What's the hype with autos?

I've never touched them, I don't like growing from seed. Can someone please explain why autos seem to be so popular these days? I get that it will be faster than a normal photoperiod if you grow from seed, but flowering clones has got to be better surely?

I've got a couple on promo and I might just throw them in along side whatever I grow from seed next, which I seem to be putting off eternally!

They're an abomination.

They are great when you have a limited grow count and space. It's really nice not having to have separate sections and light cycles for clones,veg and flower. Another bonus is it's easier to grow multiple strains.

as zogs says they do serve a purpose and fill the void between being able to manipulate a photo to flower early in a limated space.
there great for beginers im my opinion, just plant em and add water n light, you cant or at least shouldent beable to go wrong.
i like the sound of superautos to normal autos, but i dont seeanyone gowing them on here.

I wouldn't want to see this guy out there contaminating the seed stock either.

HighFlow said:

I've never touched them, I don't like growing from seed. Can someone please explain why autos seem to be so popular these days? I get that it will be faster than a normal photoperiod if you grow from seed, but flowering clones has got to be better surely?

I've got a couple on promo and I might just throw them in along side whatever I grow from seed next, which I seem to be putting off eternally!

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Autos are extremely fast growing and producing up to 29% thc in 6-7 weeks. Thats very alluring to many folks, including myself. Especially when clones are not available and seed is the only way to go. They are also fairly less expensive, fun to experiment with, and very high quality if you buy the right genes

Autos are great for a few other reasons.

1) When you are running low on your head stash and you don't have 4-6 months to properly do a photo
2) Short growing seasons for outdoor areas that have it rough
3) experimenting.
4)space limitations

I don't like the b.s. around clones and the craziness people get with that. People paying like 200 dollars or more for clones on IG all day long makes no fucking sense to me. It also takes a lot less effort to pop a seed IMO. Even with photos I still grow from seed.

I will be running autos soon in a new tent set up to get everything dialed in. It will be a good way to boost my stock for the winter (lots of edibles usually in the slow winters) and let me figure out light distances and levels without being to worried about the result.


I don't think auto's are the end all be all, but I think if you get good strains you would be surprised by the results. Some strains are pushing 4oz or more a plant, which is quite a bit better then the older ones that would barely pop an ounce.

I just completed my very first grow and decided to go with an auto. I got 101 grams not sure I could of gotten that from 1 photo period. But I am completely new to growing.

Thanks for the responses guys!

For me, I think the only thing that could persuade me to use them is the very useful point about outdoor growing in less than favourable latitudes. I might actually give that one a go next summer.

Very useful that if you only have one space, you can bang veg and flower in the same room, I hadn't contemplated that would be a factor for many people.

I don't think I'd ever pay for clones unless it was something very special and clone only (a genuine GG #4 or wedding cake) As, once you grow out your initial pack of seeds, you will have selected your mother already. I generally tend to grow out one pack, have cuts from each one vegging, after the first cycle, I decide on the best phenos, keep those as mothers whilst I grow out the losers so by cycle 3 you're onto your full single pheno cycles.

go go kid said:

as zogs says they do serve a purpose and fill the void between being able to manipulate a photo to flower early in a limated space.
there great for beginers im my opinion, just plant em and add water n light, you cant or at least shouldent beable to go wrong.
i like the sound of superautos to normal autos, but i dont seeanyone gowing them on here.

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What is a super auto?

I have a whopping 1.5 grows harvested, and one running now. (the .5 was a micro-grow)

Last grow took a bit over 4 months & yielded about 13oz (not bad for my first 4x4 grow!)
I topped & trained with LST.

What differences would I have noticed if they had been autos?

HighFlow said:

Thanks for the responses guys!

For me, I think the only thing that could persuade me to use them is the very useful point about outdoor growing in less than favourable latitudes. I might actually give that one a go next summer.

Very useful that if you only have one space, you can bang veg and flower in the same room, I hadn't contemplated that would be a factor for many people.

I don't think I'd ever pay for clones unless it was something very special and clone only (a genuine GG #4 or wedding cake) As, once you grow out your initial pack of seeds, you will have selected your mother already. I generally tend to grow out one pack, have cuts from each one vegging, after the first cycle, I decide on the best phenos, keep those as mothers whilst I grow out the losers so by cycle 3 you're onto your full single pheno cycles.

Click to expand...

For people who like to go on the pheno hunt, and are deeper into the game than others, autos aren't as appealing and that makes sense. You can't make a mother or clone an auto and that removes a lot of the fun for the dedicated growers.

For filthy casuals like me, they are a God send

moonman33 said:

For people who like to go on the pheno hunt, and are deeper into the game than others, autos aren't as appealing and that makes sense. You can't make a mother or clone an auto and that removes a lot of the fun for the dedicated growers.

For filthy casuals like me, they are a God send

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Not an total truth.
It can be done, but not always with best result.

https://support.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/t/team-101-experiment-auto-grow-clone-or-not-to-clone-autos/8346/145

I was given 4 white widow seedlings because a new grower started to many not knowing what he was doing. I’m growing them, and they’re budding, but I won’t do it again. Seem inconsistent to me. I posted earlier, but I’ve got one the buds won’t firm up. I’ve never grown autos before, and won’t again.

turbobuzz said:

I was given 4 white widow seedlings because a new grower started to many not knowing what he was doing. I’m growing them, and they’re budding, but I won’t do it again. Seem inconsistent to me. I posted earlier, but I’ve got one the buds won’t firm up. I’ve never grown autos before, and won’t again.

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I suspect if you post a pic of those girls 3 weeks from now you'll be telling a different story. If you were thinking they were close to being done they are not. They are still going to fatten up quite a bit.

Zogs said:

I suspect if you post a pic of those girls 3 weeks from now you'll be telling a different story. If you were thinking they were close to being done they are not. They are still going to fatten up quite a bit.

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Well that’s encouraging to hear. I’m going to let em go and see what happens. There’s a couple of them where the pistils are all about orange, but the trichomes are just starting to get cloudy. I’m going to let them go until the trichs start ambering up.

I have just got into the idea of Autos. I bought a new flowering tent and made my old tent a vegging tent. My new tent is twice the size of the old tent and I only had enough plants ready to start flowering. So someone suggested I fill the unused space with Autos and start them in the flowering tent 4 weeks behind my Photos. Then in theory I should have a crop finishing every 4 weeks or so.

As I have always been a bit sceptical of Autos, they always sounded too good to be true, I decided to invest some cheap(ish) seeds. Sensi Seeds have a 35% sale on at the moment so I got a 5 pack of White Label White Skunk Autos. They went on a paper towel 2 days ago and have all popped this morning. I am going to pot them up tonight and stick them in the veg tent. Once they have their first true leaves they can go in the flowering tent with my Photos and I will see what happens.

Not sure if been mentioned but I found the flexible lighting a bonus. I could check the autos any time of the day, or night which suited me due to my work schedule.

speedwell68 said:

Once they have their first true leaves they can go in the flowering tent with my Photos and I will see what happens.

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Why would you do that ? I think you might be confused how auto's work. Just leave them on 18/6 lighting or up to a full 24 hours lighting for their life cycle. Auto's don't need a 12/12 and will flower on it's own terms regardless of what light cycle you put them on. So don't starve them with 12/12, feed them as much light as possible.

turbobuzz said:

Well that’s encouraging to hear.

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I actually think they have a ton of potential and are going to be a decent harvest. They are still full of white pistols sticking strait out, she's got lots of time yet to fatten up. I wouldn't even start to think about trichs until 95% of those white pistols have shriveled up and turn brown.

Zogs said:

Why would you do that ? I think you might be confused how auto's work. Just leave them on 18/6 lighting or up to a full 24 hours lighting for their life cycle. Auto's don't need a 12/12 and will flower on it's own terms regardless of what light cycle you put them on. So don't starve them with 12/12, feed them as much light as possible.


I actually think they have a ton of potential and are going to work out well for you. They are still full of white pistols sticking strait out, she's got lots of time yet to fatten up. I wouldn't even start to think about trichs until 95% of those white pistols have shriveled up and turn brown.

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I get how they work. I get that they don't have to be under 12/12. But my only tent with suitable lights also houses my Photos. It has been suggested to me that whilst it isn't perfect Autos will happily work under 12/12. It is just a stop gap until I have enough photos to fill my new tent. It is also an experiment. If I like what I see I might go over to all autos and run them 18/6. We'll see what happens.