Amazing AutoFlowers
An Indoor Growers Dream
I have been growing these Amazing AutoFlowers for several years and I have fallen in love with them!
Hi, I am The Gardener and will need to be “The Gardener” until at least 2020 (It is on the ballot for 2020 – Maybe we can get it right this go around.) I will just say that I am in the Northern Rocky Mountains and leave it at that for now.
I’ve have been growing Marijuana for over 40 years (Yes I am old, but much wiser) and during this time major changes have taken place in what we can now call an industry. Obviously, back in the day it was all just regular seeds. Then came the Feminized Seeds and finally over the 15 years or so the AutoFlowers have become much more popular. The first commercial seeds, were a hybrid called “LowRider2” that became available around 2002 to 2003. It took several years for Autos to catch on. However, today they are extremely popular and there are now 100’s of varieties of amazing autoflowers to choose from.
Autoflowers offer numerous advantages for the indoor grower
All my growing had been outdoors over the years. However, living north means that our season is shorter and to ensure being able to finish a plant they need to be started early, indoors, prior to transplanting outside. This was always a challenge. I had a couple friends that had been growing them for long enough to be getting good results. A couple years ago I was given a few seeds and convinced that I had to give them a try. I bought a 2 x 2.5 foot tent, a half decent light, a couple 3 gal grow bags. etc and gave it a go. My first few grows were anything but amazing. However, seeing what my friends were doing, I considered failure a challenge, so I persevered.
Looking back I am really glad that I did. With each grow my results got better. I’m a knowledge seeker, so there has been countless hours over the last few years studying, nutritional needs, lighting, breeding and genetics, every area that I felt would help produce the best and most consistent results with these truly amazing autoflowers.
Autoflowers are pretty much all I grow now.
I still toss a couple regular fems outside in the summer. I have reached the point where I believe I have something to offer those of you that are either just beginning with Autoflowers or considering getting starting. They can be a challenge in the beginning. However, once you get the hang of it, you can produce a nice harvest every 8 to 10 weeks or so. When grown well, each plant can produce 2 to 4 ounces, sometimes much more, and it is easy to get 4 plants in as small as a 3X3 tent and do quite well. If you do the math and then consider all the varieties that are now available you will begin to understand why autoflowers really are amazing!
If you are an indoor grower and have not given Autoflowers a try you should. These Hydred plants have several advantages for the indoor grower over regular plants, Feminized or not.
The biggest advantage is that AutoFlowers do not depend on any Photo Period. In other words, these plant grow and flower based on time, not on the time of light of daylight they receive. What this allows is to have plants in different stages of growth in the same tent. Regardless of where they are in the growth cycle they all can receive the same light, either 24/0 (personal choice) or 18/6. The lack of the need for a specific photo period is due to the cross breeding with Cannabis Ruderalis. Unlike C. Sativa and C. Indica, C. Ruderalis evolved in the northern latitudes where the summer daylight is close to 24 hours a day. You can read all about the history, biology and development on the page All About Autoflowers.
Along with this, Autos are smaller than regular plants. Most of the Auto Fems are around 2 to 3 feet, making them more suitable for a smaller tent. They grow and finish much faster than a regular plant. There are what are called “Super Autos” these are a much larger version of Autoflowers, they can take as long to finish as a regular plant. I have not grown them as one of the main things I love about Autoflowers is that they finish quickly. This allows me to have a bit more variety.
If you have never given Autos a try, you should, you might find you like the as much as I do!
Here’s to great growing – The Gardener