Do Auto Plants Make Seeds?
Like every other plant autoflowers can make seeds, but you need a male and a female plant for this to happen. Discover how breeders breed autoflowering seeds, what stress conditions lead to seed production, and the origins of autoflower genetics. Learn about feminized seeds, why cloning autoflowers is ineffective, and whether male autoflowers exist.
Can autoflowers produce seeds?
Yes, in short autoflowers can produce seeds. Breeders breed autoflowering seeds by fertilizing female autoflower plants with pollen. This method involves having both a female plant and a male plant. When the flowers on the female plant have been pollinated by the male pollen, seeds will start to grow inside 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 made by any cannabis plant, including autoflowers, inherit traits from both of their parents. Autoflower seeds are specifically 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 photoperiods 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 make seeds and is actually 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 state, the plant’s main objective is to survive and keep its genetics going after it dies. While stressed a female plant can develop male flowers or become hermie, allowing it to pollinate itself. This self-pollination results in the production of seeds, which the plant produces as a natural response 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 produce seeds?
It’s not a good idea to stress a plant into self-pollination as this could potentially damage 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 advantage of this approach is that as a breeder you can select the best female plant and the best male plant and only cross those, creating even stronger offspring.
Another method is natural pollination, where male and female plants are grown together in the same space, allowing natural pollination to occur. A more controlled approach is targeted pollination, where breeders separate specific branches of a female plant and apply pollen to those areas only.
Are autoflower seeds feminized?
No, not all autoflower seeds are feminized. However, to make your growing easier, all the seeds we carry at Auto Seeds are feminized.
Regular 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 cultivating regular autoflowers is unnecessary.
Where does auto genetics originate?
Autoflower genetics trace back to a wild cannabis variety called Cannabis ruderalis, which is native to Siberia. The harsh 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 photoperiods. This special trait allows autoflowers to complete their life cycle quickly, making them well-suited for regions with brief growing seasons. Breeders such as Auto Seeds have since hybridized ruderalis with other cannabis strains to create modern autoflowers that bring together automatic flowering with desirable traits like higher yields and potency.
Image reference: ruderalis cannabis plant
How many seeds can a single autoflower plant produce?
A single autoflower plant can make over 1,000 cannabis seeds depending 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 effective. Autoflowers only have 2-4 weeks in the vegetative stage and if you propagate an autoflower, it requires time to root and start growing. However, before the clone can get established, the plant’s biological clock will trigger it to start flowering. The result is a small, underdeveloped plant with minimal bud production.
So yes, you can clone autoflowers, but you would only grow enough weed for a few joints.
Can you get male autoflowers?
Yes, you can get male auto plants. Regular autoflower seeds give you both male and https://nativesusa.com/ (https://nativesusa.com/) female plants. However, you just don’t find regular seeds very frequently unless you are breeding your own strains.