Cannabis Seedling Growth (Chart, Photos, & Tips)

Are you an avid stoner who wants to explore the world of cannabis cultivation? Want to know about the secrets of cannabis seedling growth? If yes, then this article will be a great read.

Cannabis growing can be a phenomenal experience with a new challenge at every growth stage, which hooks growers into putting great efforts into learning all the ways to improve the final product. This can be done by cultivating the best genetics. To setup a proper grow room with the best equipment possible, training your plant’s branches to maximize light exposure, and following the right feeding, watering, and light cycles. Beginner growers may face difficulties on their first grow, which can shatter their confidence, but if you remain consistent, you can produce better Cannabis than you can get in any dispensary.

Here we have a detailed guide to help growers understand cannabis seedling growth and cultivate the best marijuana they have ever had. Want to know more about the steps of cannabis seedling growth?

Give this article a read, take some notes, and don’t be afraid to reference back if needed. By doing so, you’ll learn to care for cannabis seedlings without any hassle.

Table of Contents

What Is Cannabis Seedling Growth?

Cannabis seedling growth is the initial growth stage of marijuana plants after germination. During this stage, cannabis plants are equivalent to a newborn baby and need great care to ensure healthy growth. The leaves sprout, and the roots develop during this phase so seedlings can transition into the vegetative phase.

As the seeds split open, the first observance is known as cotyledons. , and this seed can now be called a cannabis seedling. If a seed starts a good life, there is a high probability that it will be able to develop into a high-potency and rich cannabis plant. The seedling growth stage lasts around 2-3 weeks, depending on the selection of seeds.

How Long Does The Seedling Stage Last For Cannabis Plants?

Cannabis plants are considered seedlings 2-3 weeks after the completion of the germination process. The seedling stage duration also depends on the growth setting. If cannabis is grown indoors, it needs about 16 hours of light exposure to ensure optimal growth.

However, if marijuana is cultivated in an outdoor setting, it should be placed in a spot where it receives direct sunlight for proper growth. After the seedling stage, cannabis plants go through the vegetative stage.

Why Is Seedling Growth Important For Cannabis Plants?

The seedling stage is a tough phase for cannabis plants as it influences the ability of seedlings to transition into the vegetative stage. The roots and sprouts develop during this stage with the shaping of leaves. Growers need to offer special care during this phase as even a slight imbalance, such as environmental change, can cause a seedling to die within a few hours.

What Effects Weed Seedling Growth?

Multiple factors impact the growth of cannabis plants while they are in a growing phase. These include:

Seed Quality – The selection of seeds determines their ability to germinate, which leads to efficient growth during the seedling stage.
Grow Medium – The selection of grow medium impacts the growth of seedlings as it impacts their development and absorption of nutrients.
Temperature & Humidity – Marijuana seedlings need the right balance of temperature and humidity to ensure effective growth.
Pot Size – Pot size is the primary factor that affects the growth of marijuana seedlings, as it ensures proper drainage and aeration.
Lighting – In indoor or outdoor settings, cannabis seedlings need adequate light exposure to ensure rapid growth.
Watering – All plants need proper watering to grow well. Therefore, over watering and under watering cannabis seedlings can hamper healthy growth.

Normal Cannabis Seedling Growth – Week-By-Week Breakdown

It is crucial to pay close attention to cannabis plants when they are sprouting. This sensitive time period determines their ability to grow into healthy and high-potent plants to offer the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.

Week 1: Seedling Cannabis Growth

The first week of cannabis seedling growth is important as the seeds start germinating in the soil. During days 3-7, seeds sprout and reach the surface, and the first leaves to appear are known as cotyledons. During the first week, growers witness slight root growth in medium plugs, which signifies the initial root formation and plant development.

Week 2: Seedling Cannabis Growth

During the second week, sprouts of cannabis seedlings shed their shells and start opening properly. Growers can see single-pointed leaves with visible growth in the roots area, highlighting that seedlings are experiencing vigorous growth and proceeding toward maturity in the seedling stage.

Week 3: Seedling Cannabis Growth

During the third week of cannabis seedling growth, roots continue to grow well by absorbing all the required nutrients essential for healthy growth. Growers can see triple-pointed and five-pointed leaves, which showcases that the seedlings have reached maturity.

Should I Germinate In Soil Or Paper Towel?

Almost all cannabis growers have heard about the popular paper towel method used in germination. However, the primary concern of all growers is whether soil or paper towel is an effective method of germination. The paper towel method allows cultivators to have better control over the conditions such as heat and moisture by germinating cannabis seeds in a plastic container. This method allows the germination process to be completed in less time than germinating in the soil.

However, soil offers a natural environment for seeds to grow, which increases the overall quality and effectiveness of cannabis. It depends on how different growers proceed with the germination process, as both soil and paper towel methods have their own pros and cons. As long as the soil is well-aerated and ensures good drainage, it can germinate cannabis seeds.

4 Steps For Healthy Seedling Cannabis Growth

Cannabis seedlings are fragile and can easily be affected by environmental changes. Growers must understand the best practices that help optimize seedling growth and lead to healthy plants. Here are three easy steps to follow to ensure the best vegetative plants with high yields.

1. Select The Right Genetics

The first step to ace cannabis seedling growth is the selection of the right genetics that offer the best results. Growers must select strain options after considering growth setting, environmental fluctuations, grow equipment, and taste preferences to identify which option will yield ideal results. The quality and sourcing of seeds will determine the quality and potency of your bud.

2. Select The Right Grow Pots & Medium

The second step to ensure healthy cannabis seedling growth is the appropriate selection of growing pots and mediums. The ideal growing medium is soil, which offers a natural environment and aids in vigorous growth.

Growers should select soil that is well-aerated and has an acidic nature. It should have a pH value between 6.3 and 6.5, and adding perlite can optimize growth.

Moreover, it is crucial to select the right grow pots for cannabis seedlings to prevent any growth inconvenience. The main factors to look for in an ideal grow pot include drainage holes, aeration, and pot size that ensures feasible growth without any nutrient lockout and waterlogging. Most growers use pots ranging between 5–15l. For indoor growers, 12l pots are a suitable option to suit their growing setting.

3. Provide The Perfect Seedling Environment

Whether growing indoors or outdoors, cannabis cultivators need to provide a perfect environment for their seedlings to ensure good growth. The key factors included in the environment of cannabis seedlings include lighting, temperature, humidity, and watering.

We have elaborated more on each factor in an upcoming section to help growers understand the ideal requirement that stimulates seedling growth.

4. Provide Proper Seedling Care & Maintenance

As the seedling phase is a sensitive time for cannabis plants, they need great care and maintenance to transition into the next stage. Regular checks and observations should ensure seedlings can grow well without any imbalances. Growers should invest in monitoring tools such as thermometers, timers, hygrometers, and other equipment that ensures efficient monitoring of cannabis seedlings in an indoor setting.

In contrast, growers should be careful when cultivating in an outdoor setting, as any environmental imbalances can disrupt growth. Some tell-tale signs of healthy seedlings include rapid growth complemented with rich green foliage.

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Growing Healthy Cannabis Seedlings

To get your Cannabis seedlings growing, make sure you have the best cannabis seedling lighting. Growers need to pay special attention to the environment, such as lighting, temperature, humidity, air circulation, and ventilation influencing cannabis growth. Regular checks and observations can help in the identification of any imbalances which can be rectified promptly. The primary task of growers is to prevent any stress development which might slow the growth of cannabis seedlings.

Autoflowering Cannabis seeds

These don’t require you to pay any attention to the light cycle. Make sure you don’t transplant seedlings and grow them in their final pot, as they have a short life cycle. Germinating your seedlings indoors will give you the best results. When growing autoflower seeds, don’t transplant cannabis seedlings or you’re going to have bad luck.

Flowering Stage

Cannabis flowering can be sped up by ensuring the right environmental conditions. Ensure yout grow room is within the right temperature and humidity range, and follow the appropriate feeding and watering schedule for your strains without overdoing it.

Common Cannabis Seedling Problems & Solutions

There are some common problems with all cannabis seedlings which can hamper their growth and make it a challenge for growers to maintain their seedlings. In this section, we have explained some of the top cannabis seedling problems faced by all growers and how to tackle these issues and ensure healthy growth.

Overwatering Cannabis Seedlings

Although cannabis seedlings need ample water to grow well, overwatering is a common issue faced by different growers. This can cause plants to stand in stagnant water, which might cause a lack of oxygen, hindering healthy growth. When seedlings do not get the required oxygen, leaves become droopy and yellowish.

Moreover, the growing medium can become anaerobic, attracting harmful pathogens that destroy cannabis seedlings. Therefore, it is important to deal with this issue as soon as possible to avoid disruption in growth.

Some useful methods include using smart pots, mixing perlite in the soil, which will absorb water efficiently, and making drainage holes in a growing container to ensure proper drainage.

Underwatering Cannabis Seedlings

Underwatering can also be a significant issue that hampers healthy cannabis seedling growth as plants cannot fulfill their water requirement. Plants lose water through transpiration. Ensure the roots are moist so leaves can replenish the water they need.

In addition, a deficiency of water can cause cannabis plants to dry out, as they will not be able to perform the basic processes for healthy growth. The process of photosynthesis will not be as effective and regular as it should be, which will end up killing cannabis plants. Therefore, cannabis seedlings must have access to water whenever required to avoid any growth issues.

Some solutions to deal with this issue include regular checks for water requirements to ensure timely watering. Ensure that the surface of the soil in which cannabis seedlings are grown needs to be moist at all times. To improve water retention, soil can be mixed with coco fiber, preventing water seepage.

Cannabis Seedling Nutrient Problems

Cannabis seedlings need the right balance of nutrients to ensure optimal growth, leading to healthy plants. Any imbalances might cause serious problems, such as yellow leaves, burnt tips, and stunted growth.

Overfeeding or underfeeding nutrients can exhaust the soil and its contents, so growers need to be careful when providing nutrients to cannabis seedlings; for example, for the first few weeks, a low nutrient dose will be quite effective in aiding good growth.

Moreover, some techniques can help growers deal with nutrient problems for cannabis plants. Firstly, cultivators should adjust the nutrient dose according to the growth medium used, as different mediums require various amounts of nutrients. It would be great to wait for at least ten days between two nutrient doses.

Lastly, growers need to read the instructions on their nutrient product closely to ensure desirable outcomes.

High Heat

Excessive heat can develop stress in cannabis seedlings which might cause crisp leaves with signs of burnt tips of leaves. This issue is caused by a decrease in humidity, a significant increase in temperature levels, or an even lower distance between the lighting equipment and the plantation. Therefore, growers must maintain the right temperature balance to ensure healthy growth.

Some of the techniques to control excessive heat exposure is the usage of temperature and humidity monitoring equipment which can help detect any imbalances. There should be enough distance between the lighting equipment and cannabis plants to avoid excessive heat exposure. The fans used for air circulation should be adjusted according to the growth stages to ensure the ideal temperature required for effective growth.

Too Much Or Not Enough Light

Light exposure can be a major problem for cannabis plants as it is complex to maintain the ideal lighting required for effective growth. Excessive lighting or deficiency can lead to stunted growth and the inability to transition into different growing stages for cannabis plants. Marijuana leaves get dehydrated and wrinkled when exposed to excessive lighting, whereas lower light exposure can cause falling leaves.

Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the perfect balance of light exposure to ensure healthy growth for cannabis seedlings. Some of the useful techniques to do so include regular checks and balances by growers to find the ideal lighting situation. It would be a great decision to use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which offer good light exposure to support cannabis growth.

Cannabis Seedling Shell Not Dropping

In some cases, cannabis seedlings might get stuck in their substrates. This can lead to improper development or even cause the death of a seedling. The primary reason for this problem is the imbalance in humidity levels. This can hamper the natural ability of a seedling to get rid of the seed shell.

Moreover, some effective methods can help growers efficiently cater to this problem. Firstly, the most effective method is to regularly hydrate seedlings and watch them once daily to identify any abnormalities.

Sometimes, the shell of a seed might drop, leaving a membrane that prevents a seedling from opening properly. You can remove this membrane easily with the help of tweezers. Installing humidifiers and dehumidifiers can also be a great solution to deal with this problem.

How To Optimize Cannabis Growth During Seedling Stage?

There are a few basic techniques that help in the optimization of cannabis growth during the seedling stage. Growers must understand the needs of cannabis plants to ensure the right balance of requirements that ensure effective and healthy growth. Some essential factors for optimized growth include proper light exposure and maintaining temperature and humidity within a perfect range.

Cannabis seedlings require a daytime temperature of 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit with relative humidity between 40-60%. We suggest that growers use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) with 18 hours of lighting and 6 hours of darkness to ensure optimal growth.

Can You Speed Up The Cannabis Seedling Stage?

There are a few tips to speed up the cannabis seedling stage naturally. These can help them grow effectively and increase the chances of their development into healthy cannabis plants in the future. Firstly, it is essential to source good genetics that use proven seeds to develop into healthy seedlings.

Why Is It Better To Grow From Seeds Vs. Clones?

Although cannabis clones can be a quicker way to cultivate cannabis, it involves a lot of complexities that might confuse beginner growers. Clones are tricky to handle and experience several issues that only expert cannabis cultivators can handle effectively. Cannabis growth using seeds can be an effective method to start a new batch of genetics.

In addition, growing from seeds is easier than clones due to their legal status in most countries with better accessibility. Growers who understand the art of cannabis cultivation using seeds can introduce new mouth-watering strains for a pleasant consumption experience.

Final Thoughts – Cannabis Seedling Growth

Cannabis seedling growth is a sensitive stage and requires growers to proactively deal with any issues. Growers must be extra careful during this phase. Even though cannabis seedlings might recover from any crucial situation, there might be permanent distortions. This can occur in the size and structure of these baby plants, which affects the harvest.

We’ve listed the complete flow of cannabis plant growth to help growers enjoy this process. We suggest all growers take good care of their crops. Especially in the seedling growth stage, to maximize the flavor profile, bud production, and potency of your cannabis plants.

We hope this article will enable growers to understand the process of cannabis seedling growth easily. Make sure to follow us on Instagram for more tips and guides on Cannabis seeds.

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