The total time required to cultivate a cannabis plant from a tiny seed to a dried, usable product is highly variable, largely depending on the chosen genetics and the cultivation environment. A quick-growing autoflowering strain grown indoors can be ready for harvest in as little as 10 weeks, but a photoperiod strain grown outdoors could take eight months or more from spring planting to fall harvest. The entire cultivation cycle is broken down into distinct stages, each with its own time requirements. Understanding the time spent in each phase—germination, vegetative growth, flowering, and post-harvest processing—is necessary to accurately estimate the final timeline.
Initial Steps: Germination and Seedling Development
The life cycle begins with the germination of the seed, the first fixed period of growth which is relatively short and consistent across strains. Germination involves introducing moisture and warmth to the seed to break its dormancy, often achieved by soaking the seed in water or placing it between damp paper towels. The seed absorbs water, softening its hard outer shell, which allows the initial root, called the radicle, to emerge. This initial process typically takes between 24 hours and five days, although some older or harder seeds may require up to 10 days to sprout.
Once the radicle appears, the sprouted seed is moved into a growing medium to begin the seedling stage. The seedling stage lasts until the plant develops its first few sets of leaves, known as true leaves, and establishes a robust root system. This stage is characterized by slow initial growth as the plant focuses its energy on developing its structural foundation. Seedlings generally require two to three weeks to transition out of this delicate phase.
Defining Size: The Variable Vegetative Stage
Following the seedling stage, the plant enters the vegetative stage, which is the period where the grower has the most control over the total timeline. During this phase, the plant focuses exclusively on producing stems, branches, and large fan leaves, without producing any flowers. The length of the vegetative stage directly determines the final size of the plant and, consequently, its potential yield.
Indoor cultivators use light cycles to control the duration of this stage, typically providing 18 to 24 hours of light per day to prevent flowering. By extending the light period, growers can keep a plant in vegetative growth for as little as three weeks or as long as 16 weeks, allowing the plant to reach the desired size before inducing the next phase. Outdoor cultivation is subject to the natural seasonal light cycle, meaning the plant will remain vegetative until the days naturally shorten in late summer or early autumn. This seasonal limitation means outdoor vegetative periods are often longer than indoor cycles.
Maturation Timeline: The Flowering Phase
The transition to the flowering phase is the plant’s biological signal to begin producing the harvestable flowers. For photoperiod strains, this transition is triggered by reducing the light exposure to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. This shift mimics the shorter days of late summer and autumn, prompting the plant to stop vegetative growth and start developing buds. The time needed to complete this phase is heavily dependent on the plant’s specific genetics.
Indica-dominant strains have been bred for shorter flowering periods, often completing the maturation process in approximately seven to nine weeks. Sativa-dominant strains generally require a much longer flowering time, often needing 10 to 14 weeks or more to fully ripen. Hybrid strains fall somewhere in the middle, displaying a range of flowering times based on their genetic lineage.
Autoflowering strains represent a unique exception because their timeline is fixed and not controlled by the light cycle. These varieties contain genetics from Cannabis ruderalis and automatically transition into the flowering stage based on age, typically two to four weeks after germination. This fixed, accelerated cycle means autoflowers can go from seed to harvest in as little as 10 weeks. This includes their short vegetative period, making them the fastest option available.
Finalizing the Product: Drying and Curing
Once the plant reaches maturity and is harvested, the final time requirement involves post-harvest processing before the product is ready for consumption. This stage adds a mandatory duration to the overall timeline. The first step is drying, which removes excess moisture from the flowers to prevent mold and prepare them for storage.
Drying typically takes between five and 14 days, depending largely on the ambient temperature and humidity. The goal is a slow, controlled moisture loss to preserve the delicate compounds that contribute to the final aroma and flavor. Following drying, the buds are placed in airtight containers for curing, a process that refines the quality and smoothness of the final product. Curing involves a minimum of two to four weeks, during which the buds are monitored and briefly exposed to air daily.