WHAT ARE AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS SEEDS?

AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS SEEDS?

Autoflowering cannabis seeds, as the name would suggest, produce plants that flower automatically – without the change in light cycle. Unlike conventional cannabis plants, it is the age, not lighting that determines when autoflowering strains produce their flowers.

The key to creating autoflowering strains is a lesser known variety of cannabis called ruderalis. Ruderalis is found growing in the wilds of the colder regions of the world, such as Russia and China. Unlike sativa and indica, ruderalis does not rely on light to flower, but simply flowers with age. The main drawback of ruderalis is that by itself, it produces low yields of weak marijuana. It was not until recently that breeders used their ingenuity to combine the genetics of ruderalis with sativas and indicas. This produces varieties of cannabis that still retain most of the power and potency you would expect, but with the added bonus of the ruderalis’ autoflowering properties.

HOW LONG DO AUTOFLOWERING STRAINS TAKE? 

This largely depends on the strain, and will vary accordingly. However, an autoflowering strain will go from germination to harvest in 7-11 weeks.

In many areas, spring provides the right temperature to plant autos outdoors (a minimum of 58°F) at the end of May or beginning of June. If you plant (or transplant) them too early outdoors, they tend to produce small, premature harvests, especially since flowering will be accelerated by nights that are too cold. Below 45°F, you’ll encounter exaggerated stretching and stunted bud development.

Given the usual flowering time for autos (most begin to flower at two to three weeks), it’s wise to start them from mid-May to around June 10. This way, your plants get as much sunlight as possible each day, and their “flip” to flowering will occur as the length of days starts to diminish—a strong encouragement for them to start flowering vigorously.

LIGHT AND AUTOFLOWERING STRAINS

Since the lifecycle of an autoflowering strain is not defined by the amount of light it is exposed to, it can be exposed to as much or little light as the grower wants. Indoors, the general healthy amount of light is 18-24 hours a day, with many growers in consensus that 18 hours produces the best results.

In terms of light spectrums (for advanced growers), the same principles that you would use with a standard photoperiod strain apply. Use a 6500k blue light whilst it is growing, and then switch to a 2700k red light once it enters the flowering phase of its life.