Average grow times for various cannabis strains

Growing marijuana is a relatively simple task but requires some basic knowledge of various strains growing stages and different types of weed plants life cycle lengths. If you have ever pondered, “How long does the growing stage take?” Then chances are you could use a few pointers. When referring to an average growing time of a marijuana plant, strains are divided into four different categories which are Sativa, Indica, Hybrid, and Auto flowering or 6 week flowering strains.

Types of weed plants

Sativa plant

Sativa strains of cannabis plants are often tall easily reaching upwards of 15-20 feet and produce smaller more spindly buds. Because the Sativa plants require so much energy to achieve such a height, they will also need a longer vegetative and flowering stage period.

Sativa Flowering Time: 10 - 12 weeks

Indica plant

Indica strains tend to produce higher yields and are bulky, fat, short bushes that contain large buds. Since they aren’t wasting precious energy growing upwards, they tend to have shorter flowering stages then the Sativa plant.

Indica Flowering Time: 6-12 weeks

Hybrid plant

Hybrid cannabis plants are genetically designed using both Indica and Sativa plants but will usually imitate the growing period of only one of its parent strains. Hybrids grow fast during the vegetative stage and require a much shorter flowering stage period.

Hybrid flowering time: 6-10 weeks

6 Week flowering strains AKA auto flowering strains

6 week flowering strains are produced only by feminized seeds that are quite often genetic Hybrids that have been bred specifically for their ability to flower in a mere six weeks. Some popular auto-flowering cannabis strains are Quick One, Easy Bud, Northern Lights AUTO, Homey Cream, Royal Cheese, Speedy Chile, Fast Eddy AUTO, Medical Mass, and Stress Killer. 6 week flowering strains are more expensive but much more efficient.

Different stages of growth throughout the lifecycle of a marijuana plant

Cannabis plants are divided into different groups when it comes to the overall growth time required for a plant, but every single marijuana strain will go through four different stages of growth before they are ready to harvest.

(3 to 14 days) Germination Stage
This stage is when the from when the marijuana seed is first planted and begins to establish itself. The germination stage takes anywhere from 3-7 days.

(3 to 6 weeks) Seedling Stage
The seedling stage will last for the first three to six weeks and is the stage that comes before the cannabis plant starts to produce the larger more jagged leaves.

(3 weeks to 4 months) Vegetative Stage
The vegetative stage will begin when a seedling is three to six weeks old and is where a marijuana plant will do the majority of its growing. This stage is also when the root system is established. During the vegetative stage, a cannabis plant can grow two inches every single day.

(5 weeks to 12 weeks) Flowering Stage
How long does the flowering stage take? It depends on the strain. During the flowering stage, a cannabis plant will mature and focus more on producing valuable cannabinoids rather than visible growth. How long the flowering stage will take depends mostly on the light available. The plants to flower efficiently they require light for 12 hours and dark for 12 hours.

If you are searching for a strain that offers the fastest growing period than you may want to consider an auto-flowering strain, but faster isn’t always better with some of the most potent strains of marijuana in existence needing an entire 5 months to fully mature. Weighing the pros and cons of waiting vs. end results will be the best way to decide what kind of cannabis strain might be best for you.