Fastest Way to Grow Weed

Do you want to learn the fastest way to grow weed? There are many tips and tricks that you can use throughout the plant’s stages of growth to speed up the process.

No matter why you are on a time crunch, consider these general guidelines to grow weed fast.

Faster Is Not Always Better

Before we dive into the tips for growing weed at the speed of light, let us go over why fast is not always the best way to grow weed. In fact, speeding up the natural growth process can actually affect your yield and bud quality.

Cannabis plants must go through various stages of weed growth. The plant’s light, nutrients, water, and other environmental requirements vary depending on the stage. Speeding through the stages can compromise your potency, quantity, and quality of your yield.

Downsides of growing weed fast include:

• Lower yields
• Fewer trichomes
• Lower cannabinoid levels
• Lower terpene levels

If you are still dead set on trying to rush past the recommended cannabis growth timeline, consider these top tips for the fastest way to grow weed.

Fastest Way to Grow Weed

Indoor Cultivation

Generally, indoor cannabis gardens grow faster than outdoor-grown cannabis. Indoors, growers have greater control over every aspect of the plant's environment including temperature, CO2, humidity, pest control, and light. Indoor gardens allow you to fine-tune the environment for more optimal and speedy growth.

Hydroponic Set-Up

If you want to shave a few weeks off of your growth cycle, think about growing in a hydroponic garden. Hydroponic set-ups can reduce vegetation time by about a few weeks due to better efficient nutrient uptake. Hydroponic gardens deliver nutrients right to your plant’s roots so they can grow quicker.

Autoflowering Cultivars

If speed is what you are looking for, stick with autoflowering strains. Autoflowering strains contain ruderalis genetics that evolved in cold climates. Due to the cold climate, autoflowering strains had to evolve to have a fast life cycle and flower before winter came.

Unlike photoperiod strains, autoflowering strains automatically start to flower after a few weeks, not when the light cycle changes. Auto-flowering strains can start to flower as early as 2 weeks after germination and can be harvested about 7 weeks after.

Fast-growing autoflowering strains include:

• Red Dwarf
• Hobbit
• White Ryder
• Purple Cheese
• Royal Haze

Fast-Growing Cultivars

If you do not want to go the autoflowering route, you can stick with photoperiod strains. Over the years, growers have bred strains to grow faster than usual for a faster turnover time. Nowadays, you can choose from a variety of fast-growing cultivars from a dispensary or seed bank.

Fast-growing photoperiod strains (7-9 weeks) include:

• Lowryder
• Critical Kush
• Early Girl
• OG Kush
• Superglue

Clones

If you do not have the time to dedicate to growing weed directly from seeds, you can try growing from cannabis clones. This allows you to skip the germination stage and save about 2 weeks compared to growing from seeds. A clone has already developed a root system and foliage. 

It is one of the easier steps when wanting the fastest way to grow weed.

24 Hour Light Cycle

During the plant’s vegetative stage, cannabis plants require at least 18 hours of light. However, some growers put their plants under the full 24 hours of light to get the plants growing as much as possible in a shorter amount of time.

A 24-hour light cycle can reduce the vegetative stage time by about a third. During this time, you can develop a decently sized plant before you have to make the switch to the flowering stage.

This light maximization technique is reserved for more advanced growers since you will have to watch out for any signs of plant stress or deficiencies.

Force Flowering

Whether you have a fast-growing strain or you just want to speed up the process, there are ways to force photoperiod strains to flower faster than normal. You can do this by placing them in 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light from the moment they germinate.

Photoperiod strains require a change in the light cycle to 12/12 light and darkness in order to start flowering. If this is done earlier than recommended, you can technically start flowering earlier but you will sacrifice your yield and bud quality

Fast Flowering

During the flowering stage, plants need a 12/12 light cycle that triggers their flowering stage. However, if you want to speed up this process and harvest early you can trick your plant into thinking winter is arriving early by manipulating the amount of light you give it.

If you want to have your plant finish early, start by putting your plant in total darkness for 48 hours right before you switch to the flowering stage. Then, instead of doing a 12/12 light cycle, use an 11/13 or 10/14 light cycle all throughout the flowering stage.

The reduced amount of light can make your plants think that winter is near and may speed up the flowering process so you can harvest earlier than normal. Ideally, this works best with fast-growing plant genetics.

Optimal Care and Maintenance

Giving your plant the optimal nutrients, water, and care throughout its life cycle is one of the best ways to help it grow as fast as possible. If your plant suffers from stress or a nutrient deficiency, it can delay your growth and reduce your yield.

Ideally, you want to stick to the plant’s nutrient schedule and follow feeding instructions to give your plant the best chance to succeed. Remember, cannabis plants need extra nitrogen during their vegetative stage and more phosphorus and potassium during their flowering stage.

Learn to Grow Weed, the Right Way at CTU

Cannabis education can prepare you to grow cannabis at home for personal use or commercial sale. Whether you want the fastest way to grow weed or grow it on a budget or start your own cultivation operations, Cannabis Training University can provide you with the tools you need to succeed. Earn your marijuana certification by enrolling at CTU.