People have been using different plants for medicinal and healing purposes for centuries – in this process, they have discovered a few which serve other purposes as well. Some of them have been used by shamans and local medicine men for mind altering purposes and cannabis is one of (those).
The cannabis plant is native to Asia – the entire plant has many uses. Its fibers are used for ropes, its seeds for eating and making oils, medicinal uses and it is best known as a recreational drug. It is classified as an herb and is an annual. The cannabis plant is known for its unusual flower pattern – it has male and female flowers which grow on different plants. There are a few which will have both on one plant. This plant’s pollination is done by wind and not insects. Quite a few strains of the plant are can be described as short day; there is one strain which is an auto-flowering plant. One can find many varieties of this plant growing around the world and here is a listing of their uses
• Some are cultivated for their fiber and seeds. have a low level of intoxicants
• Cultivated only for drugs and contain high levels of drug compounds
• Hybrid, escaped or wild strains
How to Use Autoflowering Seeds
These are not hard to grow and fairly maintenance free. The other thing about this variety is that they need fewer nutrients and less care than the regular strains. They grow fast and can be harvested within 6-8 weeks of planting. The unique feature of these seeds is that they automatically start flowering when they reach a certain point or maturity, regardless of the amount of light they get.
Autoflowering seeds are a hybrid with cannabis indica or sativa or cannabis ruderalis. This combination has the good features of both plants – fast growing and requiring fewer hours of light. Most of the autoflowering seed plants start to set flower and bloom around the 3rd week. The popularity of these plants has grown in the last few years – even though the seeds have been available for a long time.
How to grow
One doesn’t have to do anything different when compared to the other varieties. Just keep in mind that the lifecycle is different – a good number of the seeds will grow fast and start flowering in the 3rd week of the growing cycle and are ready to be harvested after they are 60 to 65 days. The other two varieties require a longer growing and flowering period. If optimal conditions are provided, growers can be assured that they will get results fast.
Grown Indoors: There are differing opinions about the length of time light is needed – for these plants to grow fast they need at least 18 hours. Other than that, they require loose and airy soil. There are few requirements – get light potting mix and watch how the plants thrive. There is no need for any sustenance expect for water the first two weeks after which one can use a diluted version of liquid fertilizer. Overfeeding doesn’t help. Plants from autoflowering seeds are pretty compact – there is no need for large pots. A 15 liter planter is the perfect size.
Grown Outdoors: Growing them outdoors is a bit trickier as the weather has to be really nice to start planting. It depends entirely on where a person lives – so if the summer planting season is long and also warm, it is possible to have 2 or 3 crops. If the weather is usually cold in parts of the country, the plants will take a few days longer to mature – regardless of what the label has to say.
Autoflowering cannabis has helped many people to grow it easily – indoors or out. People who want to buy these seeds for growing should take into consideration whether it is legal for them to do so. If there are strict laws in place, they could risk getting arrested.