How Long To Veg From Seed

The vegetative phase is one of the most important stages of growing cannabis. It takes place before flowering and after seedling. There is a lot you should know about when you’re growing cannabis no matter it’s indoor or outdoor growing.

And, it’s important to know how long to veg from seed as well. Because the number of yields and how you can maximize the yields are dependent on knowing the ideal duration of every stage.

Chances are you are here to know the ins and outs of the vegetative stage and how you should treat your plants in this stage. Well, then you are in luck because today, we are going to share some information that every grower must know.

We will talk in detail about the seedling and vegetative stages of cannabis plants and share some additional tips that you will find helpful while growing cannabis. Also, there is an FAQ section to vanish your confusion regarding this topic.

Well, enough beating around the bush, let’s just get to the point.

How Long to Veg From Seed

The one-worded answer is 3-6 weeks. Yes, the plant will be in the seedling anywhere between 3 and 6 weeks. Although it depends on which particular strain you cultivate and the environmental factors as well.

The seedling process will grow by destroying the seed coat. Meanwhile, the root systems at the plant’s base will start developing. Moreover, the leaves will start spreading out.

Your plants will step into their very first true growth cycle when new leaves grow. At this time, your plants will be growing until the flowering stage starts.

Seedling

A healthy seed takes around 3-7 days to grow into a seedling. And, this stage will start only when the plants develop a stable root system as well as the beginning of growing ‘true leaves’ (true leaves are leaves that come with the same characteristics and forms of a mature cannabis leave).

Remember, you must pay attention to your plants all the time. Most importantly, the plants need much attention in the early stages of their growth and on the speed of developing foliage.

Your plants will transit into the vegetative stage once they start developing a stale root system and foliage. And, this is more important if you plan for transplantation. Because this is the right time to transfer your seedling to a new environment or container if you had been planning for it.

Some useful tips you should follow during the seedling stage:

Maintain proper humidity
Try to keep the temperature at 77°
Control the number of nutrients

Now, you may ask, what’s wrong with the nutrients? Well, for your kind information, nutrients may burn the seedlings of your cannabis. However, if you have to use fertilizers, use them in moderation. And, it’s a good idea to use fertilizers that contain Nitrogen.

Right after you notice the cotyledons, you need to set up white light for 18 hours a day. Try to keep the temperature somewhere between 68 and 77°. And, when it comes to humidity, it should be around 60%.

You can use CFL lights for your seedlings as they will not produce too much heat. You can keep 2 inches distance between the seedlings and the lights that will make sure of providing them plenty of light.

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Vegetative Stage

And, now, your plants entered into the awaited vegetative stage when your plants come into their own and produce big leaves. In this stage, plants produce way more leaves since they absorb much more nutrients including Carbon Di o xide.

Not only the leaves but also the roots will keep expanding which will grow your plants taller. If you’re dealing with healthy plants, a single plant will grow up to 2” in a day.

In the primitive stage, you can control the vegetative stage by light exposure. And, if you are an outdoor grower, then, what part of the world you do live in will matter. If you are an indoor grower, you can keep the plants in the vegetative stage for as long as you want though generally, it lasts 1-2 months.

In this stage, there are a lot of happenings of the plants. For example, your plants will grow leaves and stalks. It creates a solid structure for supporting heavy buds. There will be adding new layers of leaves as well as the plants will grow larger and taller.

And, this is the time when you can recognize the cannabis varieties and notice the difference between them.

Hence, you should maintain the temperature properly by keeping them somewhere between 68 and 77° with the supply of white light (for 18 hours a day). And, make sure the humidity is around 50-70%. About the fertilizers, you should stick to the nitrogen-based ones.

The vegetative stage will last around 1-2 months.

How Vegetative Growth Time Affects the Yield

Does vegetative growth time affect your yield? If it does, then how?

Yes, two factors that increase yields are- veg time and light. So, yes, how long to veg from seed is an important question to ask. And, what about the brand of nutrients? Well, this is important as well, but we can keep it 5th on our list.

You may find it surprising that no matter, if it’s from seed or clone, doubling the veg time, can triple your yields. If you add 2 weeks to the veg time, you can get your double yield.

Since there’s nothing come without drawbacks, so the increased veg time is. A longer vegetative time will take more time and lengthen the growing schedule, as well as there will be more time to make a mistake along the way.

Ultimately, the thing is, the longer the vegetative stage is, the bigger the yield will be.

And, the vegetative stage should last 1-2 months. So, if you ask now, is 4 weeks veg enough? We would say, you know the answer, my friend!

Light Cycle of The Vegetative Stage

As we said before, there are a lot of happenings in the vegetative stage, you need to know about the proper care for this stage.

Although it’s standard to keep the plants under grow lights for around 18 hours, if you want them to grow as big as possible, you can keep the plants 24 hours under the growing lights.

However, your plants will not start the flowering stage until they start getting 12 hours of constant darkness. Or, the plants will be remaining in the vegetative stage.

Indoor Vegetative Stage

When it is the vegetative stage, it’s not only light that grows large cannabis plants. And, when we’re talking about indoor vegetative stages, it’s also important to have a well-maintained grow room that comes with a high ceiling.

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Something worth mentioning here, there are some strains such as Jack Harer and Northern Lights that can grow high-yielding crops without those manipulations.

Outdoor Vegetative Stage

Before you move the cannabis plants outside so that they grow under the sun, you would keep them indoors under lights. You can either start seeds or cut clones in March or April. Moreover, you would keep them under lights for 18-24 hours before you move the plants in May or June.

Therefore, if you want to grow the plants outside, it’s a good idea to keep them inside so that any kind of danger such as frost has passed. A big change in the environment like snowfall or a sudden fall in temperature may kill your plant outright.

However, once the risks are gone, your plants still will be in the vegetative stage outdoor. And, the duration is from spring to late summer.

Clone Vs Seed How Long to veg for better yield?

Although there are a lot of advantages of growing your cannabis from seeds, they require a longer period to reach harvest time compared to clones. It takes up to a week to show the very first signs of life from the soil.

And, do you know how long does it take for seedlings to mature? They take around 1-2 weeks. So yes, add another week more. You may not find it too long, however, speedy auto-flowering strains are way too popular.

On the other hand, clones save time because you don’t have to wait to think when a seed will germinate or grow into a fairly sized seedling. All you need to with a clone is to root your cutting, and your plant is totally ready to grow!

However, if you want to know whether seed or clone will provide you with better yields, then there are a few factors to talk about. Such as:

Seeds are really easy to access, but clones are a bit tough to access for home growers.
You can simply throw the seeds into the soil and they are okay with it. But you need to be very much careful while handing with the seeds.
There’s a risk whether seeds will germinate or not, with clones, it’s risk-free.
Clones save time whereas seeds take much time.

So, if you ask whether seeds or clones to choose, the answer is, it depends. We have pointed some factors here, now, you decide which one is the right fit for you.

Tips for Maximum Yields

Scheduling the light cycle properly can maximize your yield. If it’s indoor planning, during the vegetative stage, you should remain the plants under grow lights for 24/0 or 18/6. You should continue it for around 60 days which is the ideal time for growing more flowers.

And, if it’s outdoor planning, schedule your light cycle for cannabis for either 18/6 or 24/0. But the most important thing here is, you should keep the plants inside for a while and wait until the unfavorable conditions (e.g sudden drop in the temperature) have passed. Once passed, you can bring the plants out as well as let them grow under the fresh, open atmosphere.

When Do You Need to Re-Veg a Cannabis Plant?

There are some particular reasons why re-vegging a harvested plant. For example, in case, you think that you need to preserve an exact replica of a certain phenotype that may transition into its flowering stage, re-veg is the only option left.

If you need to reduce the vegetative period for any reason, you can re-veg the cannabis plant. Also, re-vegging offers bushier and more vigorous plants. So, you can also increase lant yields by re-vegging them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Do I Veg For?

Most growers veg their plants somewhere between 2 weeks and 2 months. However, some growers don’t veg at all while some go longer.

How long does everyone veg?

It varies from growers to growers. However, the duration is around 4 weeks.

What’s the Average Grow Period for Cannabis?

Different strains have different growth periods. Such as Sativa strains’ growth period is 16 weeks, Indica’s 8-12 weeks, and hybrid’s 6-10 weeks.

How Long Do Seeds Last?

If you store seeds properly and they are in a good condition, your seeds will last a minimum of 1 year. However, depending on which plant you grow may last 2-5 years.

Conclusion

Growing your own cannabis is not a big deal if you know how to do it properly. In every stage of it from seedling to flowering the plants, you need to know what to do and what not to do.

Knowing how long to veg from seed is one of the most important concerns. And, after reading the article, hopefully, you have no longer confusion in your mind regarding this topic. Also, we have shared some tips and tricks with you to maximize your yields.

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