Growing two rounds of autoflowers in one summer

Author: Gweedo Expert in growing, processing and applying cannabis

If due to circumstances you are a little late or maybe you are just starting to get interested in growing a cannabis plant, then an autoflowering cannabis strain is ideal. Or do you just want to grow another round of autoflowers? Because if you do a little math and experiment with autoflowers, you can easily grow two rounds of five plants each outdoors. So do your own cannabis experiment and harvest ten tolerated cannabis plants in one summer!

Autoflowers, what's that again?

Autoflowers are cannabis plants that flower when they reach maturity. For these plants this is about three to four weeks after germination. So they are not dependent on the number of light hours for the start of the flowering phase. The plant itself decides, automatically, when it will flower. This is because of the Ruderalis genes. Because you can let them flower during the best part of the year, they will produce sturdy and abundant buds. The period from seed to harvest will take about three months. During this time it is advisable not to re-pot the plant. The plant always needs to recover from this and this is a disadvantage for the development because of the short life cycle. You can germinate the seed in a small seedling pot, but repot it one week after the seedling has emerged or when you see root tips at the bottom of the pot. Consumer interest in autoflowers is growing. More and more seed companies are bringing out an autoflowering version of their favorite strains. This means that more autoflowering varieties are coming onto the market, which means that the choice is ever greater. In the months of June and July there is still time enough to grow an autoflower. If you start in mid-June you can harvest in mid-September and if you start in mid-July they will be ready in October. Just like the non-autoflower varieties. If you start your first round in mid-April, it will be ready for harvest in mid-July. 

Early autoflowers

Starting this early in the season does require some preparation. It is still cold and there is a chance of frost. You will have to germinate the plants indoors and let them grow up so that they can be left undisturbed outside in mid-May, after the ice age. Pre-growing is best done under a lamp to prevent the plant from stretching. Stretching is when the plant starts looking for light and grows up too fast and becomes lanky. The result is that they can snap. If the weather is good during the day and the sun is shining, they can go outside for a while. In this way they can get used to their future environment. The lamp does not have to be on, which saves energy.  Because the autoflowering varieties do not grow too large, they do not need to be grown in a huge pot. This makes them a lot handier. In bad weather and rain you can easily move them to a greenhouse, shed or under a roof for protection. 

More yield?

Ten plants yield more, people think, but this is not the point. Because of the shorter life cycle of an autoflower it will yield less than a non-autoflower. On the other hand, you can protect the smaller autoflowers better against wind and rain. You can spread the harvest over several moments in the season. If the weather is bad at the beginning of the summer you still have a chance of a good late summer, or vice versa. If you are lucky enough to have a whole summer with good weather, you are in the right place. 

With autoflowers you can easily grow high quality cannabis under the sun.

More plants, multiple varieties

By being able to grow more plants, you also have the opportunity to grow multiple cannabis varieties. This allows you to add more variety to your stash. If you only grow one strain in a summer, you'll grow a weed with one particular effect.

Perhaps a very potent Indica strain that gives a huge tranquility and relaxation resulting in a couch-lock. Then this is not really a strain for inspiration or for daytime, but more a strain to use medicinally.

    Autoflowers to relax

• Royal Dwarf - Royal Queen Seeds
• Sweet Skunk Automatic - Royal Queen Seeds
• Pineapple Express Auto - Barney's Farm
• Critical Kush - Barney's Farm
• Big Bang Auto - Greenhouse Seeds
• GH Northern lights - Greenhouse Seeds

With autoflowers you also have the opportunity to grow Sativa dominant cannabis strains. The photosensitive Sativas are often difficult to grow outdoors due to their late and long flowering period. Because an autoflower blooms earlier, Sativa dominant autoflowers are easier to grow in the Dutch climate. Sativa dominant strains generally give an uplifting and comforting effect. It is not only the Sativa genes that cause this, but also the presence of certain terpenes that play an important role in this.

Autoflowers for energy and creativity

• Auto Creeper Super Sativa Seed Club
• Bruce Banner III Auto - Super Sativa Seed Club
• Auto Whiteberry - Paradise Seeds
• Lemonade Auto - Paradise Seeds
• Haze Berry Auto - Royal Queen Seeds

With the rising popularity of cannabis with high CBD content, it's no surprise that more and more CBD autoflowers are hitting the market. These CBD autoflowers have a high CBD content and a lower content of the psychoactive substance THC. You will get a less intense high from these, but still with the benefits of cannabis, making them useful for many medicinal purposes as well. Because of this rising popularity of CBD cannabis, there are now even strains being crossed with a high percentage of CBDV and CBG. At first, I wasn't too sure what to do with CBD weed. I consume both recreationally and medicinally as well as therapeutically. In short, I use cannabis for my well-being and for me that includes a good dose of THC. I have always been able to relax with a nice piece of hash. Because I don't want to smoke tobacco anymore, I use CBD weed as a tobacco substitute for a joint. A CBD weed, you should grow it sometime too. 

    Autoflowers with a high CBD content

• Solomatic CBD - Royal Queen Seeds
• Royal CBG Auto - Royal Queen Seeds
• Royal CBDV Automatic - Royal Queen Seeds
• Charlotte's Dream CBD Auto - Growers Choice
• Super Lemon Haze Auto CBD - Green House Seed Co. 

Read also: Time to grow a CBD strain! | Sirius 

Nutrition for autoflowers

In principle you can use all the nutrition that is suitable for weed plants for growing autoflowers outdoors. You have to be careful when you start giving growth nutrients and when you start giving bloom nutrients. If you regularly grow autoflowers of the same strain you will have the experience of when this turning point is reached. With an unknown variety you'll have to keep an eye on it.

If you start too early or too late with the switch to the bloom feed, this will influence the further course. The same goes for the moment you stop giving feed. With mineral nutrients, which are usually in liquid form in a bottle, it is advisable to only give water in the last week before the harvest. Flushing or rinsing is called this. The substances that the plant does not use accumulate in the soil, coco or whatever growing medium you are growing in.

An autoflower does not have much time to go from seed to flower, so every stagnation is a disadvantage and there is hardly any time for recovery. So try to avoid stagnation in the growing process.

I myself prefer to grow my autoflowers outside with Biotabs. One type of nutrition that can be used for both the growing and flowering periods. So you do not have to guess when to switch from one type of nutrition to another. You are always right. There is no need for rinsing either because you are only giving water anyway. Another advantage of organic nutrition is that you do not have to measure PH. The biological soil life takes care of that itself. The Biotabs products are certified organic nutrients. With the starter set from Biotabs you have enough nutrients for five 15-liter pots for five autoflowers of your favorite strains in your garden.

Gweedo Expert in growing, processing and applying cannabis

Gweedo is a true cannabis expert. This includes growing, processing and applying cannabis. With over 25 years of experience, he is a walking encyclopedia for all things cannabinoids.

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