Do Auto Plants 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 create autoflowering seeds, what stress conditions lead to seed production, and the origins of autoflower genetics. Read about feminized seeds, why propagating autoflowers is impractical, and whether male autoflowers exist.
Can auto plants make seeds?
Yes, in brief autoflowers can produce seeds. Breeders create autoflowering seeds by pollinating female autoflower plants with pollen. This process involves having both a mother plant and a male plant. When the buds on the female plant have been pollinated by the male pollen, https://nativesusa.com/] seeds will start to grow within the flowers. The seeds will also carry the autoflowering trait.
Do autoflowers produce seeds?
If both parents 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 specifically bred by crossing 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 ‘autoflowering’ trait would be bred out of the plant.
What makes a stressed autoflower produce seeds?
Stress in all cannabis plants can make them produce seeds and is really a survival mechanism. When an autoflower goes through 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 situation, the plant’s main goal 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 auto-pollination results in the production 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 autoflower to make seeds?
It’s not a good idea to stress a plant into self-pollination as this could potentially harm the plant. Breeders use several pollination methods. One common method is hand pollination, where breeders gather 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 breed those, creating even stronger offspring.
Another method is natural pollination, where male and female plants are grown together in the same space, allowing natural breeding to occur. A more controlled approach is selective pollination, where breeders isolate specific branches of a female plant and apply pollen to those sections only.
Are autoflower seeds feminised?
No, not all autoflower seeds are feminised. However, to make your growing easier, all the seeds we carry 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 cultivating regular autoflowers is unnecessary.
Where does auto genetics come from?
Autoflower genetics come from a wild cannabis species called Cannabis ruderalis, which is indigenous to Siberia. The harsh weather conditions and short summers where it grows have forced the plants to adapt by developing the ability to flower automatically, regardless of light cycles. This unique trait allows autoflowers to complete their life cycle fast, making them ideal for regions with brief growing seasons. Breeders such as Auto Seeds have since crossed ruderalis with other cannabis strains to develop 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 make?
An individual autoflower plant can produce over 1,000 cannabis seeds based on the strain and how big the plant is.
Why shouldn’t you clone autoflowers?
While technically possible, cloning autoflower plants is just not very practical. Autoflowers only spend 2-4 weeks in the veg stage and if you clone an autoflower, it requires time to establish roots and start growing. However, before the clone can establish itself, the plant’s biological clock will cause it to start flowering. The outcome is a small, underdeveloped plant with minimal bud production.
So yes, you can clone autoflowers, but you would only produce enough weed for a couple of joints.
Can you get male autoflowers?
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.