gimme the auto basics

so i wanna start my first auto grow and i got sum questions.
first, how do i run the lights? do i switch the bulbs and cycles, or keep them on a 18/6 and under veg lights the entire life?
second, can i clone them? i heard that they are hard to clone, but i also heard of someone cloning 4 and keeping 4 in flower and switching them out like that.
third, is the vegetative growth quicker because of the shorter life cycles?
and lastly, whats gunna be the best strain fer a bitch ass auto newbie like myself?
all advice is appreciated as usual!!!

You dont have to switch lights bulbs time of lights if it is a true auto, I have mine under a mh at 18/6 while my photos are vegging and the autos are still flowering. Clonin hb isnt reccomended because it will be the same age as the mom. And would finish at the sametime or around the same time as it. Plus its not the best yeilder so it would just cut down on overall yeild if the clone failed. It still grows as it buds for a little bit some get big some stay small. 2 of my pineapple express and just about 1ft, and my afgan kushryder is a little over 1ft, my previous grow was 2 double diesel ryders which were just about 2ft. Strain dependt on size.

itsraininbuds said:

so i wanna start my first auto grow and i got sum questions.
first, how do i run the lights? do i switch the bulbs and cycles, or keep them on a 18/6 and under veg lights the entire life?

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No need to switch lighting periods. Run them either 18/6 the whole time, or 20/4.

second, can i clone them? i heard that they are hard to clone, but i also heard of someone cloning 4 and keeping 4 in flower and switching them out like that.

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You probably can take cuttings and make them root, but there is no point in doing so with the ruderalis based autoflowers.

Since autoflower plants typically cannot be maintained in vegetative growth, the cuttings will mature (flower) during the cloning process, and they'll be done when the mother plant is done. The only thing you'll end up accomplishing by trying this is lowering overall yield.

third, is the vegetative growth quicker because of the shorter life cycles?

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Quicker in what way?
The plants don't grow any faster, they just mature faster.
In other words, there isn't really a "vegetative" period. Once the plants become sexually mature after seedling stage, they go right into flowering.