The ultimate question for any new indoor grower is “how long should I veg before flipping to flower?”
Because the flowering stage has a fixed length of time. It is more or less around 60 days.
But the duration of the vegetative stage is not fixed; at least not when you are growing indoors. The Veg Stage indoors can be as long or as short as you want it to be.
If I decide how long to let this plant grow before flipping it, what is the best time? How long should I let it grow?
For many home growers, the goal is to maximize cannabis yields from their indoor grow space. While factors like lighting, nutrients and genetics impact yields, one key component is the vegetative growth timeframe. Allowing plants adequate veg time enables them to develop a robust root zone and wide, bushy canopy that can support those heavy flowering sites. But how long should you vegetate plants to consistently produce 8+ ounces per plant in a soil-based indoor grow?
Understanding the Vegetative Stage
The vegetative or “veg” stage encompasses the period after seed germination or clone rooting when plants focus on leaf, stem and root growth. During veg plants require 18-24 hours of daily light. This signals the plant to grow rapidly upward and outward rather than directing energy into bud production.
A month or more of healthy vegetative growth results in plants with:
- Large, established root systems to support flowering
- Numerous leaf nodes primed to become flower sites
- Desired plant height and fullness based on your space and training methods
The longer plants veg, the bigger they get, increasing their yield potential. But there is a point of diminishing returns. Too long a veg risks outgrowing your space, while insufficient veg time limits yields. Finding the veg sweet spot takes some trial and error.
Factors That Impact Needed Veg Time
How long you should vegetate plants to yield 8+ ounces depends on several key factors
Genetics
Some strains naturally grow larger and faster than others Indicas and indica-dominant hybrids usually need less veg time than taller, lankier sativas Autoflowers have a predetermined veg period.
Space
Smaller grow tents require less veg time than a spacious grow room. Match veg time to the footprint of your space.
Container Size
In bigger pots, plants veg faster and get larger with more robust root zones that support heavier flowering.
Training Methods
Untrained plants need more veg time to fill out than plants trained via topping, fimming, LST, etc. Training slows veg growth slightly but creates more bud sites.
Lighting
Intense lighting fuels increased growth speed and size potential versus lower powered lighting. HID and high end LEDs allow for shorter veg than fluorescents or weaker LEDs.
Medium
Soilless mediums like coco coir result in faster growth and less needed veg time than soil.
Guideline Veg Times for 8 Ounce Plants
The veg times below serve as a general guideline for achieving 8+ ounce yields per plant when growing in soil under HID or high quality LED lighting:
- Untrained plants: 4-6 weeks
- Topped/fimmed plants: 6-8 weeks
- LST or SCROG trained plants: 8-10 weeks
Of course, your particular strain’s traits and other variables can shift these timeframes. Use them as a starting point and adjust based on the actual growth and development of your plants.
Signs Plants are Ready for Flowering
Rather than adhering to a fixed veg time, judge plants’ readiness for flowering by their physical characteristics:
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Height – Plants have reached the desired height to fit your space, accounting for flowering stretch. For many strains, 16-24 inches pre-flower is ideal.
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Canopy Width – Untrained plants have filled out to cover the entire width of the grow area. Trained plants have a developed canopy of bud sites.
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Bushiness – Plants appear vigorous, stocky and well-branched with lush green foliage and dense nodes primed for flowering.
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Root Development – Plants are rootbound when roots fully occupy the container. Gently removing plants reveals a dense white mass surrounding the root ball.
Example Veg Timeline for 8 Ounce Plants
Here is a hypothetical veg timeline using photos of real plants that delivered 8+ ounce yields in soil:
Week 1 – From rooted clone, allow plants to establish themselves and start vigorous growth.
1 week veg from clone – Photo by @NugHeuser
Weeks 2-3 – Growth accelerates, topping/training can begin. Transplant to final pots if starting from small containers.
3 week veg from seed – Photo by @Renfro
Weeks 4-5 – Plants display noticeable size and width with side branching. Continue training and fertilization regimen.
5 week veg from clone – Photo by @Drknvss
Weeks 6-8 – Plants have achieved desired height and filled out canopy. Ready to trigger flowering depending on genetics and training.
8 week veg from seed – Photo by @Opie1971
While this timeline provides a rough guide, gauge your own plants’ developmental pace and signals to determine the optimal veg length for your grow.
Tips for Maximizing Veg Growth
Here are some tips to optimize vegetative growth to achieve chunky, robust plants ready for heavy flowering:
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Start with vigorous clones or feminized seeds from reputable sources
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Use smart pots or fabric containers to encourage air pruning of roots
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Employ targeted training techniques such as topping, LST, fimming, etc.
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Maintain ideal temps of 68-80°F throughout the veg stage
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Keep humidity around 65-70% during vegetative growth
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Give plants plenty of airflow – add circulation fans if needed
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Water when top inch of soil is dry. Flush salts every 2-3 weeks.
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Use an appropriate vegetative fertilizer regimen. Avoid excess nitrogen late in veg.
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Monitor for pests and diseases and address issues immediately
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Once plants are primed for flowering, make the switch smoothly to the 12/12 schedule
Be Flexible Within Your Window
Keep in mind these timeframes are general guidelines that depend on your particular circumstances. The key is staying flexible and reactive.
If plants seem small or straggly after 4-5 weeks, give them more veg time to bulk up. If they are rocketing upward too fast, consider an earlier flip to flowering to avoid excessive stretch. Dial in veg times across multiple grows to pinpoint the sweet spot for your setup and strains.
By balancing patience in veg with timely flowering triggers, you can maximize your plants’ yield potential in the 8+ ounce per plant range. Just don’t cut the veg stage short – give them time to build the foundation necessary to support impressive harvests!
How Long to Veg for maximum annual yields
If you want to measure yield once a year, you should try to flip as many times as possible during the year. This is true for the home grower or the commercial grower.
You must have a separate vegetable space and a separate flower space if your goal is to get the most flips. These can be two separate rooms or two separate tents. Either will work. The point is that you must be able to have plants simultaneously in each stage.
If you do this correctly, you can get five flips in a year. It is possible to get six flips in a year if you are very strict about meeting deadlines and nothing else. This also requires running the correct strains that will allow this schedule.
So what ends up being the correct amount of veg time for maximal flips?
About 8 weeks. Most indoor growers veg plants for around 4 to 8 weeks. This can include the approximately ten day to two-week period after planting a seed or cutting a clone. Or it can not include it. As you can see, it’s a range.
But this is about how long most in the game do it.
For us, veg time lasts about eight weeks. During that time, we cut a clone, put it in the easy cloner to make a root, transplanted it, let it grow, transplanted it again, and later flipped it. Give or take.
Other growers will veg for as little as 3 to 4 weeks, then flip the plant into flowering. Because the vegetative stage is shorter, you can grow more plants because you can fit a lot more of them into the flowering space.
How to decide “when to flip” your plants into flowering stage
There are several things you should consider.
- How often do you want to harvest?
- Do you have yield targets?
- Do you prefer growing fewer, but larger plants?
- Do you prefer growing smaller plants, but more of them?
- For a big plant, do you have enough room? Or would a small plant work better?
These are important questions to ask because the answers will depend on how long you let your plant grow.
If the veg time is longer, like 12 weeks, the plant will be bigger when it’s time to flip it. That plant will get even larger during the flowering stage, which will ultimately yield much more bud. It will take longer to do, though, so you will get fewer harvests each year.
If you let the plants veg for less time, they will be smaller when they flower, which means they will offer less when it’s time to harvest. But you will get to do it more times per year.
Most of us in the indoor game would rather do the second one because we’d like to go through more harvest cycles every year. That is actually how you end up yielding the most. It’s frequency of harvesting.
How Long Should You Veg Your Cannabis Plants For
FAQ
Does longer veg time increase yield?
How long should I veg for the best yield indoors?
How many ounces can you get on 1 plant?
How long to veg clones before flip?
How many plants can you grow per person?
Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield in pounds varies per variety—space plants 1 to 3 inches apart equidistant or in rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Bean, Fava. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person—space plants 4 to 5 inches apart equidistant or in rows 18 to 30 inches apart. Bean, Garbanzo, Chickpea. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person.
How long does it take vegetables to grow?
As a general rule of thumb, it takes 70-120 days for garden vegetables to grow. The majority of vegetables don’t take any longer than that. Patience is key when growing your own vegetables, so pulling them up before their ideal growth time is detrimental to both taste and texture.
How far apart should plants be planted?
Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart equidistant or in rows 36 inches apart. Cabbage. Grow 4 to 8 plants per person. Yield 10 to 25 pounds per 10-foot row. Space plants 24 to 30 inches apart equidistant or in rows 30 to 36 inches apart. Carrots. Grow 30 plants per person. Yield 7 to 10 pounds per 10-foot row.
How far apart should onions be planted?
Space plants 3 to 4 inches apart equidistant or in rows 20 to 30 inches apart. Scallions. Yield 1½ pounds per 10-foot row. Spaces onion sets or plants 2 inches apart for scallions or green onions. Shallot. Yield 2 to 12 cloves per plant. Space plants 5 to 8 inches apart equidistant or in rows 2 to 4 feet apart.