by Nebula Haze
I received a few questions this week about autoflowering strains. Are they are potent as photoperiod strains? What about yields? There are so many autoflowering strains (with new ones appearing every day) that it can be hard to generalize. I have grown several dozen autoflowering strains from many different breeders, so I thought I’d share my top picks for yields or potency of the strains I’ve grown multiple times.
Highest potency
- Cinderella Jack Auto by Dutch Passion – These buds tested at over 22% THC in the lab and the bud effects were excellent. It was one of the first strains to run out from that grow. On top of that, all the plants produced above average yields, didn’t get too tall, and were easy to grow.
A Cinderella Jack Auto plant I grew just before harvest. This was 1 of 8 plants grown under a 315W grow light. With only 40W of light to itself, it still produced over 2 ounces of dried bud.
Cinderella Jack Auto buds during the flowering stage
Cinderella Jack Auto bud right before harvest.
Dried Cinderella Jack Auto buds. Average-looking buds with way-above-average potency and effects.
Highest yields
- Ultimate Auto by Dutch Passion – This strain consistently produces 2-3x the amount of bud of most other auto-flowering strains in the same conditions. The buds tested at just under 15% THC in the lab, so it wasn’t the most potent, but buds are consistently smooth with classic relaxing effects that remind me of weed from the 2000s. The plants tend to grow tall but can handle high amounts of light so they can be kept closer to lights than most other autoflowering strains.
Examples of Ultimate Auto plants I grew
It’s the only autoflowering strain I’ve seen produce buds like this under a 300W grow light
The plants with big chunky buds drying in the front are Ultimate Autos
Ultimate Autos also do well in smaller setups as long as you limit the root size to prevent it from getting too big. The plant on the front left is an Ultimate Auto.
That Ultimate Auto produced about 2 ounces even though it was 1 of 4 plants under a tiny 100W LED grow light. Unbelievable yields with only 25W of light to itself. The tops even turned purple under the LED.
I didn’t realize that my top picks were both from Dutch Passion until I wrote this article. It makes sense though. There are many great autoflowering breeders out there, but I’ve noticed Dutch Passion has an excellent autoflowering selection which is constantly being updated and refined.
What’s your favorite autoflowering cannabis strain (or breeder) and why? We’d love to hear from you!
