Auto-Flowering heathens, educate me please.

[bruinsfan]

Still new to growing, first grow...completed, not very sucessfully, second underway. My little ones are about 2 months old, and I'm about to kick them over to flower. Got to thinking about what I know about auto flowering strains...not much. I know the entire point of an auto is a speedy harvest, and I see seed banks touting 60 & 65 days to harvest. I'm stumped by a review on growers choice seeds. The poster said that in just 5 months, well you read it. View attachment 4513035
So, I ask "What the hell is the point?!?" My regular bag seeds take that long!

It took me 77 days, seed germination to harvest with Northern Lights Auto outdoors in pots, when the seed provider said it would only take 8 or 9 weeks. I had to deal with high heat and humidity (90's with 87% RH), so I'm sure the plants were "slow growing" based on that. I tend to think that seed batches are different and plants react differently to all sorts of environments. I may try Gelato Auto or Tangerine Dream Auto next grow but I'm still concerned about the end product due to my outdoor environment. I realize that you grow indoors. I can't.

 

[bruinsfan]

Plants are way tougher than we give them credit for. Female plants will grow pollen sacs when buds are left to "over-ripen " on the plant as a last ditch effort to reproduce in absence of a male, known as rodelization. Obviously not the preferred method , but it happens and novices will label these as hermaphrodite. Also, I harvested a outdoor grow of Auto Blueberry OG Ghost , trics were right, fan leaves yellowing ,etc. 75 days from seed I harvested mid July and cut stalk down to 4 - 6 inches and left 2 small leaf sites.....plant continues to impress me as it is still growing not dead,WOW. I also have a outside grow of a Photoperiod Colombian Sweet 3wks from germ.....I like going outside the norm so she's getting 10-14ish hours of sunlight which some growers saying that she won't produce . Once again I'm amazed at the power that plants have going against what we have come to deem as "normal". .....nothing fancy , just old fashioned growing outside the box.

Sarge, I'm strictly an outdoor grower in pots (airy organic soil). Do you have suggestions for autoflower strains that can survive temps in the high 80's with rain and humidity levels at 87%? I already did Northern Lights Auto but was thinking Gelato, Pineapple, or Amnesia Haze Auto. I don't think my wife would like the smell of Gorilla Glue Auto when I bring the pots in the garage at night. She hated the Northern Lights.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

It took me 77 days, seed germination to harvest with Northern Lights Auto outdoors in pots, when the seed provider said it would only take 8 or 9 weeks. I had to deal with high heat and humidity (90's with 87% RH), so I'm sure the plants were "slow growing" based on that. I tend to think that seed batches are different and plants react differently to all sorts of environments. I may try Gelato Auto or Tangerine Dream Auto next grow but I'm still concerned about the end product due to my outdoor environment. I realize that you grow indoors. I can't.

You have to understand that breeders harvest time(8 to 9 weeks in this case) is based on THEIR setup. They have no clue on your skills or equipment or nutrients. Unless you grow EXACTLY like they do, than you will almost always have a different finish time. This tends to go right over people's heads, but it doesn't change it.

 

[bruinsfan]

You have to understand that breeders harvest time(8 to 9 weeks in this case) is based on THEIR setup. They have no clue on your skills or equipment or nutrients. Unless you grow EXACTLY like they do, than you will almost always have a different finish time. This tends to go right over people's heads, but it doesn't change it.

Matt....understood. I see many variables involved, which makes growing both fun and complicated.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

Matt....understood. I see many variables involved, which makes growing both fun and complicated.

I often see the guys that were growing autos well before me say that you should always add 2 weeks to the breeder time. Seems to have been about right in most all of my plants. Than if you top like me, could even be another 7 to 10 days. There will be some faster sided autos, but not counting cutting for clear trichs and racey head high, i feel like most all autos are in the 80 to 90 day range as opposed to 70.

 

[bruinsfan]

I often see the guys that were growing autos well before me say that you should always add 2 weeks to the breeder time. Seems to have been about right in most all of my plants. Than if you top like me, could even be another 7 to 10 days. There will be some faster sided autos, but not counting cutting for clear trichs and racey head high, i feel like most all autos are in the 80 to 90 day range as opposed to 70.

I have a lot to learn. I do worry about doing stupid things that will destroy my crop but experience and research is everything.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

I have a lot to learn. I do worry about doing stupid things that will destroy my crop but experience and research is everything.

If you really do have patience and research, you will see anything that older growers say you can't do to autos from 10 years ago when they wernt good yet is false. You can transplant them. You can top them. You can fim/monster/supercrop them. You can mainline them. You can give them 24 hours of light fom max yeild. Any less than 18 is a lower yeild and a waste IMO. My point is anything you can do to a photo(except cloning) can be done on an auto. It's not about what can be done, but when is the right time and what is the right way. You should check out Autoflower.net it's a mostly autoflower dedicated fourm. Some members from here are there, but it's a much more auto friendly place and there is much more updated techniques and myth busters when it comes to gowing nice autoflower plants.

 

[bruinsfan]

If you really do have patience and research, you will see anything that older growers say you can't do to autos from 10 years ago when they wernt good yet is false. You can transplant them. You can top them. You can fim/monster/supercrop them. You can mainline them. You can give them 24 hours of light fom max yeild. Any less than 18 is a lower yeild and a waste IMO. My point is anything you can do to a photo(except cloning) can be done on an auto. It's not about what can be done, but when is the right time and what is the right way. You should check out Autoflower.net it's a mostly autoflower dedicated fourm. Some members from here are there, but it's a much more auto friendly place and there is much more updated techniques and myth busters when it comes to gowing nice autoflower plants.

Matt, thanks for the great info. When I bring my 6 gal. pots in at night, I supplement the plants with 600W LED lighting for a 2' X 2' area to give them about 18 hours of total light from the sun and the LED's. Since my garage gets hot (85 deg. with 80% RH), I run a gentle fan on them. I'd like to try another run using GSC Auto from Homegrown Cannabis Co. I'm not sure how robust their seeds are. I hear Fast Buds via Seedsman are good.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

Matt, thanks for the great info. When I bring my 6 gal. pots in at night, I supplement the plants with 600W LED lighting for a 2' X 2' area to give them about 18 hours of total light from the sun and the LED's. Since my garage gets hot (85 deg. with 80% RH), I run a gentle fan on them. I'd like to try another run using GSC Auto from Homegrown Cannabis Co. I'm not sure how robust their seeds are. I hear Fast Buds via Seedsman are good.

Fast Buds is a good choice for autos, and while i never have ordered from Seedsman they always are recommended and i would trust them. Im US and get my seeds from Mephisto in the states after they send them here from Spain. Before i got into them the only bank i bought from was Attitude. If i had known how good Seedsman was i probably would have gone there. I think you'll get good seeds from them.

 

[Johiem]

@MATTYMATT762, you seem knowledgeable about these little autos, I've also heard that they cannot be cloned. Why is this? Is it because it takes 2 weeks away from their flowering time to grow roots? Or are the ruderalis genes just resistant to cloning? I am actually wanting to try to clone of a small cutting and then treat the cutting with sts to try to get feminized pollen from her to pollinate a few buds on the main plant. I just don't want to waste a whole plant to get a bit of pollen.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

@MATTYMATT762, you seem knowledgeable about these little autos, I've also heard that they cannot be cloned. Why is this? Is it because it takes 2 weeks away from their flowering time to grow roots? Or are the ruderalis genes just resistant to cloning? I am actually wanting to try to clone of a small cutting and then treat the cutting with sts to try to get feminized pollen from her to pollinate a few buds on the main plant. I just don't want to waste a whole plant to get a bit of pollen.

They can be cut, and even grow roots if tou really want. It doesn't mean you can make that cut delay flower. It will flower when it's ready making a few hram bud. Can you clone auto? Technically yes i suppose, but that's not considered a gain. A waste to cut the original plant for a few gram "clone". It's just not a "successful" clone IMO cause it won't grow into anything.

 

[Johiem]

A waste to cut the original plant for a few gram "clone". It's just not a "successful" clone IMO cause it won't grow into anything.

Again, I'm not trying to get it to fully "clone". I just want it to root, and grow enough that I can treat it with STS or CS to get feminized pollen. maybe quick enough to try to pollinate the mother to get some seeds back.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

Again, I'm not trying to get it to fully "clone". I just want it to root, and grow enough that I can treat it with STS or CS to get feminized pollen. maybe quick enough to try to pollinate the mother to get some seeds back.

This is the only thing I've ever seen it for was to get seeds while not ruining the whole plant. It does work from what I've seen.

 

[Tiflis]

seed provider said it would only take 8 or 9 weeks

From what I've read, I think it was on Mephisto site, growing outdoors adds good couple weeks on any auto grow.

 

[ISK]

You have to understand that breeders harvest time(8 to 9 weeks in this case) is based on THEIR setup. They have no clue on your skills or equipment or nutrients. Unless you grow EXACTLY like they do, than you will almost always have a different finish time. This tends to go right over people's heads, but it doesn't change it.

so many breeders are exaggerating the timelines to the max.....I highly question if any auto can fully complete in 8 weeks, but who knows.

My Crap King seeds were stated to fully complete in 10 weeks (seed to harvest) for the dwarfs and 11 weeks for the others.

The two Dwarf Low Flyers actually took 13 weeks and the Early Miss & Revolver took 15 weeks.....but then again I grew with indoor sunshine which could justify the longer timelines.

 

[MATTYMATT726]

so many breeders are exaggerating the timelines to the max.....I highly question if any auto can fully complete in 8 weeks, but who knows.

My Crap King seeds were stated to fully complete in 10 weeks (seed to harvest) for the dwarfs and 11 weeks for the others.

The two Dwarf Low Flyers actually took 13 weeks and the Early Miss & Revolver took 15 weeks.....but then again I grew with indoor sunshine which could justify the longer timelines.

Most all of my Mephistos have gone 80-85 days. I do top though, but 65-75 just isn't a reality unless you want early harvest.

 

[Jman108227]

From personal recent experience with Growers Choice seeds. My first plant looked like it was about done at 55 days. My second grow which I just finished took just over 140 days and I had to manipulate the light to get the "auto" to actually flower. I started another plant a little over 3 weeks ago for my step dad and it's already starting to flower and doesn't look like it's stretching at all. I'm currently focusing on my last GCS seed because it "could" be a good one. After this one I'm truly looking forward to growing my autos from Mephisto and looking for other reputable Auto breeders seeds. I would try Growers Choice again but I would just buy Photos next time to try. If this helps at all.

 

[Johiem]

Well I bit the bullet and bought some auto seeds. And honestly not happy. It could be my fault could be the seller, which has rave reviews so maybe not any way. I haven't had much success getting them to sprout. Out of more than a dozen attempts one has taken off she is about 5weeks old now and still waiting on the flowers to emerge.

 

[DankMoss]

Yeah but tryingto find decent seeds without spending an arm and a leg is a big challenge.

then dont bother man. pay for the privallage bro

 

[Tiflis]

Well I bit the bullet and bought some auto seeds. And honestly not happy. It could be my fault could be the seller, which has rave reviews so maybe not any way. I haven't had much success getting them to sprout. Out of more than a dozen attempts one has taken off she is about 5weeks old now and still waiting on the flowers to emerge.

What's your method of starting the seeds?
If you buy direct from Mephisto, they give you so much extra that you end up paying ~5$ a bean