Autoflowering Cannabis Seeds

Where it all started

Autoflowering cannabis comes from Cannabis ruderalis, a wild plant that made its home in some pretty brutal places, Russia, central Europe, bits of central Asia.

The weather there wasn't kind: hot summers, freezing winters, and not much time in between.

Plants that waited for the right light cycle didn't stand a chance. Ruderalis figured out a smarter way, it flowers when it's ready, not when the days get shorter.

That meant it could wrap up its whole life in about fifty days, even when the sun barely showed up.

Breeders saw the potential and started crossing ruderalis with stronger indica and sativa plants. The goal was simple: keep the auto-flowering magic but boost the potency.

Some reckon an early hemp variety called Finola, bred in Finland from Russian stock in 1995, played a part.

Then in the early 2000s, LowRyder turned up as one of the first commercial autoflowering strains. Those early ones weren't brilliant, bit weak, not much smell, nothing to write home about.

But breeders kept at it, and now you've got autoflowering strains that can hit around 25% THC and smell just as good as anything else.

How they look and when they flower

Autoflowering plants don't hang about. After two to four weeks of growing leaves and stems, they start flowering all by themselves. The whole thing, seed to finish, takes seven to ten weeks, sometimes as little as seven.

Ruderalis genes keep them short too, usually somewhere between sixty and a hundred and twenty centimetres. Some newer "super-autos" stretch a bit taller, up to a hundred centimetres, and bush out more, but they're still compact compared to the big photoperiod plants.

Dwarf types stay under two feet and are said to still have a reasonable yield. They don't care if the light's a bit all over the place either, and won't suddenly turn into hermaphrodites.

Outdoors, they are said to be able to flower in the middle of summer instead of waiting for autumn. Indoors, professional breeders keep them going all year round.

Tough as old boots

Ruderalis didn't survive those harsh climates by being delicate. Autoflowering plants inherited that toughness, so they shrug off pests, diseases, mould, and even a bit of frost better than most.

They handle wonky temperatures and less-than-perfect professional breeder setups without much fuss. As long as it's above freezing, they'll survive, though obviously they won't manage if it's frozen solid all the time.

Nearly all autoflowering seeds these days are feminised, so there's no messing about with breeders trying to spot and chuck out males.

They're low-maintenance overall, which makes them popular with both small and large professional breeders. The one catch is cloning.

What's out there now

These days, we have autoflowering versions of nearly every strain going. Breeders have crossed famous names, Skunk, OG Kush, Haze, with autoflowering genetics, and the results keep the flavour and strength of the originals. There are high-THC ones, medium-THC ones, low-THC ones, and plenty with boosted CBD alongside other cannabinoids.

The smells and tastes cover everything, citrus, flowers, fruit, skunk, fuel. Strain types include blue, cheese, cookie, fruity, haze, purple, savoury, sweet, and white varieties.

Breeders like Barney's Farm, Fast Buds, Dutch Passion, and Auto Seeds have all thrown their hats in the ring.

Dutch Passion were early pioneers and still lead the pack when it comes to solid, reliable genetics.

Modern autoflowering strains deliver proper yields and potency despite the short growing time, so the old idea that fast equals weak doesn't really hold up anymore.