Cannabis Flowering Cycle

Cannabis Flowering Cycle

The cannabis flowering cycle tends to be the longest of the cannabis-growth lifecycle. Depending on the cultivar, the flowering stage can take anywhere from four to twelve weeks. Some Sativa and Sativa-dominant can even push past twelve weeks of flowering. It all depends on your cannabis genetics.

Cannabis Flowering & Pre-Flowering

The flowering stage comprises two parts: the cannabis pre-flowering stage and the cannabis flowering cycle. Many growers and breeders use the cannabis pre-flowering stage as an opportunity to determine the sex of their plants. Male cannabis plants will produce pollen sacs, and female plants will produce buds or flowers. Make sure to isolate your male and female cannabis plants from each other unless you are planning on creating your own cannabis seeds.

Potassium & Phosphorus

NPK levels are changed from higher amounts of nitrogen during the vegetative cycle to higher amounts of potassium and phosphorus during the flowering and pre-flowering stages to enhance growth and bud 

Feminized Seeds & Autoflowering Seeds

If you are growing feminized seeds or autoflowering seeds, you can save a significant amount of time during the cannabis flowering cycle. Feminized seeds will produce all-female plants, doing away with the need to sex the plants. Autoflowering seeds, in turn, don’t require sticking to a lighting schedule for them to complete the flowering cycle. Please see our Feminized Seeds page for more information on female seeds and our Autoflowering Seeds page for details on autoflowering cannabis seeds.

Cannabis Flowering Cycle

When your plants start flowering and producing buds, things will start to get stinky. If you’re growing indoors and trying to be discreet, make sure you are recirculating the air through a carbon filter. Carbon filters will keep those pungent smells to a minimum.

Your buds will start to grow milky-white pistils, while trichomes engulf your plants with a layer of crystals. During the flowering cycle, it can be difficult to leave the buds on the plants. Sampling here and there is okay, but don’t overdo it or rush your plants in any way.

Photoperiod: 12 Hours Of Light & 12 Hours Of Darkness

What’s Next?

If you are finished with the flowering cycle, please move on to the Cannabis Harvesting Stage (coming soon).