Cannabis or marijuana is gaining a lot of popularity after its legalization in many states. Some states allow them to buy it from a licensed physician, whereas others let you cultivate it. Marijuana is expensive, and therefore, growing it is a much cheaper deal than buying.
Cultivating marijuana can be tricky, especially for first-time growers. You don’t know what to expect during its lifecycle. A cannabis plant life cycle categorizes into six different stages. In this article, we will go through different life cycles of the marijuana plant to support you to grow the best cannabis plant at your place.
1. The seed and germination
Choosing the right marijuana seed is the most crucial step. You must analyze its shape and color to understand if it is a healthy one or not.There are two kinds of seeds. One that germinates into a male plant and the other that evolves into a female plant. The female cannabis plant offers all the real stuff that leads to vaping, smoking, and ingesting. The male plant fertilizes the female plants, which can affect the quality of your cannabis buds. You should try to separate these plants to ensure a higher yield for cannabis buds. The female cannabis plant, once fertilized, focuses on increasing seeds instead of developing buds. Segregate female seeds and label them after removing them from the plant.
After you choose a female seed, it is time to germinate them. The seeds need air, water, warmth, and moisture. Dip the seeds in water and lay them in a moist napkin. The humidity and heat make the seeds sprout. It is the first stage of the marijuana plant life cycle. This step of crack opening the seed into two tiny stems is called germination.
2. Seedling Stage
A seedling grows from the embryo of the seed. It starts just after the germination of the marijuana seed. You will start noticing the sprouting of seed with two seed leaves. In this stage, the seed grows many leaves with one ridged leaf. By the end of this stage, this seed will start growing mature, bright green colored marijuana leaves. The roots of the plant are small, so avoid overwatering the plant. Give the seedling a clean environment as they are vulnerable to any mold attack. The rate at which a seed grows out of the seedling phase tells you the general growth speed of the plant.
3. Vegetative stage
When the plant starts its vegetative stage, you will see that the plant is developing thick stems, new nodes, and getting taller. It will start producing new branches with fresh leaves. Throughout this phase, you should provide it with enough nutrients and room to develop along with lukewarm water to prepare the plant for the following stage. Throughout this phase, it requires a lot of sunlight for photosynthesis. In case it receives less sunlight, then its further growth takes a pause.
Take good care of the plant with irrigation too. As the plant has a reasonable rate of growth and gets taller very fast, make sure that you don’t dehydrate it. With the right sunlight, within two to three weeks, you will notice a considerable difference in the plant. A small seedling will grow into one meter-tall tree. Germinating this plant may take a longer time and to reap similar effects one can consume Weed Gummies for a while.
4. Pre-Flowering
It is the stage that reveals the sex of the cannabis plant. In approximately five months, the pre-flowering stage begins with the growth of a pistil or a small pollen sac. A white pistil means a female plant, and a pollen sac represents a male plant.
Some of these seeds may develop hermaphrodite characteristics. These plants are harmful to your marijuana buds as they fertilize on their own and stop the future growth of marijuana buds.
To stop over-fertilization, separate the female plants from male and hermaphroditic plants. If they are too close to females, they pollinate and fertilize the females, leading to the growth of seeds instead of buds.
5. Flowering stage
After segregating the male and female ones, the females are getting ready for the flowering stage. To start seeing flowers with medicinal qualities, you need to reduce its exposure to light. If you are growing it outdoors, then expose it to few daylights, and if you are growing them indoors, then adjust the fluorescent light time. It may sound like a lot of hassle. Therefore, it is a smart choice to go for auto-flowering seeds.
The light exposure rule doesn’t apply while using auto-flowering seeds. These seeds will grow and flower automatically rather than waiting for a specific light cycle. Unlike regular seeds, the reduction of light plays a crucial role in this stage. You will see the display of trichomes on the buds, which changes its color in the harvest phase.
During this stage, the plant begins to generate a sticky substance called resin on its leaves edges. The resin collects at the center of the buds. The resin has high concentrations of THC, which is a psychoactive element, and the buds will grow long white fibers. The duration of this stage varies from strain to strain.
6. Harvest
The harvest time varies for every strain of marijuana. Approximately eight weeks post flowering, and you can begin harvesting your plants. The trichome color starts to change to an orange color. That is the time for harvesting, and if you delay it, then the color would change to dark brown, which is not advisable.
You can start cutting and wiping the buds to use it for various purposes. The leaves and stems of the plants act as tea ingredients.
Conclusion:
The above are the six stages of growing cannabis. Key takeaways will be keeping the males separate from females and going for auto-flowering seeds to avoid dependency on light conditions. Be wary of the harvesting time. So, go ahead and try growing your marijuana plant. Alternatively, you can get lab tested CBD gummies online and relax while your cannabis plant germinates.
