How long do Autoflowers stay in the flowering stage?
Autoflower cannabis average time from seed to harvest
With 5-6 weeks of vegetative growth and around 9 weeks of bloom it can take 15 weeks or more for a feminised strain to reach harvest.
How long does the flowering stage take? The duration of the flowering stage varies among different strains. The flowering stage in Cannabis plants usually goes from 8 to 11 weeks, depending on the strain. It's usually divided into weeks or three stages.
Most autoflowers have a life cycle of about 10 to 12 weeks for indoor growers. After germination the seedlings will grow and start to flower automatically usually after 4-7 weeks indoors. Most indoor growers of autoflower seeds harvest their plants around 10-12 weeks after germination.
At week 4 of the flowering stage, your cannabis plants will likely have stopped growing altogether and are now spending all their energy on growing buds. There will still be white hairs sticking out from the buds, but the buds themselves will become bigger and fatter with each day.
After your plant has already started showing signs of flowers, you're officially in the flowering stage, even though your plant won't grow more leaves or branches, she will still grow quite a bit through a process called “flowering stretch” and you will see the flowers getting denser as time goes by.
Unlike photoperiodic strains that can take anywhere from 8-14 weeks or more, autoflowering strains take as little as 7 weeks up to 11 weeks from seed to harvest.
Changes from Week 5 to Week 6
The biggest changes that you will witness in the sixth week of flowering is the amount of weight that has been added to the buds. Your buds in Week 6 will be noticeably bigger than they were in Week 5. At this point, these plants are deep into flower, and are really maturing day by day.
Changes from Week 6 to Week 7
The biggest changes that you will witness in the seventh week of flowering is the amount of trichome production on the buds. Your buds in Week 7 will be noticeably frostier, as the plants begin to finish out. These plants are beginning to look smokable!
Generally, you want to water every 2 or 3 days during Flower and you want to water enough that 10-20% of water comes out from the pot as runoff. You can check your soil moisture by sticking a finger in the pot: if the soil is dry a couple inches down, then it is time to water again.
Yellow leaves
For autoflowering plants maybe the best sign of when your cannabis is ready for harvest is yellowing of leaves as autoflower trichomes usually don't change color as fast as it is with photo-sensitive plants.
Should you water Autoflowers everyday?
At the vegetative growth stage autoflowers will also need the same care as regular cannabis plants and that means that the watering process needs to be repeated every day if your pot is small or every other day if the pot is medium to large.
When growing autoflowers outdoors, you require bigger autoflower pots since the plants are expected to grow larger. All the same, you shouldn't invest in an autoflower pot bigger than 15 liters. Autoflowers have a short growing period, and they're ready for harvest before exploiting the whole space in the big pot.
Schwazzing involves stripping your plants of all fan leaves beneath the top two or three nodes at two key times: Once at the start of the bloom phase, and again at the beginning of the third week of bloom.
More growth and stretching of the plants in Week 3
You will notice continued growth and stretching. You can see in the video how bushy everything has become. This rapid, almost non-stop growth is all a sign of the post-vegetative stretch that these plants go through after switching to the 12/12 light cycle.
Yes you should – but with the correct technique. A proper thinning will remove 20-40% of the mid to upper foliage every 5-7 days. Removing these fan leaves opens up light and produces better air exchange to the lower canopy.
The vertical growth stops sometime during week 7 but the plant does everything in its power to increase the size of the buds.
While a typical autoflower usually grows between 50 to 100 cm (1.5 to 3 feet), here at Fast Buds you can find strains that can grow up to 150cm (59in), like Orange Sherbet Auto or Original Auto Amnesia Haze.
The genetics in your seeds play a huge role in the amount of cannabis flowering stretch. A short, bushy indica autoflower strain may finish harvest around 60cm tall and be loaded full of buds. A photoperiod feminised sativa strain may end up close to 2m tall and may require lots of LST to control her stretch.
Generally, it's recommended to start lollipopping at the very end of the vegetative phase. With photoperiod strains, do it 2-3 days before the flip to 12/12. And lollipopping autoflowers should be done when you see the first pistils (female hairs) at the nodes, but before the proper flowers begin to form at the tops.
Autoflowers don't necessarily need a dark cycle. You can grow them under an autoflower 24 hour light from seed to harvest. Many people do just that whereas others feel that they get slightly better results with a 20/4 or perhaps 18/6 autoflower light cycle.
Why do my Autoflowers grow so slow?
Overwatering is one of the most common mistakes made by new cannabis growers. It's like suffocating your plants, and one of the main reasons behind slow growth, nutrient deficiencies, root rot, fungus, and many other problems. Don't water too often and do not water on a fixed schedule.
- To Flush or not To Flush? ...
- Prune Those Leaves. ...
- Drop the Humidity. ...
- Drop the Humidity Even More in the Last 2 or 2 1/2 days. ...
- Drop the Light Hours, Too. ...
- Stop the Nutrients. ...
- Crank Up the Sugar (Molasses) ...
- Know When to Harvest.
In weeks 6-8, the buds of your plants will begin to harden; the delicate trichome heads of your flowers will cloud and turn amber, and the once milky pistils of your buds will shrink, turn brown and become fragile.
Weeks 1-3 – Transition
Also known as the flowering stretch—you'll notice a sudden increase in growth over these three weeks. Your plant needs to be big and strong enough to support the buds that'll be growing over the next few weeks—it can double or even triple in size.
ENDING NUTRIENT CYCLE / FLUSHING
At the end of flowering, there may still be plenty of nutrients left in the growing medium and leaves. To prevent harsh tastes and unsavoury chemicals making their way into your stash, you can simply stop feeding any nutrients in the last 1.5–2 weeks of flowering.
Flowering week 7 and 8. Ripening is the most difficult phase. The buds need to ripen at this point in order to be harvested at the best possible moment. The buds are still getting bigger, but not as quickly as in the previous phase.
During the germination and seedling stages, give each plant 3-7 ounces every 4-7 days. During the vegetative stage (when your autoflowers are growing leaves and branches), give each plant 10-20 ounces every 2-4 days. During the flowering stage, give each plant 24-50 ounces every 2-3 days.
We all grow up knowing plants need soil, sunlight and water, but we often don't realize the importance of consistently watering flowers. A lack of moisture can cause a flower garden to wilt and produce very few – if any – blooms. Overwatering flowers can cause disease and the drowning of plants.
To stimulate blooming, choose fertilizers with a higher percentage of phosphorus compared to the percentage of nitrogen and potassium. Healthy flowers start with vigorous root systems, and a potassium boost can ensure your flowers get a good start.
Yellow leaves
For autoflowering plants maybe the best sign of when your cannabis is ready for harvest is yellowing of leaves as autoflower trichomes usually don't change color as fast as it is with photo-sensitive plants.
Why do Autoflowers take so long to finish?
Autoflowers need to be exposed to enough light for maximum development. When they lack light, flowering might be slow due to a slow growth rate. This problem commonly happens when you grow your cannabis plant indoors.
When growing autoflowers outdoors, you require bigger autoflower pots since the plants are expected to grow larger. All the same, you shouldn't invest in an autoflower pot bigger than 15 liters. Autoflowers have a short growing period, and they're ready for harvest before exploiting the whole space in the big pot.
Regular autoflowering plants are small, yielding between 10 and 50 grams per plant. You cannot expect a strain with a fast and short flowering time to produce more than 30 grams but super autoflowers can yield 200-300 grams if you give it the perfect environment.
Generally, it's recommended to start lollipopping at the very end of the vegetative phase. With photoperiod strains, do it 2-3 days before the flip to 12/12. And lollipopping autoflowers should be done when you see the first pistils (female hairs) at the nodes, but before the proper flowers begin to form at the tops.
To answer your question—yes, you can cut the mature buds from the top of the plant and clear the branches and leaves to allow better light penetration to the lower portion of the plant. And the lower buds will continue to grow and ripen and can be harvested a week or two later.
Defoliating autoflowers gives you fatter, juicier buds, a more bountiful harvest, and healthier greenery. Pruning, trimming, and topping autoflower plants is standard practice, especially for bushier autos.
To force your autoflower plant into flowering you simply need to change the light cycle to 12/12 light schedule and it'll eventually start to flower. If your plant is healthy, however, it can cause unneeded stress which will affect the yield potential.
Waiting longer to harvest gives the trichomes ample time to develop. But the longer you wait, the more highly intoxicating and sedative your flower will become. This is especially true for indica strains, but even sativa strains can become sedating.
Most autoflowers grow well in 3-gallon pots, but you can always experiment with one plant before planting ten different seeds. It's recommended to go for 12-liter pots with autoflowers. Another important thing to remember is that most autoflowers don't perform well if they are transplanted.
Is it safe to defoliate autoflowers? The short answer is – yes, it is. It is a risky technique, sure, but you can defoliate autoflowers as well. As long as you remember to remove leaves in the vegetative stage, you'll do good.
Do Autoflowers need darkness?
Do autoflowers need a dark cycle? Autoflowers don't necessarily need a dark cycle. You can grow them under an autoflower 24 hour light from seed to harvest. Many people do just that whereas others feel that they get slightly better results with a 20/4 or perhaps 18/6 autoflower light cycle.
If you are growing very fast-growing autoflowering strains that can be done in less than two months from seed then the premium soil will almost able to supply your auto plant with the necessary amounts of nutrients and you will probably need to feed them only once or twice.
Nutrients for flowering stage (4+ weeks)
Use an NPK ratio of 5-10-10 or similar. Some autoflower nutrients contain more phosphorus (eg. 5-15-10), and these are suitable as well.
The highest yielding autoflower is Green Crack . This autoflower produces yields of up to 650g per square meter after only 9 weeks from seed to harvest.
