Are you new to cannabis growing and looking for a fast and easy way to get started? Are you an experienced grower looking to squeeze in more harvests per year with less work?
In either case, autoflowering cannabis seeds may be the solution. As cannabis genetics continue evolving to fulfill the needs and novelty of the marketplace, growers have more customization options than ever before.
Does this mean they’re the best seeds for your garden?
Well, first, you need all of the information. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of autoflowering seeds.
What are autoflower seeds?
Traditional indica and sativa cultivars (strains) of cannabis grown worldwide are photoperiod or “photo” cannabis cultivars. This means they will only flower in response to the decrease in the available hours of daylight. The decrease in lighting is nature’s evolutionary response to the changing seasons and the sun’s angle during the earth’s yearly orbit.
As the days get shorter from summer solstice into autumn, the decreasing daylight signals the plants to cease vegetative growth and begin bearing flowers. This happens with most of the vegetable and herb crops that are traditionally farmed.
Autoflowering cannabis cultivars, on the other hand, originated from a third cannabis species called ruderalis. Cannabis Ruderalis is native to the cold, less hospitable regions of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russia. Combining the desirable traits of ruderalis cultivars with photoperiod cannabis cultivars has produced today’s modern autoflowering cannabis plants.
Autoflowering cannabis plants do not flower in response to photoperiod changes because of the short growing season native to those regions. They have adapted to growing vegetatively for a couple of weeks and then flowering automatically to survive the short growing season. They are not dependent on the shrinking number of daylight hours to induce flowering.
Already interested? Below you can get a first look of all of our autoflowering strains.
Advantages of autoflowering cannabis seeds
There are many pros and cons of autoflower genetics. Here are some advantages:
Autoflowers grow fast
Plants grown from autoflowering seeds are typically harvested more quickly. They are ready in as little as 7-12 weeks from germination, versus indica or sativa strains, which can grow indefinitely indoors until the light cycle is changed. It can take four months or longer to go from germination to harvest with traditional, photoperiod cannabis seeds. Our article about the lifecycle of autoflowering plants will dive further into this topic.
Autoflower plants flower within just a few weeks
Autoflowers have fewer issues
The cold, difficult environments that ruderalis strains evolved from have produced plants that are less affected by the pests and diseases which can plague traditional cannabis, especially when grown indoors. This ruggedness is beneficial for novice gardeners who traditionally have a harder time maintaining a pest-free growing environment since they are slower to recognize potential problems as they develop. Autoflowers give growers the advantage of having one less obstacle to overcome on their way to harvest.
Autoflowers are small and compact
Smaller plants are easier to manage in an indoor environment with limited space. When your plants are small, there is less need for training, trellising, and pruning techniques. These are often necessary when growing light cycle cultivars. Smaller plants can mean less overall work and effort to maintain your garden. They also provide more discretion in an outdoor setting. Regardless of where you grow, security and privacy are primary concerns when trying to prevent exposure to unwanted attention. Be sure to check out our article about growing weed in a small space if this applies to you.
Autos need fewer nutrients and fertilizer
Since autoflowering strains tend to be smaller and more compact, this generally means that they will require less fertilizer and nutrients to grow, maintain, and flower. It also means their soil recipes are pretty simple. Light-cycle cannabis strains can grow 4’-6’ or more and often require a heavier and more complex nutrient regimen due to their higher metabolism, appetite, and tolerances. Nutrient usage and management are one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for novice growers. They often cause the most accidental damage to a crop.
Easier setup for perpetual harvesting
Photoperiod cannabis seeds need an altered lighting regimen to induce flowering, usually a reduction in lighting from 18 hours on / 6 hours off per day to 12 hours on / 12 hours off per day. Autoflowering cannabis does not require an altered light cycle to flower. Instead, it ‘autoflowers’ after a short vegetative growth phase. This switch to flowering typically occurs after 30-45 days of post-germination growth.
Downsides of autoflower seeds
There are many reasons why growers might not want to cultivate autoflowers. Here are some:
Smaller plants, lower yield
Autoflowering plants grow to a smaller size, so they will naturally have a smaller amount of harvested flower at the end of their life cycle. Photoperiod cannabis is more vigorous and can grow much larger plants. Bigger plants mean more budding sites and more harvested flowers at the end of the life cycle.
Yield is a major consideration for many professional growers operating a cannabis business and any grower who values or measures their time, effort, and expense. Decide on your end goals before you make a seed purchase!
Small cannabis plants
Autos have slightly lower THC levels
Since autoflowering cannabis plants are generally smaller and less vigorous growers; they would naturally have lower THC levels than photoperiod cannabis plants. This is most likely due to the lack of need by the plant to defend itself from pest predators. A lower potential THC can be a major turnoff for connoisseurs and professional growers since the economic value of a strain is often determined by THC %.
Currently, one of the strongest autoflowering strains in our store is the Do-si-dos autoflowering strain. It has the potential (under ideal circumstances) to reach THC levels of up to 29%.
Autoflowers can’t be cloned
Another drawback of autoflowering cannabis is the inability to make clones for your next harvest, which is common practice for larger or professional growing operations. Since they don’t rely on photoperiod to initiate flowering, any clones taken from these plants would essentially be the same age as the mother plant. Autoflowering plants won’t produce suitable clones to grow vegetatively and produce an amount of flower that’s worth harvesting.
Autoflower plants are often smaller in size and more resilient to environmental stressors. Download my free marijuana grow bible and start growing your own autoflowers.
Little damage recovery time
Autoflowering cannabis plants accidentally damaged by overfeeding or improper pruning have very little time to recover and add new growth before they start flowering. This can be perilous to any growers who make mistakes, particularly novice growers, and can cause the yield to be significantly damaged or reduced.
With photoperiod cannabis, a grower can simply continue with the vegetative growth phase until the damaged areas have regrown and are ready to flower.
Now that you have a deeper understanding of the pros and cons of autoflowering cannabis seeds, you can determine which method best suits your particular goals. As a grower, I have personally never grown autoflowers in my 26 years of cultivation, mostly because they had yet to evolve to where I felt they were worth my time. However, the autoflowers of today are not the autoflowers of years ago. I’ve seen the progress that has been made, and I’m definitely interested in giving them a try. I want to satisfy my curiosity!
Healthy autoflowering plants
Conclusion about autoflower seeds
Although there are some downsides, autoflowers are great for beginners and experienced growers alike! They have an easier learning curve for someone new to cultivation and/or doesn’t have someone to help teach and guide them through the potential mistakes and pitfalls that can plague novice growers.
Are autoflowers worth growing? It depends on what you hope to get from growing cannabis. You’ll have less yield, won’t be able to clone, and there’s less room for errors; however, they are best in some circumstances. If you want to be a master grower, you should try it. A professional cannabis cultivator and connoisseur is always learning something new.
You may want to go the traditional route if your primary goals are yield and extremely high THC levels. You should also stick to photoperiod seeds if the ability to take clones for your perpetual harvest method is important. Just remember, you’ll need at least two rooms for cultivation.
Cannabis cultivation should be a fun and fascinating experience regardless of which type of seed you purchase. It should bring you closer to understanding nature and how it impacts your being! There has never been a more exciting time to grow cannabis than today.
Best-selling autoflowers at ILGM
Interested in growing autoflowers? We offer all the classic and most popular cultivars! Feel free to browse our collection of autoflowering seeds or just have a little taste:
Choosing what to grow next?
Now you know a bit more about autoflower seeds, you may want to learn more about cannabis seeds. We’ve got you covered!
Happy growing!
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