Autoflower 12/12 or 20/4 for flowering?

Pistil

Pistil

Member
Will 1 to 2 auto flowers finish faster under 20/4 than 12/12 with 250w HPS in a small space? Or does it make any difference since it is auto? Also, what are the chances of getting a good, potent yield from an auto claiming 8-9 wks if it is grown from seed to finish and drying in 13 wks total? Would 20/4 help to make that happen? I am still confused about autos as I do not want hermies or something if I leave them under 20/4, but given a time constraint, I want it to finish relatively quick. Is it much better practice to put them on 12/12 in flower?
 
I wanted to mention for the drying I do have a really good dehydrator that can be set to whatever temp I want.
 
the autos will flower regardless of how long your light cycle is, however with a longer light cycle they will recive more light and therefore have more energy to put into there flowers. There is nothing you can do to make them finish faster, and yes its very much possible to have a great yielding great smoking autoflower
 
Adjorr said:
the autos will flower regardless of how long your light cycle is, however with a longer light cycle they will recive more light and therefore have more energy to put into there flowers. There is nothing you can do to make them finish faster, and yes its very much possible to have a great yielding great smoking autoflower
Click to expand...

I was thinking if the light did not matter to make them finish faster I would run maybe 16/8. If it all finishes in the same time then I can save some energy. So you think in the time frame I specified that it would be likely to achieve seed to finish?
 
More light will get you more yield.. So, though you will save some energy, it will be at the expense of yield. From what I have read, 20/4 or 18/6 are considered optimal for most autos.
 
So 18/6 with MH and then 18/6 with HPS all the way through? Or does using a MH even matter? In other words does an HPS all the way through get the same results? The plan is to use 250w for "veg" and the 400w for flower. I say "veg", because does an auto really veg? Or from what I can gather it just jumps straight into flower as soon as it breaks ground, so why even use a MH on it? I really appreciate direct as possible answers as I am new and it really helps to have clear, unambiguous answers. That way I can post less repeat questions. Thank you everyone for your help.
 
Ruderalis does veg for the first 3 weeks or so after it gets its first true leaves, then it just starts flowering. The MH should keep your internode space more compact which is good. It would probably be a good idea to keep the MH for about 2 weeks after your flowers begin to appear, then switch to HPS if you have the bulbs anyway.

All this said, you can grow all the way through with HPS, but the time with the MH should in theory get you a better formed plant.
 
Thank you hbbum. That mostly clears it up. So what do you think of less watts for veg and more for flower? It seems there is no need to expend more energy since it is a shorter veg than photos. I know there is probably a little benefit, but for 1 to 2 plants a 250 MH for 3 or 4 weeks seems like it would do well. You say in theory. So now I am curious. If you had only one bulb on the proverbial desert island, the HPS would be it... Experimentation is needed.
 
In theory since I know the science behind it, but I do not grow autos and have always used MH and HPS personally so have not tried it.
 
More light in veg is better then less, given the choice between a 250w mh or a 400w hps for veg I would most likely use the 400w hps. If you had a 400w MH id say veg under that, but since you don't the HPS will probably be better.
 
Actually, I will have the option of 250 or 400 with the ballast I am getting. I am just looking at ways to reduce heat and cost while still maintaining an somewhat optimal growing experience for 1 to 2 plants. I suspect the tried and true methods are what I will ultimately turn to. Just wanted to get some input on indoor lighting and autos. Outdoor growing is super easy imo. But when ya gotta play mother nature yourself, things can get a little tricky:wink:
 
If heat is a concern, I would rather have good temps and 250W than high temps and 400, particularly in veg since there is really no time limit on how long you can veg to get the size you want (within reasonable limits). I have mine under a 90W LED waiting for my current harvest. After that I will put under the 400W MH for a couple weeks, then flip to 12/12 with the MH for a week or 2 before putting the HPS back in. Not exactly a perpetual grow, but its what I can do with the space I have.
 
they will finish faster under 12/12 but yield will be dramatically smaller
smaller pots will make them run a little faster
as will using only bloom nutes and introduce them at preflower
 
you said 13 weeks ?
i would just put them on 24/0 make them huge they should be finished enough to harvest in week 11-12
and your yield will be much much better
 
I grew shitloads of autos years ago, and if indoor.... 24hr CFL. They really, really do not care if it is 2000K or 6500K.. they just dont in my experience *shrugs*
If you can grow outdoor it is a much better option... and they can grow any time of the year you like, but produce more in the summer months (more light)

If you just scored a few auto seeds... bag the males for pollen, seed 50% of your plants. You will end up with hundreds of seeds and then on the next run, just make a 'veggie' patch somewhere and plant heaps.

Cull the males this time and you will get quite a harvest... any time of the year. When seed stocks get low, repeat ;)

IMO the only way to viably do Auto's ;)

Cheers Jimmy.
 
Jimmy Luffnan said:
I grew shitloads of autos years ago, and if indoor.... 24hr CFL. They really, really do not care if it is 2000K or 6500K.. they just dont in my experience *shrugs*
If you can grow outdoor it is a much better option... and they can grow any time of the year you like, but produce more in the summer months (more light)

If you just scored a few auto seeds... bag the males for pollen, seed 50% of your plants. You will end up with hundreds of seeds and then on the next run, just make a 'veggie' patch somewhere and plant heaps.

Cull the males this time and you will get quite a harvest... any time of the year. When seed stocks get low, repeat ;)

IMO the only way to viably do Auto's ;)

Cheers Jimmy.
Click to expand...
ive grown auto's for a few years now and its a totally different ball park now
they have come a long ways since the 7 gram lowryder's i started out with
 
tekdc911 said:
ive grown auto's for a few years now and its a totally different ball park now
they have come a long ways since the 7 gram lowryder's i started out with
Click to expand...

I agree with you tekdc ^^
I think Lowryders were still the whizz bizz back then... and breeders were still trying to stabilize strains ;)
I think they are much more stable now and people are beginning to understand how they work/create
Much better auto's these days... but I even started breeding into pure ruderalis strains and I always found that when you find the right characteristics of auto bloom in the ruderalis, the whole lighting cycle/kelvin spectrum didn't apply any more.... never worked that one out despite biology and anatomy of ruderalis as to why...*shrugs*
Balance was always the hard part ;)

Cheers Jimmy.
 
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