4 Important Stages of Growing Indoor Medicinal Plants
Knowing the stages of the medicinal plants lifecycle will ultimately help you cultivate a better yield and potency. Here we discuss the most common phases of medicinal plant growth. Of course, this medicinal plant timeline is greatly affected by the type of seed used, as well as the quality of your controlled environment. (It is important to note that auto-flowering strains will not follow the same rules or medicinal plant growth cycle.)
Stage 1 – Seedling (2-3 weeks)
After sowing and emergence, the first thing you see is a pair of symmetrical cotyledons, and then the first true leaf grows. The leaf is shaped like five fingers spread out, called palm-shaped compound leaves, and the true leaves increase one by one as the plant grows taller. , The leaves are alternate, the internodes are short, and the plant height is 10 centimeters.
You should see the medicinal plant take on some medicinal plants characteristics by producing new sets of leaves. Plants should have 4-8 new leaves before moving on to transplanting to larger containers for the next vegetation stage.
Stage 2 – Vegetative (3-16 weeks)
Now your plants really begin to take off – don’t be surprised if they grow two inches in one day! You’ll be utilizing lots of light, water and nutrients during this medicinal plants growth stage. Proper temperature, humidity and nitrogen levels are critical.
In the fast-growing period, the plant growth rate is accelerated during this period, and the plant height can reach more than 30 cm. The leaves are palm-shaped compound leaves, the internode distance is elongated, the stalk is thickened, and the buds and branches begin to appear in the leaf axils. The larger the growth, the clearer the characteristics.
Stage 3 – Flowering (8-11 weeks)
The penultimate of the steps to growing medicinal plants is arguably the most exciting and fascinating – the flowering stage! The height of the plant is about 80-130 cm. Flower buds (sacs) or clusters of flower buds in the leaf axils on the main stem and branches begin to appear in the leaf axils or on the main stem at this stage, which symbolizes the reproductive growth stage, and the more the upper leaves of the plant The longer the smaller, the shorter the leaf spacing. The male plants begin to flower 1-2 weeks earlier than the female plants, and the male plants grow taller than the female plants. The female plant will produce white hairy humus in the internodes and top (head).
Stage 4 – Harvest Time
At this stage, the plant height has stabilized. The female plants are conical in shape like a Christmas tree. The inflorescences are stalk-like inflorescences. You may smell a unique fruity or smoky smell between the inflorescences. The pistils will change from white to darker color (usually Is brown, red, or orange). By this time, it is proved that the plants are physiologically mature, and the medicinal ingredients have reached the highest value, and they can be harvested.
A good rule of thumb is more than 50% milky white, and no more than 10% amber. Amber signifies that THC is starting to degrade to CBN!
It is recommended that harvesting medicinal plants should begin when 70-90% of the pistils (small white hairs on the buds) have turned brown. Waiting much longer will almost be too late to guarantee plant quality.
When your plants are definitely ready, it’s time to cut, dry and cure them.
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