Indoor cannabis cultivation time to obtain a good result depends on several factors that we explain
We will analyze indoor cannabis cultivation time to get a correct development and shape of our plant, which makes the difference between a productive and high quality specimen and a bush with almost no foliage and production. Let’s talk about the normal indoors cannabis cultivation time and the different phases through which marijuana passes.
How long does it take to germinate, grow and flourish cannabis? Is there anything I can do to make the plant bloom before? Can I accelerate growth? What is the fastest growing and most productive plant?
Germination
To know indoor cannabis cultivation time we will consider this phase as the time elapsed since the seed germinates until it becomes a seedling. If we start from cuttings we will consider this time as the period elapsed between the time of cloning and rooting.
There are different techniques for germination of cannabis seeds. Perhaps the most used and recommended is the one that uses a napkin or wet paper in which we will put the seed. But there are many growers who germinate them with other riskier techniques, such as putting the seed on wet cotton, directly on land or jiffy disc or in water. It must also be said that when we buy quality seeds, germination will always be almost guaranteed.
Some growers use germination stimulators that favor the initial metabolism of the seed and soften its bark, causing the germination time of the seed to be greatly reduced. If we do not use these stimulators, the time is relative and will depend on numerous factors such as the type of variety, the quality of the seed, the age of the seed, the fertility of the seed, or the way in which it has been preserved.
The time it takes to sprout the seedling is usually around 24-72 hours, although in many cases it can take up to 5 or even 10-15 days. In any case, the conditions of water and humidity, oxygenation and, above all, the temperature during this phase that should range between 21-24ºC to get a good germination, must be taken into account.
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Indoor cannabis cultivation time – Growth phase
When it comes to indoor cannabis cultivation time, this period is known as the “vegetative phase.” It is the central phase in the development of a cannabis plant and probably the most important. After we have our seedling and transplant it to its final place, the growth phase will begin. During this phase the plant will give a stretch and develop its morphology and size necessary to move to the next phase: flowering.
The photoperiod in this phase will be greater than in the flowering phase. It is normal to provide the plant with eighteen hours of light and six hours of darkness per day. A correct balance between light and dark will be key to its perfect development. Light is very important for the plant to be able to do photosynthesis, but those hours of absolute darkness will also be essential, since this is when the exchange of gases essential for the metabolism of plant cells occurs.
This phase will last more or less time, depending on the type of seed, the variety and / or the type of crop. Autoflowering varieties are faster than feminized ones and at the same time, indoor crops are normally faster than outdoor ones. On the other hand, using a light of greater power implies a faster growth than with lights of less power. Giving a standard of the duration of the growth phase is impossible since it depends on several environmental, plant and external factors (fertilizer protocols and cultivator experience).
When it comes to indoor cannabis cultivation time normally it will last between 3 or 4 weeks (21 to 25 days) for autoflowering and about 6 or 8 weeks in the case of feminized seeds. Although regular and feminized seeds grown outdoors take months to complete their life cycles, in an indoor crop we can distort the climatic and environmental conditions to force growth and reduce their normal cycle. When we grow cannabis indoors, as soon as we see that the plant has an adequate size and begins to show its first inflorescences, we can change the photoperiod to begin the flowering cycle.
Flowering phase
When it comes to indoor cannabis cultivation the flowering phase is the last of the development periods of a cannabis plant. Its beginning will depend, not only on the growth time we give to the plant, but also if the plant has the appropriate characteristics to support the buds it will develop. For example, even if a month has passed since the germination of the seed, if the plant is too small, we will have to prolong the growth phase further.
Autoflowering varieties will mark their flowering without our intervention. Feminized and regular seeds depend on the hand of the grower in indoor crops. We will have to change the photoperiod to twelve hours of light and darkness per day, to induce the plant to begin the flowering phase.
When it comes to indoor cannabis cultivation time we used to say that the time the plant needs in its growth phase was relative, it is even more relative in its flowering phase. The important thing to decide when flowering ends and we begin to wash the roots and finally cut the plant is to look at the development of the buds. Because the time set by the seed bank is indicative. The essential thing is that we observe that the buds are getting fat to cover or be buried in most of the pistils.
Once the buds have been developed, the harvest time will be determined by the maturation and progressive oxidation of the pistils and trichomes, which acquire that beautiful amber color. It is advisable to have a magnifying glass of 50 magnifications to observe the trichomes. When approximately 15% of these have an opaque amber color it will be the time of harvest. The trichomes will be before the same color but transparent. It is necessary that 15% of the trichomes become opaque.
Indoors, autoflowering will normally complete their final development in about eight weeks and feminized varieties may take longer depending on the growth we have given them, although the most normal is around 10-12 weeks onwards.
Dried-cured
It is not a phase of cannabis life. But it is a process that will take us a while and that will be as decisive as the previous ones to achieve a quality production in both taste, smell, effect and potency.
You have to differentiate between drying and curing. Drying the plant is the first of the treatments to which we must submit our plants after harvest. The drying of the plant consists of placing the cut and manicured flowers in a dark, cool and dry place all. It is better to place them on a drying net (remember to clean the roots with abundant watering at the end of the crop).
You must rotate the buds of the mesh or net every day, to avoid its deformity and settlement on the same side. Drying a cannabis plant can last, depending on the place, between two to four weeks.
The identity sign of a well dried bud is to be able to bend its stem, being able to hear its click but without breaking, just bending.
Curing the plant
Curing the plant involves removing and storing all buds in a container and letting it stand with periodic aeration. Curing tha plant can be done in different containers, be they plastic, glass or wood. The wooden container is faster and the glass container is the best to avoid contamination and bad odors. The container in which we store the crop should be kept in a dark, cool and dry place.
The only thing we will have to do is to open the container daily for about five minutes so that the low humidity that the stem detaches is progressively lost. This process usually takes between 2 and 6 weeks. The key healing point will be the one in which the bud cracks when we squeeze it slightly and the stem breaks when we bend it. In addition, the flowers lose their intense green color and stop smelling so much of grass since the smell of grass means that the flower still retains too much chlorophyll.
Indoor cannabis cultivation time – Conclusion
An indoor marijuana plant takes about three months to fully develop in the case of autoflowering plants and between four and five months in the case of feminized plants, depending on the type of crop and care. We are talking about the time elapsed between the germination of the seed and the moment in which we can finally smoke the marijuana after the drying and healing process.
Depending on our expertise in cultivation and the care we give to the plant, as well as the variety we choose, the times of each phase will be greater or less and therefore, the indoor cannabis cultivation time. In the same way that cannabis will take less to develop in indoor crops than outdoors.
