The Evolution of Autoflower Cannabis Seeds
Pros and Cons of Autoflower Cannabis Seeds from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
Arguably the most interesting development in the cannabis industry over the last few years is with regards to autoflower cannabis seeds. It is now known that the best auto genetics tend to produce a greater yield compared to photoperiod varieties, which are grown over a similar period of time. The strength of the autos and photoperiod types have been quite similar for many years now, but how did the evolution of autoflower cannabis seeds happen? Read on to find out more.
1st Generation Autos
The 1st generation of autos can be best described as a generation which provided proof of concept and set the foundations for the development of future generations. It was back in the 80s and 90s when autos were released onto the market by the “Joint Doctor”. These industry pioneers were able to re-write the cannabis textbook by going against the long-established rule of a plant only being able to bloom by lessening the number of daylight hours. They reasoned that if they gave the cannabis plant the opportunity to bloom in over twenty hours of daylight per day, this gave these auto cannabis plants the competitive advantage over their photoperiod compatriots. This lead to an increase in the number of buds that were produced. But, despite the increase in the number of buds, the 1st generation of these autoflowering cannabis plants didn’t have as good a yield as the photoperiod plants, and they also suffered from reduced potency. The mainstream cannabis industry didn’t really pay much attention to these 1st generation autos, but the work continued apace to give rise to the 2nd generation.
2nd Generation Autos
With the potential that the 1st generation of autos showed to the community, work then began on creating a 2nd generation that improved the yield and potency of the autos. The 1st generation autos needed improvement in those departments, so breeders focussed on creating autos that improved both strength and yield. The 2nd generation of autos tend to be associated with the period between 2005 and 2010. Although the yield and potency certainly improved during this period, work was still needed in order to improve & maximize the autos potential that we knew they had.
3rd Generation Autos
With the advent of the 3rd generation of autos, the wait was certainly worth it. This generation of autos are the seeds that we see in the market today. The most experienced auto growers manage to achieve impressive yields of anywhere between 100 and 200g of cannabis from their auto plants. It is now virtually impossible to tell the difference between the strength (potency) of photoperiod varieties of cannabis and autos.
But, please bare in mind that there is still a difference between the premium seed banks who can offer true 3rd generation autos and other seed banks who offer seeds which lack the potency and yield of these 3rd generation premium seeds offered by the top seed banks. Make sure you do your research, and check out reviews of the seed banks that you are looking to use. Sure, having the best 3rd generation auto seeds are important, but important to the success of the process Is the experience of the seed bank and the techniques that they use to maintain consistent results.
Can Auto Genetics Be Used by the Home Grower?
It is quickly becoming fact that the clear majority of auto growers have neglected the long-standing concept of what was known as a “bloom phase” and a “veg phase”. With autos being grown in the home, there is no requirement to have both bloom and veg tents. Nearly all auto growers will only need an auto tent with a light source for 20 hours. All you need to do is to insert an auto seed into your auto tent every 7 days, which will allow you to harvest a mature female from your tent, as and when they mature. This process enables you to set up a continuous flow of plants from a single grow room and the fact that you can harvest cannabis on a regular basis using just one tent, is the best technique for growing cannabis in the home.
Autos for outdoor growing
If you prefer to grow your autos outside rather than in your own home, the autos tend to take a period of three months before you can begin to harvest fresh cannabis. Autos tend to grow to a height of around 1 meter, so they won’t be too obvious if you wish to keep your growing hidden and private. If you are looking to grow and harvest cannabis outdoors in the middle of the summer, using autos is probably the only way you’d be able to achieve this. If you live in a “Mediterranean” sort of climate, it is possible to achieve two or maybe even three auto harvests in Spring, Summer & Autumn.
What about Super Autos?
I’m sure you will have probably heard about Super Autos. These varieties were created by Flash Seeds for the benefit of growers who were looking for sativa plants that were larger and were able to offer more of a photoperiod short day influence to them. These Super Autos, which are also known as Amazonian Autos to some, can begin flowering after a longer veg period of around 28 to 32 days. There have been cases where some Super Autos could achieve heights of greater than 5 feet. The highest recorded Super Auto measured in at an astounding 8ft! You can expect the life span of the Super Auto to be between ninety and one hundred days. This is a bit longer than autoflowers, but the slightly longer lifespan of the Super Auto allows the sativa phenotype to become expressed to allow a higher yield to be achieved. Super Autos are certainly a variety to keep an eye on. Who knows what the future holds for the cannabis industry moving forward!
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