Autoflowering cannabis strains have taken the market by storm. Although they have been in the market for a short period, they are famous for their adaptive valor and fast flowering. What’s more? They are perfect choices for novice growers, and the wide variety of auto flower seeds make it easy to choose what suits your weed preferences.
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How can I choose the best cannabis seeds for indoor growth?
Growing cannabis indoors ensures a stable cultivation environment. You don’t depend on external weather conditions, and you determine the best heat, air, and nutrition levels. To pick the right sees, think of the desires cannabis effects. There are two main categories of marijuana; these are Indica and Sativa.
Sativas produce that energetic feeling while the Indicas lessen anxiety and inflammation but leave users feeling sluggish. For the seeds, healthy cannabis seeds are dark brown, black, or feature both colors. They can be big or small but shouldn’t be green in color. Mostly green seeds are immature and may not sprout.
The Indicas are bigger than Sativa seeds, and the patterns are also varied. Indica seeds are primarily black, while Sativas feature a single color. If you’re a beginner grower, start with a cheaper strain,and choose a commonly grown strain. This way, you minimize problems during the growth cycle.
How can I grow healthy autoflowers indoors?
Growing autoflowering cannabis strains indoors comes with many gains. They are easy to grow, and you can leave your plants under a fixed light schedule. The plants grow quicker and are smaller than the photoperiod counterparts. With cannabis autoflowers, your buds will be ready in 60-65 days after planting and are ideal for growers with limited indoor space. Here are ideas to help you grow healthy cannabis autoflowers;
1. Strain choices- Don’t make mistakes!
Genetics plays a critical role in the final product. Your preferences and the desired effect should determine the right stain.
If you want to get a high blazing effect after smoking, strains high in THC will work best.
If you use cannabis for medicinal purposes and won’t want t to achieve that high feeling, strains low in TCH and high in CBD would be ideal. Moreover, some strains are easier to manage and flower fast. Consider the growing characteristics, and learn about the different cannabis seeds from Homegrown Cannabis Co.
2. Use light-airy soil for Cannabis
Atoflowering cannabis strains thrive well in light and airy soil with lower nutrients. You’ll find most ready-made soil with a lot of nitrogen and nutrients, but these are great for photoperiod strains. For autoflowers, go for a lightly fertilized potting mix.
Choose a mix that’s not very snug to enable the roots to access sufficient amounts of air. You can also make your own soil mix at home. For a light-airy autoflower soil; mix
- 3 parts peat moss
- 3 parts compost
- 2 parts perlite, moistened
- 1 part vermiculite, moistened
3. Use the right lighting
For autoflowering cannabis strains, you don’t need to keep adjusting the light schedules. You can use an 18/6 on and off plan until your plants mature. This way, you also save on energy compared to when using a 24-hour cycle. However, use the right choice of light. In the past, growers could use HPS lighting, but LED lights have since replaced that.
Thus, leveraging cutting-edge lights for growing cannabis will maximize the potential of auto-flowering cannabis strains with a 20/4 light schedule and will ensure optimal efficiency and energy savings.
Ensure that your LED lights feature UV light. Some growers attest to the fact that UV light enhances the taste and potency of the final product. For your young plants, you can also use conventional fluorescent lamps. They never get warm, thus minimizing the risk of burning your seedlings.
4. Water your autoflowers rightly
You can’t afford to make minor errors with autoflowering strains. With these plants, you don’t water on a fixed schedule. You should always allow the soils to dry up before watering. Also, lift the pots often to determine whether the plants need watering.
Only water when the pots are light; this means that most of the water has dried up. Be cautious when watering; overwatering will starve the roots of oxygen, resulting in drooping-yellowish leaves.
5. Check your water’s PH level
Marijuana plants only absorb nutrients when the root one has the correct PH value. The normal PH range is between 6.0-7.0. The PH in your water won’t be optimal, mainly if you use tap water, and your plants won’t uptake nutrients leading to sicknesses.
With autoflowering strains, this is critical since they grow fast and won’t have adequate time to recover. Therefore, control your water’s PH to ensure that your plants get sufficient nutrients during their short span of growth. For excellent results, use a PH meter and stay in control of your soil.
6. Check the nutrients
Autoflowering cannabis strains are at their healthiest with minimal amounts of nutrients. The plants can thrive in the seedling and vegetative phases without supplemental nutrients. And this is because most soil mixes contain enough nutrients for optimal growth in these phases.
Once your plants sprout, there’s no need to feed them even when the leaves show nutrient deficits. Consider growing your plants in organic soil; this ensures that the plants get all the required nutrients for healthy growth.
7. Don’t top or prune your plants
Topping, pruning, or pinching isn’t necessary with autoflowers. Use the training method whereby you tie the plants to expose all the bud to sufficient light. Only bend the plants and don’t top. Also, be gentle enough to avoid breaking the plants.
8. Harvest gradually for Cannabis
The top buds flower faster than the lower buds, thus the need to harvest your plants at intervals. Clip the topmost shoots and allow the rest more time to flourish. Moreover, harvest all year round, and this is possible if you grow plants at different growth stages. By so doing, you’ll have a steady supply and plants always ready to bloom and harvest.
A quick wrap up
Autoflowering cannabis strains are easy to maintain and are perfect choices for indoor growers. They are also cost-effective and less laborious, yet great choices for growers wishing to have a constant weed supply throughout the year. To get the most out of your plants, buy high-quality seeds and avoid overwatering your plants.
