What are auto-flowering cannabis seeds?

Technically, cannabis is a blanket term that refers to three different varieties of the same plant: indica, sativa, and ruderalis. Why is this important? Each strain provides us with something unique and different. When it comes to consumption, we tend to stick with indica and sativa strains because of their content of THC and CBD (the chemicals responsible for affecting change within our bodies), while ruderalis is sought after for it’s physical characteristics. What you’d call ditch weed, ruderalis evolved to thrive in the inhospitable conditions native to the mountains regions of areas like Russia, which see near constant daylight year-round. Cannabis is a photoperiod plant and it needs the duration of daylight hours to change in order for it to naturally switch from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage.

Ruderalis is the little plant that could, and evolved to switch from one stage to the next when the plant reaches a certain point in development. When the time comes, the plants automatically switch to their flowering life-cycle stage. Nothing the grower does has any bearing on when this happens. You don’t need to alter the lighting cycle in any way. Everything takes care of itself, automatically – hence the name. As lighting has no impact on when flowering begins, autoflower seeds are great for growing where conditions are not ideal. Or where the grower has neither the experience nor the inclination to go the manual route!  This characteristic has proven invaluable to breeders, who’ve been able to develop potent hybrids that take advantage of the auto-flowering property without taking on any other characteristics of the ruderalis plant.

Why use Auto-flowering Feminized Marijuana Seeds?

The primary argument in favour of autoflowering cannabis is rapid results. During the course of a single standard season, auto flowering seeds have the potential to produce at least two outdoor crops. When growing indoors, auto flowering cannabis plants can mature fully in under 70 days. Meaning that the time between germination and harvest is significantly reduced. As such, growers looking to produce results quickly, are advised to consider the autoflowering option. In addition, autoflowering strains are far less labour-intensive and far more forgiving. Hence their suitability for both newcomers and those unable to give their crops intensive time and attention. With little to no knowledge and experience, even first-timers can produce outstanding results with autoflower strains.

The Key Benefits of Auto-flower Marijuana Seeds

***Light cycles do not need to be changed, allowing vegetative and flowering plants to be kept in the same grow space.
***By eliminating the need for careful lighting control, autoflowering marijuana is perfect for newcomers with minimal experience. 
***Depending on the strain, it’s possible to go from seed to final harvest in as little as 55 days.
***If growing outdoors, it isn’t necessary to wait for flowering to begin and you can produce multiple harvests within the same season.
***Auto-flowering plants are considerably smaller and more compact than standard cannabis plants. This makes them great for smaller grow spaces. 
***Autoflowering seeds can produce extremely resilient plants with strong resistance to cold. mould, disease and other common problems. 

What Yield Will I Get from Auto-flowering Seeds?

The only real downside of autoflower seeds is the potential for slightly reduced yields so this isn’t for you if you are looking for high yield strains. Which of course comes down to the fact that the plants themselves are considerably smaller. Nevertheless, these small plants have the potential to produce the highest-quality bud far quicker than normal. Meaning that pound-for-pound over a single season, you could potentially produce more cannabis with autoflowering strains. As always, the intense light of the highest quality will have a marked impact on the results you achieve. As will your provision of carefully balanced nutrients, the ideal environmental conditions at all times and so on. Auto flowering weed reduces labor intensity, but you’ll still need to play your part. And of course, yields vary significantly from one cannabis species/strain to the next.  So it’s a good idea to take into account both potency and potential yields, before selecting your perfect auto seeds.

Storing Auto-Flowering Seeds for the Long Term

So, your favorite cannabis seeds have shown up in the mail but for whatever reason, you’re not quite ready to plant them yet. What the heck do you do now? No worries, your investment is safe. It’s easy to preserve weed seeds! Store seeds in an air-tight container – like our original packaging or a sealed mason jar – and place them in a cool, dark place, like a cupboard that doesn’t see a lot of use. You want to make sure that spot isn’t accessed often, and that the conditions remain as stable as possible for the duration of storage. In this way, your pot seeds can last upwards of three years.

Three simple things to remember when storing cannabis seeds

***Keep them in the dark: Light is a huge factor in the germination and growth of marijuana, so they need to be stored in a dark place.
***Keep them cool: humidity encourages growth and can cause mold on your delicate seeds.
***Keep them dry: your seeds will start to germinate when they come into contact with water.