There is quite a bit that goes into growing any type of plant and weed is no exception. Some people may swear by certain methods, while others don’t think they are such a big deal.
For this reason, it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly how long it takes to grow weed, but it generally takes a few months. Here’s a look at the process and how long each part takes.
Getting your equipment together
The first thing you’ll have to do is get all the equipment you’ll need to grow your product. Depending on from where you have to order these things, and how long it takes to set them up, this can take anywhere from a number of days to a number of weeks.
Look around and do some research to find out exactly what you’ll need for the whole process, so you can purchase all the items at the same time. That way you won’t have to keep going back to the store or ordering more supplies.
If you already have everything set up, make sure you have enough room for all of the plants you intend to grow. You never know exactly how tall something will grow or how much space it will take up, so be confident that you have adequate resources.
For example, if you are growing them in a small space in your house, you will have to limit the number of lights and spaces for your plants since you can’t grow a dozen plants in something like a closet.
Seeds
This is another thing you may have to wait on if you have to order them from a supplier, which could take weeks or months. On the flip side, if you already have someone who can provide you with the seeds, you should be able to get them a lot quicker, although it could still take weeks.
Growing the seeds
Like all seeds, you have to germinate the cannabis seeds in order for them to grow properly. This will take anywhere from a day to a week, depending on how fast they grow. The end result for this stage should be little sprouts growing out of all the seeds.
This will tell you that they are ready to be planted. The sprouts don’t have to be very long, but they should be long enough that you feel they will grow properly. Try to wait until they are at least an inch or so in length before you start the next stage.
If you didn’t start with seeds and are growing from clones, you don’t have to worry about this part, since you can skip right to vegetative process.
Clones are small plants that have already been germinated and started growing. They save you a little bit of time and are usually plants from very specific strains.
Vegetative state
In this stage of the process, you want to start growing the plants. This normally takes about 2 weeks but can take a month or even longer. You want your plants to get a certain height before they start flowering, otherwise they won’t be able to stand up to the extra weight.
At the same time, it is a matter of preference as to when you think they should be viable for growing buds. Keep in mind that there is no limit to the amount of sunlight your plants can get in this stage of their life.
Flowering state
This is the stage where your plants will start to grow buds. The amount of time it takes will be different depending on the strain, as well as how you want your plants to look. It will involve you changing the amount of light that the plant gets and administering light and dark cycles each day without fail.
The process generally takes about 6 weeks but can take longer, if you decide you want to grow them longer. The longer you grow your plants, the more weed they will provide overall, within reason. You still have to make sure that they are healthy and not outgrowing the space.
Harvesting
After your plants have flowered and created the buds that you wanted, it’s time to harvest them. This involves cutting the plants in order to dry them. There are a few ways to dry them, but most people rely on the old-fashioned clothesline method, where you hang the long stalks on a clothesline and secure them with clothespins.
Before you hang them, you should cut off all the larger leaves and stems, which could prevent the plants from properly drying. They should be dried for about 2 weeks, but they can be dried for longer if you want.
After they have dried completely, you should trim them again to cut off all the parts that you aren’t able to use, and also to get the buds off the stem. This is the last step of the process. Some people dry the buds again after they cut them from the stem, while others do not.
Plants must absolutely be dried out for 2 weeks though, so don’t think you can speed up this process. It is important for them to dry as naturally as possible, so you don’t have any mold or problems that could affect the taste or medicinal properties of the plant.
Tips
One thing to remember when your plants are in the vegetative state is that you shouldn’t let them grow too high. They will grow in height substantially when they start to flower, so they will get much taller throughout the process.
Be mindful of your space and don’t outgrow it. Once you start growing, it will likely damage the plants if you have to move them around or add additional equipment. Again, it’s very important to do your research ahead of time, so you’ll know how to address different problems and issues that can come up.
Make sure that you’re always checking your plants each day. You don’t want to get far into the process and then have to worry about pests or bugs in them. This could add many days to the project, which is something you don’t want.
It’s also very imperative that you’re informed on the light and dark schedules that your plants need once they start flowering. Any abrupt changes can damage the plants or greatly affect the yield.
If you’re growing the product to sell, this can affect your bottom line as well. You don’t want to end up messing up half of your plants because you were forgetful. You can keep your lights on a timer or write the schedule down in a journal, to remind you to stick to it.
There are a number of ways that you can dry your plant, such as with dehumidifiers, and other types of machinery. It’s a good idea to know what type of air and environment is in your grow space, so you’ll know which of these things could come in handy.
For example, a hygrometer will show you how much water is in the air, or the humidity of the space. This can alert you if the air is too wet to dry plants. If it is, you will need to make sure that the air is drier. On the other hand, keeping a hygrometer near your plants will tell you how wet they are, so you’ll know when the drying process is complete.
You should also be aware that this process may seem complicated, but it isn’t that hard to do. As you grow more plants, these things will come naturally to you, and you’ll know just what to look for and when the plants are ready to do what you need them to do.
Until that time, you can rely on videos or websites to show you how something should look. You can also ask your colleagues for ideas and tricks to get through the process.
Overview
The amount of time it takes to grow weed will vary, depending on your setup and the strain. On average, it takes around 3 months, but it could take twice that long. There aren’t really any shortcuts to cut the time in half, since you are growing a living thing.
This is why it’s important not to take shortcuts. It’s also up to you to become familiar with the process and figure out what times are right to move to the next stages, so you can have a yield that you’ll be proud of when you’re done.
There are a lot of resources out there that you can check out when you need help, and remember to trust yourself as well. After all, these are your plants and you will likely spend a lot of time with them.
This will allow you to be able to figure out when they are ready to be harvested. Take your time with them and make sure you don’t leave any of the steps out.