Do Autoflowers Make Seeds?
Like every other plant autoflowers can make seeds, but you have to have a male and a female plant for this to work. Discover how breeders breed autoflowering seeds, what stress conditions lead to seed production, and the origins of autoflower genetics. Learn about feminised seeds, why cloning autoflowers is ineffective, and whether male auto plants exist.
Can auto plants make seeds?
Yes, in short autoflowers can produce seeds. Breeders breed autoflowering seeds by pollinating female autoflower plants with pollen. This process involves having both a female plant and a father plant. When the buds on the female plant have been fertilized by the male pollen, seeds will begin to grow within the flowers. The seeds will also inherit the autoflowering trait.
Do autoflower plants produce seeds?
If both parents are autoflowering plants, then yes. However, the seeds produced by any cannabis plant, including autoflowers, inherit traits from both of their parents. Auto seeds are specifically bred by crossing a regular cannabis strain with a ruderalis variety, which gives the autoflowering trait. If an autoflower plant is pollinated by a photoperiod strain, the produced seeds would not necessarily be autoflowers. The more breeding between autoflowers and non-autoflowers the more the ruderalis ‘autoflowering’ trait would be bred out of the plant.
What makes a distressed autoflower make seeds?
Stress in all cannabis plants can make them produce seeds and is actually a survival mechanism. When an autoflower goes through stress, which could be caused by anything such as feeding issues, physical damage or disease, it can make the plant enter survival mode. In this state, the plant’s main goal is to survive and keep its genetics going after it dies. While stressed a female plant can produce male flowers or become hermie, allowing it to pollinate itself. This auto-pollination results in the production of seeds, which the plant creates as a way to survive to ensure its genetic line continues despite the stress.
Image reference: cannabis plant that has turned hermie
How do you get an auto plant to make seeds?
It’s not a wise choice to stress a plant into auto-pollination as this could potentially damage the plant. Breeders use several pollination methods. One popular method is hand pollination, where breeders collect pollen from a male plant and gently brush it onto the buds of a female plant. The advantage of this approach is that as a breeder you can select the best female plant and the best male plant and only breed those, creating even better offspring.
Another method is open pollination, where male and female plants are grown together in the same area, allowing natural breeding to occur. A more precise method is targeted pollination, https://nativesusa.com/] where breeders isolate specific branches of a female plant and brush pollen to those areas only.
Are autoflower seeds feminized?
No, not all auto seeds are feminised. However, to make your life easier, all the seeds we carry at Auto Seeds are feminised.
Standard autoflower seeds are available and will give you both male and female autoflower plants. However, they are not very common and unless you are a breeder growing regular autoflowers is pointless.
Where does auto genetics come from?
Autoflower genetics come from a wild cannabis variety called Cannabis ruderalis, which is native to Siberia. The extreme weather conditions and short summers where it grows have forced the plants to adapt by developing the ability to flower on their own, regardless of light cycles. This unique trait allows autoflowers to finish their life cycle quickly, making them ideal for regions with brief growing seasons. Breeders such as Auto Seeds have since crossed ruderalis with other cannabis strains to create modern autoflowers that combine automatic flowering with useful traits like bigger yields and potency.
Image reference: wild ruderalis cannabis plant
How many seeds can a single autoflower plant produce?
An individual autoflower plant can make over 1,000 cannabis seeds depending on the strain and how big the plant is.
Why shouldn’t you clone autoflower plants?
While technically possible, cloning autoflower plants is just not very practical. Autoflowers only spend 2-4 weeks in the vegetative stage and if you clone an autoflower, it requires time to root and start growing. However, before the clone can get established, the plant’s internal clock will trigger it to start flowering. The result is a tiny, underdeveloped plant with almost no bud production.
So yes, you can propagate autoflowers, but you would only produce enough weed for a couple of joints.
Can you get male auto plants?
Yes, you can get male auto plants. Standard autoflower seeds give you both male and female plants. However, you just don’t find regular seeds very frequently unless you are developing your own strains.