Are autos worth it?

K

Kyle53

New Member
Im looking to do my first grow and autos really appeal to me. But I have also heard a lot of people say they are waste. The biggest reason I like autos is because how quickly they finish.

I have a 400w mh/hps light in my 3x3x8 closet and was hoping to grow 4 plants. Each one producing at least an ounce. I was lookig at auto strains like World of Seeds Afghan Kush Ryder. I will also be using soil and fox farm nutes.

Any input or advice is greatly appreciated! Looking to get about 2oz per plant and finish somewhat quickly.

Thanks!
 
mrwood

mrwood

Well-Known Member
I don't think autos finish faster than non-auto seeds.
Auto can trigger flowering without a change in light duration. They are chiefly helpful in outdoor grows. They may also have a lower THC content than non-auto seeds.
I don't recommend then for an indoor grow.

Find a strain that has a short flowering period. There are a couple of good threads here on this. I saved these notes:
Fast harvest

  • Nirvana Blue Mystic
  • Ak 48
  • God's Treat (Jordan of the Island's)
  • stoney girl farms, pit bull
  • AK 47
  • C99
 
H

heathen

Member
3x3x8 is prolly too small for four autos. You have plenty of height but not enough length and width.

I would go with 2 medium photos to fill up your space and you would prolly get more than you would with 4 autos.

Or maybe even 2 tall autos to avoid lighting changes

Couple of tall autos to try 9 week crop time
Auto amnesia
Auto sweet mango

Another tall Auto
Grass - o - matic
but it is 8-14 week flower so not as fast

 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
I agree with the first reply, not the second.

My personal opinion is that autos are for nothing but opportunistic outdoor grows. For indoor they are a joke. Even if just for the fact that you will typically get a smaller yield for a far larger electricity bill. (Consider that you can grow a regular seeds 12/12 from seed, and it'll take a similar time to grow as an auto, but you can clone it, or alternatively you can pay to have your light on for 18 hours a day instead, yield less of a loewre quantity, with a minescule selection of "good" strains, and have to buy a new seed for every plant unless you want to go about the effort of making seeds and losing the majority of a crop to them)

In regard to the second reply, if 3x3x8 is too small for autos then blow me, here was me harvesting half a pound and upwards in a 2x4x8 space with 4 regular plants. In fact my first ever grow with a 2x4 footprint yielded me half a pound.

Short answer, no, not worth it indoors. Save yourself some money and massively increase the variety of amazing strains you can grow.
 
Medical Grade

Medical Grade

Well-Known Member
I grew afghan kush ryder for my first op and it turned out great. about 1oz to 1.5oz per plant. in 3gal pots under 400watt hps on a 20/4 light cycle.. smoke was great and smell was killer. we really enojyed them! harvest was 55 days from seed.
 
Medical Grade

Medical Grade

Well-Known Member
in response to all the negative nancy's posted above, if you are going to veg some regular genetics under 20/4 light for about 60 days, you can also turn a harvest in the same time, which i did when i got started. and it was a great experience.

harvested autos and put the rest on 12/12 for flower and already had smoke to booot.
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
Medical Grade said:
in response to all the negative nancy's posted above, if you are going to veg some regular genetics under 20/4 light for about 60 days, you can also turn a harvest in the same time, which i did when i got started. and it was a great experience.

harvested autos and put the rest on 12/12 for flower and already had smoke to booot.
Click to expand...
While that is true, I've never vegged a plant for more than 30 days (they normally ended up around 4 to 5 foot after their stretch with 30 days veg) and that was with a 400w.

Certainly it is true, if you are going to veg for that long, then you could get an auto in during that period, but 60 days of veg using a 400w is going to result in a plant FAR to on large for the lumens and penetration the light is supplying. I would not personally be recommending 60 days of veg with a 400w how unless you know exactly what you are doing when it comes to training.
 
Medical Grade

Medical Grade

Well-Known Member
tip top toker said:
While that is true, I've never vegged a plant for more than 30 days (they normally ended up around 4 to 5 foot after their stretch with 30 days veg) and that was with a 400w.

Certainly it is true, if you are going to veg for that long, then you could get an auto in during that period, but 60 days of veg using a 400w is going to result in a plant FAR to on large for the lumens and penetration the light is supplying. I would not personally be recommending 60 days of veg with a 400w how unless you know exactly what you are doing when it comes to training.
Click to expand...
you could always start your regular seeds 30 days later and still have them ready for 12/12 ... but your right, most people dont need a 50+day veg. you can also finish your autos on 12/12 with out to much yield loss.
 
H

heathen

Member
tip top toker said:
I agree with the first reply, not the second.

My personal opinion is that autos are for nothing but opportunistic outdoor grows. For indoor they are a joke. Even if just for the fact that you will typically get a smaller yield for a far larger electricity bill. (Consider that you can grow a regular seeds 12/12 from seed, and it'll take a similar time to grow as an auto, but you can clone it, or alternatively you can pay to have your light on for 18 hours a day instead, yield less of a loewre quantity, with a minescule selection of "good" strains, and have to buy a new seed for every plant unless you want to go about the effort of making seeds and losing the majority of a crop to them)

In regard to the second reply, if 3x3x8 is too small for autos then blow me, here was me harvesting half a pound and upwards in a 2x4x8 space with 4 regular plants. In fact my first ever grow with a 2x4 footprint yielded me half a pound.

Short answer, no, not worth it indoors. Save yourself some money and massively increase the variety of amazing strains you can grow.
Click to expand...
Troll much ? lol

He has got 8 feet tall tent and 3x3 length and width. I have one auto taking up 2x2 by itself but it is less than 4ft tall. Maybe stack 2 on first level and 2 on next level.

If you read my reply i suggested two photos or two tall autos. lol 12/12 from seed is plant pedophilia haha.

But to each his own, just throwing out suggestions. Dont get your zippers in a wad. :)
 
Dankfactory

Dankfactory

Well-Known Member
mrwood said:
I don't think autos finish faster than non-auto seeds.
Auto can trigger flowering without a change in light duration. They are chiefly helpful in outdoor grows. They may also have a lower THC content than non-auto seeds.
I don't recommend then for an indoor grow.

Find a strain that has a short flowering period. There are a couple of good threads here on this. I saved these notes:
Fast harvest

  • Nirvana Blue Mystic
  • Ak 48
  • God's Treat (Jordan of the Island's)
  • stoney girl farms, pit bull
  • AK 47
  • C99
Click to expand...
Pheno variation within each strain will pretty much render any list including this one, futile. Unless you have a tested clone.
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
heathen said:
Troll much ? lol

He has got 8 feet tall tent and 3x3 length and width. I have one auto taking up 2x2 by itself but it is less than 4ft tall. Maybe stack 2 on first level and 2 on next level.

If you read my reply i suggested two photos or two tall autos. lol 12/12 from seed is plant pedophilia haha.

But to each his own, just throwing out suggestions. Dont get your zippers in a wad. :)
Click to expand...
throwing out the whole troll card for someone telling you how it is. My grow cupboard was not even worthy of being a cupboard, it was 50cm deep by about 4 feet wide. I could fit 4 photoperiod plants in there with 30 days veg without a single issue.

And there are users on this forum, with threads to prove, who've got half a pound from a single plant 12/12 from seed. If those are the results, sign me up to be a pedophile :-)

There are situations where autos can be used but on the whole they make zero financial sense with regard to the inputs and outputs.
 
H

heathen

Member
tip top toker said:
throwing out the whole troll card for someone telling you how it is. My grow cupboard was not even worthy of being a cupboard, it was 50cm deep by about 4 feet wide. I could fit 4 photoperiod plants in there with 30 days veg without a single issue.

And there are users on this forum, with threads to prove, who've got half a pound from a single plant 12/12 from seed. If those are the results, sign me up to be a pedophile :-)

There are situations where autos can be used but on the whole they make zero financial sense with regard to the inputs and outputs.
Click to expand...
Dude isn't talking about his finances. He likes short flower times. 4 short photos dont equal 2 medium photos.

My point is he will have 4 feet of unused tent. There are tall autos that may give him a little more yield with the space he has in the least time.

There are autos that still take 14 weeks to finish (grass-o-matic takes 14) and some stronger than certain strains of photos, so can't paint all autos with the same brush.

Some people like what they like, no wrong or right about it.

Side note: I dont think 8 week autos really finish in 9 weeks. Could just be me though.
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
heathen said:
Dude isn't talking about his finances. He likes short flower times. 4 short photos dont equal 2 medium photos.

My point is he will have 4 feet of unused tent. There are tall autos that may give him a little more yield with the space he has in the least time.

There are autos that still take 14 weeks to finish (grass-o-matic takes 14) and some stronger than certain strains of photos, so can't paint all autos with the same brush.

Some people like what they like, no wrong or right about it.

Side note: I dont think 8 week autos really finish in 9 weeks. Could just be me though.
Click to expand...
If he's not concerned about money then he can just go and buy some bud while he waits for his plants to get to harvest ;-) finances may not be mentioned, but they are always relevant if people are talking shortest flowering times, they are after cheap weed as soon as possible.
 
H

heathen

Member
tip top toker said:
If he's not concerned about money then he can just go and buy some bud while he waits for his plants to get to harvest ;-) finances may not be mentioned, but they are always relevant if people are talking shortest flowering times, they are after cheap weed as soon as possible.
Click to expand...
Maybe he can go buy some maybe he can't. Ask Him. He said he liked short flowering nothing more. You read into what you will given the inputs of short flower times and 3x3x8
I think he should try 3 medium or tall autos.

Here are a coupla tall phenos that seem interesting in addition to the mid/tall phenos mentioned earlier

Kannabia Seeds Automatica Afrodite
Autoflowering seeds that are a stable marijuana hybrid of Jack Flash and Hawaiian Sativa presented by the Kannabia industry. Jack Flash has been known on the cannabis market as an easy to grow Jack Herer hybrid made by crossing a Cannabis Award Winning Jack Herer with our best Super Skunk and the original Haze. It's also known for her refreshed, uplifting cerebral buzz and warm body sensations. Hawaiian Sativas is originated from the big Island of Mauna Kea. 365 sunny days equipped her with a very distinctive citrus odour and menthol flavour that tingles the taste and tickles the brain. This is a new cannabis hybrid that combines the best qualities of all skunk varieties .Automatica Afrodite is an amazingly vigorous marijuana suitable for all types of growing mediums. Her Autoflowering cannabis seeds are quite resistant to mould and mushroom, though are sensitive to over fertilizing. They produce relatively tall plants (140-160 cm) which are said to be easy to cultivate. The stretching is not that bad for a mainly sativa. Automatica Afrodite autoflowering seeds grow into sturdy plants of the classic cactus shape, with few branches. Cannabis grower experience extreme elongation in the first two weeks of flowering, with tufts of long thin hairs developing into long sticky spear buds which thicken up after the sixth or seventh week. We recommend that you select the medium to long flowering plants of this marijuana for the finest quality and best results. Afrodite's yield is medium-high, 8 oz full size and 3-4oz in a 2 gal pot. The buds have both a fruity Jack taste and a flash of Haze. The fruity flavour intensifies when flushed for a long time (3 weeks) with straight water. Her buds are recommended to cure for a long time before they release their full potential. When it is done, you can expect some stuff that is able to blow your mind in few puffs. When properly smoked (not too much), the high is very pleasant - it makes you move and well adapted to Reggie music or other activities. Afrodite produces very energetic and up high effect; she is great to smoke during the day for an active lifestyle.

Autopilot XXL has been developed to bring the characters of our Big Bud XXL into an auto-flowering form. This strain is an indica dominant and has a bigger size and a flowering time of 60-65 days. Autopilot XXL is simple to grow and leads to a very generous harvest. This plant usually develops a big main bud together with a good number of buds on the side branches. The buds are pretty heavy for an auto-flowering, the aroma is musky with a final of parsley and pepper. The effect is as happy as her bigger sister. In outdoor it is possible to grow and harvest in every temperate period of the year, without having to wait for the autumn.
 
K

Kyle53

New Member
Well I think I've heard enough to go ahead with some photos.. Any particular strains people have had luck with? Probably looking at a northern lights or similar strain for first grow.
 
mrwood

mrwood

Well-Known Member
Kyle53 said:
Any particular strains people have had luck with? Probably looking at a northern lights or similar strain for first grow.
Click to expand...
Excellent choice!
I am growing Nirvana's Northern Light now!
I got a new grow box, mixing up a couple of things and wanted a 'tried & true' strain to try and eliminate any surprises.
NL is very forgiving, temp tolerant, low odor, good yield, etc. - A good choice for grow #1 !
 
K

Kyle53

New Member
Ive heard a lot of good and bad things about Nirvana... I really like the sounds of their Chrystal and Northern lights
 
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