Imagine this. You're new to growing, or maybe just a seasoned grower looking for something new, when you stumble upon autofowering cannabis. And immediately confronted with a whole bunch of autoflower myths.
Having never grown an auto, or perhaps any cannabis at all, you Google autoflowers only to find countless forums where smug growers bash them in all sorts of ways.
There are a few things out there on the internet being spouted about autoflowering cannabis that simply isn't true; however, at one point in time, they were.
Now, what are the actual facts vs the perception currently going around on some parts of the web? How do you know what is true and not when stories vary so wildly from person to person?
Well, we hope that this will help you answer that question.
Below we will be going over the most prominent myths on autoflower cannabis that are being shared on the web.
With the facts in hand, we'll bust some autoflower myths.
Myth: Autoflowers aren't as Potent As Regular Strains
Busted: The Original Lowryder strain, thought to be the parent of the autoflower strains that exist today, was, in fact, less potent than your average strain. However, this was years ago, and a whole lot has changed since then.
Check out our interview with Sasha, The Joint Doctor, the OG autoflower grower who'll tell you more about Lowryder and how he got started:
Since the original Lowryder was crossed with Santa Maria, this has been entirely false. Current auto-flowering strains carry an average potency of 15-22% THC.
Because of their genetics, they are more pre-dispositioned to having a higher CBD ratio than most traditional strains. What this means, in a nutshell, is not only can it have the same amount of THC as a normal plant, but the medicinal production of CBD is also suitable for some medical issues.
Myth: Autos Produce Way Less Yield than Regular Growing Plants
Busted (well, sort of): This myth can be accurate in certain situations. Most autoflowering strains were built with stealth and quickness in mind. They really don't get as big, or as big as you can get with a 12/12 period plant.
However, this isn't always true because while you cannot control the size with light, some autoflowering strains grow just as large as normal plants. It's all dependent on genetics, your light strength, and more. Also, just because it is smaller doesn't mean it will make less weight – a more accurate statement would be ‘they are generally smaller, and can yield less under similar conditions.
Our friend David grew these Vanilla Latte autos, look plenty bountiful to us!
Myth: You Can Not Clone an Autoflower Strain
Busted: You CAN clone an auto-flower. However, the clone will remain the same age as the plant you cut it from, meaning if you were already in full flower – the most you can expect is a bud or two to grow and not much vertical height.
We've seen success stories of people who cloned before sex showing, and it worked great, but that’s a small window of period. So you CAN clone, but the clones will not grow into a new plant as they will just go into flower mode. If you're trying to clone an autoflower to boost yield, well, you'll be left disappointed.
Check out our guide on cloning here
Myth: Autoflowers Taste Worse
Busted: Auto-flowering strains these days are bred just for taste properties.
One such strain is our Zkittlez Auto, one of the sweetest tasting strains you'll ever have. A cross between Zkittlez (Grape x Grape Apple) x Auto Fruit (Auto Fruit Cheese x Auto Blueberry), it tastes just like candied berries and smells like blueberry pancakes.
Now that the autoflower myths are out of the way:
Why and When Should you Grow an Autoflower Strain?
Simply put, any time and because you can!
Some 12/12 period plants can take up to 20 weeks to finish – meanwhile, some autos take as little as 35 days to complete. What does this mean for you? In the period of growing 1 20 week plant or heck, even two ten-week plants, you can grow triple the number of auto-flowers, from seed.
While you are waiting for your big plant to finish up, you can have multiple harvests from autoflowering strains ensuring that you will always have the smoke you need. It's really a win-win situation.
And unlike regular plants, almost anyone can grow an autoflower nearly anywhere.
If you have never grown before and simply want to throw a seed in a cup in the window to get a small grow going, you can! There is no reason to not grow an autoflowering strain alongside any other plants in your garden and have great success.
Stop worrying about the myths, and try it for yourself. Feminized autoflowering plants are almost guaranteed to return some sort of results no matter the grow style, and you really have nothing to lose.
3 Easy Autoflower Strains to Grow
So, are you convinced? If so, and are thinking of growing your own autos, check out these 3 strains which are excellent to get started with:
Strawberry Cheesecake Auto
Seedsman's Strawberry Cheesecake Auto results from a cross of Strawberry Banana Auto and Cheese Auto. This Indica-dominant wonder grows into medium-sized, robust plants, producing very good harvests of dense and resinous buds with good levels of THC.
The taste produced by the dried buds is quite heavy on the Skunk with some pronounced sweet, fruity/lemon notes. THC production is around 15% while CBD is rated at below 1%, and its effect is initially quite physically relaxing although providing mental stimulation at the same time. Strawberry Cheesecake Auto is perfect for daytime use whether you are relaxing at home or working, it will allow you to complete daily tasks with no impediment while giving a very nice feeling of contentment.
Alaskan Purple Auto
Alaskan Purple Auto is a 90% indica strain producing some very attractive yields in a short space of time. It has a sweet, fruity taste and a very nice relaxing high.
Sweet ripe fruits abound on the palate and with THC levels between 15 - 20% its relaxing indica effect doesn't lack potency.
Buy Alaskan Purple Auto seeds.
Pink Kush CBD 30:1 Auto
One of the most interesting and different strains to try, Pink Kush CBD Auto is the result of crossing Pink Kush CBD Auto with Pink Afghan CBD Auto strains. It is 90% Indica, has a short life-cycle, and has a CBD: THC ratio of at least 30:1.
The scent and taste resemble pine and damp forest with earthy hints of red fruits. CBD is rated at approximately 17% with just 0.5% THC. Its effect is a soft, light, relaxing body sensation, great for those looking for a feeling that's more surreal than stoned.
Right now on Seedsman we're offering incredible deals and discounts on a selection of the world's greatest autoflower genetics. Head over to our promo page for more details.
Many people believe that there are few benefits to growing autoflowering cannabis, and there are a fair few misconceptions about just what you can expect from Autos. For this reason, we're setting the record straight on the Top 4 myths about autoflowering cannabis plants.
Autoflowering cannabis plants switch from veg to flowering based on maturity rather than a change to the light schedule. For that reason, they’re popular as a lower-maintenance project. They also typically require fewer nutrients than photoperiod strains and finish faster. Despite these advantages, there’s still some bad press on the web about autos, and it's high time we addressed this.
Imagine this: You’re new to growing, or maybe just a seasoned grower, experienced with photoperiod strains but looking for something new when you stumble upon autoflowering cannabis. You're immediately confronted with a whole bunch of autoflower myths. Having never grown an auto, or perhaps any type of cannabis, you Google autoflowers only to find countless forums where smug growers bash them in all sorts of ways.
There are a few things out there on the internet being spouted about autoflowering cannabis that simply aren’t true; however, at one point in time, they were. So, what are the actual facts vs the perception currently going around on some parts of the web? How do you know what is true and not when stories vary so wildly from person to person? We hope that this will help you answer that question.
Below we will be going over the most prominent myths on autoflower cannabis that are being shared on the web. With the facts in hand, we’ll bust some autoflower myths.
Myth 1: Autoflowers Aren’t As Potent As Regular Strains
Busted: The Original Lowryder strain, thought to be the parent of the autoflower strains that exist today, was, in fact, less potent than your average strain. However, this was years ago, and a lot has changed.
Check out our interview with Sasha, The Joint Doctor - one of the world's most celebrated breeders. The OG autoflower grower tells you more about Lowryder and how he got started:
Since the original Lowryder was crossed with Santa Maria, this has been entirely false. Current auto-flowering strains carry an average potency of 15-22% THC.
Because of their genetics, they are more pre-dispositioned to having a higher CBD ratio than most traditional photoperiod cannabis strains. In a nutshell, this means not only can it have the same amount of THC as a standard plant, but the medicinal production of CBD is also suitable for some medical issues.
Myth 2: Autos Produce Lower Yields Than Photoperiod Plants
Busted (well, sort of): This myth can be accurate in certain situations. Most autoflowering strains were built with stealth and quickness in mind. They don't get as big, or as big as you can get with a 12/12 light cycle plant.
However, this isn’t always true because while you cannot control the size with light, some autoflowering strains grow just as large as normal plants. It’s all dependent on genetics, your light strength, and more. Also, just because it is smaller doesn’t mean it will make low yields – a more accurate statement would be ‘they are generally smaller and can yield less than photoperiod plants under similar conditions'.
Our friend David grew these Vanilla Latte autos, and they look plenty bountiful to us!
Myth 3: You Cannot Clone An Autoflowering Strain
Busted: You CAN clone an auto-flower. However, the clone will remain the same age as the plant you cut it from, meaning if you were already in full flower – the most you can expect is a bud or two to grow and not much vertical height.
We’ve seen success stories of people who cloned before sex showing, and it worked great, but that’s a small window. So you CAN clone, but the clones will not grow into a new plant as they will just go into flower mode. If you’re trying to clone an autoflower to boost yield, you’ll be disappointed.
Check out our guide on cloning here
Myth 4: Autoflowers Taste Worse
Busted: Auto-flowering strains these days are bred just for taste properties.
One such strain is our Zkittlez Auto, one of the sweetest-tasting strains you’ll ever experience. A cross between Zkittlez (Grape x Grape Apple) x Auto Fruit (Auto Fruit Cheese x Auto Blueberry), it tastes like candied berries and smells like blueberry pancakes.
Now that the autoflower myths are out of the way:
Why And When Should You Grow An Autoflower Strain?
Simply put, any time and because you can!
Some 12/12 period plants can take up to 20 weeks to finish – meanwhile, some autos take as little as 35 days to complete. What does this mean for you? In the period of growing one 20-week plant or, heck, even two ten-week plants, you can grow triple the number of autoflowers from seed.
While waiting for your big plant to finish, you can have multiple harvests from autoflowering cannabis strains, ensuring you will always have the smoke you need. It’s a win-win situation. And unlike regular plants, almost anyone can grow an autoflower almost anywhere.
If you have never grown before and simply want to throw a seed in a cup in the window to get a small grow going, you can! There is no reason not to add an autoflowering strain alongside any other plants in your grow environment and have great success. Plus, the ruderalis genetics in autoflowering cannabis strains makes them robust.
Stop worrying about the myths, and try it for yourself. Feminized autoflowering plants are almost guaranteed to return results no matter the grow style, and you have nothing to lose.
3 Easy Autoflower Strains To Grow
Now that your fears about Autos have been laid to rest, you'll need autoflowering seeds. Check out these 3 strains, which are excellent to get started with:
Strawberry Cheesecake Auto
Seedsman’s Strawberry Cheesecake Auto results from a cross of Strawberry Banana Auto and Cheese Auto. One of the finest mostly-indica strains, this small wonder grows into medium-sized, robust plants, producing outstanding harvests of dense and resinous buds with good levels of THC. Strawberry Cheesecake Auto single-handedly dispels two of the central autoflowering myths: they don't taste as good and don't yield as high. This strain tastes epic. It's fruity, lemony, and sweet with Skunk notes, making for a delightful experience. And the yields? Indoor cultivation can see you walk away with an impressive 500gm/m2 at harvest time. Outdoor growers can look forward to up to 600gm/plant. No doubt, then, that this auto can produce the goods.
THC production is around 15% while CBD is rated at below 1%, and its effect is initially quite physically relaxing, although providing mental stimulation simultaneously. Strawberry Cheesecake Auto is perfect for daytime use. Whether relaxing at home or working, it will allow you to complete daily tasks with no impediments while giving a lovely feeling of contentment.
Larry Lemon OG Auto
Larry Lemon OG Auto is a fruit-flavoured sensation combining the best of the original Larry Lemon with an OG Kush Auto. What you get is a prestige auto with a slight indica dominance, and a world of fabulous flavours. With a lifecycle of around 70-80 days, you won't have long to wait to get your hands on Larry Lemon OG Auto's sensational buds. Once you enter the flowering stage, that incredible lemon aroma fills your grow space with uplifting scents.
Larry Lemon OG Auto leaves nothing out in potency, packing a high THC content of around 19%. You'll exerience a euphoric, yet relaxing sensation from this powerful plant. Yields are highly respectable, too, with indoor growers good for between 350-450gm/m2 and outdoor cultivation capable of producing a superb 500-600gm/plant.
OG Kush Auto
A perfect fit for those looking to cultivate in a smaller space, OG Kush Auto comes in at just 100cm - but don't think for a minute that means meagre harvests! The time from germination to completion is just 75 days, and you can find yourself harvesting up to 400gm/plant from this short yet generous cultivar. Buds are thick and dense, and packed with 15-20% THC.
The indica dominance and Kush lineage make for a highly relaxing body effect, and the sour citrus flavour is an experience few can match. Look out for the slightest peppery taste in the backgroud, too - something a little bit different for your taste buds!
