One of the most asked questions about growing weed is how long it takes to grow it. The people that mostly ask the question are those venturing into weed growing and have no clue of what to expect. It is also a very important question because before venturing into anything you need to know all the finer details. Knowing the weed growth timeline will also give you an idea on what you are up against when you decide to go ahead and grow the crop. There is a short answer to this question but giving you just a short answer will not do because it does not explain everything there is to know about what the growing timeline entails.
Growing weed indoors has more advantages over growing it outdoors. One reason why growing indoors has more benefits is because you can control the timeline of your weed growth. When doing it outside, you can only depend on nature to take its course. indoors, you can make the growth go faster by introducing more lighting in your grow space, using mediums that promote fast growth such as DEEP WATER CULTURE (DWC) and use organic nutrients to add to your mediums to fasten growth.
Getting back to the question of How Long It Takes to Grow Weed Indoors, the simple answer is weed takes anything from three to five months before harvesting. That is the average time for most of the cannabis strains though some could go up to seven months and takes as short as two months or eight weeks. In fact, when you ask this same question to seasoned cannabis growers, they will not give you a straight answer. The reason they will not do so is that cannabis passes through several stages before you get the final product. Some of these stages may take longer than expected depending on how you take of the crops. The growth rate also depends on the medium you use for your growing. How big you want your plants to be also determines how long they take before harvesting.
Even though there is a lot to take in, majority of indoor cannabis take 3 to 5 months from the seedling phase to harvesting. After harvesting, there is an additional period of two to three weeks for drying and cutting. When you are considering the time it takes to grow your cannabis indoors, you should also take into account the time it takes for you to set up the growing space and for making all the other preparations in readiness of the crop. This includes setting up the lighting system, plumbing, ventilation, putting on reflective materials on the wall and so on. In this article, we break down the growing process in order for you to grasp how long it takes to grow weed indoors.
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Time it takes to grow weed indoors
If you have already decided to grow your cannabis indoors, of course you must have thought about the place that you will do your growing. To understand how long it takes to row your weed indoors, here is a breakdown of the time you need for every stage of your weed growth. The growing period consists of seven phases, which all have varying timeframes.
Getting ready and setting up 1 day to 4 weeks
Before you start any project, it is always wise to plan because failure to plan will lead to total failure of what you are planning to do. Planning, getting ready and setting up your grow space is the first most important step to weed growing. You do not just wake up one day and decide to grow your weed. You must have your space and equipment ready. If you have everything you need, this may take you only one day. However if you do not have everything, it may take you even four weeks to get everything in its place. This includes buying all the right equipment and all your other growing supplies.
Some people buy some of their supplies online and they have to wait for a certain period before they get their deliveries depending on where they are shipping them. Unlike outdoor weed growing, indoor growing is more expensive. some of the supplies you have to think about are LED GROW LIGHTS, reflective materials, GROW TENTS, HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS, nutrients packs and other growing medium, you have to target trustworthy grow shops for your supplies. In order to find the best, you will need to carry out some research on a few of them and read all the reviews. Therefore it is safe to say that the setting up step takes 1 day to 4 weeks and in extreme cases, this step can even go to two months.
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Getting seeds and clones 1 day to 4 weeks
After you have set up your grow space and received all your supplies, the next step is to look for weed seeds or clones. For some people that know others doing the same weed growing, this may take only a day. Others may want to order their seeds from a seed bank for various reasons. The first is because they want privacy and does not need to let everyone around them know that they are growing weed and the second reason is there is a better chance of getting high quality genetic seeds from seed banks. Many prefer to go for only the feminized seeds and this may take a while to get to them. It is safe to say that the period taken to look for seeds and clones is anything from 1 day to 4 weeks. Once you are sure you have the seeds you need, you now go to the growth step. This too has several phases starting from germination to the post-harvest phase.
There are different strains of weed and you should carry out a thorough research on each one of them before purchasing. The most popular strains are sativa, indica, hybrid and the auto flowering strain. Before choosing the strain you want to purchase, you should also be clear on a few things, which include the potential adverse effects of the strain you want. The time it takes to grow the strain from beginning to the end, the market value of the final product and its consistency. Do not buy strains that are not popular or those that will not grow as expected. For this reason, buy your seedlings or clones from people that know their products well.
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Seed germination 1 to 7 days
Seed germination is probably the easiest step in the growth phase. However just as simple as the phase is, it can also be devastating if you do not follow the guidelines. It is also one of the shortest periods in the growth stages of the weed. The time it takes for seed germination depends on the method and the strain you choose to use as your preferred product. The two most popular strains are sativa and indica. The auto flowering strain is also another popular choice. The sativa strain seedlings take longer to germinate as compared to the indica strains. Sativa can take anything between 4, 7 days while indica and other vigorous strains take only a day or two to germinate.
There are three distinct methods that many people use for seed germination. The most common of these is the direct germination method. There is also a smart start kit for germination, which is especially good for novices. Other methods are the paper towel method and the glass of water method. in some cases, seed germination can take as little as one day to germinate while in other cases it may take even up to 7 days but the average is anything from 2 to 5 days.
Whichever method you choose to germinate your seeds, you should take into account the following conditions for a fast and quality germination process. Keep everything you use for your germination moist but not waterlogged. Do not disturb the seeds while they are germinating because you may tamper with the process. They should be in a warm but not a very hot place. If the place you decide to germinate the seeds is too cold, the germination period may take longer. When you are checking the progress of your seeds, be as gentle as possible.
Avoid touching or tampering with the roots because they are young and very fragile. Mishandling the roots may make them snap off taking you back to the drawing board and more time wasted. When you finally transfer the seedling into your preferred medium, that is if you are not using the direct germination method, point the roots downwards. This helps to prevent the roots from reorienting themselves. Do not plant the seedlings too deep into the medium. You need a hole that is about half an inch from the medium surface.
Vegetative stage 3 weeks to 2 months
This the stage the weed goes through before it starts flowering and the length it takes to stay in his stage purely depends on your preference. The least time the weed plants need to stay on the vegetative state is 3 weeks though in some cases, growers extend the stay to even two months. If you are using other strains besides the auto flowering one, you can decide how long you want you weed to stay in this stage. You should also note that even the auto flowering strain still has to go through some few vegetative days before they start forming buds. The auto flowering strain however takes about two to three weeks before forming buds. You cannot control their vegetative phase to keep them for as long as you wish before they start to flower.
One of the reasons why growers keep their plants longer in the vegetative phase is so that they can grow bigger. This is because the size the plant achieves in the vegetative stage has a huge effect on the final product. It is important to note that the bigger the plants, the more the bud site and the larger the yield. Smaller plants have less bud sites, which leads to lower yields. The only way to achieve this is to have enough light in you indoor grow space to cover all the plants. Light as you now know is the main food for weed and distributing it evenly among all the crops, gives the desired results.
Some growers even keep their plants in the vegetative state for close to 3 months or more. The results are huge plants with many bud sites. Such weed plants can produce anything from 7 ounces to over 10 ounces of weed per plant. So in short, your preference will determine the time you want your plants to stay in this stage.
Flowering stage 5 weeks to 16 weeks
For many people, the flowering stage is the most exciting phase in weed growing. This is the stage where you can finally tell whether your plants are male or female and get rid of the males if you do not want the female plants to be pollinated. Plants in the flowering stage need plenty of water and less light. During the flowering stage, the plants double their size so when transferring your weed from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage, make sure you know the size you want your plants to achieve. The flowering stage has several phases that all take about five weeks before moving to the harvest stage.
The first stage in the flowering phase is the transition to flowering or the period before you start seeing flowers on your plants, which takes place in the first to the third week. In the third and fourth weeks, the plant starts forming budlets and now you can clearly see how many budlets each plant has. On the fourth to the sixth week, the buds start flattening up meaning they are almost ready for harvest. From the sixth to the eight week, the buds are now ripe and you can clearly see the pistils darkening. Some strains stay longer in this stage. You can also decide to keep the plants longer in the flowering stage to increase the yields. Once the flowers are ripe, plants tend to bulk them up thus increasing the yields.
After the eight week, the flowering phase ends and it is time to go to the next phase, which every farmer looks forward to. During this stage, some growers also use special fertilizers to increase the bud formation.
Harvesting stage 2 to 3 weeks
Finally, after all your hard work, the end is near as you turn to harvesting your crop. The harvesting period is exciting but it can also be very tricky especially if you are doing it for the first time. The exercise requires patience and care especially when it comes to the trichomes. Also, be careful to harvest at the right time because if you harvest earlier than you should, then you stand the risk of having low yields. Harvesting too late may also ruin the potency of the weed. Weed harvesting in many cases takes 3 to 5 days.
If you are harvesting in stages, the exercise can even go to 3 weeks. When harvesting, choose the right methods to do so and be very careful when manicuring the plants. There are several harvesting tools in the market and you can choose between simple everyday trimming scissors or go for other pro trimming tool. Make sure to get rid of unnecessary leaf material without bring any harm to the buds. After you are through with this stage, you just have two more phases before you enjoy the product of sweat.
Drying 10 to 20 days
If you are an indoor grower, now it is time to turn your grow tent into a drying station for your weed. Even though you may want to enjoy the fruits of your hard work quickly, you should not rush this phase. The process may seem boring to most people but do not rush it by using any other drying tools such as a microwave, a heater or a fan. Dry your weed slowly over a period of 10 to 20 days by hanging the buds upside down on a string in your grow tent. You can also use drying nests or drying boxes. Whatever you choose, make sure the humidity levels are low and the place is clean. The place you choose to dry the MARIJUANA should also be dark, well ventilated and dry.
If you have popcorn buds and trim leaves in your harvest, you can dry them in just 3 to 5 days, otherwise the rest have to dry slowly for a longer period. Drying the weed naturally helps with the proper evaporation of water, organic compounds, and chlorophyll. Drying too fast using other methods does not give the plants enough time to remove chlorophyll from them. Chlorophyll contains magnesium, which can lead to the weed having bitter and sharp smoke. When you are sure the whole stash is dry, then you can go to the final stage, which is curing. To find out if the stash is dry, bend the stems and if they snap immediately, then they are dry.
If they bend without snapping, then you could add a few more days of drying. Before you go to this stage, you may be curious to find out if what you worked hard for is up to the standards you want. There is no harm in sampling some of it at this stage just to be sure. You also need to feel the weed just to be sure that it does not have any mold or moist and that it is completely dry.
Curing
This is the final phase to your journey. Curing your weed helps to add potency to the marijuana and enhance its flavor. It is also a very critical stage because it makes the difference between good and poor weed quality. In most cases when buds do not dry well and get enough cures, the quality goes down and this may lose you customers if you are growing weed for commercial purposes. Curing is not a one-day affair and it can take anything from a few weeks to a few months. By properly cuing the buds, any leftover chlorophyll breaks down which gives the weed a pleasant taste. Well dried and cured cannabis burns better and easier as compared to one that is dry and well cured.
The best curing method is by using airtight glass jar. Fill the jars to ¾ ways and close them tightly. The space in the jar will ensure enough air circulation around the weed. Store the airtight jars in a cool dark place. For the first 2 weeks, open the jars every day for short periods. During this time, check for any mold formation and move and rotate the buds to allow air to flow inside the jar. When you open the jars, try to sniff the weed in order to find out if the curing process is going well. If you smell ammonia, then you could have a problem because it means that there is moist in the buds. If after two weeks you do not smell any ammonia, then it means the curing process is going on well and you can therefore open the jars less frequently.
You could decide to stop the process after two weeks but if you are looking for quality, cure your buds for at least one month. Some people actually cure their weed foe even two years.
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Wrapping it up
Growing, harvesting and having the final weed product is a journey. Like every other crop, it takes time but the difference is weed needs much more care than many other plants. It is also exciting and fun but before you venture into it, you should take note of the time it takes you to enjoy the final product. To answer the question how long does it take to grow weed indoors, well give yourself anything from 8 weeks to 5 months. The average time for many of the strains is 3 to 5 months.
We hope this article is of help and if you are thinking of growing weed, you now have all the facts you need to know. For any comments, kindly reach out to us and we will get back to you.
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