Can someone explain autoflower to me.

I have about a dozen autoflowers. I have never planted one as it seemed like a gimmick. What is the deal with these things. They flower no matter what the light schedule is?

Does that mean it flowers under 24 hours of light? You never switch the lights to 12/12?

Autoflowers will flower under anywhere from 12-24 hours of light. They produce best results under 24 hours of light. They normally finish from seed to harvest in 60 - 70 days. You can yield from half oz to 2 oz depending on strain, some people claim to have yielded more.

Kush2180 said:

Autoflowers will flower under anywhere from 12-24 hours of light. They produce best results under 24 hours of light. They normally finish from seed to harvest in 60 - 70 days. You can yield from half oz to 2 oz depending on strain, some people claim to have yielded more.

Click to expand...

So start to finish, 24 hours of light? Seems expensive on the electric bill but I guess it works out in the end since it finishes quicker. I dunno maybe i'll try one.

you can use ANY lighting schedule and they will flower... thats the difference as it doesnt need a "photoperiod" of darkness to trigger its flowering cycle...

so even 18/6 16/8 14/10 12/12 10/14 8/16 etc... it doesnt really matter... and autos are typically smaller than regulars, only because photoperiods like indica or sativa can stay in their vegetative state longer as opposed to the autoflower's veg period is only practically 3 weeks then it starts to flower "automatically"...

18/6 is typically the way to go as a "best growth for your buck" as the difference between growth, like yield etc... is negligible between, 24 hours of light or 18 so typically the same results, and plants like to have "some downtime" even though they can handle no darkness with ease, it is just cheaper at only 18 hrs vs 24...

and your "elec" bill shouldnt be too high... here is just one of many sites that will calculate it for you... just take the total when youre done plugging in the figures... which will be cents per day, then times that by 30 days and then you got your cost per month...

http://www.handymath.com/cgi-bin/electric.cgi?submit=Entry

Autoflowers have that ruderalis trait mixed in. I know now days they have some nice rudi crosses but I have never u derstood autoflower for indoor growing. just my take. live in a northern lattitude? then hell ya be great for outdoor. veg em up indoors them pop em outside in june.

JustAnotherHead said:

I have about a dozen autoflowers. I have never planted one as it seemed like a gimmick. What is the deal with these things.

Click to expand...

This is:
https://www.rollitup.org/auto-flowering-strains/502366-pros-cons-info-needed-autoflower-3.html#post6925856

They flower no matter what the light schedule is?

Click to expand...

Once they hit sexual maturity (roughly 2-3 weeks of age from seed), yes, they'll flower under ANY light schedule, including 24-7 continuous lighting, if you like.

Does that mean it flowers under 24 hours of light? You never switch the lights to 12/12?

Click to expand...

Again, yes, these *can* flower under 24 hours of light; that doesn't mean that you HAVE to flower them that way.

Some people do believe that 24-0 is the best way to grow these, though that's debatable.

Others grow their autos under either 18-6 or 20-4, believing that their plants and/or equipment can use a few hours of "rest" time each day.

Total grow time and yields are dependent on strain, plus, of course, how exactly they're grown.
But yields of a few ounces per plant are definitely possible with big pots, the right strain, and lots of light.

Shivaskunk said:

Autoflowers have that ruderalis trait mixed in....

Click to expand...

Just to add a little to that. There is Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, Cannabis Afgahni, and Cannabis Ruderalis, or HEMP. Ruderalis has no THC content to speak of, and no photo-period "trigger" so to speak, but matures and flowers due to it's pre-determined life-cycle. When they started mixing the genetics of the THC rich, photo-period plants with the Ruderalis genetics, the "Autoflowering" strains began...

And they are not a gimmick.

not a gimmick, they are here to stay. i like the fact that i have 30+ plants outside already flowering and its only May, they will be done mid june and while indoors I'm germinating and vegging more non autoflowering strains... convenient

I'm trying an auto for the first time myself. I'm trying La Diva from Delicious Seeds. I have a few others that I got for free too. I kind of thought that they were a waste of time, but I'm trying it out to see if I can get a harvest in the middle of my grow type thing. I doubt that I will switch to using auto's exclusively, but I don't see what I shouldn't throw one in here or there. I guess if you have height and time issues auto's would be the way to go.