The period of growth of a cannabis plant after the seedling stage and before the flowering stage. During the vegetative, or veg, stage, cannabis plants grow the most, packing on branches and fan leaves but not buds.
“These veg plants are huge—I need to flip them into flower soon.”
What is the vegetative stage?
Usually lasting between 3-16 weeks, the vegetative stage is when cannabis plants grow big and strong. After the delicate seedling stage, a plant focuses on growing branches and fan leaves, taking in lots of nitrogen. Plants are usually transplanted into bigger pots during this stage to allow root systems to spread out, creating a healthy plant.
The vegetative stage is important for creating a solid, healthy plant before it starts producing buds. Cannabis plants in this stage are sometimes referred to as “juveniles” or “immature” plants—mature plants are ones that produce buds, or are in the flowering stage.
When growing indoors, growers can “flip” plants from the veg stage to flower by reducing the amount of light the plants receive. Plants can be as small or big as the grower wants before flipping into flower—small plants are easier to manage, but big plants will provide higher yields. Outdoors, a grower has less control, and plants move into the flowering stage when the sun starts to go down after the Summer Solstice.