Do Autoflowers Produce Seeds?

Like every other plant autoflowers can produce seeds, but you need male and female plants plant for this to happen. Learn how breeders breed autoflowering seeds, what stress conditions lead to seeds forming, and the roots of autoflower genetics. Learn about feminised seeds, why cloning autoflowers is ineffective, and whether male autoflowers exist.

Can autoflowers produce seeds?

Yes, in brief autoflowers can produce seeds. Breeders breed autoflowering seeds by pollinating female autoflower plants with male pollen. This process involves having both a mother plant and a male plant. When the buds on the female plant have been fertilized by the male pollen, seeds will start to grow inside the flowers. The seeds will also carry the autoflowering trait.

Do autoflower plants produce autoflower seeds?

If both parent plants are autoflowering plants, then yes. However, the seeds made by any cannabis plant, such as autoflowers, inherit traits from both of their parents. Auto seeds are carefully bred by hybridizing a regular cannabis strain with a ruderalis strain, which passes on the autoflowering characteristic. If an auto plant is pollinated by a photoperiod strain, the produced seeds would not necessarily be autoflowers. The more breeding between autoflowers and photoperiods the more the ruderalis genetics 'autoflowering' trait would be removed from the plant.

What causes a stressed autoflower make seeds?

Stress in all cannabis plants can cause them make seeds and is actually a survival mechanism. When an auto plant experiences stress, https://nativesusa.com/; https://nativesusa.com/, which could be triggered by anything such as feeding issues, physical damage or illness, it can make the plant enter survival mode. In this situation, the plant's main objective is to reproduce and keep its genetics alive after it dies. While distressed a female plant can produce male flowers or become hermaphroditic, allowing it to pollinate itself. This self-pollination results in the creation of seeds, which the plant creates as a way to survive to ensure its genetics continues despite the stress.

Image reference: cannabis plant that has turned hermie

How do you get an auto plant to produce seeds?

It's not a good idea to stress a plant into auto-pollination as this could potentially harm the plant. Breeders use various pollination methods. One common method is manual pollination, where breeders collect pollen from a male plant and gently brush it onto the buds of a female plant. The benefit 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 selective pollination, 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 stock at Auto Seeds are feminized.

Standard autoflower seeds are available and will produce both male and female autoflower plants. However, they are not very popular and unless you are a breeder growing regular autoflowers is pointless.

Where does auto genetics come from?

Autoflower genetics trace back to a wild cannabis variety called Cannabis ruderalis, which is indigenous to Siberia. The extreme weather conditions and short summers where it grows have pushed the plants to adapt by developing the capacity to flower automatically, regardless of photoperiods. This special trait allows autoflowers to finish their life cycle fast, making them ideal for regions with shorter summers. Breeders such as Auto Seeds have since crossed ruderalis with other cannabis strains to create modern autoflowers that bring together automatic flowering with useful traits like higher yields and potency.

Image reference: wild ruderalis cannabis plant

How many seeds can a single autoflower plant produce?

A single autoflower plant can make over 1,000 cannabis seeds based on the strain and how large the plant is.

Why shouldn't you clone autoflower plants?

While technically possible, cloning autoflower plants is just not very practical. Autoflowers only have 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 biological clock will cause it to start flowering. The result is a tiny, underdeveloped plant with minimal bud production.

So yes, you can clone autoflowers, but you would only produce enough weed for a few joints.

Can you get male auto plants?

Yes, you can get male auto plants. Regular autoflower seeds give you both male and female plants. However, you just don't see regular seeds very often unless you are breeding your own strains.