of CBD.
When you harvest the buds before they turn completely opaque, you’ll get a balanced THC/Cannabidiol (CBD) high.
Stage 6: Harvesting
Cannabis needs to be properly dried before being smoked or used medicinally. This process requires a lot of patience and skill. The plant should be cut into smaller sections, then hung upside down, and left to dry for 7-14 days.
Commercial cannabis is usually dried by applying a humidity rate of between 40 and 50% for 7-14 days, but this varies depending upon the strain. Too much heat during the drying process may cause the cannabis to become harsh.
Curing marijuana requires time and patience. You need to store your weed in an air-tight container for about three weeks. Then you open the jar every day to let out some gas. This prevents mold growth and preserves the smell.
Final Thoughts
Growing cannabis is a complicated process. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience to achieve success. If you want to learn how to grow cannabis successfully, you need to start small.
Start with a single plant and work your way up. Once you’ve mastered the basics and fully understand what’s involved in the plant’s life cycle, you’ll be able to start growing marijuana plants on a larger scale.
If you enjoyed this article, then you might like to read our post on the ‘How To Smoke Kief‘.
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