Feminized or autoflowering marijuana seeds

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Many clients ask us about the difference between feminized seeds and autoflowering cannabis seeds. Just 15 years ago, only regular seeds were sold in grow shops. Nowadays, however, there are many different kinds of seeds, among which feminized and automatic ones stand out.

 

 

🎬 Main differences between feminized and autoflowering seeds

 

 

The main differences between feminized and autoflowering marijuana varieties are summarized in 3 items: morphological, non-visible and cultivation ones:

 

Morphological

1. Size
2. Production
3. Leaves shape
4. Calyx/leaf ratio
5. Flower density
6. Pruning
7. Amount of resin

 

Not Visible

1. Autoflowering gene
2. Resistance to stress
3. Power
4. Amount of terpenes and flavonoids

 

Cultivation

1. Different photoperiods indoors
2. Amount of outdoor harvests
3. Capacity of asexual reproduction in feminized plants
4. Possibility of keeping mother plants with feminized
5. Different feeding
6. Greater hybrid vigour in autoflowering plants

 

In general they differ quite a lot, but there are seed formats that can be 100% female and automatic flowering, that is, both feminized and autoflowering seeds, but these different points between them are important. Do you want us to go over them more carefully? Then don’t stop reading…😜

 

 

🎯 Morphological differences between feminized and autoflowering varieties

 

 

Feminized ones, like photodependent ones in general, grow much more than autoflowering ones. This is because auto plants start to flower earlier.

The feminized ones can form different types of leaf, depending on its percentage of indica or sativa it can be wider or narrower, with more or less leaflets. However, automatic strains usually form the typical ruderalis leaf, with usually 5 or 7 leaflets and medium width.

The calyx/leaf ratio in feminized plants is much more interesting than in autoflowering plants in general. Auto plants create more leaves and buds need more work during harvest.

The bud density is usually much higher in feminized varieties than in auto ones, especially in feminized Indica ones.

Feminized varieties can be pruned and molded as much as you want, but with autoflowering varieties, with such short vegetative cycle, it is not interesting to prune them and they can hardly be molded.

100% female genetics produce more resin than automatic flowering varieties.

 

 

 

🔥 Non-visible differences between autoflowering and feminized plants

 

 

The biggest difference between these two kinds of cannabis cannot be seen with the naked eye. Feminized, like every photodependent plant, accumulate a protein during the night period that regulates the cycle in order to know when to grow and when to bloom. Auto plants lack this protein, instead they have like a life clock that sets the time when they start to bloom, usually about 3 weeks after germination.

Feminized plants are more prone to stress, this is because these seeds come from plants under stress to reverse their sex. Autoflowering plants are very resistant to stress, especially to luminic stress, which does not affect them at all.

Feminized ones usually contain higher levels of cannabinoids, although during recent years auto plants have improved a lot in this matter. Currently we have automatic plants with THC levels above 20%, but generally they are still below the feminized ones.

The content of terpenes and flavonoids in feminized plants is also significantly higher than in autoflowering plants, although it is also true that gradually it is beginning to match.

 

 

 

📱 Cultivation differences between feminized and autoflowering plants

 

 

In indoor cultivation it is necessary to change the photoperiod from 18 hours to 12 hours of daily light so that the feminized ones begin to flower. Autoflowering plants can have the same photoperiod of light throughout the entire crop, no matter 12 hours, 18 hours, 20 hours or even more.

In outdoor cultivation the feminized ones have only one growing season, in the northern hemisphere from March to October approximately. With the automatic varieties you can do several crops a year outdoors, as they are not based on the light hours of the crops about 3 months after germination, regardless of the season.

Feminized plants can be cultivated through cuttings, but auto plants can only be cultivated through seeds.

Mother plants of feminized seeds can be saved but not the autoflowering plants. This is because feminized plants can be kept in vegetative growth at 18 hours of light for as long as we want, but automatic plants cannot, because at 18 hours they also bloom.

Autoflowering ones tolerate the overfertilization better than the feminized ones, with the fem it depends on the variety, some eat more and others less. On the contrary all the autoflowering plants tend to eat more and, of course, to support better the nutrient excesses.

Automatic flowering plants enjoy greater hybrid vigour than most feminized plants. This is because auto plants are a crossing between ruderalis and sativas or Indicas, which are different subspecies, and the more distant they are, the greater the hybrid vigour.

 

 

 

 

👾 Conclusion

 

 

Many times we may hear that feminized or photodependent plants are better than autoflowering ones, and that is not the case at all. As we have seen before, each one could be the best according to the situation, so it cannot be said that one is better than the other in general. If you liked this article consider sharing it on social networks, it’s the best way to reach more people, we thank you in advance.🤜