Why Grow Autoflower Strains?

zvuv

zvuv

Active Member
I am starting 3 auto strains, Williams Wonder, White Dwarf and Auto Oil, because I need something ASP.

I chose auto for speed. I can see choosing auto for convenience. You dont need a lightproof grow chamber or have to mess with a timer (although it seems many do give them a few hours dark). But apart from these reasons, why choose an autoflowering strain?

The last time I grew, perhaps 5yrs ago the few auto strains were considered junk. This time when I was shopping for auto strains one seedbank owner was quite snooty about it. Told me he didn't carry that junk and I should get 'something decent'. Ticked me off. This grow I don't have time to be a snob. I have a friend who is hurting. Anything is better than nothing right now.

Are these new autos really that good that people will choose them over regular strains even when they have time to grow a non auto crop?

Not trying to start a war here. Rating a strain as a great smoke is mostly subjective. So let's be cool. Don't like anchovies on your pizza? That's fine by me.

But I'd like to know how people think they stack up.
 
SmellyBud

SmellyBud

Member
No pro here but autos hardly give you squat. Im sure most are a fine smoke but I guess they are considered less bang for your buck. If you want something fast they'll do the trick( add 2-3 weeks on what the strain says from start to finnish). I'd rather just buy a normal strain and grow in bulk.
 
TruenoAE86coupe

TruenoAE86coupe

Moderator
They have come a long way can actually get some decent smoke out of them. A buddy of mine (eyecandi) has some he just grew out to test, didn't feed them at all, just let them live on the roots organic and got between 1/2 and 3/4 oz per plant. These would be good for a couple reasons, if you want to grow outside and harvest before anyone (LEO) is looking for plants, second a window sill grow, or just a newbie. I have never grown any, but i feel they have a place, but the "autoflower" gene was pulled from some ruderalis (ditch weed).
 
forgetfulpenguin

forgetfulpenguin

Active Member
First let me say that I don't believe that auto-flowering strains are necessarily better or worse then photoperiod strains.

Personally I like auto-flowering strains and have chosen them for reasons other than just time constraints. It's worth noting that these are obviously not commercially viable strains and I wouldn't touch any fem auto strain because I couldn't pick out the best look male and female combo to get a seed stockpile. That said they are great for people like me who just need to grow enough to feed their own head.

First I've found them to be quite hardy strains that are nice if you are new at growing. They have been quite forgiving of my n00b mistakes and seem to suffer less in potency then regular plants.

Second they work well under long tube fluorescents which is what I have been using before this most recent grow (I've got a 600w HID now and I love it).

I am not planning to grow auto-flowering strains exclusively (want to grow/smoke nirvana's full moon) but I think I'll still be growing them off and on long into the future.

Lowlife Great White Shark
biggws.jpg
autogws.jpg
 
yourexelency

yourexelency

Member
eh i'd say if your gonna use your nutrients and shit you might as well get more for what your paying... buuuuut if what they say is true... and you can just throw them in a pot and come back 10-18 weeks later and you have your buds.... i might be willing to go down that road for a couple of grows... but me personally... i am going to get a hard ass plant to grow and i'm going to keep on cloning untill i get a VERY healthy plant and i feel as if i have succeeded in my grow... cuz if you can successfully grow the hard plant... then the others are really no problem... now if i end up running out of clones... and i havent made any progress... i might just sell the buds and get myself some tough ass auto-flowering blueberry's from sannies? idk where i saw them but they had 200-300 yield on them so fuck yeah.... i'm game for some easy planting after my repeated let-downs ^^ of course i wont be growing for another year to 2 so they could advance even further and make some un-killable autofem auto-flowering white widow..... if that shit goes down... fuuuuucccckkk the biddy early ima grow some unkillable plants in my dark ass shed and that fuckers gonna be packed ^^
 
two2brains

two2brains

Well-Known Member
clones are the way to go. around the same time and yield as an auto if you put to 12/12 after rooting and its free to cut them.
 
dirtyshawa

dirtyshawa

Well-Known Member
The heavy ruderalis makeup in autos is a major turnoff. My tolerance is too high to mess with ruderalis plants. For me it would be a waste of time and I injured my back while in the army so, it's hard for me to see anyone properly medicating with an auto.

I understand not wanting to wait and how it simplifies things but, my main hang up is the reduced potency cuz ruderalis doesn't get you "high." I know autos have come a long way but, that's cuz breeders have to work the fuck out of a auto to get away from the ruderalis genetics. That's a pain in the ass. It would take years to make a auto that would be equally potent as midgrade pure reefa.

I've seen some outstanding looking auto gear but, when you smoke it you feel so cheated. I hate pretendo!!!
 
greenpark13

greenpark13

Member
I love 'em. I only grow for personal consumption, but I have had several friends tell me it is the best smoke they have ever encountered. I am sure the photos are better, but autos are waaaay better than anything I could find on the street.
 
zvuv

zvuv

Active Member
Well most people seem to be saying they are ok but not great. I guess I will see what I get out of this crop. I have three strains so it should be a good sample. If it's mediocre, I will turn it into hash when the next crop harvests. Yield is not a major concern. This is just to 'feed my head'.

When they start flowering, I will start some photoperiod strains ( thx for that word penguin ) and keep clones of those I guess.

I imagine the breeders are going to keep hammering at this and the autos will continue to improve. But so will the photoperiod strains.

On my first grow ever, I grew top44 for the same reasons I am growing auto now. It was ok but nothing special. I grew six plants and got about 1lb under 600w. Why I grew all six as top44 and didnt include a couple of more potent strains, I dont know. Lack of confidence I guess.
 
dirtyshawa

dirtyshawa

Well-Known Member
that's a great yield for 6 plant's under a 600 on your first grow. some people don't have the opportunity to grow up around abundant Dank. i understood this when i went to army. nevertheless, you can't be afraid to try. do some research on who's who in the seed biz and who has official cuts. these name brand strains are sought after for a reason. people pay alot of $ for proven genetics. there's a ton outstanding flavors to explore with unbelievable potency. 1-2 hitter quitters
 
elevate2meditate

elevate2meditate

Member
What lighting are u using? And what light cycle you running? Autos seem somewhat interesting but not convincing enough for me to buy them. Might run across some freebies tho.. Keep us updated throughout yo gro, (pics, smoke/yeild reports etc.) I'll b checkin in to c how the ladies turn out. Good luck 2 u!
 
zvuv

zvuv

Active Member
@elevate. I will be keeping a journal. See the link in my sig. The plan is 600w MH conversion bulb 24/0 till flower then 20/4

@dirty Yeah I got lucky with that one. One 'mistake' I made was to veg them for too long and the plants got pretty big. Top 44 was known for good yields. I never got that kind of quantity again. But even 8 oz is a lot of dope for two people. If I had it to do over, I would go with 400W. It's plenty for a nice personal grow and less trouble with the heat. I completely agree about buying top grade seeds. With all the work, money and risk you invest in a grow, it doesnt make sense to go cheap on the most essential component.

What's an 'official cut' ? Does it mean a clone?
 
tingpoon

tingpoon

Well-Known Member
personally i dont like auto strains because the yield suffers in the end these are pretty squat guys. i mean the bottom line youre not gonna get more than an ounce per plant on an auto. but ofc there are the benefits to auto in that they can do with less care but wheres the fun in that. prob the best if you need to do a stealth grow. lowryders arent bad.
 
L

LordWinter

New Member
Seems to me that Autos are more of a novelty even now. Can't say that I'm thrilled with the idea of a loss in potency, but the ease of cultivation is definitely making me want to plant the Fruit Auto freebie I got from Attitude just to see what it's like. All I ever smoke is street regs so that should be an interesting experience either way.
 
Oldreefer

Oldreefer

Well-Known Member
I've grown autos for five years. Have no idea why some don't give up this war against them and say something good sometimes as autos do fit a need. When yield and potency seems to be at the heart of non-believers revulsion to'em, yeild is only a greed and displays ones need to expose themselves to selling which is exactly why weed gets bad marks. On the potency issue, I've been toking the herb for 40+ years...seen the potency skyrocket in the past 10 quite a bit....I grow photos along side my autos and share my auto results with a couple of friends who do only photos....I don't have any issues whatsoever with potency, and have found most autos I grow are as good as any photo I've smoked....ever.
Some seem to only find fault and excuses for autos....personally I have learned to use their purpose, and very glad to see the explosion of breeders getting in on it....as I've mentioned previously, there's a whole new world out there that will include any worthy weed as I do, auto, photo etc.... .... sad to see some missing the boat and reluctant to even understand an auto's place in the great scheme of things.....
There are those here who's seen me shout my praises of autos and never blast anyone for their choices of photos...some just seem to wanna make others think they're a bit more elite, I guess....good...more autos for me.....get a life, nay-sayers...
 
ginjawarrior

ginjawarrior

Well-Known Member
Oldreefer said:
I've grown autos for five years. Have no idea why some don't give up this war against them and say something good sometimes as autos do fit a need. When yield and potency seems to be at the heart of non-believers revulsion to'em, yeild is only a greed and displays ones need to expose themselves to selling which is exactly why weed gets bad marks. On the potency issue, I've been toking the herb for 40+ years...seen the potency skyrocket in the past 10 quite a bit....I grow photos along side my autos and share my auto results with a couple of friends who do only photos....I don't have any issues whatsoever with potency, and have found most autos I grow are as good as any photo I've smoked....ever.
Some seem to only find fault and excuses for autos....personally I have learned to use their purpose, and very glad to see the explosion of breeders getting in on it....as I've mentioned previously, there's a whole new world out there that will include any worthy weed as I do, auto, photo etc.... .... sad to see some missing the boat and reluctant to even understand an auto's place in the great scheme of things.....
There are those here who's seen me shout my praises of autos and never blast anyone for their choices of photos...some just seem to wanna make others think they're a bit more elite, I guess....good...more autos for me.....get a life, nay-sayers...
Click to expand...
i've grown 2 different sorts of auto from lowlife seeds and both of them have been just as good as the photo plants i have grown the white russian auto im growing right now has got some killer smoke on it

i think alot of people buy auto flowers then stick them under a couple of tiny cfl's and expect too much from them then bitch when they get tiny yeild and crappy smoke

treat your auto's like any photo plant stick em under a 600w hps and you will be harvesting ounces of lovely smoke off each of them
 
ddimebag

ddimebag

Active Member
Not sure if anyone already said this, but if you plant a bunch of autos outside in mid to late spring, they will have bright summer light the whole time they are flowering. Good results with minimal effort. If you are guerrilla-growing, it is handy to have plants finish in late July because the authorities (and thieves) wouldn´t be looking for outdoor cannabis or growers until September.
 
M

mae

Well-Known Member
I like growing autos in the summer on my back porch. They're small enough to move quickly if needed, they 're fun to watch grow- they change frequently because of their shorter lifecycle, and you get an early harvest. I plant a few a week until July. Fem autos are too expensive 'cause u can't clone so I make seeds. This year I'm gonna try mixing strains. They're great fun for the summer.
 
L

LordWinter

New Member
Oldreefer said:
I've grown autos for five years. Have no idea why some don't give up this war against them and say something good sometimes as autos do fit a need. When yield and potency seems to be at the heart of non-believers revulsion to'em, yeild is only a greed and displays ones need to expose themselves to selling which is exactly why weed gets bad marks. On the potency issue, I've been toking the herb for 40+ years...seen the potency skyrocket in the past 10 quite a bit....I grow photos along side my autos and share my auto results with a couple of friends who do only photos....I don't have any issues whatsoever with potency, and have found most autos I grow are as good as any photo I've smoked....ever.
Some seem to only find fault and excuses for autos....personally I have learned to use their purpose, and very glad to see the explosion of breeders getting in on it....as I've mentioned previously, there's a whole new world out there that will include any worthy weed as I do, auto, photo etc.... .... sad to see some missing the boat and reluctant to even understand an auto's place in the great scheme of things.....
There are those here who's seen me shout my praises of autos and never blast anyone for their choices of photos...some just seem to wanna make others think they're a bit more elite, I guess....good...more autos for me.....get a life, nay-sayers...
Click to expand...
Ok, you got my interest. What are some of the strains that you've had such good results with? I'm new to growing altogether so, I am still learning which breeders have genetics worth paying for.
 
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