5 Tips for Growing Autoflowering Cannabis Strains (Get Bigger Yields & More THC)

Last updated Mar 21, 2024

by Nebula Haze


Table of Contents

Introduction: How to Maximize Autoflowering Marijuana

Autoflowering vs Photoperiod Strains: Quick Summary

5 Tactics for Growing Autoflowering Cannabis Strains

  1. Start Strong (Most Important Thing)
  2. Use Good Cannabis Nutrients for Autoflowers
  3. Have Extra Autoflowering Seeds on Hand
  4. Grow the Right Number of Plants for Your Space
  5. Train Autoflowers for Extreme Yields and Bud Quality

Bonus Tip: Start with Great Autoflowering Genetics


 

Introduction: 5 Tips for Growing Autoflowering Marijuana Strains for Yields & THC

Today I’m going to share 5 tips for growing autoflowering cannabis strains to get bigger yields and more THC. Here’s the strategy I use to consistently produce massive top-shelf autoflowering harvests.

I always start with good quality autoflowering cannabis seeds to ensure strong fast-growing seedlings.

I always start with good quality autoflowering cannabis seeds to ensure strong fast-growing seedlings.

I give autoflowers proper care and nutrients according to their needs (outlined in this tutorial).

I give them proper care and nutrients according to their needs (outlined in this tutorial).

After about 2-3 months from germination, the reward is getting to enjoy a massive autoflowering harvest.

After about 2-3 months from germination, the result is getting to enjoy a massive autoflowering harvest.

Preparing for a Massive Auto-Flowering Cannabis Harvest

I gather my supplies — a big bag of Fox Farm Cultivation Nation 70/30 (a rich fluffy potting mix made of coco and perlite), my favorite nutrients, and a bunch of folded fabric pots. I unfold the pots and set them up in a row. It makes me smile to fill them up with potting mix. Making little homes for the plant roots.

As I dig into the soft coco with a big silver scoop (made to scoop flour, but surprisingly perfect for moving a lot of coco), I think about the cannabis plant strains I’m about to grow. The package of autoflowering seeds had arrived in the mail yesterday, and all the seed packs were sitting on my kitchen counter.

Autoflowering strains have a reputation for producing low-quality buds, but I’m beyond confident with my seed choices. I’d researched the best autoflowering strains for hours and settled on a fun variety of high-yielding, potent autoflowering genetics from vetted breeders. There’s been a huge leap forward in autoflowering strain quality since “Lowryder” was the only option when I started growing weed in 2008. I know my strain choices will produce buds that look and smell fantastic and have the strong effects I’m looking for.

The original “Lowryder” autoflowering strain grew tiny amounts of non-potent weed. No wonder autoflowering strains got a bad reputation.

The original "Lowryder" autoflowering strains grew tiny adorable plants that made only a little weed because they were so small.

How things have changed. Instead of producing a joint’s worth of subpar weed, modern autoflowering cannabis strains can compete with traditional photoperiod cannabis strains in both yields and bud quality.

Modern autoflowering strains produce captivating bud quality. (Recommended strains at the bottom of the tutorial!)

Modern autoflowering strains produce captivating bud quality. (Recommended strains at the bottom of the page!)

Autoflowering cannabis plants can also produce outstanding yields if you follow the steps in this tutorial. I’ll show you the effective tactics I’ve honed over multiple autoflowering grows to produce over 1 gram/watt of electricity with LEDs or HPS grow lights.

These autoflowering plants produced over 1 lb in a 2×4′ grow tent under a 350W grow light. Follow today’s tactics to copy these results.

Autoflowering cannabis plants can also produce outstanding yields if you follow all the tactics in this tutorial. These plants produced over 1 lb in a 2x4' grow tent under a 350W grow light.

Quick Summary of the Difference Between Autoflowering and Photoperiod Cannabis Strains

You may be wondering, Why not grow traditional (photoperiod) strains?

The answer is, For the ease and speed of a cannabis autoflowering harvest.

Autoflowering Cannabis Strains

  • Autoflowering cannabis plants automatically make buds and are ready to harvest about 2-3 months from germination.

Photoperiod Cannabis Strains

  • Photoperiod plants don’t make buds without help. To get buds to form, they need long nights (daily 12-hour dark periods), which can be annoying because you can’t check on your plants for 12 hours each day.
  • They also take longer. Buds mature slower.
  • On average, photoperiod cannabis plants take about 3-5 months from germination to harvest, resulting in one less harvest per year compared to growing with autoflowering strains.

Autoflowering cannabis plants automatically make buds and are ready to harvest about 2-3 months from germination.

5 Tactics for Growing Autoflowering Cannabis Strains

Armed with excellent genetics, I set out to produce my best autoflowering harvest yet. I know the autoflowering tactics that reward growers with a sea of potent buds. I know I just have to keep 5 things in mind to maximize my yields and bud quality…

1.) Start Strong (Most Important Thing)

Starting strong is the most important aspect of achieving big yields with autoflowering strains. Because these plants start flowering in just a month, a slow start results in small cannabis plants that stop growing bigger when they only have a few bud sites.

No matter what you do, a tiny stunted cannabis plant will never compete with a big plant that has tons of bud sites positioned directly under the grow light.

Germination: My recommended germination method for autoflowering strains is to plant the seed directly in the coco or soil. This way you never have to move your seedlings after they sprout.

Plant your cannabis seeds and keep them warm during germination.

Watch a quick gif animation showing the planting of a cannabis seed for germination, then patting the soil down gently. Plant your cannabis seeds and keep them warm during germination.

Light Schedule: My recommended light schedule for auto-flowering plants is 18 hours light/day. You can give autos up to 24 hours of light a day, but 18 hours saves 20% of the electricity and gets similar yields. Plus a 6-hour night increases the overall hardiness of plants vs giving them no dark period.

Watering Seedlings: The easiest way to stunt autoflowering seedlings is from poor watering. Give them the right amount of water (not too much, not too little) so they’re growing fast right out of the gate. Check out my guide to watering seedlings perfectly.

Give just a little water at a time in a small circle around the base of new seedlings. Water every few days.

Give just a little water at a time in a small circle around the base of new seedlings. Water every few days.

Aim for 6 full sets of new leaves by day 25 from germination. If you accomplish this, you’re perfectly on track for this tutorial. If plants are smaller than that, it’s a sign you may have been able to improve your start, and plants may not be able to produce as much weed as they could have.

A “strong start” looks like this. These autoflowering plants are all 21 days from germination. Some are bigger than others, but overall they’re all growing fast and healthy.

A "strong start" looks like this. These autoflowering plants are all 21 days from germination. Some are bigger than others, but overall they're all growing fast and healthy.

Autoflowering plants depend on you for a strong start. If plants start making buds before they reach a good size, they’ll stay stunted and puny, incapable of producing a big harvest. That means you have to avoid common pitfalls that slow down young plants. By germinating seeds in their final destination, giving 18 hours of light a day, and watering seedlings perfectly, you’ll get strong fast-growing seedlings that get big quickly and can produce a big harvest.

 

2.) Use the Right Nutrients

Autoflowering plants respond well to getting the right nutrients at the right time. Even if growing in a “just add water” soil that provides all nutrients, you’ll increase your growth rates, yields, and potentially bud potency/smell too, simply by providing extra nutrients in the water. I recommended adding at least some nutrients from germination to maximize their growth.

Use good cannabis nutrients. Respond really well to synthetic or mineral-based nutrients like General Hydroponics Flora trio at half strength (my preferred choice) or Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro + Bloom at 1 tsp/gallon. Other great choices include Fox Farm Nutrient trio (I like the hydro version for both soil and coco) and Advanced Nutrients. Learn more about good cannabis nutrients.

Don’t go overboard. Autoflowering plants tend to be less tolerant than traditional strains to extremely high amounts of nutrients and/or lots of supplements.

Give the right nutrients at the right time. With autoflowering plants, give “Vegetative” or “All Purpose” nutrients until plants stop getting taller, typically about 6 weeks from germination. Then give “Flowering” or “Bloom” nutrients until harvest.

Pay attention to pH if you see nutrient deficiencies. If the pH near the roots is too high or low, your plants will get nutrient deficiencies even if you’re doing everything else right. Be extra sure to check the pH of runoff water. In soil it should be 6-7 pH, and in coco it should be 5.5-6.5 pH. If you see leaf markings that look like a nutrient deficiency, check the pH first before changing anything else. Learn how to check the pH of your water.

Often, cannabis nutrient deficiencies are actually caused by incorrect pH at the roots (like these yellow leaves with brown spots). Adding more nutrients won’t help. You need to fix the pH to get the deficiency to stop spreading.

Often, cannabis nutrient deficiencies are actually caused by incorrect pH at the roots (like these yellow leaves with brown spots). Adding more nutrients won't help. You need to fix the pH to get the deficiency to stop spreading.

With autoflowering plants, going overboard with nutrients can be a problem, but do give enough. Giving good nutrients at the right time in the correct amounts will produce higher quality buds and bigger yields versus not giving any nutrients at all.

 

3.) Have Extra Autoflowering Seeds on Hand

We already talked about how important it is to get a strong start. With traditional photoperiod plants, you have the ability to recover from a slow start by giving plants time to get big and initiating buds later. But what if something happens and you have tiny autoflowering plants that are already making buds? Here’s what to do.

Stunted Plants? Germinate More Seeds.

Don’t wait until harvest if you don’t have any plants that look like they’ll be big enough to yield well. Take control over your grow. Have extra autoflowering seeds on hand and germinate them if your first batch doesn’t go as well as planned.

You can even let the older ones continue growing in the same space, so you get a small yield from them. But with autoflowering strains, you have the flexibility to have plants at different stages in the same tent because they don’t need special light schedules.

Autos let you easily and quickly start a new grow. If something goes wrong with your first batch, you will maximize your first harvest by being prepared to germinate extra seeds and get more plants going immediately.

This grower has auto-flowering plants at multiple stages in the same grow tent. If your tent has extra space, plant an extra autoflowering seed!

This grower has auto-flowering plants at multiple stages in the same grow tent. If your tent has extra space, plant an extra autoflowering seed!

 

4.) Grow the Right Number of Plants for Your Space

For grow tents and other indoor gardens, you’ll maximize your results by growing the right number of plants for your space, with the right size pots. Let me share what’s worked best for me in the 3 most common grow tent sizes. I’ll also share some bonus tips for growing outdoors or in a window.

Optimal number of autoflowering plants for your grow tent, with recommended pot sizes:

Generally, with autoflowering strains, you want to grow a few more plants than necessary in case you get a plant that doesn’t automatically start making buds, or herms, or runs into some other problem that means you have to toss that particular plant. If you have several plants and end up getting rid of one, the others will fill in the space.

Mini Grow Tent (2×2′) – 2-4 plants 

  • 2 plants – Keep in 2-gallon fabric pots. I’ve found fabric pots tend to get faster growth on average. With just two plants, it’s easy to pay close attention to them and offer great care.
  • 4 plants – Keep in 2-gallon fabric pots or 1-gallon hard-sided pots. Although fabric pots typically get faster growth than plastic pots, small fabric pots dry out way too fast and need to be watered all the time (sometimes even more than once a day). If you’re going to use very small pots, opt for hard sides to keep plants from drying out as fast so you can water less often.

4 plants - Keep in 2-gallon fabric pots or 1-gallon hard-sided pots. Although fabric pots typically get faster growth than plastic pots, small fabric pots dry out way too fast and need to be watered all the time (sometimes even more than once a day). If you're going to use very small pots, opt for hard sides to keep plants from drying out as fast so you can water less often.

Rectangle Grow Tent (2×4′) – 2-8 plants

  • 2 plants – Can get really big yields, but it’s putting all of your eggs in a two-plant basket. Keep in 5-gallon fabric pots.
  • (Recommended for Ease) 3 plants – Easy to reach all plants since they’re in a row. Very high yielding because each plant gets individual attention. 3 strains gives a good amount of strain variety and you get a lot of each. Keep in 5-gallon pots each, so only 15 gallons soil/coco needed in total.
  • Other options: 4 plants (2 back, 2 front), 6 plants (3 back, 3 front) – Halfway between, more flexibility if something goes wrong with one of the plants (herms, doesn’t automatically start making buds), but more work than just 2 plants.
  • (Recommended for Yields)  8 plants (4 back, 4 front) – highest yielding overall, if you get 2 oz per plant that’s 1 lb, but need 2-gallon pots to make it fit, can be hard to keep watered. 2-gallon pots each (3 gallons, if you can find a way to fit them, is great from the perspective of a grower, but you’re going to have to buy 24 gallons worth of grow medium to fill all those pots, best done with coco since you can hydrate it all at home instead of buying a shitload of soil). Whenever I’ve grown 8 autoflowering plants, I’ve always been able to produce a pound.

Easy to care for with great yields – Grow three autoflowering plants in a 2’x4′ grow tent.

Easy to care for with great yields - Grow three autoflowering plants in a 2'x4' grow tent.

Easy to care for with great yields - Grow three autoflowering plants in a 2'x4' grow tent.

Biggest yields – Grow eight autoflowers to get the best yields in a 2’x4′. This makes it really easy to fill the entire tent with tons of buds at harvest. Each auto-flowering plant only needs to produce 2 ounces and you’ll get a pound with 8 plants. Note: This setup is awesome for yields but it becomes a pain to care for plants in the back once they get bigger. This also increases the chance you run into some plants that grow much bigger or smaller than the others, as pictured below. If that happens, just move the biggest plants the furthest from your grow light and wait until harvest. Often the “crazy” overgrown plants are the ones that end up yielding the best at harvest.

Biggest yields - Grow eight autoflowering cannabis plants to get the best yields in a 2'x4'.Biggest autoflowering cannabis yields - Grow eight plants to get the best yields in a 2'x4'.

Big Square Grow Tent (4×4′) – 4-6 plants, 5-gallon fabric pots.

  • 4 plants (2 front, 2 back) – Easy to reach all the plants
  • 5 plants (2 back, 3 front) – An extra plant, but no middle back plant. This means you can easily access all plants as long as your grow tent lets you in from the sides
  • 6 plants (3 front, 3 back) – It can be hard to access the middle center plant in the back. Any more plants than 6 in a 4×4′ space get continually harder to reach.

With 6 plants in a 4×4′ setup, it’s extremely difficult to reach the plant in the back middle. More than 6 plants are not recommended for a big grow space like this because you won’t have access to all the plants.

With 6 plants in a 4x4' setup, it's extremely difficult to reach the plant in the back middle. More than 6 plants are not recommended for a big grow space like this because you won't have access to all the plants.

 

5.) Train Autoflowering Plants for Extreme Yields and Bud Quality

If you just let your autoflowering plants grow and do their own thing, you can still get good results. However, if you want to get really great yields and maximize your bud quality, you should “train” your plants so that each one produce many bud sites that are about the same distance from the grow light.

This ensures that you have a ton of hard, dense bud nuggets, which maximizes both yields and bud quality.

Train autoflowering cannabis plants to grow flat and wide as they grow…

Train autoflowering cannabis plants to grow flat and wide as they grow...

The goal, no matter how many plants you’re growing, is to completely fill your grow space with bud sites. When you look down from above, there should be no “holes” in the canopy. Here are those plants about a week later. This is ideal coverage.

The goal, no matter how many plants you're growing, is to completely fill your grow space with bud sites. When you look down from above, there should be no "holes" in the canopy. Here are those plants about a week later.

By the time buds start forming, the should be bud sites in every part of the tent, all about the same distance from the grow light.

By the time buds start forming, the should be bud sites in every part of the tent, all about the same distance from the grow light.

Follow the steps outlined below to create this growth pattern and produce a ton of weed in the flowering stage. Here are those plants at harvest.

Follow the steps outlined below to create this growth pattern and produce abundant weed in the flowering stage. Here are those plants at harvest.

Now that you know the goal (fill the whole grow space with lots of buds about the same height as each other), let’s look at the best tactics to accomplish that with autoflowering cannabis plants.

Most Important Autoflowering Training Tactics

“Top” your plants – Cut off the top of young plants, but only if they get big enough in time because topping small plants will stunt them. I recommend cutting off the top of the plant directly above the 5th set of leaves, before the plant starts making buds, usually around day 20-25. “Topping” at this age makes the plant tend to grow more bushy with many branches instead of just one main trunk. If plants start flowering before you get a chance to top them, just skip it. The rest of the tutorial will still work, though topping makes it easier because it has nature do a lot of the work for you. Read my full tutorial on how and when to top an autoflowering cannabis plant.

Low Stress Training – Whether you top plants or not, use low stress training (LST – a fancy way to say “bend the plants gently”) to create a flat tabletop shape in the vegetative stage. Ideally, you want the entire space under the grow light to be filled with a flat canopy of stems. Learn all about low stress training.

  • Bend Over the Tallest Stems and Tie Them Down – Keep using LST/bending to bend down any branches that grow taller than the others, until the plant stops getting bigger. Staying on top of this to make a wide flat canopy can dramatically increase yields and bud quality because it creates a ton of buds at the “sweet spot” in the tent that makes the highest quality buds (at the top of the plants directly under the light).

Try to grow plants flat and wide. This plant is growing in more of a ball shape.

If any colas are getting taller than the others on your marijuana plant like this....

So I bent over the tallest stems and tied them down, until the plant was completely flat from the side.

Here's that same marijuana plant after plant training - notice how all the colas are the same height and the plant now has a flat, table-top shape.From above, you’re creating a star shape by continually bending tall stems down and away from the center of the plant.

From above, you're creating a star shape by continually bending tall stems down and away from the center of the plant.

Defoliation (Removing Extra Leaves) – Don’t do a typical “hard” defoliation schedule for autoflowering strains, especially if you don’t already have a lot of experience with extreme defoliation. I recommend using visual inspection and trying to maintain a certain level of “leafiness” to maximize yields. Read my strategic flowering stage defoliation tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

Try to maintain autoflowering cannabis plants at about this level of “leafiness”.

Try to maintain plants about this "leafiness". If they get more leafy than this, remove leaves that are lower down or in the middle of the plant, as well as any big leaves that are blocking bud sites from direct light. If plants are less leafy than this, don't remove any leaves.

If plants get more leafy than this, remove leaves that are lower down or in the middle of the plant, as well as any big leaves that are blocking bud sites from direct light. If plants are less leafy than this, don’t remove any leaves. Focus on the result. You want lots of green leaves, but for air and light to easily pass through the plants.

You may need to remove a lot of leaves to maintain proper leafiness. Or you may not need to remove any.

You may need to remove a lot of leaves to maintain proper leafiness.

“Lollipop” each autoflowering plant – Cut off all the lower growth that isn’t getting any light once the plant stops growing taller (usually around 6 weeks from germination, depending on the strain). Learn how to lollipop your cannabis plant.

When you look at these plants from the side, you can see that all growth at the bottom which won’t get any light has been removed. These autoflowering plants were “lollipopped”.

When you look at these plants from the side, you can see that all growth at the bottom which won't get any light has been removed. These autoflowering plants were "lollipopped".

Maximize Light to Bud Sites – Keep the grow light as close as possible to your wide flat canopy. On average, the buds that get the biggest and test with the highest THC at the lab are the buds located physically at the top of the plant, which get a lot of direct light exposure. If you see a bud that is being covered by leaves, tuck or pluck the leaves to expose the buds to light.

The biggest and most potent buds form at the top of cannabis plants, especially the buds that get exposed to a lot of direct light.

The biggest and most potent buds form at the top of cannabis plants, especially the buds that get exposed to a lot of direct light.

Bonus Tip: Start with Great Autoflowering Genetics

I talked a lot about how to get the most from whatever autoflowering genetics you have, but I want to share what I’ve learned as far as getting the best autoflowering genetics to start with.

Genetics is the difference between growing a tiny low-THC LowRyder autoflowering plant like I showed at the top of the tutorial…

Or a high-yielding 26% THC Sparkle monster.

Or a high-yielding autoflowering strain that makes a 26% THC Sparkle monster.

 

3 Fastest Auto-flowering Strains in 2024

Ready to harvest in less than 2 months. These are all from the breeder Fastbuds, as they have the fastest auto-flowering strains yet still focus on bud quality and yield.

  • Blackberry Auto by Fastbuds – As little as 56 days from sprout, purple buds, great smell, excellent yields.
  • Gelato Auto by Fastbuds – Ready in 56 days from sprout, big yields especially for the timeline.
  • Green Crack Auto by Fastbuds – I’m not a huge fan of the name, but the strain is a solid choice for growers. Just 56 days to harvest with great yields.

The Blackberry Auto I grew from Fastbuds. Smelled like fruit!

The Blackberry Auto I grew from Fastbuds. Smelled like fruit!

However, if you care about the highest potency, typically the very potent strains take a few weeks longer. THC takes a bit of time to develop and in most strains keeps increasing until all the hairs have curled in on the buds.

For those who want quick but really high potency, I have found several super potent (above 25% THC) auto-flowering strains that are ready in less than 85 days from germination.

3 Most Potent Autoflowering Strains in 2024

Ready to harvest in less than 3 months.

Bruce Banner Auto by MSNL is one of the most consistently potent autoflowering strains available today.

Bruce Banner Auto by MSNL is one of the most consistently potent autoflowering strains available today.

3 Best “Bag appeal” Auto-flowering Strains in 2024

Ready to harvest in 3 months or less, for those who want buds that look incredible in pictures with appealing smells.

  • Banana Purple Punch Auto by Fastbuds – Ready in 60 days, super purple, good yields, high potency/strong effects.
  • Pineapple Runtz Auto by Ethos Genetics – Around 22% THC with an assortment of other cannabinoids. Starburst sweet smell. Gorgeous sparkly buds.
  • Purple Lemonade Auto by North Atlantic – Super purple buds, citrus smell, excellent yields, ready to harvest 60-70 days from germination (wait until the full 70 days for the best potency of about 22% THC). Feels potent.

It’s hard to beat the smell, looks, and just overall high-quality impression of buds from  Purple Lemonade Auto by North Atlantic.

It’s hard to beat the smell, looks, and just overall high-quality impression of buds from Purple Lemonade Auto by North Atlantic.

3 Highest-Yielding Auto-flowering Strains in 2024

  • THC Bomb Auto by MSNL – Up to 5 oz per plant in good conditions, sparkly buds, can exceed 25% THC.
  • Gorilla Glue #4 Auto by Seed Supreme – Big yields, up to 24% THC, 75 days to harvest.
  • Ultimate Auto by Dutch Passion – Enormous yields. “Classic” potency similar to weed from the 90s (buds measured around 15% THC when sent them to the lab).

THC Bomb Auto by MSNL is a huge yielder with high potency.

THC Bomb Auto cannabis plant just before harvest.

A few things to know about auto-flowering bud potency:

  • THC percentage is mainly determined by your genetics. Grow practices make a difference, but can only move the dial by a few percentage points.
  • THC continues to increase in most strains up until buds are completely mature.
  • Most “fast” strains will result in better yields and higher THC if you give an additional week or two before harvesting.
  • One thing auto-flowering breeders do to increase potency is to breed strains to produce as little CBD as possible, as low CBD makes it so the THC feels stronger. If you’re looking for a fast auto-flowering strain and care about buds making you feel “really high” then opt for a low-CBD high-THC auto-flowering strain.

Sparkly autoflowering cannabis buds that are ready to harvest

Best Auto-Flowering Breeders in 2024

I’m going to include several suggestions on specific strains, but one thing that’s becoming clear in the auto-flowering cannabis breeding sphere is that the particular strain seems less important to your success than picking a good breeder. Whenever there is a truly “special” autoflowering strain, it’s almost certain the same breeder offers a lot of high-quality genetics. Since strains come and go, I think many home growers would be best served by finding a breeder that carries the type of genetics they’re looking for, and then choosing the most suitable option.

Why are these the best autoflowering cannabis breeders? Because they’re constantly putting out new strains with new genetics, updating their current genetics, and have proven over years that they’re willing to stay at the forefront of the breeding field.

No breeder is perfect, but I’ve had great luck with these ones.

 

5 Recommended Breeders Plus Some of Their Best Auto-flowering Strains

Barney’s Farm

  • Grape Muerto Auto – Ready in under 70 days, beautiful grape smell to buds.
  • LSD Auto – Psychedelic effects, ready in under 70 days.
  • Pineapple Express Auto – One of the most famous auto-flowering strains of all time, this is ready to harvest in under 70 days from germination
  • Purple Punch Auto by Barney’s Farm – This is one of the higher-yielding strains on this list, and is typically ready to harvest in under 60 days.
  • Skywalker OG Auto – 23% THC, 70 days
  • Tangerine Dream Auto – Ready in 70 days
  • Wedding Cake Auto – As little as 62 days with the highest THC around 75 days from germination, very sparkly strain.

Ethos Genetics

On average, auto-flowering strains from Ethos Genetics take longer before they’re ready to harvest than other autoflowering breeders on this list. Although Ethos autos are not the fastest autos, they are typically ready to harvest in under 3 months and tend to be the most potent, look the most sparkly, and smoke like modern photoperiod cannabis strains. Truly photoperiod bud quality in autoflowering form.

  • Banana Daddy Auto RBX2 – very potent but still relaxing effects (described as “euphoric) that may be a good choice for those with anxiety who still want to get high, with around 24% THC and 1-2% CBD. About 80 days from germination to harvest. Chunky buds and the plant stays a manageable height.
  • Pineapple Runtz Auto by Ethos – Around 22% THC with an assortment of other cannabinoids. Starburst sweet smell. Gorgeous sparkly buds.
  • Pluto Cut Auto R F3 by Ethos – Over 25% THC plus some of the more exotic cannabinoids give this strain’s effects some photoperiod-esque complexity you don’t often see in autoflowering strains. Feels very potent. Ready in 80 days.

Pluto Cut Auto R F3 by Ethos Genetics is one of the most potent autoflowering strains available in 2024. Easy to grow. Highly recommended.

Pluto Cut Auto R F3 by Ethos Genetics is one of the most potent autoflowering strains available in 2024 that ships from the US. 

Fastbuds

  • Blackberry Auto – As little as 56 days from sprout, purple buds, great smell, excellent yields (especially for the timeline)
  • Blue Dream’matic Auto – Ready in as little as 62 days though THC improves over another 1-2 weeks, dense buds, low CBD to help the buds feel more potent
  • Cheese Original Auto – I haven’t had the opportunity to grow it yet, but I’ve heard some growers say this is the best Cheese in auto form.
  • Cream Cookies Auto – Ready to harvest in about 60 days, beautiful sparkly buds, good yields
  • Forbidden Runts Auto – Ready to harvest in 80 days, super sparkly buds
  • Gorilla Cookies Auto – Ready in 70 days, great yields, low CBD to make it feel more potent
  • Green Crack Auto – Just 56 days to harvest
  • LSD-25 Auto – Gorgeous purple buds, potent effects, ready to harvest in under 65 days.
  • Original AK Auto – For those who want those original AK-47 effects in auto-flowering form.
  • Wedding Glue Auto – So many trichomes, ready in 60-70 days, good yields
  • Ztrawberriez Auto – Ready to harvest in about 70 days, very high THC above 25%.

Fastbuds autoflowering plants grow fast but tend to stay relative short, and produce a lot of chunky buds in a small space.

Fastbuds autoflowering plants grow fast but tend to stay relative short, and produce a lot of chunky buds in a small space.

Mephisto Genetics

My Creme de la Chem Auto grown under LEDs turned into a bud ball.

MSNL

Offers a ton of fast, potent autoflowering strains. These are all ready to harvest about 70 days from germination, and all boast THC percentages above 20%.

Fill your entire grow space under the grow light with autoflowering buds to get the best yields!

Flowering marijuana plants grown under a 315 CMH (LEC) grow light

Congratulations, you reached the end of this comprehensive guide to growing autoflowering cannabis strains! You are now equipped with tips and techniques to maximize your yields and bud potency with autoflowering plants. Remember, success with autoflowers hinges on starting strong, giving great nutrients, being prepared with extra seeds, maintaining the right number of plants for your space, and using proven training methods as explained above. Focus on these factors, and you will be captivated at the results of your next autoflowering harvest.

However, the journey doesn’t stop here. Learning how to grow great cannabis is a process. If you want to reach “master grower” status faster, sign up for our free weekly growing newsletter to get tips delivered to your email every Sunday morning!

Happy Growing!

Nebula Haze
Co-founder of GrowWeedEasy.com

Nebula says hi!

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