How long does a weed plant take to grow? This is probably one of the most asked questions from a lot of curious marijuana growers. This is a very good question because all growers should be aware of the right timeline and the amount of work they will be going through if they start having their own supply of weeds.
To keep things straight, a typical weed is usually ready for a smokable harvest at around 8.5 weeks and up to more than 7 months. However, there are still a lot of factors that will affect this growing timeline but the average period of growth is up to 3 to 4 months.
Important factors that can impact the total growing period of your cannabis
Plant strain
The type of strain that you will use usually gives the highest impact on the growth period of your strain
Desired yields
Setting your desired volume of yields from grams, ounces, and pounds is an ideal practice so that you know your expected production.
Growing method
Different set-ups and growing methods used in a strain can either add or subtract to the overall growth period of your cannabis.
How to Grow Marijuana Fast
If you are targeting to achieve a shorter period of growth, which is usually 8.5 weeks, you have to pick a strain that is fast-finishing like Northern Lights. This strain can usually reach the vegetative stage in 3-4 weeks with the use of regular and cheap CFL lights, and with a yield of few ounces of volume. A good tip that you can incorporate for fast growing cannabis is by using bubbleponic. This can usually shave a couple of weeks on the total timeline of the growth period of your strain. This can also increase the yields of your plant but preparing all the equipment needed can sometimes be extra work.
Indoor Vs. Outdoor Grows
Choosing to grow indoors or outdoors can also affect the growth period of your weeds so it is important to know how both of these methods works. Knowing how long does a weed plant takes to grow is very important so considering the method of how your plant will grow is a basic step to the overall phase.
When you grow outdoors, the growth period of your cannabis plant can vary depends on when you plant the seeds. If you start planting in the early spring, expect to have quite a long vegetative phase. This usually lasts until the end of the summer season or at the beginning of fall. On the other hand, if you choose to plant your seeds in much later time, the overall vegetative phase can be reduced.
Your cannabis plant will continue to go through the flowering phase and this can usually last from 4 to 14 weeks. However, this will still depend on the type of genetics your plants have. Indica strains such as Skunk can usually flower in only about 6-7 weeks, while the Sativa strain can take much longer than that. Sativas can have a flowering period of up to 9-12 weeks, but some of their strains like Hazes can take up to 14 weeks.
If you choose to grow indoors, you can have the full control of its overall growing timeline. This is because you can control the periods of light and dark exposures of your plants. You can eventually use this to force your plants to speed up the flowering phase.
Breeders who choose to grow indoors tend to allow their plants to stay in the vegetative phase for around 2, 3, or even 4 weeks by letting them be exposed to an 18-hour lighting period each day. After some few weeks, they can switch the lighting schedule to 12/12 so that the flowering period can be induced. However, some growers may choose to have their plants to undergo a much longer flowering phase. This allows their strains to bulk up and fully develop further which can yield to more buds in the future.
As soon as your cannabis plant enter the flowering phase, you need to wait for about 6-14 weeks until the harvest period and this still depends on the type of genetics your plant has.
Lastly, never forget to take into consideration the amount of time your buds dry. The usual drying process can take up to 10-14 days. You have to keep in mind that this can be very crucial for the quality of the yields of your marijuana. Ignoring this part can mess up the overall growth of your weeds.
Bottom-line
Deciding to grow marijuana seems to be an easy task but if you are not patient enough when it comes to the growing timeline, the whole idea of growing must probably not for you. How long does a weed plant take to grow is usually the concern of a lot of growers but allowing to grasp the overall time it takes for your weed to fully grow is worth the wait. With some tips and tricks, you can properly speed up the whole process. Doing such may benefit your strain in a good or bad way, so it is important to have the full knowledge of all the things that should be accounted for.