Sativa, Indica, and Hybrids that guarantee to be female are referred to as feminized. While strains that have been crossbred with Ruderalis are known as, ‘auto-flowering’ aka ‘photoperiod’ which are actually feminized as well.
So, what should you consider when choosing between auto-flowering cannabis seeds and feminized seeds?
In short, if you are looking at doing multiple harvests a year, then auto-flowering strains are certainly something to consider. Auto’s grow fast; however, they are usually a lot smaller and have shorter flowering periods. Whereas feminized seeds take longer to grow and mature, they usually offer more impressive buds at harvest time. Unless you are growing indoors, feminized seeds can only be harvested once a year.
Also, auto-flowering cannabis seeds do not need pruning. They are only in a vegetative state for a limited amount of time; this will limit the development of new branches. Feminized seeds, though, will benefit enormously from correctly planned pruning.
Cloning:
If you are planning on cloning your cannabis seeds, then auto-flowering strains won’t work. Clones are basically a cutting you can replant; they retain the genetic makeup as well as the age of the mother plant.
Feminized clones under the right light cycle will have plenty of time to go through a vegetative phase.
Growing Cannabis Outdoors:
When grown outdoors, one obvious benefit to auto-flowering strains is that you won’t need to fuss over the amount of light your plants get. Instead, they have genetic programming and will age independent of light cycles. Due to the smaller size of auto-flowing plants, they are perfect for environments whereby you want your cannabis to blend in with the rest of your garden.
Now when it comes to your normal feminized cannabis seeds and bearing in mind it will differ from strain to strain; one would usually plant a new harvest of feminized seeds in September/October and most probably look at harvesting around March. With the right amount of sunlight, feminized plants will continue to grow in the vegetative stage.
Growing Cannabis Indoors:
If your indoor op has limited space or you are simply looking for a quick harvest, then autos can be considered. Although much smaller in size, when following a consistent 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness throughout their vegetative and flowering stages they will do just fine.
Feminized plants will need about 18h of light and 6 hours of darkness to stay in their vegetative state. Once the light cycle changes, like to a 12h light/12h darkness regime. The plants will flower. No matter the age or size. From this point, there’s no turning back.
Final Thoughts:
Ultimately it will depend on many factors when choosing between auto-flowering and normal feminized cannabis seeds. There are plenty of good reasons to prefer either of them. Either way now is the time to start growing your own cannabis for personal use. So, whether you are looking for multiple fast harvests or more controlled and fine-tuned grows will determine your choice.
No matter what you choose, Overgrow has got you covered will over 100 strains to choose from. Simply pick your strain and let the fun and games begin.
