Do Auto Plants Produce Seeds?
Like any other plant autoflowers can make seeds, but you have to have a male and a female plant for this to happen. Learn how breeders breed autoflowering seeds, what stress conditions lead to seeds forming, and the origins of autoflower genetics. Learn 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 fertilizing female autoflower plants with male pollen. This process involves having both a female plant and a male plant. When the flowers on the female plant have been pollinated by the pollen, seeds will start to grow within the flowers. The seeds will also carry the autoflowering trait.
Do autoflower plants produce autoflower 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. Autoflower seeds are carefully bred by hybridizing a regular cannabis strain with a ruderalis variety, which gives the autoflowering characteristic. If an autoflower plant is pollinated by a non-autoflowering strain, the produced seeds would not necessarily be autoflowers. The more breeding between autoflowers and non-autoflowers the more the ruderalis genetics ‘autoflowering’ trait would be removed from the plant.
What makes a distressed autoflower make seeds?
Stress in all cannabis plants can cause them produce seeds and is actually a survival mechanism. When an autoflower experiences stress, which could be caused by anything such as feeding issues, physical damage or disease, it can cause 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 produce male flowers or become hermaphroditic, allowing it to self-pollinate. This self-pollination results in the creation of seeds, which the plant creates as a natural response to ensure its genetics continues despite the stress.
Image reference: cannabis plant that has hermied
How do you get an auto plant to make seeds?
It’s not a good idea 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 select 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, allowing natural breeding to occur. A more controlled approach is selective pollination, where breeders separate specific branches of a female plant and apply pollen to those areas only.
Are autoflower seeds feminised?
No, not all auto seeds are feminized. 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 pointless.
Where does auto genetics come from?
Autoflower genetics come from a wild cannabis variety called Cannabis ruderalis, which is native to Siberia. The harsh weather conditions and brief summers where it grows have pushed the plants to adapt by developing the capacity to flower on their own, regardless of photoperiods. This unique 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 crossed ruderalis with other cannabis strains to create modern autoflowers that combine automatic flowering with useful traits like bigger yields and potency.
Image reference: wild ruderalis cannabis plant
How many seeds can a single autoflower plant produce?
An individual autoflower plant can produce over 1,000 cannabis seeds depending on the strain and how large the plant is.
Why shouldn’t you propagate autoflower plants?
While technically possible, cloning autoflower plants is just not very practical. Autoflowers only have 2-4 weeks in the veg stage and if you clone an autoflower, it needs time to establish roots 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 tiny, underdeveloped plant with minimal bud production.
So yes, you can clone autoflowers, but you would only grow enough weed for https://nativesusa.com/ (https://nativesusa.com) a few joints.
Can you get male auto plants?
Yes, you can get male autoflowers. Standard autoflower seeds give you both male and female plants. However, you just don’t find regular seeds very often unless you are developing your own strains.