New Grower Why Autoflowers?

[arboles]

Greetings Friends,
Is there any definitive reason why you guys chose autoflowers over traditional photo period growing? I'm sure some of you botanists & breeders have the time and space to work with both. As of yet, I haven't had the opportunity to work with an autoflowering strain. But, hopefully, if the stars align properly, I will soon have my opportunity.

My interests in autoflowers are two fold, the shorter harvest time, and the experience working with something that's not common, or basically unheard of in my neck of the woods. Working with a breed that another person has spent so much of their time developing. These are the two most exciting things for me. But the experience of joy and success is at the top of my list.

 

[mr jones15]

You said it yourself less time who wants to wait for something when you don't have to? Happy growing

 

[Groff]

For me it was a couple of factors...

Mainly, with auto's you only really need 1 tent. No separate veg/bloom/mother setup. With photos you can start the veg cycle, then switch to flower 12/12. Absolutely no turning back no matter what! This is great, except if something goes wrong. You simply can't "reboot" a couple of plants. With autos, the same light cycle permits you to keep the tent going non-stop. You can harvest and plant another seed, without having to wait for ALL the plants to finish before resetting the tent to 16/8. The majority of autos are shorter, hence better for stealth cupboard / stealth PC ops... but again, new genetics here and there completely contradict the tendency.

Generally, auto's need less light and less nutes, though recent genetics have proved this theory untrue as being the norm. The majority still does though. As is a "lesser" yield... maybe a few years back with lowrider #1, but certainly not the case nowadays. Much shorter cycles, yes, but many auto's can crack the 100 day mark from seed to harvest, but also rewarding in yield. Potency is a myth too... auto's generally have a higher CBD content due to the ruderalis genetics, which has a lesser "mind-f*ck" high that some people enjoy and consider "the high". Early auto's got a bad rep because in fact they were less potent, but this is not true today.

People complain that auto's can't be cloned, hence accusations that breeder market a hype etc etc... not true in my experience. Yep, auto's cannot be cloned to generate vegetative plants and maintain the lineage (a cloned auto will produce bud, not a new plant!)... but... the combination of shorter harvest time (hence less nutes, electricity, water and work and same yield as photo's) completely compensates the cost of the seeds, promotes the market, cheaper for the consumer and far more (deserved) income to the breeders and their work.

Another factor is pheno's, much wider variation in auto's than photo's ... you learn a heck of alot more about cannabis by doing autos! With Photos, especially using clones, you dial in and let it rip! With auto's, you have to develop your knowledge of the plant to really make use of the genetic. Maybe a bit challenging at first for the beginner, but nothing dramatic at all. As a "side effect", in the long run it makes you much more environmentally aware and caring. You develop a much tighter relationship with each plant, and not just "photocopy" the experience to the whole cloned tent.

This is why it is scientific fact that every member of AFN has a higher IQ than any other user from other forums, and are much more polite and helpful than in any other place :smokebuds:

Auto's rock dude! Welcome aboard!

 

[Herb]

My reasons are simple.
I grow outdoors where the growing season is short
I am trying to avoid attention from too taller/obvious plants.
It is ALOT of effort as I found out doing a Barneys BC to make pure darkness for 12 hours when your growing outdoors & not in a pot.
Sooner to harvest time


-herb

 

[A4]

This is why it is scientific fact that every member of AFN has a higher IQ than any other user from other forums, and are much more polite and helpful than in any other place

I have only grew a few autos and have always focused on photos. After running across this forum a few months ago and seeing what was truly capable I decided to run a few. I was very impressed with the genetics, speed quality and yield of harvest. I went back to photos after that harvest. After about two months in I was wishing I had started a few more autos. I have now but my tent is still tied up with photos and it is looking like the harvest isn't going to be much greater than my auto run. Now I am trying to stock up on some autos and get my tents readjusted for perpetual grows with them. I gotta say, I loved photos until I ran those autos. The ease and speed are just entirely too nice. Not having to worry about light leaks, and dark periods is very very nice. Just set the lights on 18/6 and let it rip. You can have several different ages growing at one time in the same tent. When you actually have grown photos for some time and jump into autos with an open mind it makes it very very difficult to go back to photos.

 

[Muddy]

Besides many of the reasons already stated, I like the variety of strains I can grow with autos. As a daily smoker I've found the best way to avoid tolerance buildup is to switch strains daily. With autos I can grow several strains at the same time and harvest them in 3 months. Over the past few years I've built my personal stash up to over 40 strains. I never smoke the same strain more than 2 days in a row and never have tolerance issues.

Also, autos fit my two small grow areas better. I can fit 4 autos in my smaller space where I could only have 1 photo. In my other space, I can fit 8-9 autos but only 4 photos. We've got members who are growing in PC cases and other small areas that photos could never be grown in. Autos work well for smaller, stealthy grows. If you're looking at filling a big room, then photos and clones usually make more sense.

 

[mr jones15]

Besides many of the reasons already stated, I like the variety of strains I can grow with autos. As a daily smoker I've found the best way to avoid tolerance buildup is to switch strains daily. With autos I can grow several strains at the same time and harvest them in 3 months. Over the past few years I've built my personal stash up to over 40 strains. I never smoke the same strain more than 2 days in a row and never have tolerance issues.

Also, autos fit my two small grow areas better. I can fit 4 autos in my smaller space where I could only have 1 photo. In my other space, I can fit 8-9 autos but only 4 photos. We've got members who are growing in PC cases and other small areas that photos could never be grown in. Autos work well for smaller, stealthy grows. If you're looking at filling a big room, then photos and clones usually make more sense.

Well put but I still don't understand how you could get a decent yield in a PC case, even a super tower, it's just not that big I feel like it'd be a waste of time.. Maybe I should just check out some PC grows myself