What are Autoflowering Seeds?

Autoflowering seeds do not rely on light cycles to begin their flowering stage. Instead, they will begin to flower and form buds according to their age and size.

Autoflowering cannabis seeds come from the cannabis ruderalis species of cannabis. Not surprisingly, they are found mostly in northern climates that don’t have long summers. These seeds are known for their small stature and ability to be resistant in cold climates. Today, autoflowering seeds have been crossed with other species such as Indicas, Sativas to create new exciting autoflowering seed genetics.

What is cannabis ruderalis?

Autoflowering seeds are part of the cannabis ruderalis species. In the wild, the cannabis ruderalis species has very low psychoactive properties. However, autoflowering seeds grown today are crossed with other species. This provides the medicinal relief and recreational high consumers are looking for. By crossing two different species in this manner, you get faster flowering times, more resistant genetics and the taste and aroma of the resulting flower can also be enhanced. Seeds stemming from these cross genetics are sometimes known as super autos.

While the genetics of the plant will determine if marijuana is cannabis ruderalis, there are other genetics at play during a plant’s growth as well. For this reason, the best autoflowering seeds have strong mother and father plants.

How are autoflowering seeds different from regular and feminized marijuana seeds?

Autoflowering seeds do not rely on light cycles to flower. This means they need no period of darkness to start flowering. Autoflowers are often therefore kept under 24-hour lights. The more light a plant receives, the more they will grow. For this reason, growers that want bigger yields will leave theirs autoflowering seeds under 24-hour lights.

The marijuana plant instead, will spend one to two months growing the actual plant. After that time, they have matured enough to start to develop buds. As this occurs, the plant will spend the rest of its time focusing on developing fat, dense buds. The plant itself will stop growing in height. Autoflower plants typically only grow from one to four feet tall. Harvest time for auto plants is on average two to three months from seed. This of course will depend on the specific strain.

A marijuana plant that is grown using photoperiod regular seeds or feminized seeds will rely heavily on light cycles to begin flowering. Once the plant, or the grower is ready for the plant to start flowering, the light cycle will switch to 12 hours of light. This will be followed by 12 hours of darkness. When photoperiod plants receive less light, they will start to flower, whereas autoflowering strains of course auto flower.

What are the benefits of autoflowering seeds?

Those who have ever grown autoflowering seeds know this type of genetics has many benefits. The biggest advantages are listed below:

Quick harvest and flowering times.
This is why most growers interested in autoflowering seeds grow them, particularly those in colder climates. Auto seeds grow much faster than indica or sativa.

Small size.
Growers often find they don’t have enough space for their plants. Sativas in particular, grow very tall and indicas can reach great widths. Auto seeds though, grow very small and compact, making them a perfect option for any grow space.

They do not rely on light cycles.
Another advantage to auto plants is that they will begin to flower, regardless of their light cycle. This is not only beneficial for those growing in climates with short summers. It is also beneficial for those wishing to cut down on the high electricity bills growing can sometimes cause.

Ideal for all setups.
Due to the fact that auto plants grow smaller and do not need significant amounts of light, they are suitable for all setups.

Ideal for beginners
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot that goes into growing. One small mistake could be a huge setback. Auto plants however, are very forgiving. This is what makes them ideal for beginner growers.

Large yield.
Due to the fact that auto plants spend most of their time growing big, healthy buds, they are ideal for growers wishing to reap large yields.

Multiple harvests
With regular marijuana seeds, growers typically get just one harvest per year. However, even outdoor growers can see many harvests throughout the year, as auto plants require only eight to ten weeks from seed to harvest.

Hardy plants.
Auto plants can resist a lot of elements regular plants cannot. They can better stand up to cold, which makes them grow well outdoors as long as frost holds off. Even then auto plants are generally resistant to frost.

These are just a few of the benefits that come with grow auto seeds. Once growers begin growing their own, they’re sure to see many more!

Conclusion

Autoflowering seeds have vastly different genetics than other types of cannabis. These unique genetics make them very easy to grow, making them a perfect match for beginner growers. After just one harvest, all growers will see the benefits that can come from autoflowering marijuana seeds.