How Tall Do Weed Plants Grow?

How Tall Do Weed Plants Grow?

One of the most important things to consider when growing cannabis plants in space. How tall do weed plants grow? Do they need a lot of space outdoors or are they okay with an indoor garden? Will the strain I need require outdoor growing conditions?

Cannabis plants are the most versatile as these can grow almost anywhere. But if you wish to cultivate quality plants, you need to provide their ideal growing needs. One of these needs is their growing area. Weed is available in many sizes with some can grow as tall as 20 feet while some are only a few inches tall. Therefore, you need to have a larger growing space if you want to grow tall weeds.

Let’s see how tall will weed grow depending on several factors.

Sativa vs indica vs ruderalis cannabis strains

There are three classifications of cannabis: cannabis Sativa, cannabis Indica, and cannabis ruderalis. The first two are the most common while ruderalis strains may only be popular among growers and cultivators.

Of the three, cannabis Sativa plants are the tallest growing up to 20 feet outdoors. Cannabis sativa plants are tall, lean, and have sparse branches and leaves. These are more commonly grown in outdoor areas as these plants will not just grow taller but wider depending on the strain. Because of their height, you can expect more bud sites and higher harvests compared to other cannabis types.

Cannabis indica plants are shorter growing only up to 6 feet outdoors and less than 3 feet indoors. Indica plants are short, compact, and have smaller branches and leaves. Growers who have no room to grow weed or those who live in areas where weed growing is illegal, prefer to grow Indica strains indoors. And because these are shorter, expect only a few bud sites and smaller flowers. Harvests are low to moderate but special techniques may help improve these.

Cannabis ruderalis are the smallest of the three. These plants grow only a few centimeters high (50 to 80 cm) with thin branches and very sparse leaves. However, ruderalis are the fastest to grow and will produce flowers without any special flowering light schedule.

Genetics play a huge role

Cannabis growers have combined different strains to create cannabis with the features they are looking for. For instance, they need a strain that grows fast but with more bud sites and can grow in an indoor setting. A combination of ruderalis and indica is used to get the best results.

Cannabis strains with dominant Sativa genetics are known to grow taller and wider. Meanwhile, those with dominant Indica genetics often grow medium-sized plants. When it comes to strains with ruderalis genetics, they are short and thus easier to cultivate indoors. It is also common for ruderalis hybrids to have faster flowering times with no need to use a special lighting schedule to bloom.

Growing techniques can help maintain weed growth

Growers use special techniques to grow weed better, faster, and more productive. The most common example, sativa plants have the best harvests as these plants grow longer and larger buds. But if you don’t have enough room to grow tall plants then this could be a problem.

Growers train their sativa plants to maintain a small, easy to manage size. They may use lighting techniques, netting or screens, and other methods just to keep the plants small but with more bud sites. Meanwhile, people who can’t grow cannabis at home or have very little space to grow anything may rely on autoflowering cannabis strains. These are ruderalis and sativa or indica strains and will grow only small size but will flower earlier compared to regular strains.

The amount of light your plants get

Cannabis plants have two growth phases, the first phase is the vegetative stage and the second is the flowering phase. In the vegetative phase, cannabis plants are actively growing and thus need all the nutrients, light, and good care to grow well. During the flowering phase, the cannabis plant stops growing and starts to produce buds.

In the growing phase, cannabis plants that don’t receive enough light begin to stretch, growing taller or even twice their original size. However, this is not a good thing as the stretched branches are often weaker and softer. This is why you need to provide good lighting to ensure that your plants grow healthy and avoid stretching.

Indoor or outdoor growing areas

The size of the growing area also affects the overall height of the plant. Cannabis plants that are cultivated outdoors with plenty of fresh air and sunshine tend to grow taller, wider, and healthier. Even indica plants grown outdoors grow taller than their indoor counterparts. Cannabis plants grown indoors tend to be smaller even with good lighting, ventilation, and nutrients.

Temperature and climate affect weed growth

Extreme temperatures may keep cannabis plants from achieving their optimum growth. Plants cultivated in extremely cold or extremely hot environments may not be able to thrive well and may only produce small yields.

Meanwhile, those cultivated in the right temperatures and climates will make the most of these factors and grow healthier and stronger. As a grower, you must understand that cannabis strains vary in many ways and one of these is their preferred growing temperatures, humidity, and soil quality.

Some cannabis strains may have no trouble growing in warm or humid environments while some require cooler environments. When it comes to soil quality, some strains may grow well in sandy soils while some in sandy-loamy soils. Also, growing soils contain nutrients needed for optimal plant growth. Make sure that your soil has a complete blend of nutrients in all of your cannabis plant’s growth phases. Good lighting and ample ventilation are also needed whether you’re growing indoors or outdoors.

Treat each cannabis strain differently. Take time to find out about the strain’s growing needs including their preferred growing area size. In general Sativa-dominant strains will grow well in outdoor areas while Indica strains can grow indoors or outdoors.

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