Cannabis plants go through a number of <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/categories/growing">different stages as they mature and develop</a>. The different stages of growth all require different amounts of nutrients, water, and light. Before you get started, make sure that all of your grow equipment is clean and disinfected. You don't want to take any chances and have your plants become infected later. We&rsquo;ll be going over the different stages of growth, reviewing <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/tips-for-growing">how long each stage should last</a> and identifying the steps you should take.&nbsp;
Learn <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/steps-to-growing-cannabis-indoors">how to grow weed indoors</a> using cultivation technique from our experts.
<h2 id="0">The Germination Stage</h2>
The germination stage is the first stage of the cannabis growth process, lasting from 3 to 10 days. The seedling stage comes after, ranging from 2 to 3 weeks. During the germination stage, seedlings are small, fragile, &amp; sensitive. They should not be overwatered because the root system is still very small and developing.
The optimal temperatures for your plants to be in during the germination stage is 24 - 27&ordm; C, with humidity levels being between 60-80%. This same temperature range could be applied to the seedling stage as well. Unless you have full spectrum lights, it would be a good idea to use something like 6000k to 6700k (blue) lights to grow your plant from seedling though vegetation until flowering.
<img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142604/articles/wpkgukqx8mpfkr9djton.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142604/articles/wpkgukqx8mpfkr9djton.jpg" alt="Healthy Weed Seedlings Growing Under Controlled Condition" width="446" height="201" /> 
<h3 id="1">The Seedling Stage</h3>
During the germination stage, the cannabis plant is in the beginning stage of growth, getting its first few leaves and its first set of anodes. Plants that are in this stage must receive 18-24 hours of light daily. The plant should be in moist soil, but you need to be careful to add too much water. A dozen drops under and around each seedling should be sufficient for 2 to 3 days. 
You can check if you need to add more water by feeling around the soil with your finger, but just be sure to be gentle with the seedling &amp; to wash your hands before touching it. When in this stage the seedlings require more humidity, so making something like a propagation chamber could be used to help keep in the moisture. A propagation chamber is used to decrease germination time, improve uniformity, and increase the number of seeds that you germinate.
<img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142697/articles/gbfmia4h8nfrumoe2p9y.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142697/articles/gbfmia4h8nfrumoe2p9y.jpg" alt="Bad seedlings can be seen in small pots" width="147" height="262" /> 
In this stage you shouldn't add in any nutrients because the plant now needs light, water, and good soil. It's still risky to add anything on this early as you still have a chance to burn the seedling immediately. It's also important to make sure to avoid touching the plant with your bare hands now or any other time while growing, as you may be carrying fungus or bacteria. It's possible to infect your cannabis plant by touching it with your bare hands so it's always something to be mindful about. It may not seem like such a big deal, but it's very important to set yourself up to avoid any problems in the future, as an illness can cause the plant to stop growing or die. <img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142834/articles/al9gtdzozymhjiutcpcr.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142834/articles/al9gtdzozymhjiutcpcr.jpg" alt="Seedling under development" width="242" height="242" />
After some time goes by, your plant will start to shape up and actually grow. The leaves will start to look larger and get bigger day by day. When the third or fourth anode grows, know that it's time for the early vegetation phase.
<img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142881/articles/xdq0mlwfjlsdidrolc06.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142881/articles/xdq0mlwfjlsdidrolc06.jpg" alt="6 Healthy Plants can be seen " width="263" height="199" />
<h3 id="2">Entering The Vegetative Stage</h3>
The vegetative stage of a cannabis plant usually takes from 3 to 16 weeks. The optimal temperature during this stage is between 22-26&ordm; C, while the best humidity levels are between 40% and 60%. The vegetative stage is when you could transplant your plants into a larger pot so they&rsquo;re ready to grow in a bigger pot, as this stage is when your plants will see the most growth. You could also leave the plant in the original container and transplant it later. You should be able to notice the progress within a few weeks as you're growing a lot of healthy leaves on the plant. You can use tactics like Low-Stress-Training (LST) or High-Stress-Training (HST) to keep your plants at a desired length.
<h3 id="3"><img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142922/articles/mddujgrf6438hfl0w3km.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142922/articles/mddujgrf6438hfl0w3km.jpg" alt="Top Cola Budsite Plant" width="212" height="212" /></h3>
<h3 id="4">Tips On Using Nutrients In The Vegetative Stage</h3>
When you&rsquo;re in the vegetative stage, it&rsquo;s important to add nutrients to the plant's soil to ensure its successful growth. If you already have a &ldquo;super soil&rdquo; that comes with slow-release nutrients, there&rsquo;s no need for you to add anything further as it could do more harm than good. Your cannabis plants need adequate amounts of macronutrients such as calcium and magnesium as well as micronutrients like zinc, iron, manganese, molybdenum, copper, cobalt, silicon, chlorine, and boron. It&rsquo;s best to set a feeding schedule or follow the one on the bottle. It&rsquo;s easy to feed your plants too much or too little nutrients, so it&rsquo;s important to know how to flush your plants. Flushing is when you stop giving a cannabis plant nutrients and just give it water, in effort to flush out all the nutrients that are currently in the pot.&nbsp;
<h3 id="5">Training Your Plants For Bigger Yields</h3>
Using different techniques to train your cannabis plants can help you to get bigger yields. Using low-stress training techniques, such as tying the branches down, can help you get a better light coverage and better yield. Another strategy you could use to increase your yield is called Defoliation. Defoliation is the process of removing leaves from your cannabis plant in order to get a bigger yield. Some growers say it doesn&rsquo;t work, but it definitely does if done properly.
<img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142972/articles/pkok1jbtjxu2kmujiqec.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660142972/articles/pkok1jbtjxu2kmujiqec.jpg" alt="Low Stress Training Plant" width="179" height="238" /> There are also high-stress training techniques you could use to keep your cannabis plants shorter. Topping is cutting off the main stalk of your cannabis plant, forcing it to grow more bushy. This method will make your plants grow shorter and more bushy while creating more bud-sites allowing for bigger yields. It&rsquo;s important to remember to never Top your cannabis plant while it has less than 5 anodes.
<h3 id="6">End Of The Vegetative Stage</h3>
If you haven&rsquo;t already transplanted your plants, now is the time to do it. When you start to see a big bushy plant with a lot of bud sites, it&rsquo;s time to start the flowering stage. The flowering process is the smelliest and most rewarding stage of the journey.
<img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660143036/articles/wmvsycbobkam71unm9ev.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660143036/articles/wmvsycbobkam71unm9ev.jpg" alt="Healthy Cannabis Plants" width="362" height="271" />
<h3 id="7">The Flowering Stage Of Cannabis</h3>
The flowering stage of growth usually takes from 8 to 11 weeks, depending on the type of strain you&rsquo;re growing. Different types of strains produce different cannabinoids and effects, so it&rsquo;s important to know what type of strain you want to grow before you start the process.+
The optimal temperature for the flowering stage is 18 &ndash; 26&ordm; C, while the best relative humidity levels are between 40% and 50%. You should also change the light spectrum to 2700k if you don&rsquo;t have full spectrum lights. Set your timer to a schedule of 12 hours on and 12 hours off, this will trigger them to start flowering.
<h3 id="8">Early Flowering Stage</h3>
During this part of the process you&rsquo;re going to want to switch to flowering nutrients. The flowering nutrients you should use are phosphorus, potassium, and calcium-rich nutrients. This part of the stage is when you&rsquo;ll see the plants stretch the most. While stretching, the cannabis plants can increase in size by about 50% from what their dimensions during the early flowering stage were. The first thing that the plants produce are small hairs, which will soon turn into bigger and denser buds.
<h3 id="9">Late Flowering Stage</h3>
In the late flowering, buds become bigger and denser day by day. This part of the process is where the smell is the strongest, and there&rsquo;s not much to do except wait for the buds to mature.&nbsp;
<h3 id="10"><img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660143110/articles/q8ewfkppdpqy8uunpza8.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1660143110/articles/q8ewfkppdpqy8uunpza8.jpg" alt="Flowering Stage of a weed plant" width="270" height="213" /> </h3>
You could do some defoliation on the lower leaves and remove any bigger ones (fan leaves) that could be blocking light to the bud sites. The buds usually grow the most towards the end of a flowering life cycle.&nbsp;
Once your <a href="https://weedzly.com/strains">cannabis buds </a>have reached full maturation, it&rsquo;s finally time to harvest the marijuana.&nbsp;How long it takes you to harvest your cannabis depends on a lot of factors such as how many plants you have and what technique you plan to use.