Asking for opinions on autoflowers

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Sungoddes1

Sungoddes1

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I'm asking for all opinions on auto flowering plants. I grew my first ones this year and I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. Please tell me your struggles and triumphs with auto flowers. Before I make another investment I'd like to know more from real people, not some proppa bull on a website.
 
Fangthane

Fangthane

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I've found that they're touchy little pricks. They're probably not as bad as some people like to suggest, but now that I have my first photoperiod plant going, it's looking to be a different world. Although it seems counterintuitive, I'm starting to think autos may be best for those who already have experience with photos. Once my current auto grow is done with in October, I'm ordering all photo seeds for the next one. I suspect a few well-trained photos would probably yield more than 8 little autos I have flowering in my main tent right now. I seem to just make too many mistakes to effectively grow something that only has about 3-4 weeks of veg time.
 
basscaptain

basscaptain

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I'm trying some autos right now ( not happy) with that said I started very late , new area and just trying to learn my area now.... So I will give them a try again next yr but I'm on photo's .....
 
az2000

az2000

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Before I make another investment I'd like to know more

Why did you grow autos, and why are you considering that again? Are you growing outdoors, indoors? (If indoors, are you limited for space? Do you need to grow short plants?).

IMO, autos make sense outdoors to get an early harvest while waiting for ourdoor photosensitive plants. Indoors, I think they only make sense if you have a small grow space. Their bonsai structure should yeild more than a "12/12 from harvest" (which tend to be lanky). I don't think they make sense indoors because you have to run the lights 18/6 during flower (to get the most out of them.). If you have the space for a photosenstive plant, it should produce more with just 12/12 light.

Some people like to grow autos as a hobby. They're different, like a bonsai plant. Something you can do with autos is have a "perpetual grow." Add a seedling every week (as you harvest the oldest plant) every week. That would be a way to have a constant supply (and smooth workload) compared to the boom/bust cycles of photosensitives. (That makes autos tempting to me.).

Another positive of growing an auto indoors: Since they don't need darkness, you can grow it on your coffee table, like a houseplant. That could be attractive to someone curious about growing (but doesn't want to invest a lot). They could grow a plant without having to invest in a tent, extraction fan, etc.
 
Wolfe

Wolfe

491
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I grew auto flowers. They were so bunk next to my other strains that they just stayed in a jar. They always had some weird taste I just couldn’t do. And most of it was too airy. I don’t know though now. Supposedly they’ve gotten better. It’s been about 6 years since I’ve had one. I look for genetics now that finish before the frost hits outside and earlier. I’ve made a few that have finished in September in Colorado. Those genetics generally flower early inside as well. Not saying to stay away from autos but I haven’t had much luck with them in comparison with my regular plants in terms of quality goes..
 
Sungoddes1

Sungoddes1

21
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Why did you grow autos, and why are you considering that again? Are you growing outdoors, indoors? (If indoors, are you limited for space? Do you need to grow short plants?).

IMO, autos make sense outdoors to get an early harvest while waiting for ourdoor photosensitive plants. Indoors, I think they only make sense if you have a small grow space. Their bonsai structure should yeild more than a "12/12 from harvest" (which tend to be lanky). I don't think they make sense indoors because you have to run the lights 18/6 during flower (to get the most out of them.). If you have the space for a photosenstive plant, it should produce more with just 12/12 light.

Some people like to grow autos as a hobby. They're different, like a bonsai plant. Something you can do with autos is have a "perpetual grow." Add a seedling every week (as you harvest the oldest plant) every week. That would be a way to have a constant supply (and smooth workload) compared to the boom/bust cycles of photosensitives. (That makes autos tempting to me.).

Another positive of growing an auto indoors: Since they don't need darkness, you can grow it on your coffee table, like a houseplant. That could be attractive to someone curious about growing (but doesn't want to invest a lot). They could grow a plant without having to invest in a tent, extraction fan, etc.
I was given the seed. I didn't know what I had. I'm used to photos. Autos are easy, but... I have plenty of space both inside and out. My outside season goes till mid Oct. I don't know that I would on purpose grow them inside. Like I said, I didn't know what I had.
 
oldskol4evr

oldskol4evr

12,306
438
I'm asking for all opinions on auto flowering plants. I grew my first ones this year and I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. Please tell me your struggles and triumphs with auto flowers. Before I make another investment I'd like to know more from real people, not some proppa bull on a website.
ok you asked,ditch the auto flowers and roll with reg seeds,ive seen you plants other day,seems you know what your doing,go hard or go home with regs,less problems for what i hear,i make my own seeds and bypass all that money grubbing for seeds,all my friends use nothing but them,ya you get males but there nice to look at too,hahahahnot me of course just saying is all,several have tried the fems to most had herms and shit and never grew them again,so for a sure bet,regs all day,beside dont running autos and fems seem like a doc jekel mister hide to you does me,using silver to make seeds and such is just cheating,producing life isnt cheating,it creating enjoying suspense of what happens and nuturing something with your own hands.
regs all the way baby,good or bad,you just might come across a whats happening stud to seduce your ladies with magic,give a try,beside that auto and fems seem like animals ,they steal your heart and die way to soon,so i consider them cheats,lmao,im done hahah
 
Sungoddes1

Sungoddes1

21
3
ok you asked,ditch the auto flowers and roll with reg seeds,ive seen you plants other day,seems you know what your doing,go hard or go home with regs,less problems for what i hear,i make my own seeds and bypass all that money grubbing for seeds,all my friends use nothing but them,ya you get males but there nice to look at too,hahahahnot me of course just saying is all,several have tried the fems to most had herms and shit and never grew them again,so for a sure bet,regs all day,beside dont running autos and fems seem like a doc jekel mister hide to you does me,using silver to make seeds and such is just cheating,producing life isnt cheating,it creating enjoying suspense of what happens and nuturing something with your own hands.
regs all the way baby,good or bad,you just might come across a whats happening stud to seduce your ladies with magic,give a try,beside that auto and fems seem like animals ,they steal your heart and die way to soon,so i consider them cheats,lmao,im done hahah
Right on. Thanks for your opinion. I never would have bought autos. Seems like eveyone is saying the same thing I was thinking. I would love to have some pollen for my ladies. I'm that kind of mad scientist. I love seeing, and tasting, the result of new genetics.
 
az2000

az2000

965
143
I grew auto flowers. They were so bunk next to my other strains that they just stayed in a jar. They always had some weird taste I just couldn’t do. And most of it was too airy. I don’t know though now. Supposedly they’ve gotten better. It’s been about 6 years since I’ve had one. I look for genetics now that finish before the frost hits outside and earlier. I’ve made a few that have finished in September in Colorado. Those genetics generally flower early inside as well. Not saying to stay away from autos but I haven’t had much luck with them in comparison with my regular plants in terms of quality goes..

I've only grown one autoflower strain (a few times), Northern Storm. Nobody I knew could tell the difference. People had to set the pipe down after a couple hits. I harvested as much as 220g from a 2x2 4' tall space. Dense nuggets. I always got 180-220g from that space, growing that strain.

I wouldn't have any problem growing autos. But, that's just from a sample of one. I could be wrong. My only dislike is using 25% more light/electricity in flower. (But, that could make sense if I grew stealth. Or, if I wanted a perpetual grow.). I would definitely grow them outside if I could. That would be like growing for free. If I planted a photosensitive in April, expecting a September harvest.... I could harvest some autos in July. If other auto strains are anything like the one I've grown indoors, that would be awesome to get an early outdoor harvest.).
 
Sungoddes1

Sungoddes1

21
3
I've only grown one autoflower strain (a few times), Northern Storm. Nobody I knew could tell the difference. People had to set the pipe down after a couple hits. I harvested as much as 220g from a 2x2 4' tall space. Dense nuggets. I always got 180-220g from that space, growing that strain.

I wouldn't have any problem growing autos. But, that's just from a sample of one. I could be wrong. My only dislike is using 25% more light/electricity in flower. (But, that could make sense if I grew stealth. Or, if I wanted a perpetual grow.). I would definitely grow them outside if I could. That would be like growing for free. If I planted a photosensitive in April, expecting a September harvest.... I could harvest some autos in July. If other auto strains are anything like the one I've grown indoors, that would be awesome to get an early outdoor harvest.).
I had that. First harvest 2 weeks ago, next will be middle of Sept, then beginning of Oct, with a final finish in late Oct. First 3 are autos the rest are photos. Turned out better than expected. All outdoor. New batch will be indoor, unknown stains.
 
basscaptain

basscaptain

5,275
313
[QUOTE="az2000, post: 2288514, member: 10504 . I would definitely grow them outside if I could. That would be like growing for free. If I planted a photosensitive in April, expecting a September harvest.... I could harvest some autos in July. If other auto strains are anything like the one I've grown indoors, that would be awesome to get an early outdoor harvest.).
[/QUOTE]
this was my plan for where I live now.... the only thing is I wasn't Ready at all /still moving in April.... That's why I said I'll try them next yr ... But Now I'm adding to the plan :)
 
basscaptain

basscaptain

5,275
313
I smoke A Lot ... all day every day....... so the last 17 yrs in ca has spoiled me...... Where I live now isn't ca....lol so now I need to grow 4-6 diff flavors ( cause I get burned out on 1 after a week or so) and have it coming in a few times on the outside grow..... Then the inside will make sure I'm Golden.......
 
Steve705

Steve705

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63
I put some autoflowers outside as I was waiting for photoperiod plants to mature. Wasn’t really sure what to expect. These ones grew pretty well . The seeds sprouted though the soil on July 10th. They are 53 days old. One of em grew like 4-5feet tall. Others stayed smaller. Should get a decent yield from them. I didn’t have any trouble from these. No deficiency’s or anything. Have a little leaf damage from bugs but it’s very minor.
 
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Kanzeon

Kanzeon

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263
I started out philosophically opposed to autos, but after getting a few freebies and growing them I've changed my mind. If I'm gonna have a veg area running 18/6 anyway, I might as well throw some autos under there and increase total yield.

They're like a different plant. Much more fickle as a seedling in my experience, less hardy as adults, different watering and fertilizer procedure. I'll be doing a bunch next spring so it's a two harvest summer. :)
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

1,192
263
I'm asking for all opinions on auto flowering plants. I grew my first ones this year and I'm not sure how I feel about them yet. Please tell me your struggles and triumphs with auto flowers. Before I make another investment I'd like to know more from real people, not some proppa bull on a website.
Pros: quick life cycle
Good for outdoor grow in cool climates

Cons: fastidious plants
One mistake could ruin your yield
Unable to train or very limited
No control over veg time
Can’t clone

I only grow autos if I’m in a pinch and need to fill a gap between harvests like this grow. I have 2 white widow autos that will be done in about 1 month. That should extend the meds until my photos are done a month latter. I prefer the photo periods.
 
Fangthane

Fangthane

251
63
Cons: Unable to train or very limited
I don't know that I'd go that far, even in my seriously limited experience. I've had a few that seemed to hate LST - NL autos seem to fight me on every damn thing - but overall I've found them to be reasonably receptive when I do bother to train. That being said, I'm hoping most photoperiods react to topping and LST like my Seedsman Jack Herrer has. This poor plant has been thru hell for the past couple of months, but it still looks much better than the autos I have going. Looking forward to trying some GSC & Zkittlez photos when I make my next seed order.
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

1,192
263
I don't know that I'd go that far, even in my seriously limited experience. I've had a few that seemed to hate LST - NL autos seem to fight me on every damn thing - but overall I've found them to be reasonably receptive when I do bother to train. That being said, I'm hoping most photoperiods react to topping and LST like my Seedsman Jack Herrer has. This poor plant has been thru hell for the past couple of months, but it still looks much better than the autos I have going. Looking forward to trying some GSC & Zkittlez photos when I make my next seed order.
I’m a regular grower of seedmans jack herer. I found there are two phenotypes: more sativa like in structure or more squat like indicas. Some have awesome side branching and some don’t. There not very consistent in structure but smoke will be good out of either. They do take a bit longer to flower than they say online. Have you noticed the same things?
 
Fangthane

Fangthane

251
63
They do take a bit longer to flower than they say online. Have you noticed the same things?
As for phenotypical differences within JH, I can't really comment since this is the only one I've ever seen. I'm too much of a noob still to have a good sense of structural differences between Sativas and Indicas. As far as leaves go, it seems to be in between. My (Garden of Green) Critical XXL plants have MUCH broader leaves, which seems to make sense since thery're supposed to be 100% Indica. But the JH leaves aren't nearly as narrow as some of the heavily Sativa-dominant autos I've grown. Won't be lights-on for a couple more hours, but I'll post some pics then so you can compare.

As for flowering; well, I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since I flipped her to 12/12, and I'm not even noticing pistils yet. Stretch has also been pretty minimal. Once I started training her, she was oddly happy to just grow outward in every direction; little apparent interest in growing upward. Since flipping, she's only pushed upward a few inches.
 
Seraphine

Seraphine

1,192
263
As for phenotypical differences within JH, I can't really comment since this is the only one I've ever seen. I'm too much of a noob still to have a good sense of structural differences between Sativas and Indicas. As far as leaves go, it seems to be in between. My (Garden of Green) Critical XXL plants have MUCH broader leaves, which seems to make sense since thery're supposed to be 100% Indica. But the JH leaves aren't nearly as narrow as some of the heavily Sativa-dominant autos I've grown. Won't be lights-on for a couple more hours, but I'll post some pics then so you can compare.

As for flowering; well, I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since I flipped her to 12/12, and I'm not even noticing pistils yet. Stretch has also been pretty minimal. Once I started training her, she was oddly happy to just grow outward in every direction; little apparent interest in growing upward. Since flipping, she's only pushed upward a few inches.
What was the light schedule before 12/12? how long have you veg’d your plant? You could try an 11/13 light schedule. That might make enough of a difference to trigger flowering. You could also try giving a bloom booster. That can also help stimulate flower. I veg on 18/6 and flower on 11/13 and never have an isssue with transitioning to flower.
 
Fangthane

Fangthane

251
63
Before flipping, my lighting schedule kinda varied. She's probably damn near 3 months old right now, but the first 6 weeks or so she was abused and neglected. I was seriously underwatering all my plants, so she started life as a runt. Aside from the weeks where I put her outside to die, lighting schedule was typically 20/4 to 18/6. Her tent is in my bedroom and intense blurple lighting kicks my insomnia into overdrive. Kinda worked the lighting around when I absolutely needed some sleep. Spoke a little too soon, though. Just took a closer look at her today and looks like the pistils have started showing up. Here's her, as of 15 minutes ago.
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I'm not sure I'm even gonna go full bloom nutes anymore. But I have started mixing a bit of them in with the Foliage-Pro she's been getting recently. Was hoping to get some more mass on her before flowering, but found out I'm gonna be driving from Az to Wv as soon as my plants are done so I figured I'd just flip her and get it over with.
 
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