# Veg time

> Veg time is how long a photoperiod plant is kept in vegetative growth under long days before being flipped to flower, which largely sets its final size.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/veg-time.html
- Also written: vegetative period, veg period, vegging, veg phase, length of veg, vegetative stage
- Glossary category: Cultivation and training · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Veg time is the length of the vegetative phase, from [seedling](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/seedling.md) or rooted clone until the flowering [photoperiod](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/photoperiod.md) begins. Under long days (18 h or more of light) a photoperiod plant stays vegetative indefinitely, so the grower chooses how long it grows before flowering. [Autoflowers](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/autoflower.md) have no controllable veg time; they flower by age.

## In practice

Common ranges: [SOG](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sog.md) clones get 1-2 weeks; most tent grows with a few trained plants get 3-6 weeks; [SCROG](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/scrog.md) and mainlined plants often get 6-8 weeks or more until the screen is mostly full. Because plants [stretch](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stretch.md) after the flip, veg time is usually decided by height and canopy fill rather than calendar.

GenetixBay endorses [24/0](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/24-0.md) lighting in veg: cannabis does not need a dark period during vegetative growth.

## Don't confuse with

- **Days from seed**: autoflowers are timed from [germination](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/germination.md), not by veg time.
- **Flowering time**: the weeks from flip to harvest, set mainly by genetics.

## Related terms

[Flip](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/flip.md), [Stretch](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stretch.md), [Mother plant](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/mother-plant.md), [SOG](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sog.md), [SCROG](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/scrog.md)

## Read more

- [The cannabis life cycle, stage by stage](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/life-cycle.md)