# The cannabis life cycle, stage by stage

> Cannabis goes from seed to seedling (1-3 weeks), vegetative growth (2-8+ weeks indoors, set by the grower for photoperiod plants), transition, flowering (about 7-12 weeks for most drug-type cultivars, longer for some tropical types) and ripening, then harvest, drying and curing. Photoperiod plants flower when nights are long enough; autoflowers flower by age.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/life-cycle.html
- Category: Basics · Level: Beginner
- Evidence: Established · Status: Draft: awaiting expert review
- Stage: Any stage · Systems: Any system
- Updated: 2026-10-31 · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay Knowledge Base (genetixbay.com/knowledge)"

## Questions and answers

**How long does it take to grow cannabis from seed?** Growing cannabis from seed indoors usually takes about 3-5 months for a [photoperiod plant](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/photoperiod.md) and about 2.5-3.5 months for an autoflower, before drying and curing. The biggest variable is vegetative time, which the grower chooses for photoperiod plants (2-8+ weeks), plus flowering of about 7-12 weeks for most drug-type cultivars and 12-16+ weeks for some tropical lines.

**What are the stages of cannabis growth?** Cannabis passes through seven main stages: germination (1-7 days), seedling (1-3 weeks), vegetative growth (2-8+ weeks indoors), transition or stretch (about 2-3 weeks after 12/12), flowering (about 7-12 weeks for most drug-type cultivars), ripening in the last 1-3 weeks, then harvest, drying (7-14 days) and curing (2-8+ weeks). These durations are typical grower ranges, not fixed rules.

**When does cannabis start flowering?** A photoperiod cannabis plant starts flowering once nights pass its cultivar-specific threshold, which indoors means switching to about 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness. Flowering does not start on the day of the switch: a transition and stretch follows first, and breeders often count flowering time from the first pistils rather than the flip. Autoflowers instead flower at a set age, regardless of day length.

**How long is the vegetative stage?** The vegetative stage of a photoperiod cannabis plant typically lasts 2-8+ weeks indoors, and its length is the grower's choice: plants stay vegetative under long days, usually 18 hours of light, until switched to 12/12. Vegging too long in a small space is a common mistake, because plants can roughly double in height after the flip. Autoflowers skip this choice and flower at a set age.

**What is the stretch in early flower?** The stretch is the burst of stem elongation in roughly the first 2-3 weeks after switching photoperiod cannabis to 12/12. Depending on genotype, stems can elongate by 50-200% while [flower sites](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bud-site.md) form, so a plant can roughly double in height. Growers plan for it by limiting veg time in small spaces and managing the canopy before and during the transition.

**Short answer.** Seed, seedling, vegetative growth, transition, flowering, ripening, harvest. A photoperiod plant stays vegetative under long days (typically 18 h light indoors) and flowers once it gets long, uninterrupted nights (typically 12 h dark indoors). An autoflower flowers at a set age regardless of day length. Indoors, a photoperiod grow from seed usually takes 3-5 months; an autoflower 2.5-3.5 months.

## What's happening

Cannabis is a [short-day plant](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/short-day-plant.md): what it actually measures is the length of the dark period. When nights pass a cultivar-specific threshold, the [shoot tips](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/apical-meristem.md) switch from vegetative architecture to compact flower clusters [1][2]. Even under long days, plants of flowering age form solitary flowers at the nodes ("pre-flowers"), which is how you can sex plants before switching to 12/12 [1].

## Stages and timing

| Stage | Typical duration (indoor) | What the plant is doing | Grower focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germination | 1-7 days | Radicle emerges, cotyledons open | Warmth 22-26 °C (72-79 °F), moist not wet |
| Seedling | 1-3 weeks | [First true leaves](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/true-leaves.md) (1, then 3, then 5 leaflets) | Gentle light, avoid [overwatering](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/overwatering.md) |
| Vegetative | 2-8+ weeks (grower's choice for photoperiods) | Leaf, stem and root growth; nodes stack | Training, [root volume](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pot-size.md), steady feeding |
| Transition / stretch | ~2-3 weeks after 12/12 | Stems can elongate 50-200% (genotype dependent); flower sites form | Height planning, canopy management |
| Flowering | ~7-12 weeks for most drug-type cultivars; 12-16+ for some tropical lines | Bract and stigma production, resin build-up | Stable climate, no [light leaks](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/light-leak.md) |
| Ripening | Last 1-3 weeks of flower | Stigmas recede and darken; [trichome heads](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/trichome-heads.md) turn cloudy, some amber | Decide harvest by trichomes and plan; keep feeding at stage strength (no [pre-harvest flush](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/flushing.md): see [the flush debate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/flush-debate.md)) |
| Harvest, dry, cure | Dry 7-14 days; cure 2-8+ weeks | [Water leaves](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/fan-leaf.md) slowly; flavour and smoothness improve | ~18-21 °C (64-70 °F), ~55-62% RH for drying |

Durations are typical grower ranges, not laws (*Grower practice*). Breeders' stated flowering times are claims and often optimistic by 1-2 weeks, partly because many count from first pistils rather than the flip: see [the flip isn't day 1 of flower](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/environment/flip-to-flower-transition.md).

## The photoperiod threshold

The critical day length varies by cultivar. In a Florida study of 27 [hemp cultivars](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hemp.md), essential-oil types flowered 1-2 days later when days exceeded 13 h and a further 7-8 days later beyond 14 h; some had a critical day length of 13 h 45 min to 14 h. Very dim civil twilight (~2 µmol/m²/s) was enough to count as "light" for the plant [2]. Indoor growers use 12/12 because it reliably triggers essentially all photoperiod cultivars (*Established* practice).

Autoflowering is a different, genetically controlled pathway (a recessive locus, *Autoflower1*, in the populations mapped so far) [4]. See [photoperiod vs autoflower](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/photoperiod-vs-autoflower.md).

## Male versus female timelines

Males usually show sex earlier and open flowers sooner than females from the same seed lot. Males shed pollen within roughly 1-3 weeks of the switch; remove or isolate them before then unless you are making seed (*Grower practice*) [3].

## Common mistakes

- Light leaks during the dark period. Even weak light can delay or disrupt flowering in sensitive cultivars [2].
- Vegging too long in a small space. Plan for the stretch: a plant can roughly double in height after the flip.
- Harvesting by the calendar instead of the plant.

## Evidence

- Short-day (long-night) flowering and cultivar-specific critical photoperiods: *Established* [1][2].
- Pre-flowers under long days as sex indicators: *Established* [1].
- Stage durations above: *Grower practice*, highly cultivar dependent.
- Drying and curing ranges: *Grower practice*; see the harvest-cure category for evidence detail.

## Sources

1. Spitzer-Rimon B, Duchin S, Bernstein N, Kamenetsky R. 2019. Architecture and florogenesis in female Cannabis sativa plants. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00350
2. Zhang M, Anderson SL, Brym ZT, Pearson BJ. 2021. Photoperiodic flowering response of essential oil, grain, and fiber hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars. Frontiers in Plant Science 12:694153. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.694153
3. Small E. 2015. Evolution and classification of Cannabis sativa (marijuana, hemp) in relation to human utilization. Botanical Review 81:189-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-015-9157-3
4. Toth JA, Stack GM, Carlson CH, Smart LB. 2022. Identification and mapping of major-effect flowering time loci Autoflower1 and Early1 in Cannabis sativa L. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:991680. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.991680