Most growers have considered using autoflowering plants at some point or another. The benefits of these auto plants is that they transition from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage depending on what their age is, not a light cycle. This type of growth make autoflowering plants a great choice for just about any grower, but there are some instances in which photoperiod plants might be a better option. To decide what’s best for you and your grow space, you need to consider the pros and cons, which we’ve identified below.

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Pros:

  • Get shorter plants. Shorter plants can be useful for a number of reasons. Indoors they allow you to plant more, while giving your plants more oxygen, and outdoors shortness helps marijuana plants blend easily into surrounding foliage.
  • Use as much space as you want. Grows have spaces of all different sizes. Some might need to make due with a small closet space, while others might want to make the most out of their greenhouse. Autoflowering plants don’t only automatically flower when they’re supposed to, they also typically grow to whatever size their container allows.
  • Good night, light leaks. Growing outdoors has many advantages but one of its biggest downfalls is that it will never be completely dark. Moonlight, city lights, and home and vehicle lights all add to the light that’s around the plant, even at night. These small light leaks can wreak havoc on photoperiod plants, but autoflowering plants seem immune to them.
  • Get more than one harvest per season. Regular seeds are planted in the spring, take an entire season to grow, and are ready for harvest in the fall. On the other hand, autoflowering plants take only about 10 weeks before giving you nice-looking buds and so, you can get two harvests per season out of one plant.
  • Stealthier plants. Because at least one of your harvests can be as early as July, law
Autoflowering fridge stealth grow
Autoflowering stealth fridge grow

enforcement officials aren’t yet on the lookout because they’re waiting until the usual fall harvest. This can give autoflowering plants the edge in the security department.

Cons:

  • Smaller size. What is one grower’s pro will be another grower’s con, and the small size of autoflowering plants is one of those things. Smaller plants can benefit for a lot of growers but yes, there is still that group that just likes big plants that come with big buds.
  • Smaller yields. Along with their smaller size, autoflowering plants do generally produce smaller yields than photoperiod plants. But one must also consider that there will be two harvests, which might make up for the amount of bud produced.

Just like any other aspect of growing, what type of seed one uses is a matter of personal preference. Autoflowering seeds however, do bring a lot of unique benefits that open up the possibility of growing to those who might not have considered it before.