How to Grow Better Autoflowers
Despite what you may have heard, autoflowering cannabis plants are awesome, and can outperform photoperiod strains in some conditions.
Autos can be tricky to grow. I have cultivated thousands over the past decade or so and I have learned a few things.
If you have a few minutes to spare, I am happy to share some tips that will improve your odds for autoflower glory.
Autoflower vs Photoperiod
Autoflowering strains are Day-Neutral (DN) and will begin flowering automatically about three to four weeks after they are planted regardless of the photoperiod.
The Ruderalis Story
Ruderalis is the black sheep of the cannabis family, living in the shadow of its famous Indica and Sativa siblings. This sub-species of cannabis is defined by its Day Neutral flowering characteristic.
These wild-type, or uncultivated populations evolved at higher latitudes and developed the autoflowering trait as an adaptation to short growing seasons.
This feature enabled ruderalis plants to expand their range to above 50 degrees North and they continue to thrive in Siberia.
Wild ruderalis populations tend to have very low THC content. THC biosynthesis in cannabis is largely the result of human selection and ruderalis remained uncultivated until very recently.
Lowryder Strain
Most modern autoflower varieties are descended from the Lowryder strain, one of the first to exhibit stabilized DN flowering.
Although its pedigree is uncertain, Lowryder is likely the result of hybridizing ruderalis with sativa subspecies.
Lowryder displayed a short stature and modest THC and terpene production, allowing it to be fearlessly cultivated in the closets of college dorms.
Lowryder also inherited many undesirable traits from its wild ancestors and was pretty terrible to smoke.
From this humble source, the DN flowering trait has been ingressed into drug cannabis varieties over many generations.
Autoflower Breeding
Ingression is the breeding method that is used to bring desirable traits into a variety while excluding undesirables.
This is achieved by hybridizing, or cross breeding a variety containing the trait of interest, to a commercial variety of known quality. The progeny of this union are inbred until the desired trait is fixed, then back-crossed again to the commercial variety.
This cycle is repeated until the improved variety resembles the commercial one in every aspect except that the trait of interest has been ingressed. This process can take years.
Great improvements have been made to autoflower strains through repeated hybridization and backcrossing over a few decades.
Some autoflower varieties now exhibit cannabinoid and terpenoid profiles that are comparable with elite Photoperiod cultivars, but the perception that autos are schwag persists.
Purchasing your seeds from a reputable breeder is always a good investment. Phenotypic consistency, and stable gynoecy (no hermies) can vary greatly among seed lots depending on the breeder’s selection and feminization protocols.
Autoflowers have made me a better grower.
Continuous crop momentum from seed to harvest is required for autoflowering plants to reach their full potential.
Auto Seedlings
Autos will flower spontaneously if rooting is restricted, often with comical results. I have seen plants literally lollipop and develop a single nug on a four-inch stalk.
Autos are in a hurry, and don’t have time to recover from stress or transplant shock. Low Stress Training (LST) techniques can be applied, but it is best to avoid topping autoflowering plants. LST involves bending plants so that lower branches are encouraged to develop due to a shift in hormone balance. This can increase the number of top colas produced by your plants.
Autoflower Light Cycle
Growing Autoflowers Indoors
Autoflowering cannabis plants offer several advantages for home growers.
For small grow chambers or tents, it can be much easier to maintain a stable climate when lower wattage lights are run continuously, rather than cycling more powerful lights on and off.
For growers with sub-optimal lighting conditions, increasing the photoperiod can increase flower quality and yield.
Autoflowers can be planted regularly for a continuous harvest of meds from the same grow chamber.
Lighting timers are not required, and light pollution will not affect your plant’s flowering stage.
Growing Autoflowers Outdoors
After a few decades of growing weed here in B.C. Canada, I choose to grow autoflowers in my outside gardens. My nicest plant last year yielded 7 ounces of terpene rich bud in mid August.
For commercial farmers autoflowers offer several advantages over photoperiod crops.
At temperate latitudes, successive crops can be cultivated over a single growing season without the need for light-dep infrastructure.
At more northern latitudes, all crops can be timed to ripen during the peak solar window, increasing quality and yield, and enabling harvest before elevated seasonal pathogen pressures occur.
Regardless of latitude, the autoflowering trait allows for harvests over an extended period. This enables more efficient use of labor and processing infrastructure and can provide market timing advantages for finished products.