There are many benefits to trying your hand at cannabis cultivation now that it is legalized. Whether you want to grow the herb for medical or recreational purposes, taking care of cannabis plants can be rewarding. It might be less expensive in the long run than getting marijuana from your neighborhood dispensary.

However, it can be quite overwhelming to begin cannabis cultivation. You must learn about lighting, pH, soils, training techniques, and curing. It's also vital that you understand how long it takes for marijuana plants to mature. This article examines marijuana growing and how long it takes to grow weed.

Maturity Period Of Marijuana Plants

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/yovhXPl8V1M

Cannabis plants grow at varying rates depending on the type of plant and the growing condition. Fast-flowering varieties can reach maturity in six to eight weeks, while it can take eight to twelve weeks to reach a medium flowering growth rate. Most sativa strains have lengthy flowering times of 12 to 14 weeks. The maturity period factors, including the strain, set up, and desired yield that, are explained in detail below.

1. Strain

Most cannabis plants flower for eight to fourteen weeks on average. Depending on the variety, some strains may flower for much longer than others. Sativa plants, for instance, mature more slowly than indica plants. Hence, indica strains are the most frequently grown indoors.

Some cannabis strains will only need two months to be sure, while others might take five months or more. Thus, the strain has a big impact on growing time. For example, pure sativa strains typically take 12 to 14 weeks to flower compared to 8 to 10 weeks for pure indica strains. Similarly, it will take eight weeks for fast indica strains to flower and 14 weeks for the old-school sativa and some hybrids.

Do your research on the strain you are growing so you have a general idea of when it will flower. You can examine online growing forums to learn more about your preferred cannabis strains. Once you have a favorite choice, visit trusted retailers like high supplies or online through seed banks to buy cannabis seeds.

2. Desired yield

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/SdYBhkFT_gg

When growing marijuana, decide whether you want bigger yields. Most growers prefer to quickly produce, harvest, sell, and start over to make a profit. This is possible with fast-maturing cannabis varieties. If a strain matures in 8 weeks, you can grow a crop every nine weeks.

Sativa strains are enjoyable to grow if you aren't in it for the money. For example, you could allow them to grow extremely large and tall outdoors. Just know that big yields will take more time to mature.

3. Set up

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/MqISkm2iLGc

There are different growth methods or setups for growing marijuana which can influence how long it will take for the plant to mature. Planting indoors or outdoors significantly impacts the maturity period. Before the development of technology, growing cannabis was only possible outdoors. Now, you can also cultivate cannabis indoors.

If you're growing cannabis outdoors, the ideal time to grow a plant from seed is at the start of April to the end of October. This is because cannabis plants naturally bloom in the fall when exposed to less light. The reduced light signals the plants that they are approaching the end of their life cycle and that it is time to flower.

You can also get auto flower plants at the same time. Usually, the flowering phase of autoflowering strains can last only three weeks and be ready to harvest in just eight weeks. So, eight weeks is all it takes to grow an autoflowering seed.

While plants don't grow much faster indoors, you can get them more quickly because you can stagger growth. You accomplish this by adjusting the amount of light the plants receive to a cycle of 12 hours of continuous light and 12 hours of darkness. You will completely control the growth conditions when using an indoor grows room. This allows cannabis plants to flower quickly compared to outdoor growth conditions.

4. How to grow marijuana quickly?

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/hAyInG_uDtE

You can use a few tricks to speed up the growing process. If you're an impatient cultivator, use feminized seeds because they take roughly four months to reach maturity. Starting with a clone or an auto-flower seed will expedite the process. For example, most commercial cannabis in the Netherlands is grown from clones. Using it can help you save a month on average as you skip the seedling stage.

With a proper setup, you have mature clones ready to plant whenever you need them and save up to 4 weeks. Indoor cultivators with photoperiod seeds can also shorten the vegetative period and speed up cannabis maturity. For example, you can introduce a 12/12 light schedule weeks after sowing cannabis seeds, resulting in fast-yielding and compact crops.

Growing cannabis indoors is efficient because you can control all the conditions. It will take five to six months to grow cannabis from seed to harvest fully and another month before cannabis is ready to smoke. Ensure you use the correct training techniques when growing indoors. You also need to have automatic climate control and reduce the risk of crop stress. Start by knowing the preferred condition for a specific strain and mimic its ideal climate accurately.

Bottom line

The most challenging part of growing marijuana for beginners is harvesting time. You must understand how long plants take to mature and plan accordingly. Several factors affect the total time to grow marijuana, including the strain, set up, and desired yield. The average indoor time takes 3 to 4 months for a marijuana plant to mature, while outdoor plants take 2-8 months, depending on the size and strain.