All I do is AUTOS .....
Autos are wired to FLIP on it’s own anywhere from 20 - 35 days .... the THIRD WHEEL addition of RUDERALIS was introduced because of its short grow cycle and temperament to weather harsher environments ( like Russia and Asia ). But because breeders want only those aspects , other things can happen. Some exhibit a characteristic similar to photos sometimes.... needing to be “ forced “ in to flower.
A true autoflower will thrive under any cycle , with 12/12 being the weakest. Reason being it handicaps the already SHORT VEG and it’s quick sexing. You can get auto males also.
Most breeders have to continually refine offerings as consistency is an issue.
ALL PLANTS have a circadian rhythm as do people .... certain biological processes happen “ in the dark “ .... plants will exhibit a DROOP as its internal clock powers down . It is not to say 24/0 won’t work on some strains .... but you need at a minimum of 16-18 hours of light for vegging an auto properly. I grow always on 18/6 . I find that with a dark period my plants express more fragrance .
It is a can of worms on this subject of dark time but because stomas open and close , photosynthesis increases and decreases during a set day , keeping a REGULAR schedule only supplements the plant to perform as designed.
I have run all cycles on particular runs ....
24 / 0
20 / 4
18 / 6
12 / 12
The following pertains to AUTOS ONLY : ( as regular photoperiod express interesting things with cycle play ) and may throw a thread out on that.
Autos are plug and play .... nothing else. Pick any cycle above 12. Increased DAYLIGHT hours
SUPPLEMENTS THE SHORT VEG .... meaning to maximize the root growth hit with a high daytime cycle. Also .... an overlooked part of good auto performance is the choice of medium used .... soil is standard BUT SOILESS brings the biggest plants....... period.
DWC , DUTCH BUCKET , HEMPY GROWS will reward you with much bigger autos. The Rootmass will explode in highly aerated mediums . Soil grows can be both positive and negative because root mass has to spend some time becoming acclimated to its new home.
I grew soil and SOILESS to compare ... it’s like night and day.
Autos can be finicky eaters , less is more in most cases. Disregard breeder estimates on harvest windows. All auto flowers harden off better UNDER 90 days. ( most cases ) Timing from seed germ is a waste of time. Only a week AFTER it transitioned to flower ( stretch / branch out / hardening j will be the time to “ count “ .... Example : 5 weeks to preflower ( day 35 ) , now at actual flower you run 8 weeks ( 56 days ) ... equals 91 days as mentioned above. This can vary with dwarfy mixes and low Ryder’s , 60 day Wonder and such .This why most fail by cutting them down based on how long it was running not on actual maturity. It’s like growing fruit ... it’s done when it’s done.
There some TRICKS to do with autos ( soil is a bit slower sometimes) so try this.
Run seed to week 5 on 24/0 ( just like a clone ) ... giving max VEG TIME .
Once it sexes out drop cycle to 20/4 for transition/ flower .... finish at this.
Or
Once it sexes out drop cycle to 20/4 for transition / preflower until stretch then drop again
to 18/6. Finish it on this.
You are making out the structure and veg initially , then when it flips gear to flower you are manipulating it to flower longer than 12 and giving it a dark period to process starches and expand cellular growth. You will find your girls becoming fragrant as it goes thru respiration.
Try it .
