Screw autos! I'll use photoperiodics for my 1st grow.

[Toscano]

Hi everyone.

I keep seeing people telling that auto-flowering plants are good for beginners, but maybe I'm missing the point.

Read that they're difficult to train (LST, HST, ScroG, etc.); they're picky and don't like much stress; their yield probably isn't up to par compared to a photo one of the same kind; they can be easily overfed; etc. etc. etc.

So...
.......if I can't train the plant,
.........can't top it or stress it too much,
.............have no control over the veg and flower periods...
..................what kind of valuable training am I getting in the end?

What can I say I learned after growing an auto that will help me grow a photoperiodic one?

Maybe I'm missing something as this will be my first (cannabis) grow.

Hopefully someone will prove me wrong, as I have a few auto seeds ready to go.

But since the cost for new seeds is not that high (no pun intended), I'm kind of considering using photoperiodic seeds instead.

 

[SchwiftyGrower]

I would assume people grow autos due to lighting schedules outside and finishing before frost.

They also grow them indoors due to their size limitations and some people have height constraints.

They’re good for beginners as they transition to flower automatically and finish within a particular time frame. Doesn’t mean they don’t come with their challenges. Beginners like it because you just plant, feed and go. Photos can get more advanced indoors, with different training techniques that beginners may not find comfortable.

All that being said, I choose photos over autos. Whether you grow auto or photo, your next grow usually is better than your last.

 

[BigBlonde]

When I began, I thought autoflower would be better for the newbie me. The seeds sold to us as autos (for our first grow) were actually photo periodic. Thinking they were autos when they were actually photos didn't go well. That said, I am now a believer in photos and will avoid autos. My reason is because the ruderalis strain isn't very potent. Its only "benefit" is that it flowers on a schedule rather than conditions. Evidently, it evolved in a short-season climate, so it "learned" to flower early. So, after all is said and done, I grow because I want good cannabis and ruderalis hybrids are less likely to provide what I want. At least, that's my thinking about it.

 

[Toscano]

When I began, I thought autoflower would be better for the newbie me. The seeds sold to us as autos (for our first grow) were actually photo periodic. Thinking they were autos when they were actually photos didn't go well. That said, I am now a believer in photos and will avoid autos. My reason is because the ruderalis strain isn't very potent. Its only "benefit" is that it flowers on a schedule rather than conditions. Evidently, it evolved in a short-season climate, so it "learned" to flower early. So, after all is said and done, I grow because I want good cannabis and ruderalis hybrids are less likely to provide what I want. At least, that's my thinking about it.

That's exactly what I was thinking. If the only plus autos have is a quick flowering, screw it.
I'm learning to grow precisely to avoid the low quality crap I have been sold for years.

Might as well go the extra mile and start with a photo one. If I make mistakes during veg, there's probably still time to correct them.

Cheers!

 

[Deadstill]

I've never grown autos, and never will. I know plenty of folks who do grow autos, though. I'm no stranger to how it's done, but I always thought it was the exact opposite, that photos were better for beginners than autos. Particularly because photos tend to be more forgiving than autos, and as the O.P. stated, better for learning experience..

That's just my personal opinion on it. I prefer to control when my plants go into flower and I'm a huge fan of cloning over seeds.

 

[Garbage_bear]

Screw autos. It’s like the breeders think we’re too dumb to figure out a light timer. I’m an auto racists. They shouldn’t exist. I wish people would quit messing with genetics like this.

 

[IamN2pot]

I'm smiling because when I started growing seriously, back in '89, cannabis ruderalis, auto's for you youngsters, was something breeders like Nevil were just starting to play with. It just wasn't an option for us old timers. The genetic trate of flowering that cannabis ruderalis has, flowering without reguard to legnth of night, was and is a desirable trate, For outdoor growers in lattitudes that have extreemly short summers, it seems like the perfect solution. That's why the 'auto' trate was bred into todays varieties.
Now, as for anything special in the way of cannabinoids, I've never heard of such in ruderalis. That's at least in part, why auto/ruderalis genetics are not generally as high in testing for cannabinoids.
...and for the record, I've never grown one. I'm a 'regular' seed guy.
Hope that helps, enjoy your first grow and WELCOME to the Farm.

N2

 

[Theoldman]

I agree that breeders have messed with genetics too much. I have been hoping for a male plant to sprout from my random seeds and I have only gotten all females. I use too have skunk number one seeds 25 years ago but the were thrown away by family. They produced a very reliable strain with a variety of both sexes in seeds. Now I am unable to breed.

 

[Peat_Phreak]

Good choice. Beginners often choose autos because they think it will be easier to grow. That is often not the case.

 

[mysticepipedon]

If you can control the light and dark periods, there's no need for autos.

Ask yourself this: Would flipping the lights to 12/12 when you want the plants to flower, confuse and disorient you? If not, go with photos. I have confidence that newbies can handle this.

 

[Peat_Phreak]

Plus autos grow like Gumby, damn it !!

 

[PipeCarver]

Hi everyone.

I keep seeing people telling that auto-flowering plants are good for beginners, but maybe I'm missing the point.

Read that they're difficult to train (LST, HST, ScroG, etc.); they're picky and don't like much stress; their yield probably isn't up to par compared to a photo one of the same kind; they can be easily overfed; etc. etc. etc.

So...
.......if I can't train the plant,
.........can't top it or stress it too much,
.............have no control over the veg and flower periods...
..................what kind of valuable training am I getting in the end?

What can I say I learned after growing an auto that will help me grow a photoperiodic one?

Maybe I'm missing something as this will be my first (cannabis) grow.

Hopefully someone will prove me wrong, as I have a few auto seeds ready to go.

But since the cost for new seeds is not that high (no pun intended), I'm kind of considering using photoperiodic seeds instead.

I was an auto detractor until I grew more, I've grown 2 that were some of the best smoke I've had, GSC auto's were rock hard, smooth smoking, great weed. I have pics here back a few years now. I'm with you on most of it but had I been able to clone those GSC and run them on 18 hrs rather than the 12 I have to I'd be growing them exclusively .....There's the catch no cloning and running 18 hrs in flower can be expensive with hps lighting.

There's a place for Auto's in a lot of locations but I prefer larger plants than a 5 week old vegged plant can give me.

 

[Habosabin]

I'm not sold on the autos are for beginners. You need to be rock solid on seedling to veg stage or runts will happen. It's a sad day when the auto starts showing and it's only 4 inches tall.

 

[Mikedin]

I not sold on the autos are for beginners. You need to be rock solid on seedling to veg stage or runts will happen.

My first run was with autos I think they did pretty good, 2nd run is going now to be honest they where easy as hell have the same strain started right now. Mabye I just got lucky with all the strains I got. I have some phot clones rooting right Now through

 

[Habosabin]

My first run was with autos I think they did pretty good, 2nd run is going now to be honest they where easy as hell have the same strain started right now. Mabye I just got lucky with all the strains I got. I have some phot clones rooting right Now through

If everything is golden then you are good. You got a great grow brother. But one week stress for an auto and it's stunted. With a photo you just veg one week longer. 5 out of 6 of my grows were autos.

 

[Buzzzz]

My first run was with autos I think they did pretty good, 2nd run is going now to be honest they where easy as hell have the same strain started right now. Mabye I just got lucky with all the strains I got. I have some phot clones rooting right Now through

Hemp flower first pic .looks good no buzz. Other pic is ruderalis,also no buzz.

 

[Mikedin]

If everything is golden then you are good. You got a great grow brother. But one week stress for an auto and it's stunted. With a photo you just veg one week longer. 5 out of 6 of my grows were autos.

Oh I have some other stuff lined up as well lol I definitely don’t hate on photos at all lol
Just picked up the cookies kush, and there’s a few freshly started clones of Cinderella 99 and another strains my brother in law has going

I’ve had a bunch of people try out the stuff from my first run and so far everyone has loved it, I get a great buzz of it

 

[Edinburgh]

Having grown photoperiod plants indoors and out for many years in my opinion autos are a harder plant to run, if the breeder does not get his crosses right, or if something goes wrong you have to correctly trouble shoot and fix fast, they hate any stress, you do not transplant, 99 percent are grown indoors, the are super easy to burn if you overfeed, when I grow outdoors I just let nature do her thing and very rarely have problems, got new phone and lost all my pics or I could show you some, a light turned on while a photo is asleep can cause major problems but grow them by all means you will get more weed, me my needs are small and grow perpetually so always have weed, good luck.

 

[Mikedin]

Having grown photoperiod plants indoors and out for many years in my opinion autos are a harder plant to run, if the breeder does not get his crosses right, or if something goes wrong you have to correctly trouble shoot and fix fast, they hate any stress, you do not transplant, 99 percent are grown indoors, the are super easy to burn if you overfeed, when I grow outdoors I just let nature do her thing and very rarely have problems, got new phone and lost all my pics or I could show you some, a light turned on while a photo is asleep can cause major problems but grow them by all means you will get more weed, me my needs are small and grow perpetually so always have weed, good luck.

Yeah light is a concern in the tent cus the room lights are always on so I’ll have to change over to a inlet fan as well as exhaust so I can block the light, leaving the flap open won’t be an option but I already have one ready so I’m ok with that