Cannabis is an annual plant; the entire life cycle lasts one year, although the plant often ends its life cycle after just four to ten months. Depending on the growth phase, the appearance of the plant and its needs change. This requires different amounts of light, water and nutrients.

Here are the four (main) phases:

• Cultivation: paper towel/moist, Jiffys, coconut mat, etc.
• Duration: between 24 hours and 7 days. Cannabis strains with a high indica content germinate faster than sativas.

• Susceptible to disease and mold.
• As much light as possible.
• The duration of the seedling phase depends on the variety and environmental factors
• When the plant produces the full number of fingers on a new leaf, the seedling phase is complete.

• Growth up to 5 cm per day.
• Duration / rough estimate: Autoflowering cannabis strains enter the flowering phase after 2 to 3 weeks. Regular or feminized strains only start flowering when the days get shorter. In the northern hemisphere this is the summer solstice on June 21st. of the year (outdoor). Indoors, lighting time is reduced to 12 hours or less.

• Beginning of reproduction.
• Only now can the gender be determined with certainty. 
• Special fertilizer can be used here to stimulate flower formation.
• Much water.
• Possibly support the plant so that it can support the weight of the flowers.
• In view of hormone production, it should be cut back to a maximum of the second week of the flowering phase.
• Duration of the flowering phase: Variety dependent. Autoflowering cannabis can be ready to harvest in as little as a month, while indica takes around 6 to 8 weeks.
• Some sativa strains can take over 3 months. 

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