Autoflowering cannabis is the third smallest of the species in the cannabis genus, which includes cannabis Sativa and cannabis Indica. This third specie is also called cannabis ruderalis, autoflower, auto cannabis or automatic cannabis.
So what does autoflowering mean? This variety of cannabis will automatically flower under almost any light. These plants don’t need the 12/12 light cycle to start producing flowers and can even grow under 24 hours of light.
The Ruderalis plant is a wild variety of the cannabis Sativa. It is a small bushy plant that has adapted to automatically flower. The plant reaches full maturity anywhere from 8 to 11 weeks in harsh climates and almost any growing conditions. The first autoflowering plants were found in the former Soviet Union and they were some leftover hemp plants. They’ve since then adapted to their harsh environment. Now you can find Ruderalis plants all over the world. These strong plants are well adapted to the diseases and insects that surround them. They do everything to flower ASAP and produce flowers and seeds faster than any Sativa or Indica plant.
Although the wild Ruderalis plants contain little or no THC. Breeders from all over the world have produced autoflower strains by crossbreeding these wild varieties with some of the best commercial strains. After countless failures those breeders managed to perfect that crossbreeding and now the market is flooded with autoflowers. New and exciting autoflowering seeds are released into the market as plants are cross-bred.
The best part is that these strains can be ready to harvest in 60 days from seed. It stays between 50 to 100 cm and contain 20 to 30% THC.
Automatic cannabis is becoming the next big thing in the grower’s community but not just due to its fast growth. It doesn’t need the light cycle to change. This eliminates the need for growing rooms for plans that are flowering and those that are in the vegetative stage.
Beginner growers might find this type to suit them just fine. This plant stays small and can be grown in small growing spaces stealthily. It is also very strong and resilient, so beginner mistakes won’t do any damage.
That is why the Ruderalis plant will most likely recover from things like:
- Over or Underwatering
- Potbound roots
- Temperature fluctuations
- Transplanting
- Nutrient burns
- Other stresses and mishaps
Why should you use autoflowering cannabis?
This particular question is discussed more and more as these strains expand their reach and become more mainstream. Now you can find almost any successful strain cross-bred to produce autoflowering seeds to have both the Ruderalis and plant traits in them.
Why do so many people choose autoflowers over the regular Indica and Sativa?
There isn’t a single correct answer for this question. There are many advantages to these autoflower plants as they have some strains that regular cannabis plants just don’t have.
Fast growth and short life cycle
The first point why people choose autoflowering cannabis could be that their life cycle is pretty short. The fastest autoflower plants can grow from seed to full maturity in under 60 days and that gives limitless possibilities to indoor and outdoor growers.
For example, if you plant regular seeds and some autoflowering seeds side by side, the small bushy plants are ready to harvest long before the regular strains start to produce flowers. It also makes the autoflowers less likely to be damaged by critters, bugs, diseases and even inexperienced growers and harsh weather conditions.
The short turnaround of autoflowering cannabis plants indoors, can be properly exploited to have some continuous harvest setups.
Small size
These dwarf plants are harder to spot outdoors due to their small size and that makes them less likely to be detected by other growers, law enforcement, tourists or other troublemakers.
Indoors, these little plants can have a big advantage to growers who have limited space for growing or growers who want to produce their bud stealthily. These short autoflowering seeds will produce plants that can be grown in almost any space and an empty closet or refrigerator will be just fine. However, small plant growing even goes so far as growing them in PC cases and ice boxes, referred to as micro growing. Even if these micro growers don’t get much yield, they are still growing cannabis and autoflower seeds are the only ones who make it possible.
Advantages of autoflower plants
The advantage that characterizes all Ruderalis plants is that they can automatically flower under almost any light cycle. This means that indoor growers don’t need don’t need separate grow-rooms for plans that are in the vegetative stage and those who are flowering. Commercial growers can even put autoflower plants in their vegging room and get some nice bud before harvesting their regular strains.
In the outdoors environment, autoflowering seeds give growers multiple harvests every season and it allows cannabis to be grown in climates where regular strains wouldn’t be able to mature in time.
Autoflower Breeding and Seed Productions
Autoflowers are easier to breed and produce seeds because they are small and their life cycle is short. By breeding autoflowers, you can get roughly 250 seeds from a plant that is just 7 inches tall and you can get them in two months.
Breeding autoflowering strains can be done much faster than with regular strains. This is due to the regular strain which takes 5 to 6 months from seed to harvest, while you can grow two autoflower crops from start to finish and therefore make more stable hybrids faster.
As you can probably realize by now, autoflowers give growers new possibilities and perspective or cannabis growing. As the law changes, more and more people are growing and using the plant. Their first growing experiences will have to be small and the plants strong. These autoflowers are perfect for those situations.
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