Autos or photoperiods - What do you prefer?

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Chad.Westport

Chad.Westport

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Hey all! Lots of different opinions and the only right answer is the answer that is right for you. So I'm curious if you were at the seed counter and found a strain you love, would you go for the auto flower version or the photoperiod version?

I personally like photoperiod because you can clone them and keep one seed growing for years if you find a keeper. I'll also choose regular over fem, just because I don't mind a male, how about you?

Cheers
 
CF89

CF89

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Here’s the way I look at it. How do autos provide ANY benefit? First of all. They need to be ran 18/6 for the entire three months which is harder on your lights and power bill. All for what? A lower quality plant that’s been bred with ruderalis and why? All just to avoid a 3 second timer switch to get your lights on 12/12 schedule for the last 2/3rds of the plants life, giving your lights and power bill a break? It’s a total win win to grow photos. Unless switching your timer to 12/12 and saving money on your power bill is too difficult????

I still get crops after 3 months compared to my buddy that grows autos. And more potent bud. And his takes 3 months of 18/6 ( 1620 hours). Whereas mine is 18/6 for 1 month. And then 12/12 for 2 months. (So I use 1260 hours)


here’s my question. Why would anyone ever choose an auto flower? What benefit do they have other than not needing to adjust timer from 18:6 to 12:12 a month in?? That’s the only extra work that photos need is a 10 second timer change.
 
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Grownsince95

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Im trying a few for the first time because I can run them in extra space I'm already using to veg photos. Obviously not everyone has extra space, that just happens to be my situation. Heard so many good reviews on Mephisto autos I figured its another bucket list thing I can cross off.
 
Grownsince95

Grownsince95

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Maybe also for beginners, taking away even simple things like changing light schedules, when to flip, light leaks in the tent etc is just that much less to worry about? idk, I'm curious enough to give it a shot.
 
Galvatron

Galvatron

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If you are growing outside in the Pacific Northwest near the Puget Sound, auto may be a good choice. When you have to wait until mid October for your big healthy plants to fully ripen and watch them succumb to powdery mildew, it's a sad day! This year, feminized auto seeds went into the ground on May 1st. They finished up nicely around the first week in August. They don't get anywhere close to the size of photos but didn't have to throw out any due to PM.
 
BudBogart

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Indoors you have more control with photos to grow and shape your plants to the best size for your tent before you flip, and photos are more potent than the same strain mixed with ruderalis.
Outdoors...I could start some autos inside in March, transfer outdoors in May and have some fresh bud in July while my photos don’t finish until October.
 
Habosabin

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Why I choose auto flower? Small Personal grow outside and able to harvest anytime of year. No electricity costs and get a qp per plant for cost of soil and nutes($25). If I grew with lights it's photos all the way because of variety of seeds and control.

My current auto genetics is 25% thc so that's good enough for me. I'm good with 18% and above.
 
REDBUD46

REDBUD46

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You can basically do a perpetual grow in one tent with autos too. Just space out planting as frequently as you want to harvest them.
this is what i've used autos for...works well, you can start new plants...new seeds come in the post, stick in that day, no deed to wait for 3 month(or whatever), great for when you 1st get your setup, it means you can get set up (you might not nail it 1st time) and try different strains, there's always something to look at also...12/12 is a bit boring you can only do things in the tent 1/2 the day...e.g. you need to do things before work in the morning, because its dark when you get home or this type of time management issue... i still do photo 12/12 mostly, its only a little more effort.
 
Chad.Westport

Chad.Westport

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If you are growing outside in the Pacific Northwest near the Puget Sound, auto may be a good choice. When you have to wait until mid October for your big healthy plants to fully ripen and watch them succumb to powdery mildew, it's a sad day! This year, feminized auto seeds went into the ground on May 1st. They finished up nicely around the first week in August. They don't get anywhere close to the size of photos but didn't have to throw out any due to PM.
I hear you there, I spent decades in that area.... which is why I never grew outdoors. Auto's really would be the best way to pull off a crop before you gamble with the PNW weather in the fall.
 
Chad.Westport

Chad.Westport

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Maybe also for beginners, taking away even simple things like changing light schedules, when to flip, light leaks in the tent etc is just that much less to worry about? idk, I'm curious enough to give it a shot.
I see this actually causing new growers a lot of problems. There is no forgiveness with autos in regards to timing. If you overwater the seedling or give the young plant too much or too little nutes, you can stunt the growth, but it is still ticking down time to start flowering. I feel bad when I see pictures of stunted autos that will only yield 7 grams at best. Autos are easier in one sense but much trickier in that you don't have time to recover from any mistakes.
 
R

redshift75

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thing about autos for me..

Autos: you get what you get? auto's can be amazing. You can easily do other methods. You can still grow them in sequence veg/flower time schedule its all preference. People do the 6/2 method now. But because of it being an "I am what i am situation" i am often far less disappointed.

For photos: skies the limit... But, I look at some of the faults of this year diminished returns, failures in certain aspects. Where an auto would have finished vs a plant that died. There is a huge disappointment training plants for a season to have a terrible season. Because there is a far greater potential, leaves you for a far more disappointing position to be in when you should experience failure. when you know the potential things had... If this or that would have been different. It can feel like a repeated kick to the head. But those are things you largely only get at this time through the photos. You cant fail if you dont try.
 
Moshmen

Moshmen

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Here’s the way I look at it. How do autos provide ANY benefit? First of all. They need to be ran 18/6 for the entire three months which is harder on your lights and power bill. All for what? A lower quality plant that’s been bred with ruderalis and why? All just to avoid a 3 second timer switch to get your lights on 12/12 schedule for the last 2/3rds of the plants life, giving your lights and power bill a break? It’s a total win win to grow photos. Unless switching your timer to 12/12 and saving money on your power bill is too difficult????

I still get crops after 3 months compared to my buddy that grows autos. And more potent bud. And his takes 3 months of 18/6 ( 1620 hours). Whereas mine is 18/6 for 1 month. And then 12/12 for 2 months. (So I use 1260 hours)


here’s my question. Why would anyone ever choose an auto flower? What benefit do they have other than not needing to adjust timer from 18:6 to 12:12 a month in?? That’s the only extra work that photos need is a 10 second timer change.
NO DARK period needed!!!!!!! Got nuttin to do with a damn timer and my autos run 12/12
Agreed photoperiod have more potential but i bet u can’t tell the difference out of my garden.
 
Moshmen

Moshmen

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Maybe also for beginners, taking away even simple things like changing light schedules, when to flip, light leaks in the tent etc is just that much less to worry about? idk, I'm curious enough to give it a shot.

I know everyone says autos are for newbs - again just my opinion but I think they are less forgiving with mistakes and harder to get a a great harvest.
 
Chad.Westport

Chad.Westport

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I have definitely seen some impressive auto plants, both size and bud structure. The potential can be there with the right breeder. That kind of applies to all genetics though, gotta start with solid genes.
 
Moshmen

Moshmen

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this is what i've used autos for...works well, you can start new plants...new seeds come in the post, stick in that day, no deed to wait for 3 month(or whatever), great for when you 1st get your setup, it means you can get set up (you might not nail it 1st time) and try different strains, there's always something to look at also...12/12 is a bit boring you can only do things in the tent 1/2 the day...e.g. you need to do things before work in the morning, because its dark when you get home or this type of time management issue... i still do photo 12/12 mostly, its only a little more effort.

+1!
 
TinkTHC

TinkTHC

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Maybe also for beginners, taking away even simple things like changing light schedules, when to flip, light leaks in the tent etc is just that much less to worry about? idk, I'm curious enough to give it a shot.
Did you get it off your bucket list?
 
TinkTHC

TinkTHC

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thing about autos for me..

Autos: you get what you get? auto's can be amazing. You can easily do other methods. You can still grow them in sequence veg/flower time schedule its all preference. People do the 6/2 method now. But because of it being an "I am what i am situation" i am often far less disappointed.

For photos: skies the limit... But, I look at some of the faults of this year diminished returns, failures in certain aspects. Where an auto would have finished vs a plant that died. There is a huge disappointment training plants for a season to have a terrible season. Because there is a far greater potential, leaves you for a far more disappointing position to be in when you should experience failure. when you know the potential things had... If this or that would have been different. It can feel like a repeated kick to the head. But those are things you largely only get at this time through the photos. You cant fail if you dont try.
What’s your favorite photo strain?
 
Northernpop

Northernpop

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Modern auto strains are far removed from the earlier ones, and I'd recommend you at least try them. My last grow was Green Gelato, from Royal Queen Seeds, and with a thc of 24% it lacks absolutely nothing!

I used to scrog with photoperiods, but my last grow ran from July to November. Too long, imo.

So now I simply perpetually grow autos. 3 lots of 3 plants. Seedlings upto 3 weeks start in a grow box, with a 5v fan and a 35w led floodlight. The other 6 are in my grow room of 2' x 3'. I place the younger plants around the periphary of the grow, to maximise light intensity to the larger 3 plants in the centre.

Plenty of strains are 8 weeks, from seed to harvest. Therefore, if you have 3 grows, running simultaneously, you can harvest every 18 days (every two to three weeks).

I Genuinely hope this is of use to someone, as I've never ran short since!

Happy growing!
 
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