Modified on: 10/02/2021
Auto flower seeds: how to grow outdoor and indoor auto flower seeds in an optimal way?
In recent years, online seed sales have seen a boom in auto flower seeds, also called auto weed seeds or “auto”. The reason is straightforward: the possibility to grow and harvest very quickly without having to wait for a whole season to pass.
With regular cannabis seeds, including feminized but not auto-flowering seeds, this is precisely what happens: whoever plants in summer harvests at the end of the summer season or during the first months of the autumn season, because the varieties in question are seasonal.
Auto flower marijuana seeds, on the other hand, flower independently of the seasons and photoperiod and can grow both Indoor and Outdoor. But how to grow autoflowering seeds?
Today we want to talk to you about how to grow these products so that you can get an excellent yield.
Growing Auto flower Seeds Outdoor and Indoor: essential information.
Before you read exactly how to grow auto flower seeds, you need some necessary information about these products. Here are some of them:
- The flowering of auto-flowering varieties, unlike regular types, depends on their age and the size of the plant. Usually, plants start flowering 3-4 weeks after the germination of auto flower seeds, so good growth is essential for growers to get a good yield.
- Autoflowering plants need very long light cycles to flower excellently. The ideal amount of light is 18 to 24 hours a day.
- Auto flower seeds can be grown outdoors throughout the year in most climates (unless there are frosts or strong winds). For this reason, it is advisable to plant them in pots during the winter). In any case, you have to consider that the higher the amount of light, the greater the flowering yield will be, which is why the ideal months for planting autoflowering outdoors are summer months.
- How much does an autoflowering plant produce? It is small in size, so the yield is lower than a seasonal variety. Usually if grown Indoor a plantation produces between 400 and 500 g per square meter, while Outdoor you can get about 30 or 40 g per plant.
That said, let’s start with the details about growing autoflowering.
Where to plant auto flower seeds?
Whether the grower chooses to plant them Outdoor or Indoor, auto flower seeds need large pots that can hold 11 to 18 litres of soil. The development period of automatic plants is very fast, and the weed seeds must germinate in their final soil. This plant does not tolerate transfer to new pots because it usually does not have time to recover after the change of soil and space.
The soil must be purchased on purpose or made ad hoc; it should, however, be fertile, well-nourished and airy, with precise quantities of perlite and coconut fibre.
It is also essential not to compact the soil so that the roots have enough oxygen and space to develop.
The choice of pots is also essential when growing outdoors, to be able to bring the plants indoors when they need more light and in unfavourable weather conditions (especially during the winter period).
Read also: Seeds collection: the new trend in Europe
Germination and vegetative growth phase of auto flower seeds
The germination times of auto flower seeds are very fast. Usually, growers immerse the marijuana seeds in a glass or container filled with sterilized drinking water at a temperature between 20 and 25ºC. The seeds sink to the bottom of the container within 4 hours and develop a small root within 2 days at most.
The, ttransfer the cannabis seeds into a cotton disc and, and when the root reaches a length of 2 or 3 cm plant the seeds in a pot. After a few days, the seedling peeps out, which needs temperatures between 22 and 25% and a very high relative humidity, between 70 and 90%.
At the third week of the autoflowering plant life, we can talk about the vegetative growth phase. During this period, when the plants should have reached a height of about 15 cm, it needs a temperature of 20ºC and relative humidity of 50%. The vegetative phase lasts from 2 to 4 weeks depending on the variety, during which growers use (usually) a root stimulator and you should alternate one irrigation with water and fertilizer and another with water only.
After the vegetative growth phase, which is essential for a good yield, the plant begins the pre-flowering phase.
The pre-flowering phase of automatic plants
During this period the plant begins to develop flowers (as our weed seeds BSF are all feminized) and increases its size to about 1 meter in height.
To get a proper development of the flowers but at the same time a good yield due to the size of the plant, it is a good idea to mix half the dose of fertilizer for growth with half the dose of fertilizer for flowering.
Autoflowering starts about three weeks after the start of pre-flowering.
Read also: What to do if your cannabis seeds do not germinate: 3 practical tips
The autoflowering plants’ flowering stage
During this phase, growers usually use a flowering enhancer that makes the buds larger, heavier and more abundant in cannabinoids. The stimulator makes the flowers rich in resin, which translates into increased potency and persistent tastes and smells.
2 to 3 weeks before ripening and harvesting the flowers, which takes place about 11 weeks after the auto flower seeds germinate, growers proceed with root washing to eliminate traces of fertilizer and significantly improve the taste of the buds.
This practice consists of watering abundantly using only water, without nutrients, and adjusting the pH of the soil to 6.5. Usually, twice or three times as much water is poured in to wash the roots as the pot size.
Now you know exactly how to grow auto flower seeds: buy them now on Sensoryseeds!
