Why autos?

[Joker]

I know this topic has been discussed to death, but I'm really curious about why those of you that grow autos choose them. I should say I'm strictly referring to indoor growing, I can see where autos would be advantageous outside for stealth grows. My set up is a dwc in a 3x3x6 tent with a 400w mh/hps. Two plants per grow.
From the first leaves opening I veg for 30 days. Flip the lights, then normally 8 weeks later, sometimes less I harvest 4 to 6 oz dry bud per plant.
I personally just cant see the advantage of autos that take roughly the same total time with smaller harvest and more electricity since you dont cut the lights back for flowering.
Since so many folks love autos i just want to understand why. Please dont take the post wrong. I dont want to start a heated debate, just want to see what I may not be seeing 👍

[Farmall]

I know very little about autos however my baptism by fire from a pair of SURPRISE autoS gave me a whole new viewpoint. At about 5 weeks they were very advanced and starting to display pistils everywhere but the photperiod ones were still in veg. ONCE REALIZING THEY WERE AUTO, they hung out with the 18/6 lights without even a groan, they started developing big buds and 5 weeks later, they are drying in in the bottles. A very easy gro...somewhat stress free. After two weeks drying it seems like there is 330g from one plant and 345g from the other. I’m pleased...took the decision process out of my hand and they took over their own nature plan

[YYCannabis]

As a new grower, most everything I researched always pointed back to autos as “beginner friendly.” Reading about the strains, they tend to be tolerant of beginner mistakes in temp and humidity etc.
For me, the biggest reason is that you can mix different strains in a smaller grow space and not have to worry about conflicting light cycles. (Just a general theme from reading many posts on many forums)
I have a 4x4 tent and plan to grow 4 plants in 2 different strains that will be paired. I read somewhere here that someone recommended something like 35 days apart from one pair germinating to the start of germinating the next pair.

Now I just need to figure out which strains grow best side-by-side.

[homegrown]

Hey Joker, i can give you one reason which i found out by accident/inexperience haha. First grow ever,(3.5x6x6 ice hut w/2 600 viperspectra, 1 4" fan/filter) started 3 AK fem early May, having no idea what i was getting into i thought i would try a little variety so i ordered some auto blueberry WW and amnesia. They sprouted about two weeks later. Then i added two auto purple haze two weeks after that.!! WTF!! got me a farm. All thru the grow i LST'd all of them daily. So as of today, i have bluberry and amnesia coming off this week or next, amnesia probably the week after that, the two purlple haze a week after that...then i can concentrate on the big ladies. It just so happened that i had enough space to fit everybody in comfortably..they really wern't much added work but i'll probably knock out 6-7 more ounces of some different flavors. Dont get me wrong, the fems are gonna produce BIG compared to the autos. but if you have a little extra space in your tent.why not?..just keep them tied down and they take up hardly any room. I'll do a couple of them every grow for sure. homegrown

[alltatup]

That's a good point; with autos you can start new ones whenever and have a perpetual grow going on. ps: Love the dog picture: what a handsome fellow.

[Farmall]

Additionally, if anything turns out to be male or fails to grow properly, throw in an auto to fill in the space… it likes any lighting schedule you would use for photoperiods anytime

[HappyDaze]

I've only ever grown photos, and the only selling feature from my limited and biased perspective, is the short grow time.

With photos, I usually end up at around a hundred days starting with seeds and 80+ days with clones. My understanding is that most indica dom autos, can finish in 70 days or less. I like growing multiple plants from clones because it's easy to manage a mono-crop ... no fussy feeders, no plants overgrowing the lamp, everyone on the same schedule, etc.

Oh ya...and paying $15 for a single use seed, grates on my cheapskate bone. This hobby can get a little crazy cost wise.

[Rwise]

She is 64 days from sprout in this pic,, with autos one can stagger the planting time, thus staggering the harvest and have fresh bud every month. Without every having a timer,,, this girl is outside in sunshine. I grow photos too, the spring garden will get 6 autos and then 6 photos.

[Doubledealing72]

I have lots to say about this lol.

First off, no offense at all about the question! Perfectly understandable for someone who has never grown them to question why people would.

Apparently (before I started growing) autos used to suck lol. I heard many stories about 8 inch tall plants and yields being very low. However, autos have come a long way in terms of selection and yield.

In fact, the most I ever got off one auto was 24 oz! (I believe this was just hitting the seed lottery though. I don't think it was my less than 2 years of growing experience that got me there lol). The journal is in my signature if you would like to check it out (Mainline vs double mainline is the title). This auto did take 131 days from seed, so nothing to boast about on their speediness.

The quickest harvest I had was a sweet Trainwreck auto from sweet seeds that took 60 days from seed to harvest. This one got me about 2 oz.

My average yield is probably around 6 oz per plant now. They say to be kind to autos, but I've used high stress training since my 3rd grow, and I've never had much of an issue with them. I even saw a few people successfully clone their autos, but I have not tried to do so.

Although the light bill can be more expensive, it can be great having your lights on one schedule. I just had a plant about 30 days in show she was a Hermie so I had to pull her. That left me with 2 plants in a 3x3 tent, so I started 2 more. My older girls are day 40ish right now, and my younger ones are at day 8. So for someone like myself who doesn't have enough space to have multiple tents, it's a great benefit to be able to have staggered stages in one tent.

And about the cost of electricity, I use autocobs which are very efficient. 4 lights at 55w a piece makes my entire setup about $30 a month to run, and that's with lights on 24/7.


With all of this being said, it should be known that I have actually never grown a photo period. I always want to try, but when I finally get the chance I just decide to keep doing the autos. It's not that I'm hating on photoperiod plants, it's that I love autos so much I just want to keep growing them lol.

Well, there you have it. This is why I grow autos

This is my mega plant that got me 1.5lbs of bud. It was gorilla glue auto by fast buds. I had another seed from the same package that I grew and ended up pulling because of how weird it was growing. I also needed the tent space for this beast.

[alltatup]

That's all fascinating information, mcubed; you make it real clear how well autos are working in your setup!! Seriously: great info, and amazing pictures!!!!!!

[Doubledealing72]

Thanks! I love them!

[SoOrbudgal]

I've grown several autos now outdoors, going indoors come winter. They are OK as far a potency, my photos in my opinion have more potency. I've not grown them indoors maybe with more controlled environment i'd change my mind. Sure you can grow them mostly from seed to harvest in less than 90days which is nice to have bud quicker. But I need more quantity and medical effects than what I've done found with autos. So far I've mixed my grows doing both photos and autos outdoors. I've harvested twice this summer of autos, less than 2oz per plant probley my area and environment not the best. But my photos grow huge and strong. Trichs on the autos look great but not potency in my grows. I'm going to continue trying different strains and breeders because I like growing and training so much. The test for me will be the indoors autos this winter. My 1% LOL

[GardenLady]

mcubed 467 have to ask. What is the light system you use?? I have never heard of autocob. And where do you buy they from. Thanks.

[Doubledealing72]

I get them from cobshop.net. I found them on the autoflower network forum. A guy named Bigsmo on that site builds them and sells them. He's really good about shipping and customer service.

If you go under lights on that forum you will see the autocobs and can see that many people use them and love them

[Tersky]

The main attraction for me would be the not needing worry about light cycles. I've had a plant re-veg before and it added an extra month almost. I do use a tent but sometimes there are light leaks, whether it be from the zipper or a pinhole. I have a lot of windows in my house and because of the heat i run my lights at night meaning its dark period is during the day. Not ideal but we work with what we have. Autos mean i dont have to worry about light. That being said, i prefer photos. It seems that auto's have come far in the last few years so i may give them a try again.

[HappyDaze]

The genetics of the latest autos is pretty amazing...that GG of Mc's beats my 20oz record with a TGA Jazz Queen photo that also took about 4 months total.

I really like Humboldt's products and they're working with Dinafem who know about breeding. I might try their Dedoverde Haze auto, rather than try to work a 12 week sativa dom into my schedule.

[Doubledealing72]

I have a sativa dominant amnesia xxl auto in my tent right now. She might be the tallest plant I have grown. I've got about 20 inches between he and the lights, so I hope she is done stretching!

[Joker]

Wow, so much great info and pics. Thanks to all my fellow growers for sharing. I recently moved so I have not got a grow in place yet. I have two OG Kush auto seeds from Nirvana. I'd really like to try them. Have to do something fast, I live in an illegal state so since my crops have been used up I've had to start buying commercial weed from California (as far as I can find out) super cheap at 120 an oz but I dont like the idea of smoking pesticides, I've read that the cartel grows use some bad stuff.

[s62]

I don’t have any experience with autos, but I’ll tell you why I’m growing them exclusively this round. I want to have my plants in and out of the ground in 90-100 days tops. I want to know reliably that that is going to be doable. Additionally, I want the flexibility of lighting schedule so I can avoid light-related herms, but also so that I can grow plants that are at different stages simultaneously. If I have a plant finish 20 days before another one, I can chop it and throw a seed down in its sted. That’s a 20 day headstart! Finally, I believe that autos have come a long way, and that growers are slow to accept this. Autos can crank out seriously impressive yields, have high THC (20%+), and produce top shelf bud. There really aren’t reasons NOT to try it anymore, unless you already have and it’s not your thing.

[HappyDaze]

As long as people have reasonable expectations when it comes to yield, I think autos have their place. I have a bit of a problem with the advertising some breeders use to sell their seeds...eg your Crystal M.E.T.H. ... Fast Buds claim 600g/M2, but you probably need 5-6 plants to get there, as they're a very compact phenotype. If you're growing 4 Oz plants for personal use, that strain is great. But, a photo skunk or diesel strain will yield double that per plant with an extra 30 days and put the same smile on your face. Variety vs volume...autos have variety in their favor for sure.

[s62]

Yeah, those breeder estimates are always bunk. Same goes with photos, though.

[HappyDaze]

s62 Most of the yield info I've received from my bean guy has been accurate or understated...but the flowering times are bullshit. I add two weeks to anything Hemp Depot tells me.

I'm watching as many grows here as I can, just soaking up other people's experiences. It'll be a lot fun to see your multi-strain show develop over the next couple of months. Thanks for taking the time to post.

Cheers

[Canuck147]

Autoflowers are fun to grow - like mcCubed said. I run cob lights as well.
Have planted 4 seeds every month this summer - harvested 4 already, 3 more are close and 5 little ones. Although I have been putting the big girls outside.
Lights are on 24/7 - So no light schedule. - and definitely don't have to worry about light leaks.

So I guess the downside with multiple plants started at different times - is - one is harvesting more often, burping jars continually and I'm always outside doing "quality control" smoke tasting.
Hmmmm - sativa or indica this morning.

Plus with all the little tricks I use - I can count on 100 grams per plant. Usually more, sometimes less.

Variety is the spice of life.

[alltatup]

Fantastic information from everyone!!! Really enlightening!!