Autoflower cannabis plants are a new development in the cannabis market, and it has really exploded the last few years – even Google knows it.
Searches for autoflowering marijuana have doubled over the last single year. Why? They’re looking for information on growing autoflowers!
- Why you should grow autoflowers
- What is autoflowering?
- Autoflower cannabis strains
- How to grow autoflower weed
- How to grow autoflower plants outdoors
- How to grow autoflowers indoors in soil
- Breeding autoflowers
- Pros and cons of autoflower growing
- Male and female identification
- Super autoflower strains
- What kind of autoflower weed seeds should you use?
People are getting increasingly excited, interested, and curious about it. There is a good reason for all this excitement. This isn’t a typical marijuana trend; it could be a total game-changer.
Why you should grow autoflowers
Autoflowering weed gives growers a much easier time cultivating cannabis at home.
Unlike traditional types of weed, autoflowering cannabis doesn’t require a change in the amount of light exposure on their plants to induce flowering.
Growing autoflowers has the added benefit of faster growth, especially during the vegetative stage.
The average autoflowering weed strain only needs around 10 weeks (or less) to fully mature.
Outside of having a much easier time flowering, autoflowers are also reasonably small plants that can grow snugly in any indoor grow room.
Today’s autoflowers also no longer have the pitfalls of earlier autoflowering weed plants, which suffered from reduced yields and less potency.
Nowadays, on top of competing with standard strains in terms of potency and yield, autoflowers are more resilient to drastic temperature shifts that allow you to grow them all year round.
Best attributes of autoflowering plants
- They are smaller.
- This means they are easier to hide, harder to spot, and are, therefore, a safer choice with a greater variety of grow location options.
- They grow very quickly, have high yields
- in comparison to their size, and are even more resistant to pests and insects than other marijuana strains.
- Ready to harvest in 10 weeks!
- No matter what the lighting situation is like in your outdoor or indoor grow setup, they follow the growth schedule embedded in their genes. They will flower after a certain amount of time, not after the light begins to change.
All this opens up a lot of new possibilities for many growers. This article is intended to keep you informed about this development in the marijuana world.
Download my free Grow Bible to learn more about growing your own autoflowering cannabis plants!
What is autoflowering?
There are plenty of different autoflowering marijuana strains, and no two strains are exactly the same.
Some people think of autoflower marijuana plants as lower quality than more conventional and traditional types of marijuana.
Others consider it a godsend that makes life significantly easier for us growers.
Whichever category you fall into, it may be important to learn more about it, and the different options out there.
So what is an autoflower marijuana plant?
To fully understand this, it’s best first to know a bit more about marijuana itself.
Marijuana is a photoperiod plant, which means that its life cycle (specifically the flowering phase) is influenced by changes in the timing of exposure to sunlight.
Through this logic, growers can manipulate the growth of their indoor plants with ease.
Young cuttings can be spurred to enter the flowering phase simply by giving them 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness every night for a couple weeks.
Older plants growing outdoors won’t enter the flowering phase until this same light change affects them through the natural seasonal variations.
These don’t occur until after the middle of summer.
Autoflower strains of marijuana flower when the plants are a particular age, rather than flowering in response to changes in light exposure.
This means that, regardless of the weather and sunlight patterns, they will enter the flowering phase after a certain number of weeks.
This, understandably, has opened the door for all sorts of new possibilities in the marijuana growing world.
The addition of autoflower marijuana strains comes from the crossbreeding of ruderalis plants, with a “standard” marijuana plant.
What is ruderalis?
Because ruderalis plants were not cultivated for their high THC content (given the fact that the THC levels were very low), they were not grown or used by smokers very often at all.
For this reason, the dominant traits of the first autoflower strain had to include high THC levels from the “standard” marijuana strain half, and the autoflower genetics from the ruderalis half.
The process was difficult, and largely unsuccessful at first.
For this reason, not too long ago, growers did not readily trust autoflower strains, because of their low yields and low THC levels.
They ended up being considered a scam, of sorts.
Things have changed, however.
The autoflower strains on the market today are just as reliable as any other strain – just be sure to purchase them from a reputable source.
The THC content will also be as high as it is described in the online information provided about the strain.
With these traits stabilized, and the number of high-quality strains of autoflowering marijuana increasing all the time, the dawn of the age of autoflower has finally come.
Autoflower cannabis strains
Autoflower strains of marijuana generally have a shorter life than other types of marijuana plants.
Their quick turnaround is part of their appeal for growers who want more than one harvest per season.
An autoflower strain usually takes around 10 weeks before they are ready to harvest.
When considering an autoflower harvest, it is important to remember that it will be different from the harvest of other types of marijuana.
Certain limitations that come with the plant’s not having the time to grow as long and that includes the fact that it will be smaller.
Consequently, the harvest will be, too. Your yield can only be so high when you grow smaller plants.
Some of the highest quality autoflower marijuana strains require ten to twelve weeks for full growth and flowering, to achieve the best possible harvest.
It mostly depends on the strain you grow.
Be sure to read the information provided for that specific strain, as well as any comments and tips from people who have successfully grown the strain before.
Best selling autoflower cannabis strains from the ILGM seed bank
How to grow autoflower weed
When you grow any kind of marijuana plant, it is crucial to start the growing season, and entire life cycle, rooted in strength.
With the short life span of autoflower marijuana plants, this is especially important.
The very beginning is the time to support your plants so they have as much growth as possible.
If this is not done, you may end up with a harvest that is infinitely more disappointing than the “normal” marijuana harvest failure.
The room for error is smaller with autoflowers.
For this reason, it is often recommended that people who want to grow autoflower marijuana plants start growing them indoors, with artificial lights they can control.
Indoor growing decreases the chance for error and favorably controls each aspect of your plant’s early life.
A strong start ensures that it will get everything it needs to thrive, both now, and later on.
Autoflower marijuana seeds
Properly germinating your marijuana plants is crucial to their healthy development, as well.
This can be done naturally in soil, or in a container without any growing medium. I always germinate my seeds in water.
Also read “How to germinate marijuana seeds“.
Most autoflower marijuana growers I know actually prefer the paper towel method.
It simply involves placing a seed within a damp paper towel, or length of toilet paper, and putting it in a container of some sort that will retain moisture and humidity.
This should cause the seeds to sprout within days.
After they sprout, they should then be transplanted to their final growing medium.
After this, do not transplant them again if you can help it as autoflower plants are small and are vulnerable to greater transplanting shock.
Autoflower weed cuttings
For now, cuttings are not a great idea with autoflower marijuana plants.
The problem is that, while you can easily take a cutting successfully, you have to remember that the plants will autoflower after a certain age.
The cutting’s age will merge with the parent plant’s age.
This means they will flower at the same time.
So if you are growing a cutting of an autoflower plant, the final plant will be much smaller than the parent, when it enters the flowering stage.
When all this is considered, cuttings aren’t exactly worth it, as these particular plants are already small to begin with.
Autoflower weed by week feeding guide
Once your autoflower marijuana plants have reached two weeks of life, you can feed them a small amount of vegetative nutrients.
Feed them higher quantities of it gradually over time, until your plants are either six or seven weeks old.
Bio Bizz feeding schedule
| Week | Mix All mixes are per liter All mixes use bubbled water | Molasses Always 1 teaspoon per liter |
| 1 | 2 ml Root Stimulant | No |
| 2 | 2 ml Root Stimulant 1ml Grow | No |
| 3 | 1 ml Root Stimulant 1.5 ml Grow | No |
| 4 | 2 ml Grow | Yes |
| 5 | 2.5 ml Grow 1 ml Bloom | No |
| 6 | 2 ml Grow 2 ml Bloom | Yes |
| 7 | 1 ml Grow 3 ml Bloom | Yes |
| 8 | 1 ml Grow 3 ml Bloom | No |
| 9 | 3 ml Bloom | Yes |
| 10+ | Pure water | No |
- Week 1-3 = Vegetative Stage (baby’s just starting out)
- Week 4-6 = Pre-Flowering Stage (Has shown sex and started rapid growth)
- Week 7-10+ = Budding Stage (fattening up and power-producing)
Don’t switch over to flowering nutrients until you have visibly noticed a stop in its vertical growing.
Even if the flowering phase started a week earlier, don’t be premature with the flowering nutrients.
Be guided, instead, by the ending of vertical growth.
Lighting your autoflowering plants
Similar to regular marijuana plants, you can decide on one of two lighting options:
- One choice is to expose your plants to 24 hours of light per day
- The other is to allow them some rest every day, and give them 18 hours of light, and sixhours of darkness. It all depends on your personal preferences, as well as the strain that you are growing.
One specific go-to example is to use 120-watt LED lights for the first few weeks of growth and keep it going for 21 hours each day.
In this case, the light should be set up between 70 and 80 centimeters away from the plants.
Once you have potted the older plants, you can convert to larger LED lights, and a schedule of 18 hours of light, and 6 hours of darkness.
Should you prune autoflowering marijuana plants?
While pruning (topping, specifically) can be done in a positive and helpful way with autoflower marijuana plants, certain modifications are needed when pruning regular marijuana plants.
For instance, the pruning needs to take place very early in your plants’ lives, to avoid obstructing their vegetative growth later on.
That being said, many growers claim that pruning autoflower marijuana plants at all is a bad idea and should be avoided altogether.
They say pruning will lower the autoflowers’ harvest.
If you really want to take the risk, try doing it with an autoflower strain that has been proven to take a bit longer than the others.
This way, it has more time to recover and grow, after the pruning has taken place.
What to expect from an autoflower harvest
If everything goes well during your autoflower grow season, what can you expect in terms of a harvest?
Keep in mind that the perfect environmental elements include being around 73°F, 55% humidity, 400 watts per m2 for light, good air circulation, plenty of oxygen, and a solid nutrient regimen (among other things).
To put it bluntly, your harvest will be proportionate to the length of time that your autoflowering weed plants grow.
In simplest terms, longer growth equals a bigger harvest.
Know the perfect time to cut your autoflowers when you download my free mini harvesting guide.
Some strains that grow for about 3 months, for example, often average around 40 grams per plant.
While longer-growing super autoflower strains might get between 150 and 500 grams per plant when grown outdoors.
Choosing when to harvest is also difficult, and equally important to all the other decisions you might make when growing autoflower marijuana plants.
You generally need to check your plant’s trichomes to see when 50% of them are amber in color.
The amber color signifies the point at which harvesting should take place.
Make sure you stop watering the plants for at least one or two days before you harvest them so that their extra nutrients go away.
Curing and storing autoflowers
Curing your autoflower marijuana buds helps them turn into the delicious product that every grower desires.
If you cure them poorly, then your efforts will not pay off in great taste. Curing should be done inside an airtight container.
This is so the moisture can spread throughout evenly, and move from the middle of the bud, where it is originally held.
During the process, open the container several times per day for a few days straight.
Eventually, you should only open it once a day or longer, until the buds are thoroughly cured, several weeks or months later.
Once they have finished curing, the buds should not have much moisture left at all. A tiny amount of moisture is still good for smoking, though.
Extra dry buds actually make the smoke more unpleasant.
Store the marijuana inside a sealed container, such as a plastic bag or glass jar.
Smoke it within several months, to one year. After a year, it is unlikely that the product will be as pleasant for smoking.
Keep it in a dark, cool location. Freezing it can keep it fresh longer.
How to grow autoflower plants outdoors
Although there are certainly plenty of downsides to growing autoflower marijuana plants, they also have some very compelling advantages, as well.
Many would argue that their true value lies in being grown as outdoor plants.
Or, perhaps even better, many might grow them for some time indoors, and then finish their vegetation and flowering stages outdoors.
This usually involves between 1 and 1.5 months of indoor growth, to maximize their vegetative stage.
Then, they are moved outdoors (assuming the temperature is not colder than 50°F).
The reason this is considered such a good thing is because you can get several harvests within one plant’s normal growing season.
While a huge plant will get you a massive harvest at the end of its growth, it takes 8 to 9 months to ever get that far.
Of course, this also leaves more room for unexpected obstacles to mess up your harvest before you even get there.
With autoflowering weed, however, you can have numerous crops growing in the same space of time.
You are, therefore, achieving smaller harvests incrementally while avoiding a long wait to consume any of the buds.
Your work is secured, and you are given several “chances” within the same amount of time, in case one crop gets somehow ruined.
Autoflower marijuana plants will always be shorter than regular marijuana plants.
This means they will not be as easily spotted as the more massive marijuana plants (which definitely tend to attract unwanted attention).
Even if you are growing them in your own personal garden on your owned property, they can still easily go undetected throughout the span of their entire growth cycle, because of their small size.
For reference, the most efficiently grown autos have one square meter each to themselves to grow to their full size (and harvest) potential.
How to grow autoflowers indoors in soil
Just like there are perks to growing photoperiod weed plants outdoors, the same can be said indoors.
Autoflowering weed plants synergize perfectly with indoor grow rooms.
Week by week, an autoflower can grow freely without having to worry about space, as autoflowers don’t take much of it.
Many autoflowering weed plants grow no taller than 40 inches.
In terms of lighting, autoflowers work well under artificial grow lights. In particular, LED grow lights are a great option for growing this type of weed.
Autoflowers and LED Lights
Despite costing more than fluorescent lights, LEDs will save you on both electricity and replacement bulbs. You can choose from full-spectrum LED lights or invest in two individual LED lights.
You’d want two different types because each stage requires a specific spectrum for the best possible yields.
A blue spectrum lamp benefits autoflowers in their vegetative stage, whereas a red spectrum is best for flowering.
On the note of lights, although autoflowering marijuana doesn’t require the same light to darkness ratio as photoperiods, the amount of light they receive can affect their overall growth rate.
To get the most yield out of your autoflower plants, you can leave the lights on 24/7. This method will cost you in electrical bills, and it’s only best suited for cold climates.
Autoflower light schedule
The typical ratio of 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness is best for autoflowering weed plants, as it’ll save you on electrical cost and give your plants time to rest.
However, lately, many growers have tried giving their autoflowers 20 hours of light and 4 hours of darkness since it produces better yields than the 18/6 ratio but doesn’t cost as much as leaving your lights on 24/7.
Outside of choosing the right type of grow lights and picking the ideal light schedule for your plants, you need to also choose the right strain for your indoor grow room.
To know what strain is the one for you comes down to personal preference and experience. Whether you choose sativa or indica doesn’t matter as much with autoflowering weed.
But, if you’re a first-time grower, don’t mess up simply because you don’t know how to grow. Stick to an easy-growing strain.
Breeding autoflowers
Growing marijuana is cheaper than buying weed, but the seeds cost money.
That’s why many growers prefer to buy a single set of seeds and continue growing them by breeding.
However, breeding marijuana is a lot more complicated than growing marijuana from seeds; that’s why we don’t recommend breeding autoflower weed.
Instead, leave it to the experts – us – to breed high-quality autoflowering marijuana seeds for you.
Many people wonder whether they should breed autoflower plants due to autoflowering weed plants’ short lifespan.
Because you can grow a lot more plants in the same amount of time, naturally, that means you could use a lot more seeds. They worry about the cost of buying autoflowering cannabis seeds year after year.
If this is your worry, you are doing it wrong.
The main benefits of growing autoflowering marijuana are lower costs and an easier experience.
You need less space, less time, and likely less electricity.
Supply should not be your concern. If you focus on growing the best marijuana with the highest yield, you’ll find that you’ll have more than enough weed to last you.
If you need some help with that, learn to increase yield by scrogging in this guide.
When it comes to breeding autoflowers, do not make it harder than necessary. Buy extra seeds and grow more plants.
Pros and cons of autoflower growing
Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of growing autoflower marijuana plants, instead of regular marijuana plants.
Pros
First of all, you have the chance to attain a higher variety of marijuana when you grow autoflower marijuana plants.
This is because of the shorter growing season.
So within one season, you can grow approximately three separate strains, and get that many different varieties of marijuana for smoking!
This is especially valuable for people who are growing just for themselves and prefer a range of highs, which can change depending on their mood or preference that day.
Therefore, growing autoflowers can help keep things fresh and exciting on the marijuana smoking front.
There is also somewhat less hassle involved — at least in certain aspects.
For example, you will not need a complicated setup with one grow room and one flowering room. That means that, even if you had the space for that many rooms, you could instead use that space to time your growing so that you can harvest every few weeks.
You also won’t have to be so careful with your lighting setup, and grow room light-proof sealing.
This is because light leakages have no impact at all on your autoflower marijuana plants’ flowering phase.
Another advantage is multi-crop systems, which are compatible systems that overlap nicely. They allow you to harvest a new crop every few weeks, and can be set up outside.
They don’t require much space in your garden and are unlikely to attract much attention if any.
In the case of power outages (which can be more frequent for people in certain locations), normal marijuana plants could have their growth and flowering phases interrupted, and their harvests consequently damaged.
You will not have these issues with autoflower marijuana plants.
It is also thought that, because autoflower marijuana plants contain genes from the ruderalis marijuana strain, they may be hardier than other types of marijuana plants.
This idea comes from the fact that ruderalis plants are very hardy, and can handle cold and other obstacles better than photoperiod plants.
These plants will also work well in indoor and outdoor areas that have height or size restrictions.
Finally, if your growing friends are already growing their own photoperiod marijuana, you can enjoy smoking your own marijuana, while they wait and wait for their own harvest to be ready.
Cons
In terms of light usage per gram of harvested bud, autoflower marijuana plants are less efficient than regular photoperiod plants.
This is because you will need the same amount of light per plant although these smaller plants have smaller yields.
Additionally, autoflower marijuana plants tend to be inconsistent in terms of their speed of growth, and their size. Even individual plants within one particular strain might have varying sizes and growth patterns.
This makes certain types of growing methods, like hydroponics, particularly difficult — if not impossible.
Sometimes it will be necessary to harvest one crop several times until all of the plants have been harvested because they flower and mature at different rates as well.
Some smokers of autoflower marijuana will complain that the aroma of their product is not as strong as that of regular photoperiod marijuana plants.
Whether this is a pro or con might depend on your own personal preferences, of course.
Male and female identification
A normal photoperiod marijuana seed has a 50/50 shot at being either male or female.
This is an unfortunate statistic for the average marijuana grower who is only interested in growing unfertilized female(sensimilla) plants.
If you get feminized seeds, on the other hand, you can expect nearly every seed to turn out female.
Autoflower marijuana seeds are not any different in regards to these ratios. Hermaphrodites can be expected in either case and should be watched out for, even if you are expecting all female plants, like when you purchase feminized seeds.
Super autoflower strains
If you have done any research into this new autoflowering trend, you have probably already discovered the term “SUPER autoflower” to describe many different seeds.
So, what are these super seeds, and how are they different from other autoflowering seeds?
The idea behind the super strains is that they are larger, but still share the same useful trait of flowering automatically.
They are stronger and hardier than regular autoflower marijuana plants, especially when it comes to resistance against mold or pests.
They were created specifically with the goal in mind of having bigger, higher-yielding autoflowering weed plants.
What kind of autoflower weed seeds should you use?
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of the autoflower marijuana plant growing process is deciding which of the autoflower seeds to buy first.
This is an especially important decision if you are a first-time grower or even a seasoned veteran who has never grown autoflower strains of marijuana before.
There are a huge variety of seed strains to choose from, so it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the options. The key is always to consider:
- What type of growing conditions the seeds will be planted in
- What ratio of THC to CBD you would like in the strain
- What taste and smell you prefer in your weed.
If you have clearly defined these main points, then you will have a much easier time choosing the perfect strain for you.
Buy autoflower seeds
- Flower automatically
- Fast and easy to grow
- From seed to bud in just 10 weeks!
- No light cycle management needed
- The best beginner option
If you have the money for it, it is recommended to purchase feminized seeds, since it will significantly increase your yield (and you won’t need to remove 50% of the crop that turns out to be male plants).
If you just don’t have the money for it or would like to spend that money on other aspects of growing marijuana, then you can feel free to take the risk and keep an eye out for signs of male plants.
Of course, if you are looking to breed more autoflower marijuana seeds, then you will have at least one male plant, so don’t bother with the feminized ones, in that case.
For smaller grow rooms, go for the Indica autoflower marijuana strain because they will be smaller, even in comparison to other autos.
For outdoor grow setups or indoor setups that are large enough, a Sativa autoflower marijuana strain will be better since they will get to a bigger size and therefore have a greater yield.
They will require sufficient space to grow large, of course.
FAQs about how to grow autoflowering cannabis plants
Are autoflower strains less potent?
No, today autoflowering strains are not any less potent than their feminized counterparts.
How much does an autoflower strain yield?
Autoflowering plants are usually small and will yield somewhere from 10 to 50 grams per plant. Some exceptions can manage up to 100 grams a plant.
How much water do autoflowers need?
When watering autoflowers, we recommend making your mix in a bottle with just one glass of water per pot.
Have you grown autoflowering cannabis plants? Please leave comments or questions below!
Happy growing!
Robert
Third year of growing White Widow auto and Granddaddy Purple auto outdoors in pots. Wonderful weed easy to hide.
Will continue to grow autos.
Good info. I have an odd, maybe dumb question lol. Is it possible to scrog with autos? Or is there certain auto strains better suited for it? Thanks
I have white little arrows and I’m leaving for vacation September 4 day been growing since June 27 do you think they’ll be done buddy
FoxFarm Ocean Forest and Happy Frog soils but they are hot soils and needs little fertilizer until they flowering stage. You can also add some small/ground limestone to act as a pH buffer. I’m on my 6th grow with FoxFarm and have finally figured it out.
Be sure to pinch off the top when the second 5 leaf comes out.
I am on my 2nd grow of Bruce Banner auto. flower. My first plant produced 23 Buds,They were ok, but not Great. My second grow is 1 month in. I have 12 Buds,I am in Central Florida,,growing outside in a 5 Gal Pot. I Put the Sprout directly into the Pot. I Lost 2 Bruce Banners when I had them in Jiffy pots, and transpalnted.them. The temps have been Hot{90’s] Humid. I used your Nutes.I make sure not to overwater, I am using Fox Farm Soil,My Plant is about 21/2 foot tall,Not Bushy.. What am I doing wrong?
I just set my White Widow auto seeds into my Aerogarden 3 days ago and they’ve popped big time!! I have a 6 plant unit but only used 4 seeds on the outside pods for space. They are an inch high and healthy. When should I put them in containers for outside?
I bought super skunk auto flowers and have tried to germinate two of the seeds so far and neither one has sprouted. They’re soaking in water in the dark, one of them has a bunch of fuzzy stuff all around it but no tail. The other one still looks the same as it did when I put it in there a week ago
I had an autoflower germinate and sprouted in a solo cup in rich soil so I transplanted into new soil but messed up and put it back in solo cup then transplanted again into final container……what are the chances of survival?
I just ordered some autos from your store. I am trying to learn as much as I can before they arrive. Will keep in touch as I and the babies progress. Thanks for your continued help to become a personal grower. I think like all flowers they are so beautiful, and smell nice.
Is there a guide that discusses more about breeding autoflower seeds?
So if I’m reading this correctly, auto-flower seeds are not feminized am I correct in saying this?
I need some info. I’m a beginner on my second grow of auto. First grow was ok. I need info so as not to make the same mistakes I did in the first one.
I’m looking for auto seed information. Can’t find much about how to grow guide
My first autoflower grow is going well, planted in soil in my greenhouse Under sunlight. My area gets cool winters (never below freezing) with a reasonable amount of sunlight – would i be able to grow autos during winter in my greenhouse if i used a heated hydroponic system? Is the air temp Critical if the roots are kept warm?
what size container for autoflowers?
Had success with WW autos, last year, one was very stunted, but the rest were awesome, I stopped measuring them after they surpassed 120cm., Bubblegum autos were good too.
Trying Gorilla Glue autos this year, .Planted 29 and 30 October, 2 are only 5cm tall, the rest range from 26-70cm and hairing up very well while still increasing in height. Amazing considering the up and down weather conditions, from nice mid 20sC to sleet and so cold to mid 30s then another cold snap, then under 20 for couple of weeks , and now mid 30s, these plants seem to cope with all that has been thrown at them! awesome! Very happy!
I have never grown auto before I got White Widow. When do I put my little ones under my big light?
Hey Bob,
Unfortunately, we don’t carry any super autoflower strains. 🙁
So which of your seeds are ‘super autos’?
I Started 2 ILGM Auto fem white widow plants in late april. it is now late july. one is 44 inches high with 7 point leaves and just starting to sprout pistils. The other is 13 inches with 3 point leaves and showing white hairs. I am growing outdoors in 5 gallon buckets with a mixture of Fox farm happy frog & my own compost.
Great info I’ve been looking into growing indoors for the 1st time I’ve decided on a 600 watt full spectrum led grow light with a bloom & veg stage setting growing in coco & petite premix (from fox farm) & also using there nutrition and cal mag (Cali manic) any thing else I should look into
Jon, You do not need nutrients when using Super soil; At least in veg and since you are growing “autos”; you may not need nutrients at all except a P-K boost once the plant starts budding. When using 3-part. You would mix all 3 into a gallon at 5ml per gallon. 5ml of each into a gallon of water X how many gallons of solution you make. In total you would be adding 15ml total per gallon. What you misunderstood is; You do not mix the conventrates together before adding to water. Add Grow to water, them Micro, then Bloom. Since you are using Super soil I would recommend using the Lucas formula in flower once you see the plants asking for nutrition. This means; No Grow 1 part Micro, and 2 parts Bloom this formula is recognized as 0-1-2 This equates to 0ml of grow, 5ml of Micro, and 10ml of Bloom per gallon. I wrote a paper years ago and it is in the GrowFAQs in our forum. Happy growing. 🙂
Jay. I must say. I am not a proponent of someone growing in their Mom’s house without her knowledge. You could cost her, her job and 1000’s of dollars in fines and possibly other issues. Yes you could do a small grow with limited expectations in a closet. Just think about the consequences of your actions before you do. OK?
Doyle hurst, My friend, you just need to join our support forum and we will teach you how to grow successfully from start to finish
Spark, you can leave it or cut it down. the roots may fight each other but, in tghis case it probably won;t cause too much of a negative effect as long as you temper expectations for yield from one or the other. You can also cull the little one and this will not hurt the one left at all.
I am using the super soil recommended by various sights and am growing amnesia haze, ak47, and Bergman’s gold leaf auto-flowers. I have the Micro, grow, and bloom products and, according to the label, mix them one at a time into a liter of water. I saw your chart for auto’s that broke it down into each individual nutrient type according to where the plant is in the growth cycle. Should I use them individually? I also use water from my aquarium. This being said, what is the best nutrient system for super soil, indoor grows
So I just Purchased the Critical Purple Auto-Flowering Feminized Cannabis Seeds. 3 of them. I have never grown before so this is my first time taking a stab at this. The thing is (Sadly) I moved back in with Mom and really need to keep this on the DL. Can I set up a growing Light in my Closet and get this thing started in there for the first Month or so if I properly care for it ? Or does it need flowing Air ? If it does need Air movement could I just put a small fan in the closet as well as the Light ? Also wondering how tall and Wide does this particular Strain Grow on average ?
First timer, need to know what l need.
I had a seed from the Autoflower White Widow that didn’t germinate so I put it in the flower pot and with the one that germinated now I have 2 seedlings growing in 1pot should I let it go they are 3weeks and growing fine. If I cut the small down will it hurt the other plan. PS. Am using living soil with Coco perlite
Thanks bud, your the best.
Hi rob ,just read your article on auto plants in time im expecting cash crop auto seeds to come for a freind ,he asked me what the difference light regime was to light cycle plants ,ha i wasnt quite sure what to tell him ,know i do will be checking out ur seed bank ❤️
i have forund through experience. that the ph of the water is critical i have very hard well water in the house no softener . i use vinegar to drop the ph to 6 from around 7 (natural ph) before i discovered hoe important the ph was all my plants would just stay small once i started paying attention to the water ph the plants took off i flushed them out good first with the ph tested water then continued to use a ph around 6 now the plants are getting the minerals and food they need if you are having any trouble it may be wilted leave it may be yellow edges ect the first thing to do is get your ph to 6 or so it will make a 100% difference in how your plants grow.
i have upgraded the grow area of my room now that i have been producing.. with the autoflower strains in all my years of growing over 50 . i have never seen anything that even comes close to these new autoflowering strains.i ordered no3 skunk pack all the seeds germinate and all are very healthy this is my 3rd harvest since early march i am using ( 2 sun par )2000k 300 w nichia chip l.e.d.s these cover a least half of the grow space i have used nutrients for veg and then . but then realised i only need the bloom.. since the plants bud in about 3 weeks the growth and size of the buds are amazing the smoke is great… i am adding some flavor enhancer to bring out the skunk side of the autoflowers for more taste but i absolutely recommend the auto fems. and (strains for during the day) and something heavier to make you sleep like (girl scout cookies ) or big bud at night to relax i have stenosis so the pain relief and sleep it gives me is a god send 4 sure.. my light set up is 18/6 never had to change the photo period at all 18/6 from start to finish i watered them with water i ph/tested to 6 or so my water is hard so i use 3 tsp of vinegar pr gallon .. to bump up the ph and that alone helped so much it was astounding never seen plants that look like these autoflower except in high times magazine im sold on them now. thanks to all of you who keep me so informed in the plant flower business..
i am just getting ready to put my seeds in water tonight. i have auto northern lights. im so excited. Its my 1st grow ever. I just got my Michigan medical card. So here goes nothing…wish me luck…
Saundra,
It would not be a good idea to attempt to grow all your “meds” in separate Solo cups. Perhaps this would provide enough for a day. Autoflower plants take 3+ months to finish. I do not think this woudl be a good plan at all. You would have to be planing a seed every day for 3-4 months to cover your needs.
I strongly advise you to join us at: support.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com where you can converse with others in a similar situation to yours and learn how each of them handle their grow schedule 🙂 OK? See you there.
I need instructions on how to grow in a small grow room. I do not want to smoke it, rather, put it in a smoothie for help with insomnia, balancing gut flora and lessening toxins. I have primary biliary cirrhosis and Learned I could plant one seed autoflowering in plastic drinking cup and harvest after a month with enough plant to cover one day. Is this doable?
How do I buy the seeds ?
Just want to say, thank you for sharing your passion, time and knowledge. I appreciate it and the work you do.
Jason,
Possibly it is over fertilization, PH could be way off causing one or more minerals to get locked, or causing a toxicity from one or more minerals.
I suggest you join us at: support.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com and allow our great community and staff to help you learn to grow successfully. All you need as far as information is right there in the forum. Happy growing
why r my plant leaves curling up
Cingli,
The reason leaves lose their green color is because that particular leaf is no longer capable of producing sugars for the plant and dies off. This can happen either way. Feeding or not feeding. However; Some plants if fed will not lose many leaves.
Happy growing
I got a question about harvesting autoflowers..Does the leafs change colors (autumn colors) only if we stop feeding it or it will change colors regard if we feed them or not?
Ruth,
Have you downloaded our free Grow Bible? All your answers are there. I also invite you to join our forum at ilovegrowingmarijuana.com where we are set up to do daily support and guide you to a successful grow. 🙂
Hi, very new to growing. I am wondering if this schedule is also used with hydroponics system? And with my seeds being auto and feminized, do I need both the grow and bloom nutrients at very begining of start process?
Hi there, the cannabis plant is not a perennial but an annual plant. At least it is if you don’t let them get pollinated. And you don’t want your ladies to get pollinated because they won’t produce bud when they do. Here you can read up on the plant’s lifecycle.
wow- who knew a weed takes this much work? if you got them to grow outside in northeast in ur yard wouldn’t it be like a perennial and u could just expect buds in fall and store accordingly once year?
Im having a hard time telling mine apartand there 2going on 3 feet tall
Hi there, be sure to hop onto the support forum. Our experts there can help you with any questions that may arise 😀 – I❤️GM
Just wanted to thank you on all the good advice here! This is my first proper outdoor/greenhouse crop. bought 3 early skunk seeds from sensi due to the medicinal benefits and plan to do a grow (bit late in the season but hoping no probs due to rubbish weather in here in uk!) Haven’t got any indoor lamps only a small 12w halogen heater lol! so hoping my babies will just thrive on natural sunlight in greenhouse now weather isn’t ‘frosty’ but will probably bring them in at night and do 12/12 roughly around the natural light and see how I go… getting my cannagrow and pots tomorrow and obviously a lot more advise on greenhouse/natural auto growing… any extra tips on lighting/heat for autos around this time appreciated!
great article informative helps a lot
bought your seeds all flowerwed not femized xcellent delivery thanks god bless after all he brought it on earth
Bueno … Good article …thanks
Linda Miller,
I am not sure what to say. I odn’t know who might have told you to give 21 hours light and only 3 dark.
I use 18/6 for autos and they show flowers and progress by week 4. Some growers believe in even shorter photo periods, than that. Are you sure they are Autoflowers? Fem seeds need flowering induced by reducing light to 12/12 photo period.
This is my first time growing. I bought some White Widow fem. autos from you and planted 3 seeds. Success!! They look great and have done some LST, very healthy but they are in their 10th week and show no signs of any buds beginning. I’m giving them a light cycle of 3 hours dark. Should I be concerned that they haven’t started setting buds yet or should I maybe change their light cycle? By the way, all I have learned has been from all the information on your site. Thank you.
Thank you and see you soon 😀
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I like the information about auto flowering marijuana and the difference between auto flowering marijuana and traditional types of marijuana. I don’t know what to say.. I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Dwt88,
You can use any soil. I would recommend a premium organic soil. Have you downloaded and read our free grow bible? I also invite you to join our support forum. We have many experts soil growers who are always willing to help. 🙂
Happy growing
I ordered the WW auto what soil should I use?
JHohn,
Thanks for choosing seeds from ILGM. We look forward to your continued patronage. 🙂
Zog,
That is awesome! I do not recommend 24/0 but, you are proving my concept. I can pass this info onto other Med patients in need. Thank You for sharing. Sounds like you might have a big yield from an auto flower.
Why don’t you join out support forum and share you grow journal? 🙂
Sounds like fun 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Happy growing!
C. H. T.,
This all depends on the size of your grow space. I like to grow autos under a 600 watt air cooled lamp.
Perhaps you could benefit from joining our support forum. 🙂
See you there. Ask for “Latewood”
Fyshhtrap,
I have been trying to talk myself into going to autos 100%. Love the Super Skunk auto; “Robert’s fav”, but I just cannot quit wanting to grow Robert’s Gold Leaf! 😀
For sure.
wab,
It is always great to hear about our customers achieving success! Happy growing, lw
Brainiac,
Thanks for sharing that information. Happy growing! 🙂
b ,
We apologize for not replying to your comment. We wish you had joined our free support forum.
Well; I know your issue is past but, I want to give you the courtesy of a reply. Auto flowers can be grown using any photo period. I use 18/6 The lower amount of “ON” lamp hours makes roots grow more vigorously. Some growers like to use 12/12. This allows for maximum root growth and the plant finishes much faster. 70-90 days
As far as finish time. I always monitor my harvest time by viewing the trichomes for maturity.
A longer photo period such as I use 18/6 tends to lengthen the wntire grow and produces great results in 90-110 days.
Great to hear John! Happy growing!
I,m having trouble getting my germinated seeds to grow.I;m putting them about a 1″ in the soil but nothing.Put plain water on them.Help
Thank you did not wait long to get my auto flowering seeds thank you Robert
A 42 Watt CFL 18 hours a day is maybe $ 2.50 a month in electricity !
Remember to keep these CFL’s close around 2 inches away for best results.
To save money on nutrients use your own urine deluted 20 to 1 water to urine and no matter what anyone says, start by saturating your grow medium with 20 to 1 water to urine solution, just enough to have some dripping out the bottom, wait one hour for dripping to stop and plant your seed 2 full inches down ! If you do this your plant will be popping through in 3 1/2 days looking radioactive florescent green and with a very thick healthy stem.
Kept them on light 24 hours for three months,they started budding after A month and a half of growth.we kept them on 24 hours until after the full moon of the 3rd month then 12 and 12 outside Buds are getting really big and thick after that and will harvest day after next fullmoon
I’m planning to grow autos soon, and I want to know, what’s the best lighting for them ? Now keep in mind I’m on a very low budget. Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated..
Happy growing everyone!
I thought this was great article for me as a beginner grower and the fact that my First seed purchase was entirely Autos
Just finished my second crop in a tent. First was Gods Treat (Jordan of the Islands) and it took about 3 months. Took forever and branched out wide. Just went 2 months with the AutoFlower (Red Poison) and the incredibly nice Auto Blueberry from this very site. I accidently broke the cola off the top of a Blueberry and it made a huge knot of 4 nugs where the first branch started! I am stunned. Very impressed with the AutoFlowers and plan on growing several different strains.
Thanks for everything. The advice and the seeds have been awesome!
I have found that when breeding auto- femminized seed, due to the rapid growth, the seed producer plant should be staggered several weeks from the pollen producer.
[…] Autoflowering marijuana plants for climates like these are particularly useful when grown in a greenhouse. Simply choose a time when the weather is warm enough, grow them for 60 or 90 days (depending on the variety you purchased), and rest assured that they will flower properly. That being said, you can expect smaller plants. But of course, with a tricky climate like that, you couldn’t expect monster buds in the end anyway. […]
I am new at this. I purchased from you, White Widow extreme auto. I have them in 1gal pots. do they need to be transplanted into larger pots? They are indoors but l plan on moving them outdoor June 1st (calif warm weather 16 hrs of light)they are about 5 weeks old, maybe 6 I lost count. The tallest of 16 plants is about 12-14 inches and all have been under 54 watts x 4 lights in one light strip 18/6 hrs. I have been feeding them light veg food. Will bat guano help yield? should I continue 18/6 hrs of light? what other things should I be aware of? when should I expect to harvest, 8 weeks, 10 weeks? any other tips would be greatly appreciated thanks