Photo's V. Auto's

[StoneyTony]

Hello Happy Farmers,

I got into a fun debate with a friend about Photo plants versus Auto's. As anyone who reads this forum knows Autoflowers have come a long way. In the beginning we were impressed with their fast growing abilities, but were told that can't be trained like Photo plants because they don't have enough time to recover. We've seen proof one after the other that this isn't the case any longer. Grower's are even manifolding auto's these days. I wanted to see how all of you felt about the differences now. So I pose the questions:

Which do you prefer - Photo plants or Autoflowers and why? What is YOUR favorite strain to grow and why?

Cheers!

[Beach_Town_Brit]

Autos forever, less time in their lifespan for us to screw things up
Bubblelicous is my current favorite but mainly because it's my first (I haven't even smoked it yet!)

[BuddMarsh]

Outdoor grows Photo. Small container (solo cup/ 1 gal pot) Auto. Tent grows auto (no worrying about having to change or deal with light schedules). Beach I also have Bubblelicous that I have not tried yet, but soon 2 more weeks.

[Beach_Town_Brit]

I have high hopes, nice solid nugs and lots of crystals.
We're christening ours on 4-20

[Weed Pharma]

Generally I use auto's to fill in tent space.
I am however, in the middle of dialing-in a perpetual auto grow (purple ryder, lemon ryder, Jack Herer and auto Mazar <-next week) with a harvest every 25 days.

I will be vegging only during the hot summer months photoperiod plants- as vegging isn't bothered by the heat as much -and will flip them early fall.
I'm also considering a winter all-auto grow, when having the lights on 24/0 helps with the temps.
After that- who knows?

no strain preference yet, but bubblelicious (Nivrana) was good!

[Beach_Town_Brit]

Growing autos lets you try more strains than photos I think.
As BuddMarsh suggests it's a real boon to not have to worry about light schedules. means I can look in on my plants anytime I want.

[StoneyTony]

I agree. More harvest means more variety!

[Beach_Town_Brit]

Hey Tony, great thread, thanks.

I think it's also the freedom of not being able to clone
When you grow photos, the model is to find the strongest performer, make her a mother, and clone her out. At the very least, the model is to grow out more seeds than you need and keep the best performers. That's an awesome process but not practical or necessary at the scale I'm growing at.

I feel like large scale and commercial/collective growing has defined a lot of the "standards" in the homegrow world, and established many of the paradigms -- many of the models for how we grow. And I think we've reached the point where we can start to look at those conventions and decide which ones are truly practical for small scale homegrowers and which should be left to the bulk producing pros.

[dontknownuttin]

Hey!...if i can grow autos anyone can!.

[dontknownuttin]

I've fallen and I cant get up! LOL Autos are good!

[DingusKhan]

My first grow is also in progress, ALMOST DONE! It's a photo that I started in December, and I popped an auto in February, which is still a few weeks out.

I love them both, equally. I enjoy the simplicity of autos, but I took up growing as a hobby for something to "do". The "hassle" of taking care of photos is fun to me. Making easy-peasy-weed is fun to me too.

[Beach_Town_Brit]

Autos are too easy, I think you're onto something there Dingus

[dontknownuttin]

My Auto is now at day 24! With Greens help, I hope it will make it to day 25. This one is called Critical Mass. HERE IS A SECOND PHOTO A FEW DAY LATER.

[StoneyTony]

She looks good. I'm sure you'll make it

[StoneyTony]

So far it seems to be auto's for most with the same reasoning. I've been thinking of going all auto's as well. The selections are getting to be great and I like the light schedule too (fits my work schedule better). I figure I could get more harvests a year. Shooting for the perpetual harvest of every 6-weeks since most auto's can finish in about 3 months. I grew some Jock Horrors last year but wasn't happy with the yields. I have to take the blame on that because I kept experimenting with growing techniques which stressed the plants to often to recover properly. Good smoke though.

With feminized seeds and auto's I'm not sure why breeders offer Regular seeds any longer. No One in my circles have ordered those in years.

[NebulaHaze]

I feel like auto-flowering strains are great if....

• You want to yield the most bud in the absolute shortest amount of time. Since they get 18 hours of light/day, they'll end up getting higher yields/day than photoperiod strains (though not necessarily higher yields/hours of light), and many auto-flowering strains give you a harvest that's at least a few weeks quicker than any photoperiod strain. You can go from seed to smoking your buds in 3 months with some of the fastest auto strains.
• They're also perfect if you prefer to be able to keep the lights on 18-24 hours a day (for example if you can't light-proof the area, or need to keep the lights on all day to keep plants warm in the winter).
• They tend to have higher levels of CBD (though not all) so overall they can be a better choice for medical marijuana patients or those who are looking for an anti-anxiety effect in addition to the standard cannabis effects.
• Can be a good choice for outdoor growers who want early or late harvests. With photoperiod strains, all plants are ready to harvest in the fall regardless of when the plant was planted, (the exact time in the fall is determined by the particular strain). However, with auto-flowering strains your plants are ready ~3 months from seed whether it's spring, summer, fall or winter. This means that growers in warm climates can harvest outdoor plants year round. This can also be really helpful for growers who get cold temperatures or a rainy season in fall, and want to be able to harvest plants in late summer.
• Can be tossed in either a vegetative or flowering grow space without interrupting the life stage, which can make them good "filler" plants when you notice a hole in your canopy.

I feel like photoperiod strains are great if....

• You want a larger variety of strains
• If you want the most "psychedelic" buds (soaring, "fast" high) you may consider sticking with Haze or Sativa photoperiod plants which have close to 0% CBD levels. Auto-flowering strains tend to have at least 1% CBD, which can somewhat moderate the psychedelic effects of THC. Auto-flowering buds are just as potent as photoperiod strains except in that one way, unless they've been specifically bred to be low CBD (the same is often true for Indica photoperiod strains, as well, which also tend to have up to 1% CBD).
• You want more control over the size of plants and length of the vegetative stage. With auto-flowering strains you don't have much choice when it comes to the length of the vegetative stage because plants automatically starts flowering. The ability to control the length of the vegetative stage can be really important for growers in a ScrOG setup, in a perpetual harvest (when growers don't want plants to start flowering until the moment they're placed in the flowering chamber), if a plant gets sick or stunted, or in very tight space limits when the exact size is crucial.

I don't think one is better than the other, it's more a matter of your specific goals and personal preference

[Weed Pharma]

So much useful information in this comparison, Thank You!

[DingusKhan]

Thanks Nebula! I've been trying to filter through all of that, it's awesome to have it all in one post. I think it's worth a sticky, or even an article itself.

[StoneyTony]

There are a lot of Sativa auto's out there with the same effects you describe Nebula. And the selection these days are quite impressive too. The yields are almost comparable to the photos. Fruit Punch auto, for example, has an impressive indoor yield of 600-800 grams!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not endorsing auto's per say, just adding to the discussion

[alltatup]

I love the challenge of growing a photo strain that is going to make me learn a lot and develop as a grower. I don't want it to be too easy, cuz I'll get bored. Growing landrace sativa hybrid right now and future grows include Dr. Grinspoon (need some more grows under my belt before I get to that one), Sensi Jack Herer, Purple Ayahuasca.

I did, however, just receive my first order of autos, and at some point, I will get an auto grow in!!! I want to see how potent they really are...

[StoneyTony]

I would like to hear about the Dr. G when you grow it. I've been looking at the one. As far as potency I've seen auto's listed that can now get 18-22% THC. That's a nice buzz!

[Beach_Town_Brit]

I haven't grown it but Mephisto claims 25% THC for its Alien vs Triangle strain

[alltatup]

Thanks again, Nebula, but I ain't counting my chickens until they hatch!! So far, so good: the chiller is making a huge difference.

StoneyTony I will definitely post a journal when I grow Grinspoon!!!

[dontknownuttin]

My Auto is now at day 24! With Greens help, I hope it will make it to day 25. This one is called Critical Mass.

Here it is today!

[alltatup]

Lookin good, DKN!!!

[StoneyTony]

Looks ready for a little trim job.

[dontknownuttin]

No trim autos do not like trimming!. I use a MH lamp so bush is what I desire. Lots of room I will tie the plant down best I can do.

[StoneyTony]

There would be some that disagree about the trimming. It comes down to the strain. Even with some seed bank descriptions they will say trimming and even topping is recommended for some strains. It seems Sativa's can handle it more as they usually have a longer growing time than most of the Indica's.

[GreenDragonRon]

StoneyTony can you list some strains for me that are known to handle topping well? Are there any good grow journals out there that an auto has gone through a great deal of training and turned out well?

[dontknownuttin]

Todays photo. It still lives! Someday I hope to get good at this. With Greens help who knows.

[alltatup]

Looks like you're doing pretty good there on your own!!