August 05, 2020
Do you desperately want a medicinal plants garden but don’t have the time to dedicate? If so, autoflowering seeds are potentially the answer to your prayers!
The concept of autoflowering strains is simple: in time, they will automatically flower as opposed to waiting for a specifically timed light cycle. In other words, the plants begin to flower all on their own after a relatively short vegetative period of 2-4 weeks.
This unique process is created when breeders fold in genetics from medicinal plants ruderalis, a subspecies of the medicinal plants that is known for its autoflowering attributes and short stature.
How to Grow Autoflowering medicinal plants Strains
When using auto-flowering medicinal plants seeds, make sure your plants have as much support as possible throughout the process. Ideally, you will begin your autoflower grow indoors with artificial lights(like, full spectrum Led grow lights) you can control. This tactic reduces the likelihood of error and increases the possibility of a strong start.
Choose autoflowering seeds
Strong genetics form the basis for a healthy plant. Whether you buy your autoflower seeds at seedsexpress or from another (online) seedbank, choose your seeds carefully. Check references and reviews from the seller. Read the specifications of the different varieties so you will grow an autoflower that meets all your wishes and requirements.
Choose Your Spot and Grow Setup
First of all, you decide where to start your autoflower grow. Of course you can do this in a indoor grow tent, grow box, a specially reserved room, but maybe you prefer to keep it simple and grow your autoflower in a sunny spot in front of the window. In any case, make sure there is enough light available.
Choose Growing Medium
You can grow autoflowers in soil, soilless mix or hydroponically but for the purpose of this guide I will just give a small introduction on soil growing.
Basically there are two types of growing mediums: With and Without nutrients. The ones with nutrients can usually nurture your plant for the first weeks of its growth but the soil/soilless mix with no nutrients will need all the nutrients to be supplied artificially with fertilizers. The mix with nutrients usually has slow release of these nutrients so they get available slowly and won’t damage your plants but the soilless mix has a neutral PH and no nutrients!
Train Your Autoflowering medicinal plants
It is best to complete the training process during the vegetative stage. It is essential to act fast because this stage is only a couple of weeks long in autos. We recommend using a low-stress training (LST) method, such as pulling the plants down sideways to help boost upwards growth.
Best Lighting & Climate for Autoflowering medicinal Plants
You are allowing plants to flower when they should be in the vegetative growth stage. This means you can autoflower rather late in the season (September) or very early (March). Please note that the plants can only grow with adequate warmth. Exposure to excessive levels of moisture could result in rot. We recommend growing autoflowering plants indoors ( here recommend indoor grow tent kit) if possible. Ideally, your plants will grow in a room with a temperature of 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit with 50-70% humidity.
Plants with ruderalis genetics are tougher than those without but still require light to produce food for themselves. Many autoflower growers still believe that providing light 24/7 is best for their plants. This process enables them to absorb CO2 during the photosynthesis process continually. Ruderalis plants grew for a long time in the northern hemisphere. In that situation, they were exposed to 24 hours of light a day on occasion.
24-hour lighting will result in fast initial growth. However, it usually slows down after a few weeks because the plant is without adequate rest. The 18/6 schedule offers a delicate balance of plenty of light with ample rest. You also save money on your energy bill! In one month, for instance, using an 18/6 schedule against a 24/0 schedule saves you 180 hours’ worth of light!
The 20/4 schedule is potentially a happy medium. However, the 18/6 option is the most sensible because your plants need a few hours of darkness each day for specific metabolic processes. Whatever additional yield you attain from constant lighting is more than offset by the increase in your lighting bill!
Ventilation
After you have set up a light source, you need to think about the ventilation kit and buy some vent fans that will blow air inside your grow box as well as outside from it and even circulate the air inside the room.
When you are thinking about the ventilation you also need to think about light leaks and odor control as medicinal plants is a strong smelling plant and if the smell is not absorbed by some material it will be present in the surrounding area around the grow box / room. The only thing you can do to get rid of the pungent smell is to introduce a carbon filter to the exhaust fan. This filter will take the odor out of the exhaust air and you or anybody else won’t be able to smell your medicinal plants growing.
Nutrients
medicinal plants need nutrients to grow and produce leaves, stems, buds and even seeds, and without nutrients your autoflowering plants will die but with too little nutrients they will struggle to grow and will be pale, with small leaves and almost no yield. From the other side too much nutrients will stress your plant by producing nutrient burn and a severe case of this nutrient overdose can also cause plants death.
Basically medicinal plants need 3 main nutrients – Nitrogen(N), Phosphorus(P) and Potassium(K). There are also some secondary nutrients and trace elements but almost all of the pre-mixed soils and fertilizers have those needed elements.
Growing and Harvesting
After about 2 to 3 weeks you move the plant outside. You can repot the plant to a larger pot or dig it into the ground. Make sure there is enough water and light at all times. You then grow your autoflower all the way to harvest.
Final thoughts
The process of using auto-flowering medicinal plants is becoming increasingly popular. It is a technique that enables you to harvest from a seedling within eight weeks. Also, you only need a relatively small space to begin. They are more robust than their photoperiod rivals. Significant improvements in the development process mean that these plants are also producing more potent medicinal plants along with higher yields.