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Basics
101
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Vegetative Phase
Duration:
1–5 months.
In this stage the plant needs all
the light (at least 12 hours) and
nutrients (food) it can get. It
will continue to grow upwards and
produce new leaves. The sex is
starting to reveal which is a sign
that the next stage begins.
Concurrently the root system
expands downwards in search of more
water and food. Some newly
developed strains (autoflowering
hybrids) omit the vegetative stage
and pass directly from seedling to
pre-flowering.
When the plant possesses 4 sets of
true leafs and the 5th is barely
visible in the center of the growth
tip, or shoot apical maristem
(SAM), the plant has entered the
vegetative phase of growth. During
the vegetative phase of growth, the
plant directs its energy resources
primarily to the growth of leaves,
stems, and roots. A strong root
system is imperative, as it is
required for strong floral
development. A plant needs 1 or 2
months to mature before blooming.
The plant is ready when it has
revealed its sex. The males are
then culled when they are
identified, because they don't
produce buds or flowers. If males
are allowed to pollinate the
females their potency will be
greatly reduced, as energy that
would have been used to make large,
potent buds instead goes to making
seeds.
During the vegetative phase of
growth, cultivators generally
employ an 18 to 24 hour
photoperiod, as the plants grow
more quickly if they receive more
light, although a warmer and cooler
period are required for optimal
health. While no dark period is
required, there is debate among
cultivators as to whether a dark
period is beneficial, and many
continue to employ a dark
period.
Marijuana cultivators employ
fertilizers high in nitrogen and
potassium during this stage, as
well as a complete micronutrient
fertilizer. The strength of the
fertilizer is gradually increased
as the plants grow and become more
hardy.
The modification of a plant's
growth habit is called training.
Indoor cultivators employ many
training techniques in order to
encourage shorter plants and denser
canopy growth. For example, unless
the crop is too large to be
extensively pruned, cultivators
will remove adventitious growth
shoots, often called suckers, that
are near the bottom of the plant
and/or receive little light and
will produce poor quality buds.
Many cultivators
also employ other
techniques:
Topping
Is done by
removing the top of the
apical meristem
(dominant central
stem), called the apex
or terminal bud, in
order to transfer
apical dominance (the
tendency for the apex
to grow more rapidly
than the rest of the
plant) to the shoots
emanating from the two
nodes immediately
beneath the pruning
cut. This process can
be repeated on one or
both of the two new
meristems, when they
become apically
dominant, with the same
results. This process
can actually be
repeated almost
infinitely, but
over-diffusion of
apical dominance will
produce smaller, lower
quality buds, so it is
usually done no more
than a few times.
Topping also causes
more rapid growth of
all of the branches
below the cut while the
plant heals.
Pinching
Pinching is
similar to topping in
that it causes the
lower branches to grow
more rapidly, but the
apical meristem will
maintain apical
dominance, which is
especially useful if
the plant has already
been topped. Pinching
is performed by firmly
pinching the apical
meristem(s) so as to
substantially damage
vascular and structural
cells but without
totally breaking the
stem. This will cause
the lower limbs to grow
more rapidly while the
pinched tissue heals,
after which time the
stem will resume apical
dominance.
LSTing
LST stands for
Low Stress Training.
This technique involves
bending and tying the
plants branches to
manipulate the plant
into a more preferred
growth shape. This
method of training
works very well for
indoor growers who need
to illuminate their
plants using overhead
lights. Since light
intensity greatly
diminishes with
increased distance
(Inverse-square law)
LSTing can be used to
keep all growth tips
(meristem) at the same
distance from the light
and can achieve optimal
light exposure. LSTing
is often used in
conjunction with
topping, since topping
increases axial growth
(side shoots), topping
is often done a few
weeks before beginning
LSTing. LSTing works by
changing the
distribution of
hormones, more
specifically Auxins, in
the plant.
Pre-flowering
phase
Duration: 1
day to 2 weeks.
The height
development slows
down and the
production of more
branches and nodes
occurs. The plant
will start to show
a calyx which
appears where the
branches meet the
stem (nodes).
Pre-flowering
indicates that the
plant is ready to
flower.
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How to Grow Cannabis Indoors - A
Step By Step Guide on Growing
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Grow Cannabis in a Room or Closet
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How Long to Vegetate Marijuana
The Optimal Size to Vegetate
Cannabis Before Inducing Budding
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