Is there a time line for the cannabis germination, adulthood etc? Or maybe someone should create one and sticky it. Thank you.
More of a common knowledge thing you pick up. Here's how I think of it in my own head. You'll have to figure it out for yourself over time, but maybe this will help. Basically it goes... Germination: Tap Root emerges from a saturated seed that has split open. Seedling: Two cotledon appear above ground as basic light detectors. Two sets of true leaves will appear. Early Vegetative growth: Nutrients are necessary now. From the 3rd to the 7th alternating growth nodes. Good time for all forms of training. Plant is in desire for nitrogen, and calcium. Mid Vegetative growth: Plant is entering a very productive phase of growth from the 7th to 12th alternating growth node. Enough plant mass is present to offer tremendous potential. Good time to switch to HID lighting, continue training, and push more nutrients. Some strains need high magnesium levels during this time. Late Vegetative growth: Plant is about to, or has already proved its sexual choice. You can allow the plant to continue to vegetate for as long as you want in this stage, from the 12th node onwards. Good time for cloning a plant, as a single plant could provide dozens of clones. Given a few weeks a single plant can fill a grow room with female clones. This is an excellent time to fill out a scrog. High ppm levels are required and all nutrients will be in demand. Especially Micro nutrients like iron, sulfur, and silicon. 12/12 Stretch: During the first 10 to 15 days (about 2 weeks) of 12/12 lighting indoors the plants will generally double or triple in size. They are working to build space for flowers to form in, and to generate as many new growth sites as possible prior to the main growth tip becoming a flower. This is usually a time of the highest nutrient levels of the grow, decreasing nitrogen and increasing pretty much everything else to compensate. Having PERFECT pH balance during this phase is critical for magnesium uptake. Without enough magnesium chlorophyll will burn up and you'll lose leaf mass and harvest weight. If you're going to run CO2 for just a short period of time this is a great time to begin using it as the additional carbon will fortify the doubling of new plant fibers (which are primarily made of CO2). Also, foliar feeding a deficiency is still possible during this stage prior to true flower set. Flower Set: During this phase the top of the growth branches and main stalk become flowers, and flowers become present throughout the plant. This phase can last anywhere from 5 days to 20 days depending on the strain, with about 10 days being a good average for your typical Indica/Sativa hybrid. Decreased ppm levels is recommended, but this is a great time to include a PK booster, or increase these levels, as these elements are important for healthy flower formation. Watch for salt build-ups given the age of the media and the volatility of the elements you are using, keep everything clean with regular waterings between feedings. Mid Flower: Growth will stall out, or so it would seem, compared to the previous exciting experience. Many new growers get nervous during this time thinking they have done something wrong, or that there harvest will be small. Some strains don't spend much time in this transitional phase while others will spend more than a week. Trichome production is now underway, and the plant is fertile for pollen. Flowering enhancers like Emerald Triangles Gravity are appropriate for this phase as they will stimulate flower growth and speed the switch to swelling. Swelling: Starts slow, but you'll notice it when it happens. Many new white hairs begin to spring up and the plants start to increase in both flower size and resin production. Training methods, and most stress in general is a bad idea during this phase. Keep the plants happy, and the ppm levels around 75% of what it was at the height of growth. Bloom boosters and growth enhancers are very important to create large buds during this phase. The period will extend up to a point when new white hairs are much less prevelent. Think of it like microwave popcorn. At first just a few kernals pop, then they start to get hot and the bag begins to swell as the popping becomes more rapid. Then suddenly the popping becomes very infrequent. That's the end of swelling... in a way of speaking. Ripening: You can allow this phase to continue as long as necessary for the trichomes on the plant to reach appropriate maturity. Generally this is a time of tremendous resin development and is crucial for the turpin development as well. Lasting up to four weeks on some strains it is important not to run high levels of nutrients. Harvesting is up to the gardener, but it can be done incrementally as the plant ripens to offer a variety of highs from the same plant. Stress isn't much of a factor anymore, and can actually improve resin production. Many growers strip off large fan leaves or remove nugs early during this time without much issue. An estimate for your standard 70 day flowering strain Germination 4 to 5 days Seedling 5 days Early Veg 15 days Mid Veg 10 days Late Veg 10 days or as long as wanted Stretch 15 days Flower Set 10 days Mid Flower 5 days Swelling 25 days Ripening 15 days