Seasonality in cannabis starts on the farm. Outdoor cultivators in North America typically harvest in late September and October—“Croptober.” After months of sun-grown development, fresh flower hits the market in a big wave, often featuring limited lots, unique phenos, and sun-expressed terpene profiles that don’t exist year-round. This once-a-year supply bump is why some cultivars (especially outdoor-only or sungrown-preferred lines) feel “seasonal” the way heirloom tomatoes do at a farmers market.
Labor and processing reinforce that seasonality. The fall harvest requires a surge of trimming, bucking, drying, and curing—specialized work that ramps up briefly and then tapers off. When labor is tight, batches move slower, and certain strains may arrive late or in smaller quantities, furthering the “now you see it, now you don’t” effect.
Indoor producers can stagger harvests year-round, but even they plan cycles months in advance. Rooms are booked for specific genetics, and changing a room schedule is costly. If a cultivar underperforms on yield, cycle time, or pest resistance, it’s quickly rotated out to keep facilities running efficiently—another reason a favorite label might vanish for quarters at a time.
On the retail side, product lifecycles are short and competitive. Headset’s market analyses show frequent SKU turnover as brands chase newness, optimize shelf space, and prune underperformers. In practice, that means cultivars are introduced, tested, and—unless they hit sales and margin targets—replaced by the next drop. It isn’t always about agronomy; sometimes the strain disappears because the product didn’t clear the bar on velocity or gross margin.
Consumer demand is also seasonal. Holidays like 4/20 drive outsized spikes, and summertime events (e.g., Independence Day) reliably lift sales. Retailers and brands plan limited runs or spotlight terpene profiles that fit the moment (bright, fruity sativas for summer; cozy, dessert-leaning indicas for fall). When that window closes, the SKU often does, too, even if the genetics remain in a nursery fridge for a future revival.
Finally, “seasonal” can mean trend-driven. Media coverage of outdoor harvests and annual “best of” lists create cultural cycles: a strain becomes hot during Croptober, sells through, and then recedes until the next harvest or a breeder re-releases the line. That cadence—plus ongoing experimentation with crosses—keeps menus feeling fresh but also contributes to scarcity.
What consumers can do: shop with the calendar in mind, especially for sun-grown cultivars in Q4; ask budtenders about house grow schedules for indoor favorites; and track brands whose grow style you enjoy. If a label disappears, it might be due to cultivation constraints, production economics, or a retailer’s category reset—not necessarily a quality issue. Watching brand newsletters and analytics-based outlets can tip off when a fan favorite is slated to return.