“Fimming” (also known as FIMing) is a cannabis grow technique to increase yields. Discovered by mistake, this unusual plant training technique increases the number and size of cannabis buds. When the fimming is done right, of course. This marijuana fimming tutorial shows you how to fim plants perfectly every time.

Fimming refers to removing the top growth of a young cannabis plant, like this.

The result of successful fimming? 4 branches from one spot.

Fimming can help make more bushy, productive cannabis plants.

What to remember: The ultimate goal of fimming is to create a bushy plant with lots of main branches. This results in many big buds instead of only one.

What is fimming cannabis? Growers pinch off the top of a cannabis plant when it’s a few weeks old. When timed just right, plants naturally grow more top buds once the plant starts flowering. The fimming process causes a plant to naturally grow more wide and bushy as it develops. When growing cannabis indoors, creating a wide, flat plant is key to getting the biggest yields from your setup. Fimming naturally helps create that ideal plant shape for you.

A freshly “fimmed” cannabis plant.

Does fimming increase cannabis yields?

Yes, usually. The results of fimming range from “no effect” to “very effective”, depending on whether it’s done correctly. The bonus of basic fimming is growers can’t really do it wrong. The worst that can happen is no effect. But if you follow this fimming tutorial, your cannabis yields consistently get a yield boost.

Is fimming better than “topping”?

“Topping” is a similar technique to fimming, also to increase cannabis yields. The difference is topping means removing the whole top of the plant. Fimming means pinching off a small amount of growth.

Both methods are effective to make plants grow bushy and produce lots of big buds. Topping consistently splits the main stem into two, but you can accidentally stunt plants if you do it at the wrong time. Fimming is less consistent, resulting in 1-4 stems coming from the same spot, though you should get all four when fimming is done right. If you fim cannabis plants wrong, the result is no effect, and you’ll have the same single main stem as before. You can’t stunt a plant by simply fimming, but if you do it wrong, it doesn’t work and you don’t get any of the benefits.

Learn More: Topping vs FIMing Cannabis Tutorial

Why is it called “Fimming”? Fimming was discovered by mistake, and the name “Fim” reflects that history. The story goes that a cannabis grower tried to cut off the top of the plant, but didn’t do a complete job. But he liked the results better, and named the technique “FIM” for “F*ck I Missed”. Fimming was born.

How to “Fim” a Cannabis Plant

The main idea behind fimming is to “mow” off the top growth of your plant. The goal is to split the main stem into 4 stems with one strategic cut. A plant with 4 main stems is easy to train to grow wide and flat with simple bending. When done right, fimming cannabis can give results somewhat similar to time-intensive manifolding without adding weeks onto your grow time.

Wait until plant has grown 3-5 sets of leaves. At the right time, you’ll noticed all the lower stems are starting to grow into little branches. Yes, it’s not just about the total number of leaves, but also the overall size of the plant. If a plant is still tiny and thin, you should wait even if it’s got plenty of sets of leaves.

Too small to fim – even though this has 3 sets of leaves, the plant is tiny. The lower growth has not started growing away from the stem yet. Wait until plant gets a bit bigger or it may get stunted from fimming.

Beginning of fim window – This plant is just barely big enough to fim. The lower branches are just starting to grow away from the main stem. You might get better results by waiting just a bit longer.

Ideal size to fim – A cannabis plant about this size is the perfect size to fim. It’s got about 4 sets of leaves, and the lower growth is starting to grow away from the main stem into little branches of their own.

End of fimming window – This seedling has 5 full sets of leaves, starting on the 6th. This is about as big a cannabis plant should be when you fim. If your plant is bigger than this (and still in the vegetative stage), you should use the “topping” technique instead of fimming. To top a plant, cut through the main stem right above the 5th set of leaves (check out the full topping tutorial).

Right after fimming your young cannabis plant, it should have a “mowed” top left behind. Look at the above diagram to try to make sure you’re cutting through at the best spot.

Look at your plant and compare to the diagram above.

Remove this much growth to “fim” a cannabis plant.

Leave this much behind.

When done right, fimming results in 4 stems coming from essentially the same spot on the cannabis plant. However, fimming is not always the most consistent. Instead of 4 tops, if you don’t cut at the right spot you might end up with 1, 2, or 3 tops instead of all 4. If you want total control with perfect symmetry, check out the “topping” technique instead.

It’s normal for the new growth right after fimming to look weird. Remember, you cut off 80% of these leaves before they got a chance to grow out! If you damage a young leaf, it becomes more and more obvious as the leaf grows. However, brand new leaves after these ones should look normal.

A few days later, those mowed leaves from fimming should look a bit funny growing in.

Plants that have been fimmed naturally grow more bushy, which helps maximize yields in the flowering stage.

However, to improve your results, bend over tall branches. Just regularly bend the tallest stems down and away from the center of the plant, and tie them down. This process is known as Low Stress Training, or LST for short.

Keep bending tall stems down, so plant grows wide and flat.

The result? Tons of buds at harvest time!

Advanced Technique: Remove all stems but the top 4 (Serious Fimming)

Some growers take their fimming to the next step. Instead of just splitting the stem into 4 and letting the plant grow naturally, some growers remove all the other stems on the plant. In other words, they remove all steps but the top 4 they want to keep.

A fimmed cannabis stem. All but the top 4 stems were removed off the main “trunk”. Source: Nugbuckets

This makes it so all branches come from essentially the same spot on the cannabis plant.

Another example of a cannabis plant that was fimmed and all other branches removed. Source:Tarzan

However, if you want to go this direction, you may enjoy a more consistent plant training technique known as manifolding.

Learn how to manifold your cannabis plants.

Manifolding – better than fimming for cannabis growers who want symmetry.

Now you know how to fim your cannabis plants, so you get bigger yields at harvest time!

Want to learn about other marijuana plant training techniques to increase yields? Check this out!

Complete Guide to Cannabis Plant Training Techniques

The post “Fimming” Cannabis: The Secret to a Bigger Harvest? appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

You’re browsing a cannabis seed bank website, and see different marijuana strains with the same name, perhaps Bruce Banner. But one says “Autoflower” and one says “Fast” (sometimes also “Express” or “FF” or “Fast Flowering”). What does this mean? What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between an Autoflower and a Fast cannabis strain?

“Autoflower” and “Fast” Cannabis Strains are Not the Same

This may be the most confusing strain naming convention for beginner cannabis growers. You could read the entire strain description, and still not know what to expect. Autoflowering strains are technically very fast to grow, typically being ready to harvest just 2-3 months from germination.

However, the short answer is a “Fast” strain is a fast-flowering photoperiod strain (not an autoflower strain).

Keep reading for a quick and simple explanation, so you know exactly which strain to choose for what you want!

“Autoflower” Cannabis Strains Make Buds Automatically

An auto-flowering (“auto”) strain makes buds automatically after a few weeks, and these plants are typically ready to harvest only 2-3 months from germination. These are not photoperiod strains and don’t need special light periods, or any input from you whatsoever, to start growing buds. They’re essentially like a cannabis houseplant that just needs to be kept alive to make buds.

Auto-flowering strains like this Gorilla Glue Auto by Fast Buds tend to stay small and are typically ready to harvest 2-3 months from germination.

• Autoflowering examples: Bruce Banner Autoflower or Chemical Candy Auto

Learn more about autoflowering strains.

“Fast” Strains are Photoperiod Strains… but Faster

A “Fast” strain is not an auto-flowering strain, but actually a photoperiod strain that has been bred specifically to go through the flowering stage extremely quickly while still achieving good yields and potency.

• “Fast” strain examples: Bruce Banner Fast and Crystal Candy F1 Fast Note: Fast strains are sometimes called “Express” or “FF” (for Fast Flowering)

What does “photoperiod” mean? Photoperiod strains are traditional cannabis strains, and instead of automatically growing buds after a few weeks, they need to experience a 12/12 light schedule (12 hour nights) in order to start making buds. Otherwise photoperiod plants just get bigger and bigger forever, never growing buds. Luckily, giving 12 hours of darkness each day is easy to accomplish indoors just by putting your grow lights on a timer.

Learn more about photoperiod cannabis strains.

A “Fast” strain like Crystal Candy F1 Fast is NOT an auto-flowering strain!

Fast cannabis strains are usually developed in one of two ways.

Two ways to create a “Fast” photoperiod strain:

1. Cross a photoperiod strain with an auto-flowering strain – Once the cross is made, the first generation (F1) of offspring will be photoperiod because the auto-flowering trait is recessive. In other words, the offspring carry the recessive autoflowering gene, but still act like photoperiod plants. Those photoperiod plants tend to be much faster-flowering. Some breeders might sell those F1 seeds as “fast flowering”. However, typically a breeder will continue breeding to select for the fast-flowering trait while breeding out the recessive autoflowering trait until they stabilize a photoperiod strain with that extra speediness. The use of autoflowering genetics is why you’ll notice that many “fast” photoperiod strains are developed by breeders that also breed auto-flowering strains.
2. Cross 2 fast-flowering photoperiod strains – In this case, the breeder makes the cross between great photoperiod plants, identifies the fastest-flowering offspring, and then uses those plants to breed the next generation. This is typically done by commercial growers, and over several generations can shave multiple weeks off the flowering time without sacrificing yields or bud quality.

For home growers, we typically don’t mind an extra week of growing here or there. As long as we’re getting several solid harvests every year, we’re often happy with that. Compared to those growing weed to sell to dispensaries, we may take more time in between grows, and experienced home growers often grow way more weed than we could use on our own anyway.

However, once breeders develop these fast strains, it’s actually pretty neat from the perspective of a home grower. Who doesn’t want to get the same bud quality and yields, but sooner?

Fast cannabis strains produce the same results in less time.

Recommended Fast Strain: Gorilla Cookies Fast (sometimes listed as Gorilla Cookies “FF” for “Fast Flowering”) can get big and produce great yields, but buds are ready to harvest 7-8 weeks after initiating 12/12. That’s 2-3 weeks quicker than most photoperiod strains.

Here’s an example of Gorilla Cookies Fast. Tons of weed in a short amount of time!

While we’re here, I just wanted to explain the difference between feminized and regular cannabis strains, since this is a super important distinction for home growers!

Feminized vs Regular Seeds

• Feminized Seeds – Every cannabis plant is female when you start with feminized seeds. That means every single plant will make buds, and the buds will be seedless. These special seeds are created using an advanced feminization technique. As a home grower, starting with feminized seeds lets you grow weed without worrying about male plants. Example: Bruce Banner Feminized
• Regular Seeds – With regular seeds, half plants are female (makes buds), half are male (don’t make buds). Example: Bruce Banner Regular. Male plants make non-smokable pollen sacs instead of buds, and also release pollen, causing any nearby buds to become full of seeds. Although it’s extremely important for growers to know whether a cannabis plant is male or female, you can’t tell which is which from looking at the seeds, or even from looking at the young plants. Male and female plants look the same until they start making flowers or pre-flowers. Therefore when using regular seeds, growers must identify and remove male plants as they reveal themselves. You get to skip all that if you start with feminized seeds.

Half of “regular” seeds grow into female plants, which make buds.

But half of “regular” seeds grow into male plants, which make non-smokable pollen sacs.

I recommend most beginner growers start with feminized seeds. This takes one extra possible headache out of the growing process. It stinks if you grow a few regular seeds and most of them (or even all) end up being male, due to random chance. In that case, you would have to start over to get more cannabis plants that grow buds. It’s a lot easier to take care of cannabis plants when you know every plant will make buds!

Feminized seeds always make buds.

Fast Fun Fact: You may have noticed many versions of Bruce Banner on this page. Why so many variations? It’s because the original Bruce Banner cannabis strain (bred by Jason Holck, aka OG Ironlung) hit the genetic jackpot of big yields, high bud quality, and strong euphoric effects.

Bruce Banner genetics tend to be high-yielding with excellent effects.

Do you have any questions about marijuana seeds or strain names? If so, let us know and I can add the necessary information to this tutorial!

The post What’s the Difference between “Fast” and “Autoflower” Cannabis Strains? appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

What are the best auto-flowering strains? Some proven autoflowering seeds for beginner growers in 2025 are: Shortcut Auto, Pineapple Diesel Auto, Purple Lemonade Auto, and Gorilla Cookies Auto.

Easy to grow, fast growth, potent buds.

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

• 10+ of the Best Autoflowering Strains for 2025 (Fastest, Best Yields, Highest THC, Most Bag Appeal)
• List of Recommended Autoflowering Breeders

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

About 2-3 months after germination, you get to enjoy a massive autoflowering harvest.

Preparing for a Massive Auto-Flowering Cannabis Harvest

First 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 fabric pots. I set the pots up in a row. It makes me smile to fill them up with potting mix. Making little homes for the cannabis babies.

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

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. I know my strain choices produce buds that look and smell fantastic and have the strong effects I’m looking for.

Here are some of the autoflowering strains I’ve grown in the past…

I loved the dense THC Bomb Auto buds I grew under a HLG LED grow light.

The Alaskan Purple Auto buds I grew were not only sparkly but also chunky! (though mine didn’t turn purple, the effects were excellent)

Zkittlez Auto is another beautifully sparkly and potent autoflowering strain. This strain is particularly easy to grow.

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

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.

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 from seed to harvest. Photoperiod 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 autoflowering strains.

Are the buds from autoflowers as good as photoperiod strains? Autoflowering strains used to have a reputation for producing low-quality cannabis buds, but there’s been a huge leap forward in autoflowering strain quality since the first commercial auto-flowering strain “Lowryder” was released in the mid-2000s.

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

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. There’s never been a better time to grow autos!

Modern auto-flowering strains produce amazing bud quality and yields!

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. These plants start flowering (making buds) in just a month from germination. That means 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 plant can not compete on yields with a big cannabis 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.

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.

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.

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 and adjust the pH of your water. Note: It’s easier than you might think!

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.

These yellow leaves with brown spots are the result of incorrect pH.

Learn about deficiencies caused by incorrect pH.

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!

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 3-gallon fabric pots. I’ve found fabric pots tend to get faster growth on average than hard-sided pots. 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 2-gallon hard-sided pots (hard-sided plant pots are typically cheaper to buy at a garden center than online). Although fabric pots typically get faster growth than plastic pots, small fabric pots dry out fast and need to be watered often (sometimes even daily). If you’re going to use 2-gallon or smaller pots and don’t want to have to water them daily, opt for hard sides to keep plants from drying out as fast.

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 (4 in a row, or 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) – “Sea of Green” style grow. Highest yielding overall. With just 2 oz per plant that’s a 1 lb harvest! I’ve grown with 2-gallon pots, but it can be hard to keep them watered since they dry quickly. You can squeeze in 3 gallon pots, just remember with 8 x 3-gallon pots you have to buy 24 gallons worth of grow medium to fill all those pots. I believe that’s best done with coco since you can hydrate coco 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.

Biggest yields with more plants – 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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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

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”.

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.

“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”.

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.

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.

3 Fastest Auto-flowering Strains in 2025

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, beautiful 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 – A legendary strain, and this autoflowering version is a solid choice for cannabis growers. Just 56 days to harvest with great yields.

Blackberry Auto from Fastbuds often grows pinkish-purple (“wine-colored”) buds.

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 2025

Ready to harvest in less than 3 months.

• Pineapple Daddy Auto by Happy Valley Genetics – Up to an eye-popping 32% THC! Easy to grow, with gorgeous buds, needs 70 days to reach full potential.
• Dos Si Dos Auto by MSNL – Ready in 75 days, THC above 25%, sparkly and beautiful.
• Pluto Cut Auto R F3 by Ethos Genetics – Over 25% THC and feels very potent. Ready in 80 days.

Pineapple Daddy Auto is one of the most potent autoflowering strains available today. Up to 32% THC!

3 Best “Bag appeal” Auto-flowering Strains in 2025

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.

3 Highest-Yielding Auto-flowering Strains in 2025

• THC Bomb Auto by MSNL – Up to 5 oz per plant in good conditions, sparkly buds, can exceed 25% THC.
• Gorilla Glue #4 Auto (“GG4”) 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.

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

• Genetics is Key to 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.
• Harvest Later for Max THC – THC continues to increase in most strains up until buds are completely mature. That means if you harvest early, you’re losing out on some THC potency. Most autoflowering strains result in better yields and higher THC if you give an additional week or two before harvesting after the recommended time.
• Low CBD Makes Buds Feel Stronger – One thing auto-flowering breeders do to increase potency is to breed strains to produce as little CBD as possible. That’s because lower CBD levels 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.

Best Auto-Flowering Breeders in 2025

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

• Dos Si Dos Auto – Ready in 75 days, lovely smell
• 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
• 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 2025. Easy to grow. Highly recommended.

Fastbuds

• Blackberry Auto – As little as 56 days from sprout, purple buds, great smell, excellent yields (especially for the timeline)
• Blue Dream 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.

Mephisto Genetics

• Double Grape Auto – Purple tinted buds, ready in under 75 days.
• Creme de la Chem Auto – A personal favorite, ready in 65-75 days (mine was ready in 70). I love the bud effects, which feel strong yet mellow and relaxing.
• Check out more Mephisto cannabis strains (all of their strains are autoflowering).

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%.

• Apple Fritters Auto by MSNL – Modern genetics in a fast auto-flowering strain. Up to 24% THC and ready to harvest about 70 days from germination.
• Bruce Banner Autoflower by MSNL – Over 25% THC, ready to harvest in about 70 days, big yields.
• Gorilla Cookies Auto by MSNL – Up to 24% THC, ready to harvest by 70 days from germination
• Purple Lemonade Autoflower – Up to 24% THC- ready to harvest in 70 days.

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

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

The post 5 Tips for Growing Autoflowering Cannabis Strains (Big Yields & High THC) appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Ready to start growing weed for only $300? This tutorial uses the HLG 65 V2 4000k LED in a 3′ tall mini grow tent to produce up to 3 oz of top-shelf cannabis per harvest (at 65W it’s almost free to run this marijuana grow light after set up). This is my absolute favorite grow light for cannabis micro-growing because it produces great bud quality and yields, while the unique 4000k spectrum helps cannabis plants stay short. Essentially, this setup makes a lot of big buds on a little plant. I’ve included a supplies list with Amazon links for this marijuana mini grow tent kit, plus a complete cannabis growing tutorial below. Learn how to achieve these results (it’s easy!) by following the easy step-by-step instructions below.

Note: See Other Examples of Cannabis Growing Setups

Today’s easy growing tutorial is everything you need to get started and get to a bountiful cannabis harvest!

Check out a grow journal in this setup

Table of Contents

• About the Cannabis Mini Tent Setup
  • Cost Estimate ($300 to start)
• Complete Supply List
• How to Keep Cannabis Short and Still Grow Big Buds

About This 65W LED Mini Tent Setup for $300

For a micro cannabis grower, it’s all about getting the best yields in the smallest and stealthiest way possible. This mini-tent setup has been designed to produce several ounces of high-quality bud in a tiny 2’x2’x3′  grow tent without any sounds or smells to give it away. It only costs $300 for the bare-bones version without smell filtering and will produce a great harvest in 3-4 months.

• Yield: Up to 3 oz per harvest
• Almost free to run a 65W LED grow light
• 3-4 months from seed to weed

Total Setup Cost: $300 ($420-500 with professional smell filtering)

The HLG 65 V2 (4000k spectrum) can produce several ounces of weed in this setup. Almost free to run at just 65W.

It can support any strain when used according to the directions below, but this marijuana microgrowery setup tends to do best if you choose “short” cannabis strains as they tend to stay smaller.

See other examples of cannabis growing setups

Mini Tent Cannabis Grow Examples

Here are some plants I’ve grown in this exact setup or check out a full grow journal.

One photoperiod plant in a 3-gallon fabric pot

Side view of that plant not long before harvest. Look at all those buds! It ended up yielding about 3 ounces in total.

Three autoflowering plants in 2-gallon fabric pots produced a little over an ounce per plant

Estimated Cost for this Setup

• Ultra budget basic version (bare minimum with no smell filtering) – $300 plus seeds
• Only the necessary stuff + smell filtering: ~$420 plus the cost of seeds (I swear I didn’t do “420” on purpose, it was just meant to be)
• Get everything including the premium equipment and optional extras: ~$500 plus seeds
• Estimated Monthly Electricity Cost: $10/month (based on US average of $0.15/kWH)

Total Setup Cost: $300 ($420-500 with smell filtering)

Summary of what you need to get started with this HLG 65 Mini Tent grow setup

Complete Cannabis Grow Supply List

This cannabis mini grow tent setup list includes all the supplies you need to get to harvest.

65W HLG Quantum Board LED Grow Light

HLG 65 V2 (4000k spectrum)

• The 4000k (blue) spectrum helps keep plants short, which is helpful in this setup
• Keep about 10″ away to start. If plants start getting tall/stretchy, move the light closer.
• Simple to use. Works exactly as you’d expect.
• I’ve gotten some of the best yields per watt with this particular grow light than any other

Cost: $100

The HLG 65 V2 (4000k spectrum) can produce several ounces of weed in this setup.

Grow Space

A grow tent is an easy and cheap way to instantly create a perfect indoor cannabis grow space that can deal with water, light, heat, and smells. Learn more about grow tents

3 Foot Tall Mini Grow Tent

• 2’x2’x3′ (true microgrow) – I use this tent by CoolGrows but the brand doesn’t matter much.

Cost: $40

2’x2’x3′ grow tent by CoolGrows

(Optional to Stop Smells) Exhaust Fan + Carbon Filter

An exhaust fan brings in fresh air to the plants and helps vent extra heat/humidity from the plants. If you are only growing one small plant and don’t care about smell, you can get away without an exhaust fan because the HLG 65 LED doesn’t make much heat. However, if you plan on filling your tent with plants like the pictures, an exhaust fan helps ensure that the humidity from all the plants doesn’t build up too much, which is not good for bud development. If you want to stop smells, you need to get both the exhaust fan and the carbon filter and connect them together (instructions below).

• Recommended:  4″ AC Infinity CLOUDLINE series of inline exhaust fans. These are quiet at top speed and completely silent at lower speeds.
  • S4 is the cheaper, simpler version which works well and gives you basic fan speed controls
  • The programmable T4 version has handy extras like a Temperature/Humidity Probe and Display Screen
• Budget choice: Vivosun 4″ Fan – 203 CFM (good cheap fan but runs loud)

Cost: $65-120

The AC Infinity S4 is a quiet exhaust fan.

What’s all this about a carbon filter?

• If you don’t hook up a carbon filter to an exhaust fan, your tent may rapidly fill the surrounding area with a pungent weed smell as you get close to harvest. Normally it wouldn’t be such a big deal with such a small tent like this, but you are going to be growing a surprising amount of weed in here.
• Recommended: 4-inch Carbon Filter, 4″ x 10″ version (note: these are bigger than you expect)
  • 4″ Ducting and Ducting Clamps – to connect your fan and carbon filter together securely

Cost: $35

4-inch Carbon Filter, 4″ x 10″ version

Soil + Plant Pots

• Growing medium: Coco coir or soil
• Containers: Stick to under 3 gallons in size to help keep plants a bit smaller. I grew with 1-gallon fabric pots, which worked well at keeping plants small, but plants needed to be watered daily. The plants needed to be watered less often when I used 2-gallon pots, but the plants got a little bigger. 3-gallon pots were the easiest to water, but the plant really wanted to grow big and I had to do a lot of bending to keep the branches from growing into the light.

Recommended:

• One big bag of coco-based soil with perlite. This 2 cu ft bag of Coco Loco should be enough to fill 15 gallons worth of pots (for example seven 2-gallon pots with a tiny bit left over). You’ll have enough to last a few grows, but luckily coco-based soils store well so you could use the rest later.
• 2-Gallon fabric pots (here’s an example of a 5-pack) – Any brand works great.

Cost: ~$65

Coco Loco is a coco-based soil that makes thriving cannabis plants

   Example a 5-pack of 2-gallon fabric pots (any brand works great)

Nutrients

Most nutrient systems will come with at least one bottle for vegetative and one for bloom. Many nutrient lines carry 3 bottles or even more that must be mixed into the water in different ratios over the course of your cannabis plant’s life. Whether it’s on the bottle or online, most nutrient lines come with a schedule. Use the schedule at half-strength in the beginning as the recommended strength is typically too high for cannabis.

Recommended Base Nutrients: Dyna-Gro Grow + Bloom nutrient combo is excellent, cheap, and easy to use for growing cannabis.

• “Grow” bottle: Give 1 tsp per gallon of water during the vegetative stage
• “Bloom” bottle: Give 1 tsp/gallon of water during the flowering stage

Learn about other cannabis nutrients we recommend.

Cost: $25

Dyna-Gro Grow + Bloom is my recommended nutrient system for newbies. One bottle for veg, one for bloom. 1 tsp/gallon. Super simple!

Other Supplementary Items

• Get your seeds (lately I’ve been using Seed Supreme) – $10-15/seed on average, but can be more or less depending on the breeder.
• 24-Hour Timer (to put your grow lights on a timer so the plants get a day and night period on a schedule). Why do cannabis plants need to be on a day/night schedule? What about autoflowering light schedules? – $10
• Water containers (I personally use a 3-gallon or 5-gallon water jug to mix up nutrients, but anything can work) – Much cheaper at Wal-Mart or a water container store ($5-15) than online!
• Thermometer/Humidity Monitor with a probe so you can keep track of the temperature in different parts inside the tent (though less necessary if you got the really fancy Cloudline exhaust fan with a temperature and humidity probe built-in) – $15
• PH Test Kit – Prevent potential nutrient deficiencies by testing the water pH: https://www.growweedeasy.com/ph – $20
• Measuring spoons for measuring out your nutrients (many people already have these) – $10
• (Optional) Zip ties – the hanging apparatus that comes with many grow lights add several inches of height for no real reason. They just aren’t designed for height-limited growing. In a mini tent like this, height is at a premium and a few inches can make a big difference. When you need to get your light all the way to the top of your tent, nothing seems to work better than industrial zip ties! Once you start using zip ties you end up using them for everything. They’re weirdly permanent and strong for something so disposable – $10

Learn about other cool growing tools.

Estimated Cost: $300-500

• Ultra budget (no smell filtering) – $300 plus the cost of seeds
• Only the necessary stuff + smell filtering: $420 (I swear I didn’t do “420” on purpose, it was fate)
• Get everything including the premium equipment and optional extras: $500

Check Out Different Grow Setups!

Carbon filter and fan (how to cool tent, remove humidity, and stop smells)

Notice the configuration of the carbon filter and fan. Even though this is a very small carbon filter, just 10″ long, there’s not a lot of extra room at the top of the tent. The configuration below seems to be the only way I can find to fit the carbon filter inside while still allowing the grow light to get to the top of the tent. This is not as effective as exhausting from the top of the tent, but it will work in this small tent.

Your other option is to put both the fan and carbon filter sitting on top of the tent, exiting from the top port. In that cause, you’d want the carbon filter to be the last thing before air escapes (carbon filters should always be at the ends of an exhaust system, either inside the tent at the beginning, or at the end on the outside).

You have to get creative to fit a carbon filter in this tiny tent

When set up right, you can produce a surprising amount of bud in a tiny space!

But not much room at the top

Growing a single Pineapple Chunk plant in the 3′ tall tent

Pacific Punch bud grown under the HLG 65 in this setup

How to Make Cannabis Plants Stay Small and Still Produce a Lot of Weed

You may know how to grow cannabis already, and there are lots of great tutorials on the site such as the 10-Step Cannabis Grow Guide, but here’s a super quick overview before we get into the details of how to keep your cannabis plants the perfect height in this setup.

Basic process of growing of an indoor cannabis plant

Germination – there are lots of ways to germinate seeds but the easiest is just to put the seeds directly in the dirt just below the surface (about a knuckle down) and give some water and warmth from the grow light. Seedlings should appear in a few days.

Vegetative stage – When cannabis plants are young, they grow branches and leaves but not any buds. Simply give plants water, light, and possibly nutrients. Nutrients are only necessary if you’re not growing in soil (for example in coco or hydroponics) but even in soil, providing nutrients makes plants grow faster. In the flowering stage, the right nutrients make buds get bigger.

Initiate the flowering stage when the plant is half the final size – Cannabis buds are actually flowers (isn’t that nice?), and you need to “tell” the plant to start making flowers by tricking it into thinking winter is coming. So once plants have reached about half the final desired size, a grower initiates the flowering stage by putting grow lights on a vacation timer so the light turns off for 12 hours a day. This 12/12 light schedule tricks the plant into “thinking” it’s the end of summer and it starts making flowers/buds. If you’re growing an auto-flowering strain, plants will automatically start flowering when they’re 3-5 weeks old, so you don’t need to think about this step or light schedules. This is a general overview. Read the tutorial below to learn exactly how to make cannabis plants the right size for this specific tent.

Flowering stage – Plants start growing white hairs (“pistils”) at the base of each fan leaf and at the tops of branches. These are are the first signs of buds. Plants will about double in height (more or less depending on strain) after the flowering stage is initiated. Auto flowering strains will double in height from when you see white hairs/pistils. But after about 5-6 weeks, the plant will stop getting any taller and the bunches of white hairs will start fattening into solid buds.

New buds look like white hairs

White hairs darken and curl in as buds mature. Buds often start to “sparkle” (depending on strain).

Harvest – The white hairs on all the buds will all darken and curl in when plants are ready to harvest. Check out pictures of ready-to-harvest buds or some people look at the buds under a magnifier to help decide when to harvest. When buds are ready, cut down the branches one by one and hang them upside down in a cool dark place with light ventilation. Often the place you grew the weed is also a great spot for drying it, for example the inside of a grow tent. There are also other ways to dry buds. Once buds are dry, they will easily pop off the branches. At this point the buds can be smoked but if you put them in glass jars the bud quality will continue to improve for several weeks. This process is known as “curing” and helps buds tighten up, smell better, be less harsh, and overall have higher “bag appeal” and be more pleasant to smoke.

Ready to harvest bud. Mature buds are solid with no white hairs. Leaves may turn yellow or purple like autumn leaves (especially directly under the LED grow light).

You can do it!

This infographic I made may be helpful as well (here’s a PDF version)

Now that you know the basics of growing weed, let’s get into the details of how to grow in this mini tent setup.

Bonus Tips for this setup: 

• Choose the right strains – no cannabis strains that naturally get big!
  • Choose autoflowering strains that are ready to harvest 10 weeks from germination or sooner (these strains tend to stay smaller than longer-flowering strains), especially if it’s specifically listed as tending to stay short.
  • Choose photoperiod strains with a 6-7 week flowering period (you will initiate flowering when plants are about 3 weeks old for a total of 10 weeks just like with the autos) and also make sure you’re choosing a strain that says it’s short in the description. Even short strains can get tall, but they tend to grow more out than up compared to other strains.
• Small pots help keep cannabis plants smaller. Use a 2 or 3-gallon pot (or smaller if you don’t mind watering more often) to help plants stay small enough for this setup. Plants can still get big in small pots, but they will be smaller than the same plant if it’s allowed to grow without any restrictions on its roots.
• Follow the instructions below to get the most weed from this setup.

Main Idea: Train plants to grow flat and wide like a table in the vegetative stage.

Tips

• Cut off the top of young plants – Cut off the top of young plants in the vegetative stage. Cutting off the top of a plant is often called “topping” in the cannabis growing world. Topping splits any stem into two, and a plant with two tops is easier to spread out to create flat plants than a plant with one main top
  • Beginner tip: Wait until the seedling has grown 6 sets of leaves. Cut off the top through the main stem above the 5th set of leaves (pictures below). Easy and simple, yet won’t stress plants. After being topped, your plant is easier to spread out and naturally grows more bushy and wide.
• Tall stems should also be “topped” – Cut off the ends of any stem that’s growing much faster than the rest. Each new pair of stems grows slower than the original one. Topping is a great tool to curb fast-growing stems in the vegetative stage.
• Spread out – As the plant grows, spread out the stems by bending them down and away from the center of the plant. Don’t forget to tie branches down with something like plant twist tie or they’ll spring right back up the next day!
• Supercrop (if necessary) – Cannabis stems get hard and woody as time goes on. If you find you need to bend a stem that’s already stiff, use the supercropping technique to bend even the toughest stems at any angle. This is a bit advanced because you can accidentally split stems. But don’t worry if you do. Simply tape broken stems back together like a cast and the plant can heal. One of the things I love about cannabis plants is it can recover if you make big mistakes in the vegetative stage.

Here’s an example of training plants to grow wide and flat for more bud sites and bigger yields.

Cut off the top of a young plant right above the 5th set of leaves (“top” the seedling above the 5th node)

When cutting through a stem, be careful not to damage the growing tips at the base of each leaf. These will become your two new stems.

Topping splits the main stem into two. You can see the two new “main stems” on each side of the cut.

Since you waited until the plant had several sets of leaves before cutting a small piece off the top, it will continue growing as if nothing happened.

As the plant grows, spread out the branches and cut off the top of any stem that’s getting bigger than the others. You don’t want your plant putting too much energy into any one branch.

The plant was transplanted to a mini grow tent under an HLG 65 4000k LED grow light and given a week to adjust to the new environment.

Training time!

Bend over all the stems down and away from the center until it looks flat from the side

I used plant twist tie to hook on to each branch and tie it down where I wanted. I attached the other end to the fabric pot.

How to attach to the pot? You can use safety pins or binder clips but I think this is easier. Poke holes in the fabric using sharp pointy Fiskars pruning scissors and thread the twist tie through.

Back to training. Here’s a top view. We’re trying to fill the entire tent with this plant.

A few days later the plant has filled in nicely. Repeat the steps until you’ve filled your entire grow space.

Initiate 12/12 when plants have complete coverage at the height you want. Look at all the bud sites on this 1 plant right as it starts flowering

Here’s a side view. At this point, the only thing to do is water the plant and give it nutrients until harvest.

At harvest, this plant was just over 18″ (46 cm) tall, yet yielded several ounces because it was trained to grow wide and flat. Talk about making the most out of one small plant!

Learn more about growing plants to be wide and flat.

Check out the results from a grow that followed this mini tent tutorial with many small plants instead of just one.

Example of a mini tent harvest

Purple Ghost Candy buds

Mandarin Cookies bud

Those Mandarin Cookies buds in hand.

The post How to Grow 3 oz of Cannabis in a $300 Mini LED Grow Kit – Shopping List & Grow Tutorial appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Over the years, I’ve run a few side-by-side experiments with growing cannabis plants. I am almost always surprised by something, and I thought you might be too. So I decided to keep a list of all my marijuana-growing experiments in one place. You can also check back here to see whatever is the current experiment. I also decided to include other past marijuana grow journals for you to check out while you’re here. Contact us and let us know what experiments you want to see!

Here are the cannabis experiments and grow journals starting from the most recent. Scroll down for a quick overview of each one!

Experiment Grow Journals 

• Defoliation vs No Defoliation in the Flowering Stage
• Does a 3-Day Dark Period Before Harvest Increase THC?
• Topped vs Natural with Auto-flowering Plants
• LED Grow Light Showdown: Mars Hydro TSL-2000W vs Spider Farmer SF-2000
• Super Soil (“Just Add Water” Soil) vs Coco Coir 
• LECs vs HLG 300 LEDs
• Vipaspectra LEDs vs HPS

Regular Grow Journals (no experiment)

• “Sweet Dreams” Photoperiod Grow in 4’x4′ grow tent – Over 1 lb harvest
• Nebula’s Autoflowering Cannabis Grow Journal (Seed to Weed in 3 Months)
• Nebula’s 65W LED Mini Tent Grow Journal (HLG 65 LED Grow Light)
• Nebula’s 100W Spider Farmer SF-1000 LED Grow Journal 
• 250W HPS Grow Journal – Hydroponic
• 250W HPS Grow Journal – Autoflowering strains
• 600W HPS Grow Journal – Hydroponic

More past grow journals soon. I’m slowly going through all my old grows on Instagram and turning them into cannabis grow journals on the website. My hope is to one day contribute to the body of science surrounding cannabis cultivation.

Defoliation vs No Defoliation in the Flowering Stage

Does a 3-Day Dark Period Before Harvest Increase THC?

I’ll make a graphic soon, but here’s a quick summary of the results:

• Before 3-day dark period: 18.4% THC average
• After 3-day dark period: 19.7% THC average

Topped vs Natural with Auto-flowering Plants

LED Grow Light Showdown: Mars Hydro TSL-2000W vs Spider Farmer SF-2000

Super Soil (“Just Add Water” Soil) vs Coco Coir cannabis grow journal

315 LEC vs HLG 300 LEDs side-by-side grow journal

Viparspectra LEDs vs HPS

The post Nebula’s Cannabis Grow Journals & Experiments (Side-by-Side Tests) appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

It’s 2026, and there’s never been a better time to grow with autoflower cannabis seeds. Why? New autoflowering strains grow fast harvests of top-shelf buds. View our list of recommended autoflower breeders and best autoflower seeds of 2026.

Back: OG Kush Auto, White Widow XXL Auto, Zkittlez Auto.
Front: Critical Orange Punch, Alaskan Purple, Pink Kush CBD

Check our recent autoflower grow journal (above are those 6 autoflowering plants, just before harvest, at 80 days from germination).

Autoflower cannabis plants are like houseplants on steroids. Unlike standard photoperiod cannabis strains, autoflower cannabis seeds grow plants that are simpler-to-grow and ready to harvest just 2-3 months from germination. For home growers, auto seeds are the best choice for a perpetual harvest.

Autoflower cannabis plants grow smaller plants on average. From left to right: Blue Dream Auto, Critical Kush Auto, Sour Diesel Auto, and Black Jack Auto.

What are cannabis autoflowering seeds? Autoflowering cannabis plants tend to stay small and most plants from autoflower seeds are ready to harvest in 2-3 months. Some seeds grow even faster, for example Fastbuds autoflowering seeds are often ready to harvest in just 2 months from germination.

Autoflower cannabis seeds make buds (“flowers”) automatically. Check out my recent autoflower journal. This Zkittlez Auto was my favorite.

Autoflowering strains are ready to harvest several months sooner than standard (photoperiod) cannabis strains. Autos have another cool advantage for indoor growers. While photoperiod strains need daily dark periods to start making buds, autoflowering strains start making buds/flowers automatically after a few weeks (“autoflower” stands for automatic flowering). This simplifies the home grow process because marijuana growers don’t need to put grow lights on a timer or think about light leaks.

Harvest day (from my recent autoflower grow journal).

Autoflowering plants usually don’t get enormous due to their short lifespan, but they can produce multiple ounces of bud per plant when grown in optimal conditions with lots of strong light.

This Ultimate Auto in a 2-gallon fabric pot was harvested 65 days from germination and produced almost 4 ounces of prime bud on one plant.

Those Ultimate Auto cannabis buds at harvest.

Blackberry Kush Auto is a smooth pleasant strain, and nearly all autoflowering plants grow deep purple buds.

Why autoflowering strains are a great option for growing cannabis:

• Grows like a regular house plant (on steroids) – Just germinate the seed and keep plants alive until harvest. Voila, you’ve got buds! Auto-flowering plants don’t need special light periods to make buds like photoperiod strains. Even a sunny window can produce a few grams of buds from an autoflower plant. However, it’s important to remember that light is the plant’s “food”. More light equal more buds (up to a point) and you need more than a sunny window to produce a lot of weed. One of the best options for home growers to produce multiple ounces of bud per plant is a cannabis-specific LED grow light.
• Ready to harvest in 2-3 months – While standard photoperiod strains typically take 3-5 months from seed to harvest, autoflowering strains are ready to harvest in just 2-3 months from germination.
• More harvests per year – The ability for a 2-month grow period let you harvest up to 6 times a year compared to 3-4 harvests a year with photoperiod strains.
• Hundreds of strains to choose from – There are auto-flowering strains with almost any combination of THC and CBD to suit your personal needs. There are also autoflower versions of popular and legendary strains.

Cons to auto-flowering strains

• Reduced strain choice – Auto-flowering strains do have lots of options, but they are a relatively new (and boutique) type of cannabis so there are not as many options as photoperiod strains. You also need to be extra careful who you buy autoflower seeds from because some breeders sell questionable autoflower genetics.
• Plants stay small if you run into major problems – An auto-flowering plant gains its full size within about 6 weeks from germination, then the plant stops growing any bigger and focuses all its energy on fattening buds. This short growing period means a plant may stay small forever if it gets stunted during the first 4-6 weeks of life. This is opposed to photoperiod strains which need dark periods to start making buds, which gives you as much time as you want to grow plants to the desired size.
• No advanced training techniques – Plant training techniques like manifolding or schwazzing aren’t suitable for autoflower seeds due to the shorter grow period.

Want to give auto-flowering strains a try in 2026? Continue reading this article to learn how to grow autoflower seeds so they produce potent, high-quality weed.

Autoflowering cannabis plants stay very small when grown in small pots with a small grow light.

Autoflowering plants get much bigger when given plenty of light plus room for plants and roots to spread out. A 2’x4′ grow tent can produce up to 1 pound of cannabis if you fill it with auto-flowering plants.

The final size / yields of auto-flowering plants is determined by their genetics, their care (how well you treat them), and how much light they get. These plants were the same strain, but the smaller plant was grown under a much less powerful grow light.

If you give your auto-flowering plants water, nutrients, and a good environment, you can produce a surprising amount of bud in 2-3 months.

The biggest downside to autoflower seeds is if you run into problems early on, plants may stay stunted and small. That can dramatically reduce yields since a small plant can’t support a lot of buds.

Here’s an example of an auto-flowering plant that was overwatered as a seedling and stayed small. At 6 weeks old, it stopped growing any taller and was only a few inches tall at harvest.

Can You Grow Autoflower Seeds in a Window?

Autoflower cannabis strains are kind of like a regular houseplant in their care, except they need much more light and nutrients.

A long as you keep an autoflower plant alive and healthy (and ensure it gets several hours of bright light every day) it will produce buds that are ready to harvest in 2-3 months.

An autoflower plant in a window can be a fun way to get started growing weed without investing in a grow light.

Even a window auto-flowering plant can produce a few grams if you take care of it.

The above plant produce 3.5 g after being grown in a sunny window.

In contrast, a photoperiod strain can’t be grown in a window because it needs 12-hour dark periods every day for 8-12 weeks in order to make buds. A photoperiod plant that gets light during its dark period will re-veg, which makes buds wither away and die.

Side Note Based on the Cat in Picture: Never leave a dog or cat alone with a cannabis plant or you may find nibbles on the leaves. Cannabis leaves are generally well-tolerated by cats or dogs (and some pets find cannabis leaves calming), but pets can harm or knock over your plants. This particular cat (my calico) will methodically take a bite out of every leaf if left alone with a plant for even a second.

Many cats and dogs love eating cannabis leaves. I collect extra leaves and let my kitty nibble on them 🙂

What Autoflower Seeds Should You Get?

If you want to get great results with auto-flowering cannabis seeds, you must choose great genetics. Autoflower seeds were developed from cross-breeding a type of hemp and the first commercial strain (called “Lowryder”) was released in the 2000s. In the beginning, all autoflower plants buds were small and grew relatively non-potent buds compared to their photoperiod counterparts.

All auto-flowering plants descend from the humble Ruderalis cannabis plant from northern Siberia. These tiny hemp plants developed the auto-flowering characteristic as an adaptation to the short 2-month summers near the arctic circle. Cannabis breeders have crossed these hemp plants with standard cannabis strains to create autoflower strains that produce potent fat sticky buds.

These adorable Ruderalis hemp plants are the ancestors of all auto-flowering strains.

Dedicated growers have slowly created auto-flowering strains that produce buds as big and potent as photoperiod strains. As of 2026, many auto-flowering buds match or in some cases even exceed the quality of photoperiod buds.

However, due to this breeding history, there is incredible variation between the worst and best auto-flowering strains. Unfortunately, some breeders still sell older or subpar genetics. It’s especially important when ordering auto-flowering strains to choose a trustworthy breeder that uses modern auto-flowering genetics. Here are some examples of trustworthy breeders and auto-flowering strains.

Recommended Autoflower Seed Breeders in 2026

There are many great breeders, but this list is based on my personal experience. These are the breeders I have ordered my auto-flowering seeds from so far for my grows in 2026.

Fast Buds Seeds

Ships from the US (specifically Maine) through this link. A long time auto-flowering breeder, their auto-flowering seeds grow fast and get consistent results. Great bud quality, nice looking buds, and most strains are ready to harvest just 2 months from seed. Fastest autos you can find without sacrificing quality.

Noteworthy Fast Buds Autoflowering Seeds:

• Blue Dream Auto (aka Blue Dream’matic auto)
• Gorilla Cookies Auto
• Purple Lemonade Auto

Seed Supreme

Also ships from US. A great variety of excellent modern genetics adapted into stabilized auto-flowering seed form. They are much more likely to offer the strains you’ve heard about/are looking for by name, while Fast Buds only carries their specific strains. They have a germination guarantee and good customer service. Their autoflower strains tend to be high-yielding.

Noteworthy Seed Supreme Autoflower Seeds:

• Durban Poison Autoflower
• Gummibears Autoflower
• White Russian Autoflower

ILGM Seeds

ILGM (I Love Growing Marijuana) has an extensive library of both famous and unique strains, all stabilized and bred in-house by ILGM. You can count on their seeds to germinate well, be easy to grow, and produce excellent bud quality. In our grow forum, ILGM may be the crowd favorite for auto-flowering strains.

Noteworthy ILGM Autoflowering Seeds:

• Blue Dream Auto
• Granddaddy Purple Auto
• Super Skunk Auto

10 More Excellent Auto-Flowering Cannabis Breeders

I’ve ordered auto seeds from these breeders in the past and had great experiences.

• Bomb Seeds – I especially like their THC Bomb Auto for both yields and potency.
• DNA Genetics – A bit pricey, but they are a great choice if you want to get photoperiod-looking bud quality with auto-flowering strains. My favorite auto from them is Purple People Eater Auto.
• Dutch Passion – XL yields on many auto seeds, though not necessarily the highest potency on their auto plants. I had especially great results with their Critical Orange Punch Auto and Cinderella Jack Auto.
• Ethos Genetics – Ethos also specializes in photoperiod strains but has been extensively working on their auto-flowering line since 2020. Not the quickest-to-harvest auto-flowering strains, as they typically take almost 3 months from germination to harvest (that seems fast, but some breeders like Fast Buds make autoflowering strains that take as little as 2 months from seed to harvest). However, Ethos offers some of the best smell and bud potency for autoflowering strains. I think of Ethos strains as “sparkly potent smelly genetics” whether it’s their photoperiod or autoflowering genetics. Noteworthy strains include Pineapple Runtz Auto, Pluto Cut Auto R F3, and Banana Daddy Auto RBX2.
• G13 Labs – They’ve been in the auto-flowering game for a while and have some real winners in their strain library, especially Pineapple Express Auto. They captured magic with that strain!
• Happy Valley Genetics – A recent top breeder in the world of autoflower seeds. This breeder started out as a dispensary in Massachusetts, then started breeding their own strains so they could offer better weed. After winning a bunch of cannabis cups, they began specifically breeding both photoperiod and autoflower seeds aimed at home growers. Their photos are great (I especially love Candy Games #38), but I feel like their auto seeds are where they really shine. Not the biggest yields, but some of the highest bud quality you can get (or at least, the best “bag appeal”).
• MSNL Seeds – This seed source is based out of the Netherlands, so it tends to arrive fast in Europe, but may take 1-2 extra weeks to reach cannabis growers the US. MSNL only carries their own strains, so the strain selection isn’t huge, but the company is run by a geneticist and their strains have tons of excellent information about them when it comes to effects, potency, yields, grow patterns, etc. My favorite auto strain by them is Kushberry Moonrocks Autoflower.
• Mephisto Genetics – Mephisto has been developing great auto-flowering strains since 2012 (one of the first great auto-flowering breeders), and continue to add new strains regularly. Great germination rates, maybe some of the best. I always get outstanding results. My personal favorite strain I’ve grown from them is Creme de la Chem Auto.
• Seedsman – They run an online seed store that sells strains from many different breeders, but also breed their own in-house strains. I’ve found the Seedsman-branded auto seeds tend to have excellent germination and growth rates, and buds always come out looking like photoperiod strains. I like that they offer some genetics that were developed in other parts of the world like Europe and Africa, which offers genetics that can otherwise be hard to get within the US. My favorite auto seeds from them are White Widow Auto and Alaskan Purple Auto (my Alaskan Purple didn’t turn purple but the bud effects were excellent, check out the grow journal).
• Sweet Seeds – Colorful strains with relaxing effects and delicious flavors. This breeder is located in Spain and therefore they offer different genetics from pretty much anywhere else. They seem to focus more on how buds make you feel (creative, relaxed, sedated, etc.) as opposed to massively high THC percentages. I like these buds for chill, relaxation time. Black Cream Auto may be my favorite.

Check out my recent autoflower grow journal! Here was the harvest.

Best Autoflower Seeds (Feminized Seeds Only!) in 2026

Note: What are feminized seeds? Feminized seeds (whether autoflower or photoperiod) grow 100% bud-making female plants. Perfect for how growers. With “regular” (non-feminized) seeds, half of the plants are male and don’t make buds. I highly recommend every home grower start with feminized seeds to make like a lot simpler. Every plant grows buds. So convenient and straightforward!

Learn more: Feminized seeds? Are they worth it?

5 Most Potent Autoflowering Strains in 2026 – High THC (25% or higher)

These autos have extremely high potency with strong physical and mental effects. All ready to harvest in under 3 months.

1. Girl Scout Cookies Auto by Seed Supreme – Ready in 75 days, THC above 25%. Sweet, lemony smelling buds. Ships from the US.
2. Kushberry Moonrocks Autoflower by MSNL – Over 25% THC, ready to harvest in about 80 days, big yields. Ships from Europe.
3. Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto by Fastbuds – Can be harvested in as little as 60 days, but leave it to about 75 days to maximize the potency, which can reach up to 28% THC. Ships from US.
4. Gorilla Cookies Auto by Fastbuds – Ready in just 70-80 days, over 25% THC, and sweet smelling buds with candy notes. A creative “up” kind of high that you feel in your body. Ships from US.
5. Pluto Cut Auto R F3 by Ethos Genetics – Over 25% THC plus about 5% other more exotic cannabinoids for a total cannabinoid content around 30%. Feels very potent, strong body effects. Tends to stay relatively short, with excellent yields. Ready in 80 days. Ships out of the US.

Pluto Cut Auto R F3 by Ethos Genetics is one of the most potent autoflowering strains available in 2026. Ships from the US.

3 Fastest Autoflower Strains in 2026 (Under 2 months!)

Ready to harvest in less than 2 months. Two of these are from the breeder Fastbuds, which has some of the fastest auto-flowering strains (yet still focus on bud quality and yield).

1. Banana Purple Punch Auto by Fastbuds – Ready in 56 days from germination, big yields especially for the timeline.
2. Blackberry Auto by Fastbuds – As little as 56 days from sprout, purple buds, great smell, excellent yields.
3. LSD Auto by i49 Seeds – Kind of a bombastic name, but the strain is a potent choice for growers who want high-quality buds. Just 60 days to harvest with great yields.

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

2026 Autoflowering Genetics with Huge Yields

These strains tends to produce bigger, longer buds than the others on this list, which tends to give them the biggest yields for autos.

1. Blueberry x Big Bud Auto – Both Blueberry and Big Bud strains produce large yields, and this gets the best of both.
2. Cinderella Jack Auto – Grows tight, dense buds with strong bud effects and excellent yields.
3. Haze XL Auto – Grows big plants with huge yields.
4. Pineapple OG Auto – Makes buds that are fat and plump with sweet undertones!
5. Ultimate Auto – Best yields I’ve ever gotten from an auto-flowering strain, though not the highest potency.

Can’t beat the yields of Ultimate Auto – Here’s the last time I grew it!

3 Best “Pretty Buds” Auto-flowering Strains in 2026 (High Bag Appeal)

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

• Purple Sunset Auto by i49 Seeds – Ready in 70 days, purple-tinted buds that grow in tight nugs, beautiful potency and strong effects that tend to last.
• 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 FastBuds – 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 Fast Buds

3 Best Auto-Flowering Strains for Anxiety Relief in 2026 – High CBD (Over 15%), Low THC (Under 1%)

These strains have anti-anxiety properties with subtle mental and physical effects (won’t get you “high”).

• Charlotte’s Angel CBD Auto (16% CBD)
• Purple’matic CBD Auto (17% CBD)
• Pink Kush CBD Auto (17% CBD)

Recommended Strains with Relaxing and Uplifting Bud Effects in 2026

I chose these strains not because they have particularly crazy stats, but because when you grow them, the buds just come out good and tend to be popular at parties.

• Blue Dream Auto
• Bubblegum Original Auto
• Creme de la Chem Auto
• Forbidden Runtz Auto
• Gelato Auto
• Strawberry Cheesecake Auto
• Zkittlez Auto

This Creme de la Chem Auto plants I grew stayed small and were easy to grow, but I most loved the ultra chill effects.

Here’s the last Zkittlez Auto I grew. A pleasure to grow with excellent yields and dreamy bud effects.

The Zkittlez Auto cannabis buds grew big, fat, and sparkly. After harvest, the buds gave a confident high.

I hope that helped give you some ideas on strains to grow. Now it’s time to learn how to grow your auto-flowering seeds so you get great results.

How to Grow Autoflower Seeds to Perfection

Here are simple directions on how to grow a cannabis auto-flowering plants from seed to harvest.

1.) Get auto seeds (recommended strains above)

This one is easy. All auto-flowering plants are started from seeds and any of the choices above will work great. Check out our seeds page for recommendations on where to buy seeds online.

A main thing to keep in mind when choosing auto-flowering seeds is to look at the breeder information and match the strains for a similar amount of flowering time. Avoid growing “tall’ and “short” strains at the same time. The more similar plants grow to each other, the easier it will be for you. Sometimes growing different strains together can cause unexpected problems. I tend to get strains that take 9-11 weeks from seed to harvest and grow to a medium size, which means all my plants tend to “play well” with each other.

2.) Prepare grow light, grow medium, and autoflower cannabis nutrients

Before you get started growing, you need to make sure your plants have light, nutrients, and a home for their roots.

Not sure what to get? For beginner growers, I recommend getting an LED grow light, using soil or coco as a grow medium, Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro and Bloom nutrients (can be used in any grow medium) and choosing a 2, 3, or 5-gallon fabric pot as your container.

The Spider Farmer SF-2000 is a great 200W LED grow light that doesn’t make much heat and can produce over 10 ounces per harvest (here’s my review).

I personally believe soil or coco are the best choice for first-time growers. These mediums tend to be more forgiving than hydroponics.

3-gallon fabric pots like the ones here let an auto-flowering plant get big enough to produce big yields, but plants usually won’t get much bigger than this.

Dyna-Gro (Foliage-Pro, Bloom) are inexpensive nutrients that work great for growing cannabis in any grow medium including soil, coco, or hydro. Use “Foliage-Pro” during the vegetative stage, and “Bloom” during the flowering stage. Just follow the instructions on the bottle for a great feeding schedule.

​

Learn more about what you need to start growing.

3.) Germinate seeds

Once you get set up, it’s time to start growing. There are many ways to germinate seeds. Here’s the technique I use to get nearly 100% germination. But at its simplest, you can stick seeds in a pot about half a knuckle deep.

Germinate your autoflowering seeds and you’ll soon have seedlings. Remember, bigger pots let plants get bigger while using small pots or solo cups will keep plants small.

4.) Water autoflower plants with care

For the first few weeks, the idea is to give water to autoflower seedlings when the top starts drying up. Young seedlings only need a little water in a circle around their base at first. Wait until your plants are growing fast before giving enough water to get runoff water out of the bottom.

Learn how to water autoflower plants perfectly every time.

Seedlings only need a few cups of water at first. Notice how we only gave these plants a little water in a circle.

Once cannabis plants are growing fast, you can give them enough water for runoff (remove the runoff immediately). Wait until the top is dry before watering plants again.

Follow a provent nutrient feeding schedule (made for your particular nutrient system) to maximize plant growth. Younger plants don’t need much nutrients, so you can often get away without giving them at first (if you’re growing in soil, which contains some nutrients already. But once plants start flowering (next step), their nutrient needs go up.

5.) Autoflower buds start forming (“flowering stage”)

Autoflower plants naturally enter the flowering stage (buds start forming) after 3-6 weeks, depending on the particular strain (4-5 weeks on average, in my experience).

Autoflower plants start making buds (“enter the flowering stage”) about a month or so from germination, like this Critical Purple Auto.

Make sure to give your plant “flowering” or “bloom formula” nutrients” (low in Nitrogen, high in Potassium and Phosphorus) once you see fluffy white buds like above.

6.) Adjust grow light as needed (watch autoflower plants for stress)

How much light is enough light for autoflower plants?

As plants get taller, raise the light to keep it the recommended distance away from plants. When in doubt, start lights about 24″ away, though many lights can be kept closer.

How far should I keep my light from my plants?

Adjust grow lights as needed to keep them the proper distance from plants as they grow.

Remember, when buds start forming, autoflower plants can handle more light, on average. However, they won’t be growing new leaves nearly as fast, so if plants get too much light it can give them light stress, causing plants and buds to grow slower.

7.) Harvest autoflower plants (learn when to harvest)

Buds are ready to harvest when the white hairs have darkened and curled in!

The hairs on buds darken and curl in as buds mature. Buds should look solid by the time they’re ready to harvest.

Here’s the full “When to Harvest” guide

Don’t forget to dry and cure your buds!

Keep the leaves after harvest to turn into edibles or hash!

7.) Enjoy your weed!

You earned it.

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FOR SERIOUS GROWERS ONLY

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Cannabis plants are quite a bit more complex than a regular house plant, but my partner Sirius and I have dedicated years to showing the world that learning how to grow isn’t as crazy complicated as a lot of growers make it seem.

Still, you need to learn this plant’s language if you want to grow high-quality buds and get great yields.

So you could spend years learning the hard way…

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Learn How To Grow Top-Shelf Weed at Home!

Your buds will be covered in so many THC-filled trichomes they look like this under a magnifier!

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The post Nebula’s Best Autoflower Seeds of 2026 (Fast, Potent, High Yields) appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Do you have legal plant limits? Cannabis cultivation is legal in many countries and several states in the USA. However, many growers are subject to legal plant limits. That means they can only grow a certain number of plants at a time. For example, California (where I live) allows 21+ adults to grow up to 6 plants. In Canada, adults can legally grow up to 4 plants.

Legal plant limits? No problem! Learn how to grow up to 1 pound (~0.5 kg) of weed with 1-4 plants.

Just follow the step-by-step LST instructions and harvest a bounty of weed!

Legal plant count limits can make it harder to get big yields when growing cannabis, especially if you’re also limited on space, but there are cultivation tricks and tactics to let you harvest huge amounts of bud from small grow spaces with just a few marijuana plants. In fact, it’s possible to produce over a pound (~0.5 kg) of weed from 1-4 plants when you do it right.

Get big cannabis yields with just a few plants!

Pruning techniques like manifolding can force even one small plant to produce huge buds. This plant was less than 2 feet (0.6m) tall at harvest and produced 6.2 oz by itself.

Let marijuana plants get bigger to increase your yields. This is especially effective when combined with pruning (as explained below). These two cannabis plants are about 4 feet (1.2m) tall and produced 18.6 oz (over 1 lb) of weed between them!

This giant mass is actually made of only 4 plants trained to grow flat over a screen.

Multi-pound harvest with just 4 plants!

It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a few plants. Let’s learn how to produce a ton of weed in your marijuana garden with 1-4 plants.

1.) Grow Bigger Plants

You can only yield so much from a small plant. Bigger plants can produce a lot more weed than small plants. Just make sure you don’t let plants get too big or your space quickly gets overgrown. Growing plants to the perfect size for your setup leads to the best harvest.

In this picture: One of these clones got much bigger than the other. Although buds are similar in width, the bigger plant with longer buds produced higher yields overall. Letting a plant get big enough to completely fill your grow space can dramatically improve your final bud weights.

On average, bigger plants produce more weed.

What to do: Wait to initiate the flowering stage until plants are 1/2 the final desired size. In other words:

• Photoperiod Plants: Change to a 12/12 light schedule when plants are half size. Most strains are photoperiod strains. Plants will about double in height on average.
• Auto-flowering Plants: Auto-flowering strains start flowering on their own. Their final size depends on the strain, size of the pot, light levels, and overall care.
• Know Your Strain: Different strains “stretch” a different amount. Strains listed as “tall” strains can triple in size after buds start forming. Check the strain details when buying seeds so you know what to expect.

Cannabis plants don’t immediately stop getting bigger once they start making buds. After entering the budding/flowering stage, most plants about double in size. That means you should start 12/12 when plants are about half the final desired size.

To maximize yields, you want plants that are as big as possible without overgrowing the space. It helps to calculate how tall plants can safely get in your grow space without being too close to your grow light. No matter the height you’re going for, try to create a nice wide plant canopy. Fill the entire space under your grow light with plants.

These two plants reached half the final desired size for this grow tent. At this point, initiate the flowering stage by giving plants a 12/12 light schedule.

A few weeks later, the plants have about doubled in size. This is known as the flowering stretch. Use this knowledge to grow plants that are the right size for your grow space.

Tips to grow bigger plants

• Photoperiod strains help you control plant size – The main idea behind this step is to control the length of the vegetative stage so plants get to the optimal size. Auto-flowering strains only spend a few weeks in the vegetative stage, and therefore don’t give you much control over the final size. Learn more about the best strains to grow in Step 4.
• Use bigger pots – Bigger roots can support bigger plants. Plants in a small pot (under 2 gallons) tend to stay small while bigger pots (5-10 gallons) make it easier and faster to produce plants that are 3+ feet (1+ m) tall.
• Consider coco or hydro – Plants grown in hydroponics (and to a lesser extent coco) tend to grow faster than soil plants. If you want to get big plants fast, hydro or coco may be a good way to go. Soil or super soil can still be great choices, but they may add to the total time to harvest.
• Grow plants to 1/2 size before flowering – Initiate the flowering stage when plants are 1/2 the final desired size. This is done by using a timer to put grow lights on a 12/12 light schedule. On average, plants double in size after the switch to 12/12, though strains listed as “tall” or “short” may stretch more or less. Learn more about the flowering stretch.
• Total plant coverage – Completely fill your space before you initiate the flowering stage. Think of sculpting a plant canopy that is wide and flat like a table…

2.) Train Plants to Grow Flat

You just learned about good plant coverage. This step takes that to the next level. In addition to making sure your entire grow area is filled with plants, you increase yields even more by training them to grow wide and flat (like a table) before you initiate the flowering stage.

While plants are in the vegetative stage, bend branches down and tie them in place to maintain as flat and wide a canopy as possible. Try to make plants shaped like a table.

Why do growers train plants to grow flat? The biggest buds grow at the top of a cannabis plant, close to the grow light, Buds that are lower on the plant, or further from the light, tend to stay small. A flat canopy means you get many buds the perfect distance away. This ensures your plant grows tons of buds, and every single bud swells to a big size.

Main Idea: Train plants to grow flat and wide like a table in the vegetative stage.

Tips to grow wide, flat plants.

• Cut off the top of young plants – Cut off the top of young plants in the vegetative stage. Cutting off the top of a plant is often called “topping” in the cannabis growing world. Topping splits any stem into two, and a plant with two tops is easier to spread out to create flat plants than a plant with one main top
  • Beginner tip: Wait until the seedling has grown 6 sets of leaves. Cut off the top through the main stem above the 5th set of leaves (pictures below). Easy and simple, yet won’t stress plants. After being topped, your plant is easier to spread out and naturally grows more bushy and wide.
• Tall stems should also be “topped” – Cut off the ends of any stem that’s growing much faster than the rest. Each new pair of stems grows slower than the original one. Topping is a great tool to curb fast-growing stems in the vegetative stage.
• Spread out – As the plant grows, spread out the stems by bending them down and away from the center of the plant. Don’t forget to tie branches down with something like plant twist tie or they’ll spring right back up the next day!
• Supercrop (if necessary) – Cannabis stems get hard and woody as time goes on. If you find you need to bend a stem that’s already stiff, use the supercropping technique to bend even the toughest stems at any angle. This is a bit advanced because you can accidentally split stems. But don’t worry if you do. Simply tape broken stems back together like a cast and the plant can heal. One of the things I love about cannabis plants is it can recover if you make big mistakes in the vegetative stage.

Here’s an example of training plants to grow wide and flat for more bud sites and bigger yields.

Cut off the top of a young plant right above the 5th set of leaves (“top” the seedling above the 5th node)

When cutting through a stem, be careful not to damage the growing tips at the base of each leaf. These will become your two new stems.

Topping splits the main stem into two. You can see the two new “main stems” on each side of the cut.

Since you waited until the plant had several sets of leaves before cutting a small piece off the top, it will continue growing like nothing happened.

As the plant grows, spread out the branches and cut off the top of any stem that’s getting bigger than the others. You don’t want your plant putting too much energy into any one branch.

The plant was transplanted to a mini grow tent under an HLG 65 4000k LED grow light and given a week to adjust to the new environment.

Training time!

Bend over all the stems down and away from the center until it looks flat from the side

I used plant twist tie to hook on to each branch and tie it down where I wanted. I attached the other end to the fabric pot.

How to attach to the pot? You can use safety pins or binder clips but I think this is easier. Poke holes in the fabric using sharp pointy Fiskars pruning scissors and thread the twist tie through.

Back to training. Here’s a top view. We’re trying to fill the entire tent with this plant.

A few days later the plant has filled in nicely. Repeat the steps until you’ve filled your entire grow space.

Initiate 12/12 when plants have complete coverage at the height you want. Look at all the bud sites on this 1 plant right as it starts flowering

Here’s a side view. At this point, the only thing to do is water the plant and give it nutrients until harvest.

Partway through the flowering stage.

At harvest, this plant was just over 18″ (46 cm) tall, yet yielded several ounces because it was trained to grow wide and flat. Talk about making the most out of one small plant!

The buds started getting heavy, flattening the plant further.

Learn more about growing plants to be wide and flat.

3.) Grow Light is Key to Yields!

If you read step 1 and 2, you understand the value of plant coverage in your grow space. You’ve also learned how to produce plants that are the perfect height and shape to maximize yields.

This step is about your grow light, which is the other most important aspect of your setup when it comes to yields.

Main Idea:  Pick a grow light that maximizes yields for your grow space.

Tips:

• Avoid fluorescent grow lights (CFLs and T5s) – If yields are a key factor for you, choose LEDs, HPS, or CMH/LEC grow lights. These are the most efficient grow lights for yields when it comes to growing cannabis. Fluorescent lights like T5s and CFLs produce excellent bud but get about half the yields per watt.
• Expect 0.5-1 gram per watt – You can use wattage to estimate yields so you pick the right grow light for your goal. With LEDs, HPS, or CMH/LEC, you can typically expect about 0.5-1 gram per watt of actual power draw. So if you’re using a 400W HPS, you could expect to yields 200-400 grams. If an LED grow light uses 300W, you could expect 150-300 grams. You can yield more or less, and some specific grow light models are better than others, but that’s a good rule of thumb for an average grower. Some modern cannabis LED grow lights like HLG or Spider Farmer LEDs can achieve 1-2 grams/watt.
• Proper grow light distance to plants – Each grow light has an optimal distance it should be kept from plants. Too close and plants will burn, too far and yields are reduced. Most grow light models list the recommended light distance in their product details. If you’re not sure, check out our tutorial on light distance.
• Good light coverage – Each grow light has an optimum amount of space it can cover (its recommended “light footprint”). If light doesn’t reach your plants on the edges, those plants will produce poor yields For example, if you have a 2’x3′ (or 0.5mx1m) grow space, get a light that’s made for that size space. Luckily, this is another detail that’s usually listed in the description when you buy a grow light.

Maximize yields with the right grow light for your space

A great LED grow light produces a ton of weed with just a few plants.

Check out examples of yields to expect for 3 popular cannabis grow lights I recommend for indoor growers.

Set and Go – 100W Quantum Board (LED Grow Light)

• Grow space: 2’x2′ grow space
• Heat: Fixture gets hot but will not warm up the room
• Average Yields – 1.5 – 3.5 ounces
• Bud Quality: Potent and pretty with great effects, but buds may be airy
• Recommended model: HLG 100 LED Grow Light
  • 4000k version is best for seedlings, clones, and the vegetative stage
  • 3000k version is best for the flowering stage
  • both work from seed to harvest, but 3000k produces higher yields
• See an example setup with this grow light

If you want to start small, this light lets you hang up .a grow light and start growing decent amounts of high-quality weed in a small space. Flimsy but effective. It barely affects the electricity bill and doesn’t make much heat. Also an excellent choice for seedlings and clones.

HLG 100 should be kept about 10″ away from the tops of plants

3 plants grown with the HLG 100 using the techniques above – 5.5 oz

Great Yields Without Much Heat – 300W Quantum Board (LED Grow Light)

• Grow space: 2’x4′ or 3’x3′ grow space
• Heat: Warms up a room by a few degrees
• Average Yields – 5-10+ ounces
• Bud Quality- Dense, potent, sparkly nugs
• Recommended models: Mars Hydro SP3000 LED (2’x4′ space) or Mars Hydro FC-E3000 (3’x3′ space)
• See an example setup (with detailed yield estimates) for 2’x4′ space or 3’x3′ space.

For this size grow light, I’ve had really great results with Mars Hydro grow lights. They’re easy to use, powerful with big yields in the flowering stage, yet surprisingly gentle on young cannabis plants.

3 plants grown under a 300W LED grow light using the techniques listed above – 11.1 oz

Big Producer – 315W CMH (sometimes called LEC)

• Grow space: 3’x3′ grow space
• Heat: Burning hot bulb raises the temperature of a room by several degrees
• Average Yields: 5-12 ounces (though I’ve yielded over a pound before)
• Recommended Model: Sun System Flower Power 315W LEC/CMH
• Bud Quality – Intense smells and unbelievable trichome production (get the most glitter by using the 4200k Philips or 4100k Eye Hortilux bulb in the flowering stage)
• See an example setup with a 315 CMH.

4 plants grown under a 315 LEC grow light using the above techniques – 12.57 oz

4.) Choose the Right Genetics (plus example strains)

If yields are a consideration, pay close attention to genetics. You can greatly increase yields by choosing a strain that is known to yield more than average.

• Photoperiod strains only – To follow this tutorial, you need to be able to control the length of the vegetative stage. Photoperiod plants give you total control because they won’t start flowering until you initiate a 12/12 light schedule. Most cannabis strains are photoperiod strains, so unless you buy “auto-flowering” seeds, you’re good to go.
• High-yielding – Some strains can yield 2-3x as much as other strains in the exact same grow space and conditions. It’s astounding how big of a difference genetics makes to yields.
• Avoid “short” strains – Short strains tend to yield less because plants are smaller.

Example cannabis strains that are heavy-yielders:

• Kushberry Moonrocks – ultra potent, purple, sparkly buds
• White Widow – high-yield version of the classic strain
• Fruity Pebbles – smells sweet and fruity
• Royal Gorilla – easy to grow, top-shelf buds
• Planet of the Grapes – some of the best yields of any strain I’ve grown.
• Thug Roze R1 – massive yields, tangy ‘Sativa’ smell that’s rare these day, unique effects.
• Dos Si Dos 33 (Barney’s Farm version) – huge yields, excellent buds, easy to grow.
• THC Bomb (MSNL version) – massive yields, excellent buds, developed by a geneticist

A single White Widow cannabis plant produced 12.57 oz of dense buds under 300W.

Many branches produced over an ounce of weed after being dried, and every bud was rock hard.

5.) Advanced Techniques

If you only follow the steps above, you can produce bountiful yields with just a few plants. But some growers want to maximize their yields even more. In that case, this section is for you.

These techniques require a bit more work and know-how, but they can produce incredibly high yielding plants indoors.

• ScrOG (Screen of Green)
• Manifolding or Fluxing

ScrOG (screen of green) means using a screen or netting to train plants to grow flat before flowering.

Manifolding or Fluxing are similar techniques with the goal of creating plants where all the branches meet at one part of a plant (the “manifold”). These techniques require extra time in the vegetative stage, but reward you with huge symmetrical buds. Plus these techniques are super fun!

With manifolding or fluxing, young plants are cut up in the vegetative stage so that all branches come from one main “manifold” on the main stem.

The base of a “manifolded” plant

Fluxing is a different take on manifolding, but follows the same essential principles of splitting the main stem and creating a symmetrical plant structure

When followed step-by-step, these techniques produce outstanding harvests on every plant

A grower named “nugbuckets” designed and popularized the manifolding technique (though he called it “main-lining” at the time) to maximize yields per plant. Here’s one of the manifolded plants from his original tutorial. A huge thank you to nugbuckets for sharing your knowledge with the home growing community!

Now you are armed with the knowledge to produce tons of marijuana even if you have plant limits. It’s time to grow the yields you want!

GrowWeedEasy.com has hundreds and hundreds of pages!

Check out some articles you may not have seen…

• Nebula’s Manifold – Cannabis “Main-Lining”  – Turn your cannabis plants into a lean, mean, organized green producing machine! The technique is pretty keen if you know what I mean.
• How Long Does It Take to Grow Weed Indoors? – When we first started growing, we asked this question so many times only to get generic, non-specific answers. That won’t happen here! We only deal in details!
• Stealth Growing: How to NOT get Caught Growing Weed – Despite the ever-increasing legality of growing your own cannabis, it’s still be best to be on the safe side and remain as stealthy as possible. Even if it’s legal where you are, theives know that the police won’t investigate cannabis plant theft…
• How to Save Money When Growing Weed – When you grow your own weed, you should experience an increase in quality, but it should also cost drastically less than purchasing froma dispensary. If your weed isn’t dirt cheap (yet), let us help you get there!

The post How to Produce a Ton of Weed with Only 1-4 Plants appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

GrowWeedEasy.com teaches you the secrets of cannabis home grow.

• Start Here: How to grow weed
• Get Seeds: Safe seed sources
• Sick Plants? See the plant doctor
• When to Harvest? Harvest guide

Get cannabis seeds at Seed Supreme or see our full list of our favorite cannabis seed banks.

Growing weed is easy when you know what to do, but most “how to grow marijuana” tutorials leave you feeling like you need a degree in horticulture.

GrowWeedEasy.com only contains useful cannabis grow tips, tactics, and lessons from actual home growers with years of growing experience.

Even a total beginner can consistently produce top-shelf weed by following our step-by-step home grow tutorials. 100% written by humans who care.

Who Made GrowWeedEasy.com?

Grow Weed Easy.com was started in 2010 by home growers Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside. Together, we built a free online “encyclopedia of cannabis home grow” with 650+ expert home cannabis cultivation tutorials about every aspect of growing weed.

GrowWeedEasy.com is now the biggest and most comprehensive source of free home grow information in the world.  We show you how easy it is to grow your own marijuana at home.

The GrowWeedEasy.com Ethos

Our Goal: You grow as much top-shelf weed as possible, with as little time and effort needed to grow your desired yields and cannabis bud quality.

Whether you’re a total beginner who wants to start growing cannabis indoors for the first time, or an experienced grower who wants to upgrade your skills to Pro level, this website was built for you.

Looking for a complete harvest system?

If you want dense, beautiful, great-smelling weed, our new digital book gives you our complete harvest system. Follow the straightforward instructions and massively upgrade your next harvest. A few small changes can make a huge difference to your results.

Get our fool-proof harvest system.

FOR SERIOUS GROWERS ONLY

🌟 $200 Off Special Offer: Enroll today in Home Grow Masterclass!

If you’re reading this right now, you want to grow great cannabis at home.

Cannabis plants isn’t a regular house plant, but learning how to grow isn’t as complicated growers make it seem. We’ve spent the last 16 years breaking down the home grow process so anyone can learn it.

The key to consistent harvest results is simple: follow a proven system developed for home growers.

You could waste an entire grow learning through trial and error…

Or take the shortcut and harvest a sea of fat, dense, beautiful buds that smell great. At home!

Follow our 5-week course and get walked through each part step-by-step. Build by experienced home growers and honed with hundreds of students since 2019, we ensure you achieve great results on your very next harvest.

Learn How To Grow Top-Shelf Weed at Home!

Start Your First Class TODAY!

You may be asking yourself these common growing questions:

“How do I grow marijuana indoors?”

Read this guide on how to grow marijuana indoors. Or check out this article to learn what materials you need to get started growing your own marijuana!

Luckily, it’s really easy to get a cannabis seed to sprout!

“How much money will it cost to get started?”

If you’re considering growing weed, it costs as little as $300 to get started growing or a bit more for a semi-automatic, high-yielding bubbleponics grow system. See examples of yields to expect, electricity use & startup costs for different setups. Read this article to see even more growing styles with different price ranges.

“Where can I get marijuana seeds?”

Check out our How to Buy Marijuana Seeds Online Guide (with delivery to every state of the USA) to safely get your hands on good genetics. Starting with good seeds lets you choose the looks, smell, and effects of your buds!

Learn where it’s safe to buy cannabis seeds online (2026 update).

What do good cannabis seeds look like?

Learn about the best marijuana beginner strains and how to research and find the right strain.

Cannabis buds are generally green, but can also be pink or purple with certain strains.

“How much will electricity cost each month?”

If you’re just growing a few marijuana plants for personal use, it will cost you $20-$100+/month for electricity, depending on what grow lights (electricity) and nutrients you use. On average, I’d say a hobby-size grower might pay about $50/month to grow, but it depends greatly on your setup and local electricity costs! How much will electricity cost each month?

“How can I increase my marijuana yields?”

We have quite a few techniques to choose from or combine! See some of our most popular pages:

• Super Cropping – A simple technique to bigger yields
• Simplest Guide to Growing Short & Bushy Marijuana Plants
• LST (Low Stress Training) – Training your plants can easily double your harvest!
• Or check out our page on the controversial defoliation technique

Even More Ways to Increase Cannabis Yields

1. Increase Light Intensity (plus choose right light for desired yields & possibly add CO2)
2. Manipulate How Plants Grow (a free way to yield more bud indoors)
3. Provide Right Nutrients (low Nitrogen in the flowering stage, and remember sometimes less is more!)
4. Control Growing Environment (let the growing environment work for you)
5. Harvest Plants Properly (most importantly, don’t harvest early!)
6. Lastly, it’s important to remember that the strain has a major effect on yields!

Two small cannabis plants can yield several ounces of premium weed!

“How can I grow weed privately?”

Read guide on growing weed indoors without anyone knowing. But remember the most important factors to stealth growing: “No tell, no smell, no sell.” Never tell anyone, not even your best friend, that you’re growing. Be on top of preventing smells, and never ever sell cannabis. Breaking one of those 3 principles is how 99% of growers get found out!

“What if my plants get sick?”

The most common issue a grower runs into is a pH imbalance. Barring that, your marijuana plants likely either have a nutrient deficiency, heat or light stress, or are being attacked by some sort of marijuana mold, pest or bug. Whether you call it weed, cannabis, sinsemilla, skunk, pot, marijuana, or something else, the plant known as Cannabis Sativa is a hardy weed in the wild and can actually be easy to grow indoors at home when you know what to do.

Growing Medical Marijuana

“Medical marijuana” has become a household name. The body of evidence for medical marijuana in the treatment of cancer and other illnesses is growing every day. And for those who need medical marijuana, growing weed indoors is the perfect way to ensure a safe, regular supply of buds, for cheap.

In fact, when you grow weed indoors for personal use, you often end up with way too much. If you catch the growing bug like I did, and if you start enjoying the process of tending your cannabis garden just for the sake of gardening, you’re going to have to find a way to press, cook, freeze, and concentrate all your extra buds. 🙂

As you probably know, both medical marijuana and recreational cannabis have been decriminalized or legalized in many places around the world and weed is becoming legal in more places every day! Yet there still aren’t many simple indoor “how to grow weed” guides for beginners (even for those who legally grow, such as medical marijuana users and those who live in places where marijuana is legalized for personal use).

If so, I know how you feel. It can be hard to weed out all the bad information on the internet and find well-researched, free tips or instructions on how to grow your own cannabis. That’s why Grow Weed Easy.com aims to be a simple online resource that explains from start to finish what you need to do when growing cannabis so you can learn how to grow cannabis with great yields and potent buds, even if you only have a small grow space like a closet or even a computer case.

We’ve grown cannabis out of closets and have gotten ounces of buds and you can too. Grow Weed Easy.com covers many popular cannabis cultivation topics, including:

• A comparison between different cannabis grow lights including experience-based information about LED grow lights
• A page that teaches you the basics of how to grow weed
• Detailed how-to weed growing tutorials
• How to start growing weed tomorrow  (simplest cannabis growing guide!)
• Grow 4 oz with a 100W LED <– An Easy Way to Start Growing!
• Our famous grow guide that teaches you how to grow weed using bubbleponics (hydro).

Start Growing Weed Today!

Grow Weed Easy is run by a panel of experienced cannabis growers, including the founders Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside, who originally teamed together to bring you GrowWeedEasy.com. Due to the demand for more marijuana growing information, we’ve also started an inbox magazine all about how to grow weed, with additional tutorials, tips, and tactics sent to you each week. Simply sign up to start getting free expert growing articles delivered to you! All the information available at GrowWeedEasy.com is completely free and we regularly update the site and make new additions.

Looking for a growing book?

If you are interested in doing a bit of reading or would like to know more about the science behind marijuana hydroponics or horticulture, I strongly recommend viewing our page of Marijuana Grow Book Reviews. Read reviews of marijuana grow books. We would love to hear about your experiences with growing cannabis. Whether you are a pro grower already or are just starting your first plant, we have learned so much from our readers both beginners and masters! If you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, or just want to ask some questions about your marijuana grow, please contact us!

Happy Growing!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside

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Complete Guide: Plant Training to Increase Auto-Flowering Strain Yields

For those who don’t know: An auto-flowering marijuana plant automatically starts making buds about 3-5 weeks from seed germination (timing depends on the strain). Most autoflowering plants are ready to harvest just 2-3 months from germination, much faster than traditional “photoperiod” cannabis strains.

Today’s cannabis training tutorial will teach you how to grow autoflowering plants like this.

Unlike photoperiod strains, auto-flowering strains also don’t need special light schedules to make buds. Growers simply give the plants light, water, and nutrients, then wait until the buds are ready to harvest.

Note: You probably won’t find auto-flowering seeds in your buds so you’ll need to buy them from a reputable breeder (check out the list of recommended auto-flowering breeders below).

Learn how to force your autoflowering plants to grow a sea of buds!

Avoid stunted plants! Learn how to never grow autoflowering plants that stay tiny with small yields like this.

Avoid crazy plants! Learn how to never grow out-of-control auto-flowering plants like these ones.

Today, you’ll learn how to grow perfectly sized autoflowering plants with big fat buds. That way you get huge yields every time!

A quick-yet-bountiful harvest is one of the biggest benefits of growing auto-flowering marijuana plants. However, the shortened vegetative stage brings up an important question. Generally, when growing photoperiod cannabis strains, indoor growers use plant training methods for the first 4-6 weeks of a plant’s life to make plants grow flat and maximize yields in the flowering stage.

“Plant Training” to Increase Yields (a time-tested technique)

Can auto-flowering plants be “trained” in their short vegetative stage? And if they can be trained, does it actually provide any benefits? The short answer is “yes” to both questions (with one caveat).

What is training? Growers “train” cannabis plants to grow flat and wide like a table.

This wide, flat shape naturally increases yields vs letting plants grow naturally.

A 300W LED grow light produced over 11 ounces with this method! Here’s the full LED setup.

Big or Small, This Method Works!

This tutorial works for even small autoflowering plants to increase yields!

Example: This gorgeous Forbidden Runtz auto-flowering plant was trained from a young age and produced several ounces under a tiny 100W LED grow light (a $90 Spider Farmer SF-1000 LED). Here’s the full setup I used.

Healthy Auto-Flowering Plants Usually Respond Well to Plant Training

Auto-flowering strains can be trained to produce more and bigger colas, and proper plant training can increase yields and overall improve your grow results. Follow the instructions on this page to copy the results in your autoflowering cannabis garden.

See 10 Recommended Auto-Flowering Cannabis Breeders
(plus several suggested autoflowering strains)

Auto-flowering strains from a decade ago were heavily hybridized with wild hemp and produced small and subpar-quality flowers. However, modern auto-flowering strains from trustworthy breeders (like this Auto Lemon OG plant) produce buds that are just as potent and beautiful as traditional photoperiod strains.

Now let’s learn how to maximize your yields so you harvest tons of high-quality buds every time.

Which is Best? 3 Main Schools of Thought on Auto-Flower Training

There are 3 main schools of thought about what works best when it comes to training auto-flowering cannabis plants. Each has pros and cons:

• Method 1: No Training at All – This means letting plants grow naturally, without any attempt to “train”. Since autos only stay in the vegetative stage for a few weeks, it may end up stunted if you stress your plant too much with extensive training. A stunted auto-flowering plant produces very low yields. As a result, many growers recommend no training at all when it comes to auto-flowering marijuana strains, just to be safe. Untrained auto-flowering plants can still produce a lot of bud!
• Method 2: Low Stress Training Only (aka “LST” or Bending) – The idea behind low stress training is to force the plant into the flat shape you want by bending over tall stems and tying them down. The advantage of sticking only to bending is it’s very low stress (hence the name) on the plant. There’s basically no chance of stunting a plant from gentle bending. However, with LST you don’t have the same full control over the plant’s shape as you do when you actually “top” the plant (split the main cola into two), which makes it very easy to grow a wide and flat plant.
• Method 3: “Top” the Plant in Addition to Other Training – With cannabis plants, “topping” is one of the most common ways to dramatically increase yields for almost no work. But does topping work for autos? Yes, when done right. Modern auto-flowering strains often respond well to “topping”. This is when you cut off the very top of the main stem when the plant has only a few nodes, so that it grows two main stems instead of just one. This makes it easy to spread out the plant under the light. Topping usually won’t stress your plant if it’s healthy and fast-growing, but it’s possible that topping may contribute to stress or stunting if your plant is slow growing or sickly. Keep reading to learn more!

Most cannabis growers agree you don’t want to do ultra-aggressive training on an auto-flowering plant, for example you probably wouldn’t want to make a full manifold, which takes several weeks in the vegetative stage to set up. Though there are exceptions, you usually don’t have enough time in the vegetative stage to take full advantage of that kind of training technique with auto-flowering plants. But you do have some effective options.

Your main goal with training auto-flowering strains is to avoid “stunting” plants.

Avoid This: Stunted Auto-Flowering Plants

These auto-flowering plants were stunted when they were young by heat and overwatering. Now they’ve already started flowering and are just a few weeks from harvest.

Even though they have a plentiful amount of light, at this point the plants are not going to get any bigger no matter what the grower does because the vegetative stage is over, and the flowering stage is already under way.

Here’s a closeup of the middle plant. You can see by the bud development that it’s just a month or so from harvest. Since it’s this far into the flowering stage, you know that the plant is not going to get any bigger. The buds will fatten up, but even if they tripled in size, the grower would only get a few grams of bud. The plant just isn’t big enough to support bigger yields.

This is why many growers recommend no training for auto-flowering plants. They’re trying to avoid stunting. But in the above example, the plants weren’t even topped. They were stunted from heat and overwatering, not training. So, I think the main point is to avoid stressing the plant when it’s young, not something as black and white as “no training allowed.”

Method 1: Untrained Auto-Flowering Plants

Here are examples of untrained auto-flowering plants. With good care and a strong grow light, they can produce a whole lot of bud without any training, especially if you have some extra height to spare.

Gorilla Glue Auto by Fastbud – This plant did great without training.

White Widow Auto – This plant grew too wild and tall without training.

These 5 auto-flowering plants were started at the same time. Without any training, they grew into this sea of buds at harvest! Growing many untrained plants together can be one of the easiest ways to get to a quick, hefty harvest. This style of growing is known as Sea of Green and is very well suited to auto-flowering strains. However, they likely would have produced even better yields (and fewer small larfy buds) if they were trained.

Method 2: Low Stress Training on Autos (without “Topping”)

Here’s an example of LSTing (Low Stress Training) an auto-flowering plant by bending over the main cola when it was young and still mostly in the vegetative stage.

This allows the plant to be spread out in a way that’s somewhat similar to the result of topping

This auto also wasn’t topped. I only used bending and securing to try to keep it wide with many colas. I was happy in the end with the shape, but it was a big pain trying to keep it flat. It’s just a lot easier to keep plants flat when you top them, since it splits them and you can lay each side flat.

Without topping you end up making a “spiral” with the main stem to keep it as short as the rest. Here’s the “skeleton” of that plant to give you a better idea of what the training looked like underneath

An auto-flowering Super Skunk plant just before harvest – this plant spent a little over 2.5 months under a Mars LED grow light.

A view of the same plant from the side. Only LST/bending was used to keep it short and wide, and as a result, you can see there’s still one dominant cola higher than the rest, even though the plant has been completely bent over.

​

Method 3: “Topping” the Auto-Flowering Plant

If you cut off the very top of a young, fast-growing auto-flowering plant, it may not even notice. Many growers recommend against topping an auto plant because stress can stunt your plant. While you definitely want to avoid stunting, I personally think topping autos works well as long as you make sure your plant is healthy and fast-growing first.

To be honest, other factors like overwatering or a poor environment seem to be much more likely to stunt an auto-flowering plant than topping, especially if you’re cutting off just the very tip of the plant without removing much plant matter.

Overwatering or a poor environment is far more likely to stunt an auto-flowering plant than a simple topping. For example, this auto-flowering plant was stunted due to overwatering and heat. 

I’ve had great results from topping my auto-flowering plants. I’ve also gotten great results with either no training or just low stress training! So, I definitely think you can succeed with any training style as long as you listen to your plants.

This Auto Amnesia Haze plant was topped, trained, and defoliated. It already has a sea of buds, with a month left to go until harvest!

When is the best time to top an auto-flowering cannabis plant?

Although you can top a plant any time it is still in the vegetative stage, I believe you will get the best results by removing the 4th or 5th node while it’s still tiny, as long as the plant is fast-growing.

This is about as old as an auto-flowering plant should be for topping. For auto-flowering plants older than this, you should probably avoid topping and stick to low stress training.

I think one of the most important things to avoid stunting is to remove as little as possible. The less you remove, the less the plant will notice.

I personally wouldn’t cut off more than this when topping an auto-flowering marijuana plant.

You could even pinch the stem off a little higher, above those two baby fan leaves. The arrows point to the two growth tips that would be the new “tops” if you had cut where the red line is. In this case, you would have removed even less from the plant, reducing the chance of stunting even more, and helping your plant keep as much growth as possible.

This diagram shows where to cut for topping, along with where to expect the new main stems.

Here’s an example of two topped autoflowering plants. The tall one was topped as specified above, before it started growing buds. The small one is the same strain, but was topped after it had already started growing buds. This helps show just how much you can stunt the growth of an auto-flowering plant by topping it too late.

When cannabis plants start making buds, the buds look like little white hairs (sometimes called pistils, stigmas, or styles). These hairs appear at the base of fan leaves or at the top of each stem. If you see more than 2 hairs coming from one spot, it means buds are already developing and it’s too late to top the plant.

Top autoflowering plants before you see more than 2 hairs per spot. You can see there are only 2 pistils coming from each spot here. It’s still okay to top this plant, but just barely. By tomorrow or the next day, it will likely be too late.

Can be topped: This plant can also be topped, but do it right now. It’s just about to start flowering.

Too late to top! It’s too late to top this autoflowering plant. Way too many hairs popping up everywhere! That means it’s fully in the flowering stage.

Too late to top! This plant is a week or two into bud development. Never top a plant with buds that have developed this far.

When is it a Bad Idea to Train an Auto-Flowering Plant?

Auto plants are on a very tight time schedule in the vegetative stage, and therefore plant training isn’t necessarily the best idea for plants that are already sick or stunted since they likely won’t have time to recover.

Don’t Train an Auto if…

• Plant is Sick, Stunted, or Slow-Growing
• Plant is older than 4-5 weeks old
• Plant has already started forming little budlets (more than two white hairs from a spot at the base of each leaf)
  • after this point, only use low-stress bending and securing stems down to keep the plant the shape you want

With an auto-flowering strain, you generally have about a month to create the main shape of the plant. After that, it will start flowering and although it will continue getting taller, you want to let the plant focus on fattening the buds as opposed to a whole lot of further training.

If you’re not sure whether to top your plant, it’s recommended to stick to bending as it can achieve similar results without any risk of further stunting your plant. Notice how the main stem of this plant was bent all the way over and tied down.

That being said, almost every other plant training method (topping or FIMing, low stress training, supercropping and Sea of Green) can be used on auto-flowering plants as long as you watch the plant closely for signs of stress and make sure you let the plant get big enough to produce good yields in the flowering stage!

Extra Growing Tips for Autos

Low to Medium Nutrient Needs

Whether you grow in soil, coco coir, or a full hydroponic setup, auto-flowering plants often tend to prefer relatively low levels of nutrients compared to many other cannabis strains.

When it comes to adding extra bottled nutrients, start at 1/2 strength of the recommended dose or less, and only add higher levels of nutrients if needed. In hydro use “vegetative” nutrients until you see “budlets” (little bunches of white hairs) which is often around 4-5 weeks. In good soil, you don’t need to add any nutrients during the vegetative stage. After the first signs of buds, start adding “flowering” nutrients at very low strength (1/2 strength to start).

Don’t go overboard with nutrients & supplements.

Use a Good Potting Mix (Soil or Coco)

Potted auto plants tend to do best in an airy potting mix with lots of drainage (plenty of drainage holes, and something like perlite to help add more drainage to your growing medium). This helps makes sure roots get plenty of oxygen so plants grow as fast as possible.

With any soil mix, it’s recommended to have about 20-30% extra perlite for increased drainage.

Good soil or coco is fluffy, and has airy white rocks (known as perlite).

Read a simple soil grow guide for autos.

However, I use coco coir to get faster growth than soil.

Strain & Final Size Have an Effect on Training 

The final size of your auto plants is largely dependent on the strain you get. Some cannabis autoflowering strains have been bred to grow extremely short – less than 1-2 feet. Other strains can grow taller, up to 4 feet tall, or even more.

Although most auto strains start flowering at just 3-4 weeks, some strains take up to 8 weeks (or even longer) before they automatically start making buds. Often, long-flowering auto strains are labeled as “Super Autos” or “XXL” but you should still read the breeder description to fully know what to expect as far as timelines and height.

If you have a plant that is not “auto-ing” as soon as you want, you can put it on a 12/12 light schedule and it will usually start flowering in 1-2 weeks just like a photoperiod plant.

These two auto-flowering plants are the same age and were grown in the same setup! Genetics makes a huge difference to your final results, so it’s important to pick the right auto-flowering strain!

The small plant is White Widow Auto & the huge plant is Onyx Auto (unknown breeders).

Auto-flowering pic by Vapo69

These two auto-flowering plants are also the same age and grown in the same environment. The itty bitty plant (front bottom left, it’s easy to miss it’s so small!) is Auto Chemdawg. The huge plant is Super Lemon Haze Auto.

Auto-flowering pic by henry tate

As a general rule of thumb, auto plants tend to double or triple in size from when they first start showing signs of flowering/budding (usually when plants are about 3-4 weeks old from seed).

Final Height of Auto-Flowering Plants is Often ~2-3 Times the Height When the Plant First Started Showing Pistils/Hairs

An auto-flowering plant is usually “full size” at just 6-7 weeks from seed. For example, these autos are 6 weeks old and didn’t get any taller, even though buds are still fattening and harvest is still several weeks away.

A stunted autoflower won’t produce much bud because it never gets big,

Bend too-tall branches down and away from the center of your plant

Plant training is a tactic that helps cannabis growers increase yields indoors by exposing more buds to strong, direct light from the grow light.

When growing any cannabis plants indoors, it’s recommended to at least use bending to open up the plant so it grows flat and wide

A view from the side just before harvest so you can see how those plants were trained to grow flat and wide. Training allows all the bud sites to grow directly under the light, so they get as big as possible

See the full grow journal with these autos.

10 Recommended Auto-Flowering Breeders (and some favorite strains)

Which breeders can you trust for good auto-flowering marijuana seeds? These auto breeders have dedicated themselves to developing great auto-flowering strains, and have gained popularity for their consistency and quality.

​There are many other breeders that offer auto-flowering seeds, but the breeders listed have become famous for breeding some of the best auto seeds when it comes to ease of growth, potency and yields. Let us know if you believe there’s an auto-flowering cannabis breeder we should add to this list!

10 Recommended Autoflowering Breeders

Many breeders produce great auto-flowering strains (Barney’s Farm, etc.), but the following breeders stand out for consistency and potency. Click the name of the breeder to see a list of their currently available auto-flowering strains.

• Bomb Seeds – sparkly and potent buds. Bomb Seeds breeds both autoflowering and photoperiod cannabis seeds, and all perform well. I’ve grown their THC Bomb Auto multiple times and I was impressed with the yields, bud potency, and just overall nice look of the buds. Their other auto-flowering “bomb” strains are great too, including Berry Bomb Auto (berry flavor), Cherry Bomb Auto (cherry flavor), and Big Bomb Auto (super high yielding).
• Dutch Passion – Excellent yields (some of the best yields for auto-flowering strains that I’ve grown). Smooth, classic effects on their buds. Their Cinderella Jack Auto is extra potent with dense buds.
• FastBuds Seeds – Fast and potent. Fastbuds have gone “all in” for auto-flowering strains. In fact, every auto strain I’ve grown from Fastbuds has produced above-average quality buds in smell, appearance, and potency. Highly recommended.
• G13 Labs – Consistent good results. Plants closely match the strain descriptions, so you get what you expect. I especially like their Pineapple Express Auto strain.
• Mephisto Genetics – One of the first truly great auto-flowering breeders, Mephisto has been at the top of the autoflowering game for over a decade now. They keep upping the ante and are an industry leader in autoflowering genetics for a reason! My favorite strains from them are Double Grape Auto and Creme de la Chem Auto.
• Nirvana – All their strains are easy to grow. Their Blue Dream Auto makes beautiful medium-THC buds with a medium amount of CBD, while their Raspberry Cough Auto is popular because it has a relatively low, fruity smell.
• Royal Queen Seeds – Buds always come out beautiful (they look just like the pictures) and smell great.
• Seed Supreme – Offer a ton of different auto-flowering strains, with genetics suitable for any taste.
• Seedsman – The Seedsman website offers seeds from many different breeders, but they also sell in-house “Seedsman” brand auto-flowering seeds, which grow fast with high-quality buds, and have above-average germination rates.
• Sweet Seeds – Spanish genetics with beautiful and colorful strains like Cream Caramel Auto.

Here are some pictures of autoflowering cannabis plants I’ve grown from these breeders.

Cinderella Jack Auto by Dutch Passion makes extra-potent, rock-hard buds with above-average yields. This little plant produced several ounces by itself.

Zkittlez Auto by Fastbuds – big yields and bud effects are lovely

Auto Lemon OG makes beautiful buds and plants are easy to grow.

I’ve grown multiple THC Bomb Auto plants (by Bomb Seeds) and they always respond well to training and produce great bud quality.

Buds come out super sparkly on the THC Bomb autos!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I would have when I first started growing with autoflowering strains. Send us pics of your favorite autoflowering plants for a chance to be featured in our weekly newsletter’s “trophy pics of the week” section.

The post How to “Train” Auto-Flowering Plants for Bigger Yields appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Many beginner cannabis growers struggle because they pick the wrong marijuana strain. After 16 years of teaching home growers, I recommend beginner-friendly cannabis strains like Blue Dream, Mandarin Cookies, or Purple Ghost Candy for reliable germination, healthier growth, better bud quality and bigger yields. Learn where to safely buy cannabis seeds online.

Blue Dream naturally grows long and fat buds, even for beginners.

Recommended beginner strain #1: Blue Dream

This is my #1 beginner cannabis strain. This particular version of Blue Dream (the Seed Supreme version) took over 5 years of dedicated breeding, and has developed into a masterpiece that checks all the boxes.

The good:

• Easy to grow – Reliable seed germination, and the resulting seedlings grow fast. Not picky about nutrients. Plants respond well to topping and bending. Can handle stronger light and higher temps than other strains.
• Crazy yields – Even if left alone without any training, plants naturally make lots of branchy bud sites with enormous buds.
• Lovely smell – Classic sweet “Blue Dream” odor (no funk or skunk). Could be a good “stealth” strain because it has an overall lighter smell.
• Special potency – Smooth and lovely smoke that won’t put you to sleep, but you feel it. Get long-lasting and relaxing effects without being weighed down. Blue Dream is a legend for a reason.

Blue Dream – Fast, easy to grow, gets big. Huge yields. Indoors and Outdoors.

Watch out for:

• Plants grow big & FAST – Plants grow faster than most other strains, so it can quickly overtake other plants in the grow space. Outdoor plants can overgrow a greenhouse or get taller than the fence. It can help to keep the plant in a 7-gallon pot (or smaller) to limit height.
• Flowering Stretch – Plants grow 2-3x in size after you initiate 12/12, so make sure to initiate when plant is half the final height, and bend over any tall branches for the first 3-4 weeks after 12/12. You will be rewarded with a sea of colas.
• Big bud problems – Buds get bigger and bigger for a surprisingly long time. After a while they can become susceptible to bud rot. Indoors, add a gentle oscillating fan blowing on buds if they get wider than two fingers.
• May Need to Harvest Earlier – Watch out for bananas after 10 weeks or so. They may pop up via the “rhodelization” mechanism, which for this strain, is a sign the plant is done and buds are ready to harvest. Even if buds have lots of white hairs left, you may be surprised to find buds are solid underneath.

Some of those Blue Dream buds after drying (See the Blue Dream grow journal)

Recommended beginner strain #2: Purple Ghost Candy 

I love this strain, which was developed by Seedsman over several years.

I have grown it multiple times, and every plant produced big, sparkly, dense buds. Plants and leaves usually turn purple, but buds only sometimes turn purple.

Very tall, forgiving plants, but they get HUGE quickly, so give them room just like the Blue Dream. In fact, this strain pairs really well with the Blue Dream because they can keep up with each other. Branchy  plants with lots of bud sites.

Note: Purple Ghost Candy produces VERY potent buds. Not for the first-time smoker. Lovely sweet smell, though much stronger than the Blue Dream.

 Purple Ghost Candy is forgiving to mistakes (See our full home grow review)

Purple Ghost Candy buds are STRONG. Don’t plan to do something else that day.

Recommended beginner strain #3: Mandarin Cookies

Another personal favorite strain. It is one of the most popular Ethos Genetics strains since it first came out. Pungent sweet diesel smell, with strong hints of citrus and cookies. Buds are literally encrusted with sticky trichomes. Even the leaves close to buds are good enough to smoke. Extremely potent yet anti-anxiety, “chill” and happy effect. Perfect for relaxing after a hard day, enhancing creative pursuits, or just making a funny show funnier. Plants are easy to grow and produce great bud quality even if you make some mistakes.

Those Mandarin Cookies buds after being dried and cured. HAPPY RELAXATION EFFECT.

When I first started growing cannabis, I was so excited to finally pick my own strains, but I was also very confused about marijuana strains.

Hopefully, learning about 3 different beginner-friendly strains has started to give you an idea of what makes each marijuana strain different.

These 5 different strains made wildly different buds. See the grow journal.

But you probably still have so many questions… What’s the difference between strains? Which strains are most potent, and what about yields? What other strains are great for beginner growers? Let me break it down.

Does strain actually matter? YES!

Cannabis strain effects:

• Seed germination rates
• How plants grow
• How buds develop
• Smell, potency, taste
• And more!

Years of non-stop experimentation and breeding for positive traits has resulted in a superabundance of available strains. The sheer number of choices can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it’s pretty fun to shop for cannabis strains when you start with a little bit of information. Choosing the best strain for you is rewarding.

Based on personal experience, I’ve put together a list of popular cannabis strains with exceptional genetics which makes them…well, just plain better to grow.

I’ll explain why I picked each strain so you can use the knowledge to further your own research and help you pick the ultimate strain for your next cannabis harvest!

Click for a strain that is…

• Quick – Fastest Time to Harvest
• Easy – Most Forgiving and Easy to Grow
• Big Yields – Produce As Much Bud as Possible
• Special Potency – Specific Effects, Legendary Strains, Cup Winners, etc.

Plus some bonus info about…

• Strains that Thrive in Small Spaces
• Medical Marijuana Strains
• Further Strain Research

​Want to grow more than one strain at the same time?
Learn about growing multiple strains together!

This is Amnesia by Greenhouse Seeds (manifold technique used to maximize bud size)

Super Skunk can be a great strain for medical marijuana patients, but is it the best cannabis strain for all growers? Unfortunately, there is no “best” of anything, including cannabis strains. The good news is there’s tons of amazing strain choices no matter what you’re looking for. This article will help you find the best strain for you. Here are a few quick favorites, then on to the main article!

Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm (grown by Max)

Platinum Cookies by Seed Supreme

Quick – Fastest Time to Harvest

For when the most important thing is getting to your next cannabis harvest as fast as possible!

When it comes to trying to get to harvest as quickly as possible, your best choice is often to grow an auto-flowering strain of cannabis. With an auto-flowering strain, you’ll have the option to harvest your plant 2-3 months from seed germination, and it’s typical to harvest 1-3 ounces off each plant. Under powerful grow lights with a big pot and with some room to grow, auto-flowering plants can produce 5-6 ounces per plant or even more.

Auto-flowering strains tend to stay small and grow fast, while still producing excellent yields and bud quality

Although there are quick-flowering or “fast” photoperiod strains, they are rarely ready to harvest in less than 3 months from seed. That means you can usually get an even quicker harvest with auto-flowering seeds.

Auto-flowering seeds grow plants with some unique qualities:

• Ready to harvest 2-3 months from seed – quickest time to harvest of any strain of cannabis (though there are some auto-flowering strains that have been bred to take longer and get bigger, most are ready to harvest in 3 months or less)
• Autos don’t need special light periods – “Regular” (photoperiod) plants need 12 hours of darkness each day in order to make buds, while autos will make buds and be ready to harvest no matter what light schedule they receive. This can be helpful if you can’t avoid light leaks, or if you want to keep your lights on all the time (for example if you need your lights on to keep plants warm)
• Relaxing effects from higher CBD – Many auto-flowering strains (though not all) have 1% CBD levels or higher from their Ruderalis ancestry. This can make buds more relaxing with more of an anti-anxiety effect, also reducing some of the inner “racing” mental effects some people get from cannabis. This means that auto-flowering strains can be a good choice for medical marijuana patients, or those who’d like to get extra relaxed from their buds. However, these days there are also some very high THC, low CBD auto-flowering strains which provide more of a psychedelic “in your head” experience, especially those that have been hybridized with Sativa and Haze strains.
• Need your full attention first few weeks – Auto-flowering strains are generally pretty easy to grow, but you’re on a strict time schedule. During the first several weeks, it’s incredibly important you pay close attention to your plants and react quickly to any problems. If an auto-flowering plant runs into major problems during the first part of its life, you may end up with tiny plants and tiny yields because an auto-flowering plant stops growing bigger after about 6 weeks. However, when nurtured through the first few weeks, these strains can produce surprisingly high yields in a crazy short amount of time.
• Crucial to pick a good auto-flowering breeder – the ancestor of all auto-flowering strains was a type of wild hemp with low levels of THC. As a result, the original auto-flowering strains were generally poor yielding and far less potent than photoperiod plants. Luckily, we now have dedicated breeders who put a lot of focus on breeding auto-flowering strains (Mephisto Genetics, Sweet Seeds, Nirvana, Seed Supreme & Dutch Passion are some famous auto-flowering breeders that cater to home growers, though many new breeders are appearing on the scene). As a result, modern auto strains have been carefully bred for many generations to be just as potent as their photoperiod counterparts. When you choose a good autoflowering strain, you’ll be very happy with your bud quality. Yet because there are poor genes out there, it’s important to avoid unscrupulous breeders and choose a trustworthy breeder to ensure you grow excellent genetics.

Here are 5 recommended auto-flowering strains for beginners (and connoisseurs!)

• Quickest Time to Harvest – Green Crack Auto by Fast Buds – The breeder Fast Buds is known for producing stabilized autoflowering strains with extremely fast harvests. One thing I like about Fast Buds is you always get exactly what they tell you to expect in the strain details. Their Green Crack Auto strain is the result of generations of careful breeding. The resulting buds have a creative, energetic effect that also comes with a body “buzz” and is ready to harvest as soon as 2 months from seed germination. However, giving the plant an extra week or two before harvesting can dramatically increase your yields and bud potency. This strain produces dense chunky buds that look beautiful and have a lovely fruity skunky scent.

Green Crack Auto buds are covered in trichomes (grown by Crazyhorse)

• Most Forgiving Auto-Flowering Strains – Happy Valley Genetics produces extremely forgiving auto-flowering strains, especially Shortcut Auto and Easy Button Auto. These are the definition of easy-to-grow autoflowering strains. Shortcut stays short and small, while Easy Button grows to a medium size. But if you’re looking for a really fruity yet forgiving autoflowering strain, the crowd favorite is Pineapple Daddy Auto. All three strains are ready to harvest in under 70 days from germination, yet produce surprisingly big yields with bud potency above 20% THC.

Pineapple Daddy Auto makes green buds with a sweet fruity smell (by Dan)

• Ultra-Potent Auto-Flowering Strain – MSNL produces some extremely high-THC auto-flowering strains, including their famous Kushberry Moonrocks Auto, which tests around 25% THC. However, MSNL’s most potent autoflowering strain is Permanent Marker Auto, with buds that shockingly test above 30% THC. I haven’t grown Permanent Marker Auto yet myself, but our readers have RAVED about it so I feel confident recommending it here. Ready to harvest at 70 days from germination, though an extra week or two maximizes yields and potency.

This Permanent Marker plant by MSNL was grown by Marky Mark in Australia!

• Medical Strain (Very Relaxing) – Black Jack Auto. This strain had some of the most chill effects of all the auto-flowering strains I’ve grown so far. I grew two Black Jack Autos at the same time. One was 7.5/10 in relaxation, but the other left me feeling on Cloud 9. Both had an immediate nose-tingling head effect, and then longer lasting pleasant mental and body effects. Great for relaxation, but didn’t weigh me down. The smell was pungent and skunky yet had sweet notes. This strain seemed to do better with somewhat lower levels of light, so it would be perfect to tuck one of these plants in the back or to the side of your main grow.

An example of a Black Jack Auto I grew, just before harvest at 75 days old.

The buds grew fat with relaxing and interesting effects

Easy – Forgiving and Easy to Grow

In order to get the best results with growing cannabis, you need to pay regular attention to your plants. However, that’s a lot easier said than done. Maybe you don’t have a lot of time, and you just want to do the “bare minimum” and still get to harvest. Although I highly encourage you to take great care of your plants, if this sounds like you, you may get the best results by choosing a hardy cannabis strain that’s been specifically bred to be easy to grow and can roll with the punches.

Although they’re generally hardy, in some ways, auto-flowering strains can be tough for a beginner because they don’t leave a lot of time for mistakes. If you mess up in the first 3-6 weeks, you can sometimes end up with a tiny plant and small yields at harvest and unfortunately there’s really nothing you can do about it at that point.

On the flip side, a photoperiod plant gives you as much time as you need to dial in your grow and make mistakes because it won’t start making buds until you “tell” it to. That gives you time to conduct experiments and/or really see what a plant can do.

They don’t say it grows like a weed for nothing! With a photoperiod cannabis plant, you can bring it to the brink of death and back, then continue on with your grow without much consequence.

For that reason, I highly recommend sticking with photoperiod (“standard”) strains if you’re specifically looking for a strain that’s particularly easy to grow and can bounce back from problems.

• Low Odor – Northern Light is a hardy, potent strain that tends to have less of a smell than other strains, which can be helpful for stealth reasons. This strain is a classic that has won many awards for its effects. Northern Light plants tend to stay short, bounce back easily from problems, and are relatively quick to harvest. It’s one of the first strains I ever grew, and lived through a lot (heat, overwatering, dropping a light on it….). Despite all that mistreatment, the plant produced amazing results and yields.

Northern Light buds aren’t as smelly as many other strains of cannabis, and plants tend to be very forgiving and easy to grow.

• Quick-to-Harvest – Sour Lime Haze plants are a breeze to grow. Buds are ready to harvest 8 weeks after you initiate the flowering stage. That means with a 4 week vegetative stage you could have buds in hand under than 3 months from germination. Although a short-flowering photoperiod strain like Sour Lime Haze is not quite as fast as the fastest auto-flowering strain, it’s close and more forgiving if you mess up at the beginning!

Sour Lime Haze responds very well to stressful conditions.

• Good for LEDs and Can Handle Tight Spaces – Pineapple Chunk plants respond well to LEDs by producing extra potent, extra sticky buds. This strain is also very hardy & resistant to many common plant problems (over watering, underwatering, stress…). It’s important to get a strain that can resist mold and diseases if you’re growing in the high humidity of a small grow space, which may not have enough air circulation for proper growth. This strain is overall just easy to grow and high yielding, and because of its effects, I always choose it if I see it available at a dispensary!

Pineapple Chunk is easy to train and produces well in tight spaces, like in this tiny 3′ (1 meter) tall grow tent.

Closeup of a Pineapple Chunk bud not long before harvest. Sparkly!

High Yields 

Sometimes the most important thing is producing as much bud as possible!

• Legendary Effects – Blue Dream by Seed Supreme – Incredible strain that makes huge, dense buds with a legendary dreamy effect and yields that can’t be beat.

Each Blue Dream plant can yield multiple ounces of weed. Some plants may turn purple.

• Insane Potency – Purple Ghost Candy – This strain produces buds with 27%+ THC and higher with low levels of CBD, for a truly vivid, “in-your-head” Sativa-style trip. Plants can grow tall and lanky, producing very well both indoors and outdoors. Plants respond well to training and are easy to grow. You just need to be careful because these plants can get really big overnight and crowd out your grow space!

A ​Purple Ghost Candy bud from Sirius’ last harvest, grown indoors.

This Purple Ghost Candy plant took over the tent and made incredible yields of epic quality buds.

• Perfect for Social – Green Crack – Massive yields and the buds produce a “friendly” and relaxing effect that is ideal for social settings. A popular strain for a gathering with friends.

Green Crack (aka Cush) is a huge yielder, with buds that make people feel happy and at ease.

Special Potency, Famous Strains, & Cup Winners

Some of the most potent strains available today have won quite a few awards! Cup winners have an air of credibility around them that makes them really attractive and some strains are just straight-up legendary now.

I wanted to share two types of strains with you – Cannabis Cup Winners & Top Dispensary Strains!

3 Cannabis Cup Winners

Sometimes you want to grow something that has won dozens of awards around the world! These strains have become famous for a reason!

• Easy-to-Grow Legend – Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm – A strain with legendary bud quality. Plants stay short and can handle a few mistakes, yet still produce big, beautiful buds.

Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm (grown by Max)

• Pungent – Sour Diesel – This plant is very stretchy which means it needs to be topped and trained to reward you with the highest yields. It has a Sativa background and you should expect it to double in size or more after the switch to the flowering stage unless you make sure to take time to continue bending and securing stems down so all the branches stay short. It comes from a warm climate and can handle very high temperatures and tends to grow slower in cooler temps. When well taken care of, it produces huge, long and thick colas. Its trichomes do not turn amber when the plant is mature, so this strain should be harvested when all the trichomes are milky white, as this is when the buds will have the highest levels of THC.

Sour Diesel makes long, spear-like buds.

• Weirdly good – Jack Herer by Seedsman – Sometimes called the “champagne of strains”, Jack Herer is a world famous strain with buds that blend some of the best tropical Sativa genes for an “up” effect, combined with strong Indica genes to give it a heavy body effect. The best of both worlds. It has amazing resin production that extends from the buds to the leaves, producing valuable trim. It has only average yields and can be a little tough to grow, so it’s meant more for the connoisseur who just wants the best as opposed to growers who care about getting the highest yields possible.

Jack Herer offers unique and smooth mind/body effects.

Bonus: Coffee Shop Weed – White Widow is the gift that keeps on giving. A true “legendary” strain, it continues to win Cannabis Cups and show up in coffee shops and dispensaries around the world, in part because of its ability to make you feel uplifted and happy. It’s known as White Widow because its buds become so covered in trichomes/glitter that buds can actually look white.

​

3 Top Dispensary Strains

I live in Southern California (San Diego) and when I go to dispensaries there are certain strains that show up over and over again. On the top shelf, consistently selling out. Because of that, I know from personal experience that these strains are proven to produce incredible buds no matter who grows them.I wanted to share my own personal “insider” list with you. Most of these strains are on the pricey side, though I believe they’re worth the cost.

• Platinum Cookies – Years ago, a strain called “Girl Scout Cookies” appeared on the California market and exploded with popularity. The clone-only strain went on to receive several cannabis cup awards, and one of those cuts was developed into Platinum Cookies. Now it regularly appears on the top shelf of dispensaries, only to quickly sell out. Platinum Cookies seeds grow into huge yielding plants that take a few extra weeks for buds to mature. Your reward is outstandingly high potency (our last harvest of Platinum Cookies buds tested at 26% THC).

These two Platinum Cookies produced huge amounts of weed under a SF-2000 LED grow light

• Gorilla Zkittlez – Gorilla Zkittlez is remarkable for several reasons. It gives the best of Gorilla Glue #4 and Zkittlez. It’s popular is this strain produces buds with particularly powerful effects that are often described as “couchlock,” “stoney” and ultra-relaxing. When I see this strain on the menu, I get it every time!

Gorilla Zkittlez buds produce outstanding effects

• Jelly Donutz – A unique taste/smell is part of what make this particular strain so memorable alongside its spectacular effects, which have been described as “enormous”, “mind-blowing” and “energetic”. As a result, this strain and has won many awards including cannabis cups. It’s one of those strains where if I see it on a menu I know it will always be good, no matter who grew it.

More Popular Dispensary Strains in 2025 in San Diego, Ca (where I live)

• Cereal strains like Fruity Pebbles
• Candy strains like Candy Games #38
• Cherry strains like Cherry Gar-See-Ya R1
• Permanent Marker (weirdly popular right now)
• Wedding strains like Wedding Cake and White Wedding

Strains for Growing with LEDs

When it comes to growing cannabis with LED grow lights, photoperiod or auto-flowering strains are both suitable for growing with LEDs. You can make LEDs work with any strain. Just make sure to take good care of your plants and watch upper leaves for signs of light stress.

Train plants to grow flat with many buds sites to get the best yields from LED grow lights

Good for Short Spaces, Mini Tents, and Grow Boxes

In a grow box it’s important to grow a cannabis strain that…

• Naturally stays small/short – helpful when you don’t have a lot of extra space. Indica-hybrid strains are recommended because they tend to stay on the smaller side.
• Resistant to heat – some strains are more resistant to high heat and lack of good air circulation. Ideal for a small space.
• Resistant to mold – mold can happen from high humidity in a small grow space. Especially if it doesn’t provide enough fresh air and circulation for proper growth. “Cheese” strains and strains with Hawaiian ancestry tend to be more mold-resistant in general, but it’s also a strain-by-strain thing.
• Can stand high levels of light – this helps because plants are normally kept very close to grow lights in a short space. Many Sativa and Haze strains tend to be more light loving, while Indica strains are more likely to suffer from light burn. However, Indica strains tend to grow short, which is helpful, so if possible you want to find a hybrid that has both traits.

Example of good strains for grow boxes

• Peyote Critical – This strain can be a great candidate for a small space. It stays a manageable size, is ready to harvest quickly, and produces mold-resistant buds. It also has a relatively light smell that’s a little sweet and spicy, with less of a “cannabis” smell than many other strains. It produces a “couchlock” stone that’s heavy on body effects.

Peyote Critical is an easy-to-grow plant that stays relatively small.

• Aurora Indica – Another strain that’s well-suited to micro grows in small spaces. Buds produce an initial mind effect that develops into a deeper “body stone.”

This is an Aurora Indica plant I grew. It stayed very short but buds were thick and dense.

Medical Marijuana Strains

When it comes to growing medical marijuana, the goal is usually to grow strains that are either very high in THC (psychoactive effects), high in CBD (relaxing effect), or high in both.

Learn more:

• Medical vs Non-Medical Strains
• How to Increase THC
• How to Increase CBD

Further Strain Research

If you’re still looking for the exact right strain, check out our tutorial with tips on how to research strains so you find the right one! Learn about some resources you might not know about to get more information about each potential strain!

How to Research and Find Strains to Grow

Jump to…

Growing Cannabis with different grow lights

Top-Fed DWC (Bubbleponics) Tutorial

How do I produce top-shelf buds every time?

Where can I get seeds?

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