What is an autoflowering plant?

Autoflowering plants are equipped with a special genetic characteristic which allows them to go from the vegetative phase to flowering without being influenced by the ambient light conditions. Plants usually flower at certain times of the year (for example, spring) because they are influenced by variations in light (in spring there are more hours of sunshine). Autoflowering plants are much more versatile because they do not flower according to environmental conditions but only according to their age: they bloom when they are ready and they don't let themselves be influenced too much by the environment!

This does not mean that autoflowering plants should be left to their own devices: a suitable environment and a good amount of light are still needed. However, this particular characteristic makes them cultivable in a variety of conditions, even outdoors, and allows you to obtain many more annual harvests.

There autoflowering cannabis It is particularly appreciated for its rapid growth, making it a valid pastime that doesn't make you wait too long for the results of the work done!

How to Grow an Autoflowering Plant Well

The plants of autoflowering cannabis make indoor growing cheaper, because they do not require photoperiod variations. So, how much light to give to an autoflowering? It is sufficient to set the lamps to a standard cycle of 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness. The urban legend that leaving plants always illuminated will result in better flowering is not true, on the contrary! Standard hours of light are enough to obtain a good harvest while saving on electricity.

As for the soil ph, it is good to be careful not to use a substrate that is too alkaline (high pH) or too acidic (low pH). Equip yourself with a pH meter and check the soil before planting the seeds: the ideal pH for cannabis is included between 6.0 and 6.5.

Autoflowering strains prefer a substrate with good aeration to facilitate oxygenation of the roots. Many growers, to obtain this characteristic, mix the soil with perlite or coconut fiber. Another simple way to aerate the soil is to practice holes in the vase. The ideal for autoflowering plants is to mix these two techniques.

Autoflowering Week by Week: Indoor Growing Guide

In this section we retrace the main phases of the growth of autoflowering plants, step by step, with the main indications for growing them at their best.

Phase 1: germination + seedling phase

Before you plant your seed, make sure you prepare a suitable substrate. The ideal recipe calls for 3 parts peat, 3 parts compost, 2 parts moistened perlite and 1 part moistened vermiculite. You can also add a little mycorrhiza to the soil, a fungus that helps plants grow by helping them to better absorb nutrients from the soil.

It's best to plant your autoflowers directly into their final vase, making sure it is large enough for the adult plant. This way you will avoid the stress of transplanting the young and fragile seedlings.

Autoflowering plants normally germinate in 3 days. This is the time needed for the seed to take root, form the first roots and emerge from the soil.

If you are growing indoors and have the ability to control environmental factors, aim for relative humidity around 70-90% and temperatures of 22-25 degrees.

The seedlings have emerged from the soil and it is time to give them the lighting they deserve. If you are growing indoors you can use LED lights set to “blue light” with a power of 250w per plant. The lighting cycle, as we anticipated previously, can remain unchanged over time with 18 hours of light and 6 of darkness.

If you want to help your seedlings grow you can also use a Fertilizer for autoflowering plants, following the instructions on the label. Remember to choose specific fertilizers, because autoflowering plants need less nutrition than photoperiodic. If you already have a photoperiod fertilizer, use ¼ of the normal dose.

Around the third week after planting the seed, cannabis seedlings come into full swing. vegetative phase. At this stage, the optimal environmental conditions include a relative humidity of about 50% with a temperature of 20 degrees. For water, it is recommended to water with 0.5 liters/day.

To increase the productivity of your hemp you can use, at this stage, the technique of low stress training: tie a wire around the stem of the seedling and bend it gently so that the stem is parallel to the ground. Then fix the wire to the pot. This way all the leaves will be better exposed to light.

The phase advanced vegetative It is reached around the fourth week and prepares for the beginning of flowering. Continue to water your plants with 0.5 liters of water per day, continue to administer the fertilizer according to the instructions and lower the relative humidity a little, to 45% . Maintain an ambient temperature of 20 degrees and continue to apply low stress training, this time no longer to the main trunk but only to the secondary branches. autoflowering after 20 days they are already beautiful, robust plants with plenty of leaves.

In the fifth week you should notice theautoflowering flowering start: nodes and small filamentous “cocoons” appear on the cannabis plant that will become our flowers. At this point the plants are vigorous, about 30 centimeters tall each.

If you use LED lamps, it's time to change the light spectrum from "blue light" to "red light”. If you used little fertilizer in the first phase of the seedlings' life, it's time to lend a hand with a more substantial contribution: increase your potassium, calcium and magnesium intake and reduce the nitrogen supply. Also increase the water, watering the plants with a liter per day.

In the sixth week the flowers will be clearly visible between the leaves and you can already taste your harvest. But we are not at the end yet, so keep your attention high!

Lower the relative humidity to 40%. Provide one and a half liters of water per day. Set the temperature to 24 degrees. Monitor the plants to prevent them from developing “hermaphroditic” structures, small banana-shaped bumps, and remove them.

The seventh week, as far as environmental settings are concerned, is identical to the sixth, but that doesn't mean you can forget about the plants. Examine them regularly with the help of a magnifying glass to check that they don't form mold or parasites do not arrive.

The eighth week for many autoflowering strains coincides with the harvest time, while for others it will be the case of wait another two weeksAt this point in all varieties the buds have become full-bodied and resinous.

If your plant is a little behind and you still have to wait a little longer, this is the ideal time to do the root washing.

In the ninth week the leaves of cannabis, with the typical fan shape, may turn yellow and fall. Don't panic! This indicates that the harvest is near.

If most of the trichomes she turned white and pistils have taken on a red-brown color, it's time to enjoy the long-awaited satisfaction after weeks of waiting and work. In short, it's time to collect the buds and subject them to drying and curing before finally being able to consume them. How much does an autoflowering plant produce indoors? If well grown, between 30 and 40 grams of “herb” to enjoy.

Growing Autoflowering Outdoors

With this guide you have begun to know and appreciate the varieties of cannabis with autoflowering flowering and you may be wondering whether, due to their special characteristics, it is also possible grow autoflowering outdoors in pots or in open ground. The answer is obviously yes!

As for germination, this can be done by exposing the seeds to light above a paper towel kept moist at all times, or they can be placed directly into the ground. As mentioned for indoor cultivation, it is important that the pot is always the same from the beginning to the end of the process so as not to stress the plant. The ideal pot for outdoors is 7-15 liters per plant.

Attention! If you grow directly in the garden, be aware that the soil you have may not be suitable for cannabis. Better to use pots and a specific substrate, or dig holes in the ground and fill them with the substrate itself, which is 3 parts peat, 3 parts compost, 2 parts moistened perlite and 1 part vermiculite.

In the autoflowering outdoor cultivation You won't be able to control the humidity and light, but follow the same instructions as for indoors regarding water and nutrients (unless it rains, in which case you can adjust accordingly).

How long does it take for an autoflowering plant grown outdoors? In the spring or summer season, cannabis plants grow outdoors more or less with the same times as indoor: from 60 days up to 80 for the slower varieties. It is not recommended growing autoflowering in winter because conditions may not be ideal.

You will know it's time to harvest the tops when the trichomes will take on a milky color. Cannabis trichomes are small mushroom-shaped glands located on the tender leaves of hemp. During development they are semi-transparent in color and turn milky white only when the harvest is ready. Also check that the pistils have reached the characteristic red or brown colour.

In outdoor cultivation it is particularly important to pay attention to possible attacks by parasites, such as red spiders. Parasites can be move away naturally introducing their antagonists into the garden: the ladybugs they eat aphids, the predatory mites eliminate red spiders, the praying mantises They are fond of caterpillars, aphids and whiteflies. You can buy specimens of these insects in gardening shops or try to attract them by growing, next to the cannabis, plants that their prey are fond of.

Training for autoflowering

Both indoors and outdoors it is possible to subject autoflowering plants to training, but only of the “low stress”. As we saw before, low stress training allows you to Optimize cannabis yield making it grow more symmetrically and ensuring that each stem or branch receives the optimal amount of light.The low stress training technique involves the bending of the plant, first of the main stem and then of the secondary branches, with the help of gardening wire. There are other training techniques used to maximize cannabis yield, but they are not suitable for autoflowering varieties which generally do not tolerate them well.

Notes on watering

When watering your autoflowering plants, keep in mind that “in medio stat virtus”: Don't drown them in water or leave them dry! Follow the doses we have suggested, taking care to wet the entire clod of earth well and to stop when the water comes out of the drains of the pot before watering again. If the clod is still wet when the next watering is due, it is better to wait a little longer.

Conclusions

Autoflowering strains are Cannabis Strains You'll Fall In Love With because of their rusticity, the simplicity of cultivation and the excellent and fast yield! They are plants that lend themselves well to being grown outdoors in spring and summer because they flower not based on light but on their stage of growth, so you don't have to keep moving pots around the garden fearing they won't see enough sun. Also Indoor cultivation is easy and economical compared to other varieties, allowing the lamp to always be set the same way for all phases, with 18 hours of light and 6 of darkness.