Growing cannabis from cannabis seeds can be a truly rewarding process, but having a green thumb alone will not ensure having healthy and thriving cannabis plants.
Even veteran growers spend a lot of time and resources tendering their male and female plants through all cannabis growth stages to ensure the biggest yields and the best harvests when the time comes.
If you are new to growing indoors or outdoors, or if you just want to go over the basics behind cannabis cultivation, this guide covers every stage of cannabis growth, starting from germinating seeds all the way to the drying stage.
Through all the different essential stages of growing cannabis, your cannabis plants have specific needs whether you are growing outdoors or indoors. All in all, everything you need to know about the stages of cannabis growth is discussed below, so let’s dive in.
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Stage 1: Germination
When you want to grow a cannabis plant from a cannabis seed, the first stage in the growth process is called germination. The germination stage is the initial step, and if you do everything right, you are more likely to achieve optimal growth.
The germination stage usually lasts one to two weeks, during which a cannabis seed grows into a seedling. Once again, properly undergoing the germination process paves the way for thriving marijuana plants later on.
Needless to say, during this stage, you need to pay attention to different environmental conditions. It is crucial to keep humidity levels in an optimal range. Excess moisture is key, meaning you want to keep your cannabis seeds damp but avoid waterlogging.
During this stage of the cannabis growth cycle, it is equally important to ensure optimal temperatures ranging from 70 to 90°F (21 to 32°C). Also, when germinating seeds, place them in a dark room away from sunlight.
To start germinating cannabis seeds, prepare clean plates, paper towels, and distilled water. The next step is to wet the paper towels, making sure they are damp but not excessively wet.
Next, place the paper towel on a place and place your cannabis seeds, making sure there is at least one inch between each seed. Cover your seeds with a damp paper towel and place another place on top to ensure a moist and dark environment.
If you have successfully germinated your marijuana seeds, you will notice white root tips emerging from the seeds, and this is referred to as “tap root”. When the tap root appears, the seeds will crack open and the first sprouts will emerge.
From the first sprouts, you will notice the first two rounded cotyledon leaves. To ensure successful germination, please follow the tips below.
Avoid overwatering, as going overboard in this department will most likely cause the growth of fungi or hinder the growth of the root system. To avoid this common issue, use damp but not dripping wet paper towels and ensure adequate drainage.
Temperature fluctuations can also hinder your progress, so make sure you ensure a consistent temperature in the range we mentioned earlier. If temperatures are too high or too low, your seeds may not germinate.
Using a poor-quality cannabis seed is another common mistake. At the same time, using high-quality seeds usually means benefitting from a higher germination rate due to better viability.
During the germination process, your seeds need to remain in a dark place. Excessive light exposure can hinder all the good things you have done previously, so ensuring a dark setup is a must.
Stage 2: Seedling
The next stage in the cannabis life cycle is the seedling stage which kicks off following a successful germination of seeds. The seedling stage usually lasts between two and three weeks and this stage is also crucial for having healthy and thriving flowering plants later on.
Understanding the basics behind the seedling stage, as well as ideal environmental conditions and potential issues that may arise makes a difference between having a healthy plant’s growth and struggling plants.
During this stage of the cannabis life cycle, male and female plants are very delicate, meaning they require extra care and attention.
As mentioned in the section above, seedlings grow a pair of leaves which are referred to as cotyledons and these are not true leaves and their main function is to ensure enough energy for the seedling coming from the seed.
When the seedling stage kicks in, your male or female cannabis plant will develop leaves, and the first leaves on your marijuana plant will have serrated edges.
As the seedling process goes on, more leaves will pop up on your marijuana plant, and this is a sign of growing a healthy plant and everything going on as anticipated.
As more leaves pop up on your young marijuana plant, the root system also starts to expand, even though it will remain fragile until later stages.
When it comes to the optimal growing conditions during this stage, it is paramount to stick to a consistent light cycle. Seedlings are very tender and require ample light to grow, so most stick to light cycles of providing eighteen to twenty-four hours of light a day.
Regardless of which light cycle you choose, the intensity should remain moderate as you do not want to overwhelm your tender marijuana plant. Indoor growers should use fluorescent or LED lights.
During this stage of the cannabis life cycle, you want to maintain humidity levels ranging from 65% to 70% for optimal results, while temperatures should be kept between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C). With young cannabis plants, consistency ensures an optimal environment.
As for nutrients, young cannabis plants (seedlings) do not require as many nutrients as already-grown cannabis plants. However, you may use a balanced and mild nutrient solution when the first fan leaves pop up on your cannabis plant.
When it comes to transplanting your seedlings, this is a delicate process and you want to be as gentle as possible to avoid damaging your plant’s fragile root system. You want to move your seedlings to a larger pot when they have a healthy set of fan leaves.
When transplanting your seeds, make sure the soil you use is moist. When you transfer your seedlings from the initial to bigger airtight containers, handle them by their leaves and not their roots.
Seedlings are susceptible to fungal growth, nutrient burn that stems from overfeeding, and dehydration that stems from underwatering. Overwatering is also a big issue that can lead to root rot; hence, it is something to avoid.
To prevent nutrient burn, use well-balanced and very mild nutrient solutions that will not overly stress out your young cannabis plants.
When it comes to watering, water when the top inch of the soil is dried out. To ensure optimal humidity levels, you can use a spray bottle to mist the top inch of the soil.
Stage 3: Vegetative Growth
This leads us to the vegetative growth stage, or the third stage, following the stage where your seeds have grown into seedlings. The vegetative phase usually spans between three to sixteen weeks, and during the vegetation stage, your cannabis plants will grow at a more rapid pace.
More specifically, during the vegetative stage, cannabis plants are more focused on the root development process, and they also grow more robust foliage, which means that during this stage, you will notice way more leaves on your cannabis plant.
Needless to say, the vegetative stage is crucial as it sets the foundation for what comes next, and that is the flowering phase. Also, what happens to your cannabis plant during the vegetative stage directly impacts your future yields.
When your cannabis plant enters the vegetative stage, you want to stick to a consistent light schedule of providing eighteen hours of light a day and six hours of darkness. During this stage, some growers stick to a light cycle of twenty-four hours of light a day.
During this stage, your cannabis plant requires more nutrients, especially nitrogen, which is essential for healthy plant growth. With both female and male plants, you want to ensure plenty of nutrients besides nitrogen, including potassium and phosphorus.
During this stage, many growers rely on different training techniques with the main goal of optimizing growth and potentially increasing yields later on.
One of the most commonly employed training techniques on a tender plant genus is topping, which involves cutting the top portion of the plant to encourage the development of two stems.
Most plants respond well to low-stress training, which refers to bending and tying down crucial branches to ensure that the lower branches receive enough light.
During this stage, marijuana plants also respond well to the (SCROG) Screen of Green training method, which involves using a horizontal screen to encourage growth. With every training technique, you can get a more uniform canopy by ensuring better air circulation and light exposure.
Throughout all cannabis growth stages, it is crucial to monitor your plants for signs of diseases and pests, and noticing any of the common issues early on usually means you can take certain steps and save your plants.
As for the most common challenges during the vegetative phase, these include nutrient deficiencies, aphids, and spider mites. Maintaining a controlled environment and making sure your plants get enough nutrients can reduce the risk of some of these issues.
Regular inspections, as well as maintaining a clean growing environment, usually reduce the risk of your plants struggling with diseases and pests.
Stage 4: Pre-Flowering
This leads to the pre-flowering phase. This stage spans only a few weeks, usually between one and two weeks. This period serves as a transition route for plants as they move from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage.
During the pre-flowering stage, weed plants show early signs of their sex, and identifying the sex of your plants is crucial for what comes next, including bud formation with female weed plants.
While female weed plants produce buds, male plants produce pollen sacs that are essential for pollination. Identifying the sex of your weed plants is essential as you want to separate males from females to prevent pollination if you aim for flavorful smokable buds.
When it comes to identifying the sex of your weed plants, you want to examine their pre-floral formations near the nodes. Female weed plants are known to develop white hairs from calyxes, while males produce ball-shaped sacs with pollen.
During the pre-flowering stage, it is also crucial to make some adjustments to your light cycle. More specifically, you want to move to a 12/12 cycle, meaning twelve hours of light and twelve hours of darkness a day. This will mimic the natural transition to fall.
In addition, it is also crucial to make some adjustments to your nutritional regime to ensure healthy new growth. During this stage, cultivators typically reduce the amount of nitrogen while increasing potassium and phosphorus, both of which are crucial for flower formation.
During this transitional stage, it is paramount to manage plant stress. When we say stress, we mean sudden temperature fluctuations, inadequate watering schedules, and nutrient deficiencies that can hinder the plant’s growth.
To ensure the smoothest transition to the flowering stage, it is crucial to minimize these and other potential stressors while making sure the growth space remains clean and clutter-free.
Stage 5: Flowering
This leads us to the flowering stage, and the flowering cycle usually spans six to twelve weeks for medical cannabis and other common cannabis species or commercial cannabis, such as Bruce Banner and Northern Lights.
This is one of the most exciting stages of marijuana seeds cultivation, which is defined as the shift from the vegetative process to the development of smokable buds or the plant’s reproductive organs.
During the flowering stage, weed plants develop both buds and trichomes. The formation of buds happens at the nodes of the weed plant or the section where the branches and vibrant green leaves meet and buds are rich in different cannabinoids, including THC and CBD.
Trichomes are crystal-like formations that develop on the buds’ surface. Trichomes are rich in terpenes, which contribute to the plant’s unique flavor profile and potency.
During this stage, you need to ensure optimal lighting, and for plants in this stage, this means getting around twelve hours of light followed by twelve hours of uninterrupted darkness a day. This lightning schedule mimics the natural transition to fall.
Plants during this stage require more potassium and phosphorus for nutrient requirements. Phosphorus is key to bud development, while potassium is key to the overall function of the weak plant.
Nitrogen is also important during this stage, but not as important as the two previously mentioned nutrients.
During the flowering process, it is also imperative to ensure a proper humidity level between 40% and 50%.
Keep in mind that high humidity levels can result in mildew and mold issues. Extreme temperatures can also add extra stress to growing plants and hinder the bud development process.
This being said, you want to keep temperatures during this stage between 68 and 77°F (20 and 25°C) as key to encouraging optimal growth.
When it comes to different techniques to boost bud production, defoliation and pruning are most commonly used by those who grow cannabis.
Pruning refers to removing some parts of the plant to encourage more energy to go into the bud development. Defoliation refers to removing leaves to encourage adequate airflow and light penetration around different budding sites.
During every step of the way, it is crucial to monitor your plants for mold and pests. With mold and pests, things can go south rather quickly and majorly impact the yield and the quality of the harvest. Regular monitoring means you can spot these issues early on and take necessary steps.
Some of the most common issues during the flowering process include light leaks, nutrient deficiencies, and bud rot. To prevent these issues, improve airflow and humidity around budding sites, use a well-balanced nutrient solution, and make sure your plants remain in complete darkness for twelve hours a day.
Stage 6: Harvesting
For most growers, the harvesting stage remains the most exciting and it is completely understandable as during this stage, you get to finally reap the rewards of your hard work and dedication.
Before you harvest, you need to look for signs of readiness for harvest and maturity among your plants, and when looking for signs that your plants are ready for harvest, make sure you examine the trichome color.
Trichomes are tiny, crystal-like structures that form on buds. As they mature, trichomes change color from clear to milky white. Sometimes, trichomes exhibit a light amber color, which is a clear sign that harvest time has finally come.
You also want to look at the color of the pistils, and these are tiny hair-like structures that form on the buds. When fifty to seventy percent of the pistils on your weed plant have curled and turned dark brown, this is the right time to harvest.
As for the tools and equipment you need, these include:
Trimming scissors, you will use for manicuring buds
Pruning shears or sharp scissors, you need to cut your plant
Gloves to wear as a protective measure
Drying lines or racks you need to hang buds
A jeweler’s loupe or magnifying glass for inspecting the color of trichomes
When it comes to the harvesting process, you start by cutting your weed plant at its base. If you are dealing with a limited drying space, you can gently remove individual branches to save some space.
Once done with cutting, you focus on trimming and this refers to removing large leaves to manicure the buds. When trimming leaves located near the buds, you want to be extra gentle and careful.
Also worth noting is that trimming is done either right after cutting when the plant is still wet or once the plant has dried.
With cutting and trimming, you need to be careful to avoid damaging tender trichomes. Also, it is equally important to use clean tools and make sure your hands are clean as well to reduce the risk of contamination.
One of the most common mistakes is harvesting too late or too early. Harvesting too late means having buds that offer a more sedative effect, while harvesting too early means having buds of reduced potency, so waiting for the right harvesting time is crucial.
Improper drying conditions can also hinder all the hard work you have put into growing marijuana over many weeks. Too excessive humidity when drying can easily lead to mold issues, while too little humidity can lead to the buds drying out too quickly which negatively impacts their potency and taste.
Finally, being too rough when handling trichomes is another common mistake that can easily negatively impact both the potency and quality of the product you get in the end.
Stage 7: Drying and Curing
Following the harvesting stage, you have come to the drying and curing process which is crucial when it comes to the degradation of chlorophyll.
The drying and curing process is also crucial when it comes to preserving terpenes and cannabinoids in your cannabis plants, which give the plant its unique aroma and therapeutic effects.
Drying and curing significantly impact the potency and quality of the final product, while this process is also crucial for getting a consumable product from freshly harvested marijuana.
When done the right way, the risk of plants developing bacteria and mold is significantly lower. The drying process kicks off as soon as you are done with harvesting. In this process, temperature and humidity levels play the most important role.
During the drying process, you want to keep temperatures ranging from 60 and 70°F (15 and 21°C) and humidity levels hovering around 50% to 60%. With these temperature and humidity levels, the plant material will gradually dry out usually over a period of seven to fourteen days.
During the drying process, it is paramount to ensure adequate air circulation around all buds to prevent mold and encourage uniform drying.
The curing process kicks off as soon as the drying stage is completed. With curing, you aim to further enhance the potency and quality of the marijuana.
The curing process usually involves placing the dried marijuana in containers (airtight), such as jars made of glass, and leaving them in a dark and cool place.
During the first seven days of curing, make sure you open the jars a few times a day to release excessive moisture and ensure air exchange. Doing so, you encourage the preservation of cannabinoids and terpenes in addition to stabilizing humidity levels.
To preserve terpenes and reduce the risk of mold issues during the curing process, make sure you keep an eye on temperature and humidity. You can use hygrometers to help you with monitoring the average humidity. Keep in mind that the ideal humidity levels during this stage range from 58% to 62%.
During the curing stage, it is also imperative to minimize exposure to direct air and light. By doing so, you get to preserve the terpene’s unique flavor and aroma profiles.
The curing process is complete when the buds have a stable moisture content, meaning when the buds are not overly brittle or dry. The curing process is also complete when the buds have a smooth flavor and a pleasant intense aroma.
The curing process can take from a few weeks to several months, and this depends on the types of weed strain you are growing and the desired potency and aroma.
When it comes to long-term preservation, using airtight containers placed in a spot away from direct sunlight is recommended. Also, for longer-term preservation, it is crucial to ensure stable temperature and humidity levels.
Some cultivators rely on vacuum-sealing to extend the shelf life of their cured buds as this significantly reduces exposures to air. All in all, with proper storage, you get to maintain the aroma, flavor, and potency of the cannabis over a prolonged period of time.
Final Verdict
Whether you are new to growing marijuana or an experienced cultivator, we hope you find this guide helpful if you are aiming for more plants with delightful smokable buds.
In the previous sections, we have gone through all the different stages in the marijuana growth cycle, starting with the process of germination and getting to the drying and curing stage as the last step.
Every single step is crucial to get a potent and high-quality product in the end and every stage requires attention to environmental factors, nutrients, and constant monitoring to ensure healthy growth.
With the tips and tricks we featured here, you do not need a green thumb to have a thriving cannabis garden. However, we hope you continue researching on your own, and we wish you the happiest growing season.
The information regarding cannabis, cannabis-related, THC and CBD products is for informational and educational purposes only, not substituting professional medical advice or treatment. We do not promote or endorse the use, sale, or distribution of cannabis where it’s not legally permitted. The legality of cannabis varies by state and jurisdiction, and we urge users to comply with all federal, state, and local laws concerning its use and sale. We encourage users to consult with healthcare professionals. We might earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of the links. McClatchy’s Commerce Content team, which is independent from our newsroom, oversees this content.
Godfrey is a seasoned Content Manager with a wealth of expertise in the dynamic realm of cannabis content creation. With a proven track record of curating, editing, and strategically planning content, He brings years of dedicated experience to the forefront of the cannabis niche. He is endowed for his in-depth knowledge which spans the entire cannabis landscape, from cultivation and extraction to industry trends and regulatory updates.
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