Why do people grow autos?

[CannaDana]

What are the reasons for growing auto as opposed to photoperiod? It is just because it's easier? Or faster? Are there advantages? Is it just convenience? How do the genetics stack up? What is the market for autos?

 

[Pushrod Monkey]

Autos suck compared to photos. In quality and quantity.

 

[oLd1]

Because my wife says to. LOL

oLd1

 

[CannaDana]

Because my wife says to. LOL

oLd1

Best and most honest answer ever.

 

[CannaDana]

Autos suck compared to photos. In quality and quantity.

Yeah, so why grow them? What's the advantage?

 

[BDH420]

I would say for a quick harvest. I'm on vacation down south. I live in the north east. I usually have my seed started already. But since i'm not home in time to get my outdoor run going in time. I'm doing 2 things different this year. One I'm going to try my hand at some autos for a quick harvest. 2 Im going to buy some "Teens" since they are available in my area. A teen is plant that's just about ready for flower.

 

[Pushrod Monkey]

Yeah, so why grow them? What's the advantage?

There are no advantages while there’s significant downsides.

 

[DanC520]

They grow fast, can grow outside and be done in a few months, don’t have to worry about light leaks as much, can run 24/7 (can be helpful for heat control in winter), seeds are fem, often available in small quantities at good price point, and in my anecdotal experience, the right genetics show no significant yield/potency issues (I’ve only grown Mephisto when comes to autos).

i grow both and have mainly photos going at the moment. Only one auto currently going. But I’ll do more for sure, the smoke is good. Some pics of my autos (and I’m not claiming to be some master or anything).

 

[rDWCNoob]

There are no advantages while there’s significant downsides.

No advantages? I think someone is rather biased

They grow fast, can grow outside and be done in a few months, don’t have to worry about light leaks as much, can run 24/7 (can be helpful for heat control in winter), seeds are fem, often available in small quantities at good price point, and in my anecdotal experience, the right genetics show no significant yield/potency issues (I’ve only grown Mephisto when comes to autos).

i grow both and have mainly photos going at the moment. Only one auto currently going. But I’ll do more for sure, the smoke is good. Some pics of my autos (and I’m not claiming to be some master or anything).

The bolded part above is simply not true. Autos will never have the potentcy you can find in Photos, period. There are 0 autos that exists that can produce buds over 30% THC. Or at least I havent found one yet. This is because they have had to be crossed with a ruderalis at some point down the line to get the auto flowering characteristic. Ruderalis has little to no THC. So once they managed to get proper autos bred in the first place, they then have to cross and back cross multiple times to both retain the autoflowering, AND get the THC up higher. Todays autos are getting pretty good, with THC levels Ive seen in the mid 20's. However, photos can get up to the mid 30s.

There is one very solid advantage to autos. Seed to harvest in as little as 50 days. In photos, 50 days is a rather short "flowering period", after 3 or more weeks of veg. With an auto, thats your entire grow. You can have upwards of 5 or maybe 6 harvests per year, from seed, without any overlap. So a single room, a single light, and every 50 days youve got 1-2 pounds of dry bud from a single 4x4. Photos cant compete with that timeline without multiple rooms, multiple lights and overlapping veg and flower for each run.

That being said, I refuse to grow autos lol.

 

[PipeCarver]

What are the reasons for growing auto as opposed to photoperiod? It is just because it's easier? Or faster? Are there advantages? Is it just convenience? How do the genetics stack up? What is the market for autos?

Some of the best smoke I ever grew came from a GSC auto....males identify early so reg auto seeds don't take up so much space & time...Variety & you can grow them in small spaces....I was an auto detractor until I grew more of them....I still only grow photo's for quantity but a couple auto's tucked in won't hurt...in Northern climates you can get a harvest out of them before the cold, damp,foggy,rainy,grey weather sets in early October.....I just don't get enough smoke off a plant that only vegges for 3-4 weeks before they flip.....The law up here doesn't care how big our 4 plants are so I like to grow em big

 

[mysticepipedon]

Yeah, so why grow them? What's the advantage?

I have asked this a number of times. I don't see an advantage for an indoor grower who has a tent or other grow space where light and dark periods can be controlled.

It seems like new growers are led to believe they are easier to grow because they are less complicated somehow — sort of like how a car would be less complicated to drive if it had no brakes, I guess.

 

[Pushrod Monkey]

No advantages? I think someone is rather biased


The bolded part above is simply not true. Autos will never have the potentcy you can find in Photos, period. There are 0 autos that exists that can produce buds over 30% THC. Or at least I havent found one yet. This is because they have had to be crossed with a ruderalis at some point down the line to get the auto flowering characteristic. Ruderalis has little to no THC. So once they managed to get proper autos bred in the first place, they then have to cross and back cross multiple times to both retain the autoflowering, AND get the THC up higher. Todays autos are getting pretty good, with THC levels Ive seen in the mid 20's. However, photos can get up to the mid 30s.

There is one very solid advantage to autos. Seed to harvest in as little as 50 days. In photos, 50 days is a rather short "flowering period", after 3 or more weeks of veg. With an auto, thats your entire grow. You can have upwards of 5 or maybe 6 harvests per year, from seed, without any overlap. So a single room, a single light, and every 50 days youve got 1-2 pounds of dry bud from a single 4x4. Photos cant compete with that timeline without multiple rooms, multiple lights and overlapping veg and flower for each run.

That being said, I refuse to grow autos lol.

Your short grow period results in shit yields. So your ONE advantage is a real drawback to EXPERIENCED growers. But knock yourself out with them. As for the guy saying the best he’s ever had was an auto? Lack of experience again. Poor guy.

 

[PipeCarver]

Your short grow period results in shit yields. So your ONE advantage is a real drawback to EXPERIENCED growers. But knock yourself out with them. As for the guy saying the best he’s ever had was an auto? Lack of experience again. Poor guy.

" As for the guy saying the best he’s ever had was an auto? Lack of experience again. Poor guy." ..........I think you wrote before you thunk. I was smoking pot when you was till sperm youngster.

It tight hard packed sweet great kick weed and it was a real nice smoke.

You sound awe full confident in a naive opinion of weed you haven't smoked to be a judge.... young people do that...live and learn little one...

 

[DanC520]

No advantages? I think someone is rather biased


The bolded part above is simply not true. Autos will never have the potentcy you can find in Photos, period. There are 0 autos that exists that can produce buds over 30% THC. Or at least I havent found one yet. This is because they have had to be crossed with a ruderalis at some point down the line to get the auto flowering characteristic. Ruderalis has little to no THC. So once they managed to get proper autos bred in the first place, they then have to cross and back cross multiple times to both retain the autoflowering, AND get the THC up higher. Todays autos are getting pretty good, with THC levels Ive seen in the mid 20's. However, photos can get up to the mid 30s.

There is one very solid advantage to autos. Seed to harvest in as little as 50 days. In photos, 50 days is a rather short "flowering period", after 3 or more weeks of veg. With an auto, thats your entire grow. You can have upwards of 5 or maybe 6 harvests per year, from seed, without any overlap. So a single room, a single light, and every 50 days youve got 1-2 pounds of dry bud from a single 4x4. Photos cant compete with that timeline without multiple rooms, multiple lights and overlapping veg and flower for each run.

That being said, I refuse to grow autos lol.

Id argue that for most, you’re good once in the 20s. If it’s 30s or bust, you’re prolly more a concentrates person. Not like I use % when I go to the dispo. I pick up based on growers and strains. Is the best of the best photos, yeah no argument there. And production will be photos as well. But the people really working on the auto genetics have got them to a good place. People that consume mine have no clue they’re autos unless I tell them. Just my experiences. Not like I’m some auto prophet. Of 11 ladies I have going atm, only 1 an auto. But she is gorgeous and smells wonderful.

 

[Pushrod Monkey]

" As for the guy saying the best he’s ever had was an auto? Lack of experience again. Poor guy." ..........I think you wrote before you thunk. I was smoking pot when you was till sperm youngster.

It tight hard packed sweet great kick weed and it was a real nice smoke.

You sound awe full confident in a naive opinion of weed you haven't smoked to be a judge.... young people do that...live and learn little one...

I’m 72, fool. Been growing since the 60’s. Back to the pony ride for you, boy. Boy. You sound like an idiot. Not saying you are one. Just that you sound like one.

 

[rDWCNoob]

Your short grow period results in shit yields. So your ONE advantage is a real drawback to EXPERIENCED growers. But knock yourself out with them. As for the guy saying the best he’s ever had was an auto? Lack of experience again. Poor guy.

Lower yields "per plant". If youre limited to 4 legal plants for recreation in Canada, then yes, your per harvest yields are going to be shit. But if youre in an area that allows more plants or youve got an ACMPR license(min is 25 plants on a 5gr per day prescription) then that isnt an issue. If you grow enough plants to fill your 4x4 canopy, youre going to get similar yields to growing photos in that same space. Youre yield is limited by canopy size, not per plant yield. I know many experienced growers who choose autos, please dont look at my history here an assume im some sort of noob. Ive been involved in cannabis grows for a lot longer than my post history.

The real disadvantages are potency isnt as high, you need a higher plant count to increase yield, and all plants must be grown from seed, so no clones. Yield is not an issue if you have the plant count, and your annual yield can be increased significantly for far less money on equipment, using half the space. The other downside is once you find a really good pheno, you harvest, you smoke, and its gone forever lol. Maybe not forever, but you could pop 100 seeds and not get that same pheno again.

I knew a dude back in the day growing autos illegally. He went from 4lbs every 75 days with photos, to 4 lbs every 50 days with autos. For someone growing for sale, thats huge.

 

[PipeCarver]

I’m 72, fool. Been growing since the 60’s. Back to the pony ride for you, boy. Boy. You sound like an idiot. Not saying you are one. Just that you sound like one.

You're easily ignored ass you sounded 20 just saying....you gotta get out more....

 

[rDWCNoob]

Id argue that for most, you’re good once in the 20s. If it’s 30s or bust, you’re prolly more a concentrates person. Not like I use % when I go to the dispo. I pick up based on growers and strains. Is the best of the best photos, yeah no argument there. And production will be photos as well. But the people really working on the auto genetics have got them to a good place. People that consume mine have no clue they’re autos unless I tell them. Just my experiences. Not like I’m some auto prophet. Of 11 ladies I have going atm, only 1 an auto. But she is gorgeous and smells wonderful.

For me its not necessarily the potency thats the issue, although I do prefer over 25% genetics, its the fact I cant clone them. Seeds are expensive and once I find a pheno I really like, which I did recently, Im going to clone the shit out of it and go SOG and crop steering, or at least my attempt at it. But Id agree, most cant tell the difference unless you tell them.

 

[Pushrod Monkey]

You're easily ignored ass you sounded 20 just saying....you gotta get out more....

I was USMC before you were out of kindergarten. Guaranteed. I suffer idiots not at all. Your opinion is worthless. And please hit the ignore button. I’d appreciate it.

 

[rDWCNoob]

I’m 72, fool. Been growing since the 60’s. Back to the pony ride for you, boy. Boy. You sound like an idiot. Not saying you are one. Just that you sound like one.

you sound like an overconfident 20 something with an axe to grind against autos. Not sure why, I mostly agree with you, photos are better IMHO. However saying there is 0 advantages to growing autos is just not true.