Autoflowering cannabis plants are very easy to grow and that is why many first-time growers choose autos over regular photoperiod strains. But that does not mean that you can’t improve your plant’s health and get more yield out of the same plants.

This is why I created this info on autoflowers and structured it in the form of multiple tricks and tips that you can use to grow great autoflower plants.

  • Plan ahead – Because autoflowers have a pre-set life cycle you need to plan ahead and do everything to maximize the growth. With these plants from the day you plant them in the ground, you are on the clock and every mistake you make will result in lower yield so be careful and do proper research before growing.
  • Don’t Transplant – Autoflowers don’t like to be transplanted because this process will stunt their growth a little and that is why you should start your plants in their end growing containers. It is best to give your auto-flowers from 3 to 5 gallons(11 to 18 liters) of growing medium so their roots can thrive and will not get pot bound.
  • You can’t clone autoflowers – In all honesty the statement that you can’t clone these plants is false and theoretically, you can do that but because they have a pre-set life cycle then all those clones will finish their life at the same time as their mother and that is why it is not practical to clone autoflowers.
  • Give autos ¼ or ½ nutrients – Autoflowering plants have much smaller root mass than regular photo-sensitive plants and that means you can easily give these plants nutrient burn and that is why I recommend giving your plants reduced nutrient amount.
  • Don’t feed them in their seedling phase – The best autoflower seedling tip is that you should not give these little plants any nutrients as they are very weak and can easily be killed with too much fertilizer.
  • Don’t overwater – Autoflowering plants in their wild state usually grow in very harsh climates and they don’t get a lot of rainfall during their lifetime. And that has resulted in that autoflowering cannabis plants don’t require a lot of watering and it is very easy to overwater them. Use about 5% to 10% of the pot volume and water only every couple of days.
  • Don’t worry about pests and molds – Autoflower plants usually finish in 60 to 70 days and that means bugs and pests like spider mites and aphids as well as molds like powdery mildew will not have time to infest your crop and autoflowers also have strong genetics that can deter these illnesses.
  • Don’t use high-stress training (HST) – If you want to train your autoflowers then it would be best to use low-stress training (LST) methods like side pulling or SCROG because autoflowers don’t like stress and topping as well as pruning will result in smaller yields.
  • You can use T5 and CFL lights – Autoflower plants can grow well under almost any light and that means you don’t need expensive HID lights and powerful ventilation so you can get by with much weaker and cheaper CFL or T5 grow light fixtures.
  • You don’t need to change the light schedule – Autoflowering plants will flower automatically under any light conditions and that means that you don’t need to change the light cycle to kickstart the flowering process. You should maintain a stable 18/6 or 20/4 light cycle throughout their full lifespan.
  • Adjust your PH levels – autoflowering plants grow best in 6.2 to 6.8 PH for vegetative and 6.5 to 7 PH for flowering ranges when growing in soil and 5.8 to 6.2 for vegetative and 5.5 to 6.5 for flowering when grown hydroponically. Of course, if you are just starting out this PH range is not necessary and you can get good crops even with a little lower or little higher PH measurements.
  • Don’t overheat your autos – Autoflowering plants grow best in 23C to 28C (75 F to 83F) in their vegetative growth stages and 22C to 26C (73F to 79F) for their flowering phase. But again slight variations to either side will not be that crucial and will not kill your plants.
  • Flush your plants at the end of the grow – If you want a great taste to your buds then you need to start flushing your autoflowering cannabis plants about a week from harvest and only giving them plain water with no nutrients in this stage. You should give more water than usual and with this process flush all those unwanted nutrients out of your growing medium.
  • Diagnose your plant problems early – If you see yellow leaf tips or other unhealthy things then you should identify the problem as fast as possible and fix it before your plants get stunted.
  • Grow them indoors as well as outdoors – You can grow autoflowers indoors as well as outdoors and because auto-flowers finish fast they will be stealthy and give you great buds in both growing conditions.
  • Autoflowers are great for breeding – Because Ruderalis dominant plants have a short lifespan you can breed new stable hybrids much faster and the fast turnaround of these breeding cycles will allow you to create more varieties and create more stable versions in less time.
  • If you want small plants buy small strains – Not all autoflowers are equal and there are some very tiny plants as well as some super autoflowers that can grow more than a meter tall. So if you want to grow a tiny plant inside a closet grow box then choose a strain that is known for its small height.
  • Use feminized seeds – If you don’t want to waste any growing medium and your time then you should buy only feminized seeds and with them you will have almost 100% chance of getting females and you will not need to worry about males ruining your crop.

I hope these tips will help you grow amazing buds!

4 Comments

  1. Moondude on

    Hello Folks,

    I am going to be using RO water for my first “real” grow. I am curious to know how much Cal-Mag I should and at which stages should I use the Cal-Mag?

    I am also using FloraMicro, FloraGro, FloraBloom and Kool Bloom by General Hydroponics. I will be using the reduced schedule provided by this site.

    Regards,

    Moondude

    • Damn no one ever replied? If ur soil is a light mix.. then i would suggest u use once every week from week 1 veg till 2 weeks before harvest.. if u have a full mix then i would suggest to add only when u see small signs of iron type deficiencies which usually turn the leaves yellow/red but usually not at the tips.. at the tips its a nutrient burn

    • Grow in organic soil/super soil or no till for the best tasting flowers never mind all that flora this and flora that.The best crops ive grown with autos seam to be best grown organically.I have grown both ways for years and hands down organic soil grows always come out on top!Also I dont believe RO water has minerals make sure they do your plants want the minerals.I use filtered water from my tap that doesnt take away minerals but does take out any chlorine the town puts in the water like most cities and towns,your plants will not like the chlorine.I then simply PH the water let stand until room temp so to not shock the roots with fresh cold water.If you need any more info or tips feel free to email any questions you might have? onebadsig@verizon.net

  2. I’m growing some Alaska Purple Auto I bought some Fem seeds from Seedman in the UK. They all sprout, I didn’t op them either, but use great soil, FoxFarms and they will be on their way. They started budding at 5-6 weeks on a cheap $20 ebay full spectrum LED light, and during the day, I put them near my window to get mother nature sunlight. At 4 weeks, they are growing 1-2 inches a day, so by 6 weeks, should be 24-36′ tall. They are really easy and let the “Auto” do its thing!!

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