How Long Does It Take to Grow Weed? Complete Timeline from Seed to Harvest

Indoor Growing with ScrOG: A Week-by-Week Breakdown

Growing cannabis indoors from seed to harvest typically takes 14 to 20 weeks. However, your exact timing will depend on the strain you choose, how many plants you're growing, and how well you manage each stage.

This guide helps growers using the ScrOG (Screen of Green) method in a 4x4 grow tent, working with photoperiod strains. If you're aiming for maximum yield in a small space, ScrOG is a proven and effective method. However, it does require some patience, especially if you're growing only a single plant.

We’re not covering autoflowers here. While it's possible to ScrOG an auto, it’s generally discouraged. That’s because autoflowers transition to flowering based on age, not lighting, which removes your control over the vegetative stage, A crucial part of filling the screen.

Instead, this timeline assumes complete control over veg time, a key part of what makes ScrOG effective.

Whether you’re growing one plant or four, this article will walk you through the whole timeline from germination to curing and show how your plant count and screen coverage directly affect your schedule.

What Is the ScrOG Method and Why It Impacts Your Timeline

ScrOG stands for Screen of Green—a cannabis training technique that uses a horizontal screen to manipulate plant growth. As your plants grow upward, you weave or tie branches into the screen, encouraging horizontal spread and keeping bud sites exposed to light.

Why does this matter? Cannabis naturally wants to grow tall, with central cola and side branches competing for light. ScrOG flattens that structure and turns the plant into a vast, uniform canopy, increasing your yield and quality per square foot.

But here’s the tradeoff: to take full advantage of this method, you’ll need to give the plants extra veg time to fill the screen before switching to flower.

This timing difference becomes significant in a 4x4 grow space, where screen coverage has a huge impact on yield:

• One plant in a 4x4 may take 10+ weeks of veg to fill the space.
• Four or more plants can fill the same space in 5–6 weeks, drastically reducing total grow time.

The ScrOG method is most effective indoors, where you can tightly control light cycles, humidity, and airflow. It's also ideal when vertical height is limited, a significant reason why many home growers prefer ScrOG over vertical or sea-of-green methods.

Germination and Seedling Stage (Weeks 1–3)

The first few weeks of your grow set the foundation for everything to come. Don’t rush them.

Week 1: Germination

• Typically takes 1–7 days
• Use methods like paper towels, starter cubes, or direct planting into moist soil
• Keep temperatures around 72–78°F with high humidity (65–70%)

Once your seeds sprout, they enter the seedling stage.

Week 2–3: Seedling Stage

This stage lasts about 1–2 weeks, depending on conditions. The plant focuses on establishing a root system and growing its first true leaves. During this time:

• Keep light intensity gentle (PPFD around 100–200)
• Use a humidity dome or keep ambient humidity high
• Avoid overwatering—seedlings are delicate

This phase ends when the plant develops a few sets of true leaves and starts showing more rapid growth.

Vegetative Stage (Weeks 4–10+)

Welcome to the most flexible part of the grow, and the one that defines your ScrOG timeline.

The vegetative stage begins when the plant starts putting out steady new leaf sets and enters full photosynthetic mode. Here’s where your ScrOG plan kicks in.

Weeks 4–5: Early Veg & Training Begins

• Light schedule: 18 hours on / 6 hours off
• Begin low-stress training (LST) to bend and direct main branches
• Install your screen 6–10 inches above the base of the plants

As the plants grow, you'll start tucking or tying down branches to the screen. ScrOG spreads the plant out horizontally and exposes bud sites.

Weeks 6–10+: Filling the Screen

Your timeline starts to vary here based on how many plants you’re using to fill the screen.

• Single-plant ScrOG: Expect 8–10+ weeks of veg
• Multi-plant ScrOG (4+ plants): Screen maybe 70–80% full in just 5–6 weeks

Make sure you fill at least 70% of the screen before flipping to flower. Some growers prefer closer to 90% before flipping, depending on the strain’s stretch and the shape of the canopy.

During veg:

• Keep temperatures around 75–80°F
• Relative humidity should be 50–70%
• Nutrients should be veg-focused (e.g., NPK around 3-1-1)
• Use pruning and defoliation sparingly to avoid stressing the plant too early

Take your time here; rushing the veg stage often leads to underwhelming yields in flower.

Flowering Stage (Weeks 11–16+)

Once you flip the light cycle to 12/12, your plants begin the transition into the flowering stage.

Weeks 11–12: The Stretch

For the first two weeks of flower, your plants will go through a growth spurt known as the stretch. Depending on the strain, plants can double or even triple in size during this time.

• Keep training: Continue tucking and tying as needed to control stretch
• Stop topping or cutting—only minor defoliation at this stage
• Maintain canopy height as evenly as possible

Humidity should start decreasing to 40–50%, and temperatures should remain around 70–78°F to avoid stress.

Weeks 13–16+: Bud Development and Ripening

After the stretch, your plants shift entirely into bud production, a stage where your patience finally starts to pay off.

Important Note: When a breeder lists a strain's flowering time (e.g., "11 weeks"), they’re referring only to the bloom period, not the full grow. So, if you veg for 10 weeks to fill a ScrOG and then flower for 11 weeks, your total grow time is 21 weeks—not 11 weeks.

• Pistils will begin to form and swell
• Resin production increases (you’ll notice a more pungent aroma)
• Buds gain weight and density
• Nutrient needs shift: a flowering ratio (like 1-3-2 or 0-3-3) supports bud development

Strain choice heavily influences how long you’ll be in flower:

• Fast-flowering indicas may finish in 8 weeks
• Sativa-leaning hybrids can take 10–12 weeks

Keep watching your trichomes and pistils—the real signal of when it’s time to prepare for harvest.

Ripening and Harvest (Final Weeks)

When your buds start to fatten and your pistils darken, you’re entering the final stretch. Here's what to watch for:

• Trichomes: Use a jeweler's loupe or microscope. Harvest when trichomes are mostly cloudy, with some amber for a heavier effect.
• Pistils: Wait until 70–90% have darkened and curled inward

Flushing

Begin flushing your plants 1–2 weeks before harvest, depending on your nutrient schedule. Flushing helps remove excess nutrients from the plant, improving its flavor and smoothness.

Water with pH-balanced plain water, no nutrients, and watch for color fade in the leaves as the plant cannibalizes stored nutrients.

Drying and Curing (Weeks 17–20+)

Harvest isn’t the end—drying and curing are critical for quality.

Drying

• Takes 5–10 days
• Ideal conditions: 60–65°F, 50–60% RH
• Hang branches or place buds on mesh racks in a dark, ventilated room.

Dry until the stems snap rather than bend and the outer buds feel dry to the touch.

Curing

• Place buds in airtight glass jars, filling them about ¾ full
• Open (burp) the jars daily for 10–15 minutes for the first week
• Cure for 2–4+ weeks to enhance flavor, potency, and aroma

Some connoisseurs cure for several months—but even a few weeks makes a dramatic difference.

FAQs About ScrOG Grow Timelines

Why Does ScrOG Take Longer Than Other Methods?

Because you have to veg longer to fill the screen, the training process adds time upfront—especially with fewer plants—but it pays off with bigger yields and better light coverage.

Can You Speed Up a ScrOG Grow?

Yes. The best way is by using more plants to fill the screen faster. With four or more plants in a 4x4, you can reach your target coverage in as little as 5–6 weeks.

Just don’t flip into a flower with a half-full screen; your yield will suffer.

How Long Should I Veg with ScrOG?

Veg until at least 70% of the screen is filled. In a 4x4:

• 1 plant: 8–10+ weeks
• 4+ plants: 5–6 weeks

Don’t flip based on a calendar—flip based on screen coverage.

What Strains Work Best for ScrOG?

Photoperiod strains with vigorous branching are ideal for this purpose. Sativa-dominant or hybrid strains with a moderate stretch are perfect for weaving into a screen and producing large colas.

Avoid short, compact indicas unless you plan for longer veg or more plants.

How Do I Know When It’s Time to Harvest?

The best indicator is trichome color. Cloudy trichomes signal peak THC. Amber trichomes suggest a more sedative, couch-lock effect. Combine this with bud density, aroma, and pistil color for best results.

Final Thoughts

The ScrOG method is powerful—but it’s not fast. Your grow time will depend on the following:

• How many plants you use
• How long you veg to fill the screen
• The flowering duration of your chosen strain

A single-plant ScrOG in a 4x4 might take 20+ weeks, while a multi-plant setup could wrap in 14. It’s a flexible method that rewards patience and attention to detail.

Use BudSites to keep track of your timeline, training progress, environment, and harvest notes. So every grow gets better than the last.