An auto. OK. If the grow guide says the plant will mature/flower in 77 days you're right to be skeptical. It's just a guide. Even with an auto watching the plant as it develops trichomes is the only sure way to tell if it is ready for harvest. And even then it is subject to each grower's interpretation of what they are seeing. Harvest when the majority of pistils have curled in and turned orange/brown and the trichomes are cloudy with a little bit of amber. I use a jewelers loupe, cheap, easy and provides a good view of the trichs. The pistils are an indicator the trichs are the real guide.