Christin Torrance

Do Auto Plants Make Seeds?

Like every other plant autoflowers can produce seeds, but you have to have a male and a female plant for this to work. Learn how breeders create autoflowering seeds, what stress conditions lead to seeds forming, and the roots of autoflower genetics. Read about feminized seeds, why cloning autoflowers is impractical, and whether male auto plants exist.

Can autoflowers make seeds?

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

Do autoflowers produce autoflower seeds?

If both parent plants are autoflowering plants, then yes. However, the seeds produced by any cannabis plant, such as autoflowers, inherit characteristics 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 non-autoflowering strain, the resulting seeds would not necessarily be autoflowers. The more crossing between autoflowers and non-autoflowers the more the ruderalis 'autoflowering' trait would be removed from the plant.

What causes a stressed autoflower produce seeds?

Stress in all cannabis plants can cause them produce seeds and is actually a survival mechanism. When an auto plant experiences stress, which could be triggered 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 reproduce and keep its genetics alive after it dies. While distressed a female plant can develop male flowers or become hermie, allowing it to self-pollinate. This auto-pollination results in the production of seeds, which the plant produces as a natural response to ensure its genetics 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 various pollination methods. One popular method is hand pollination, where breeders collect pollen from a male plant and carefully brush it onto the buds of a female plant. The benefit of this approach is that as a breeder you can choose the best female plant and the best male plant and only cross those, creating even better offspring.

Another method is natural pollination, where male and female plants are grown together in the same space, https://nativesusa.com/ (https://nativesusa.com/) allowing natural breeding to occur. A more precise method is targeted pollination, where breeders isolate specific branches of a female plant and apply pollen to those areas only.

Are auto seeds feminized?

No, not all autoflower seeds are feminized. However, to make your growing easier, all the seeds we stock at Auto Seeds are feminised.

Regular autoflower seeds are sold 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 unnecessary.

Where does auto genetics originate?

Autoflower genetics come from 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 light cycles. This unique 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 desirable traits like higher yields and potency.

Image reference: wild ruderalis cannabis plant

How many seeds can an individual autoflower plant produce?

A single autoflower plant can produce over 1,000 cannabis seeds depending on the strain and how big the plant is.

Why shouldn't you propagate autoflower plants?

While theoretically possible, cloning autoflower plants is just not very effective. Autoflowers only have 2-4 weeks in the vegetative stage and if you clone an autoflower, it needs time to root and start growing. However, before the clone can get established, the plant's internal clock will cause it to start flowering. The outcome is a small, underdeveloped plant with almost no bud production.

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

Can you get male autoflowers?

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