Hey Everyone!
I wanted to address something that is bothering me, with the vast amount of variation in True Auto-Flowering strains now, they should be Classified as to what type of AFs they are. These classes will help growers select the correct AF strain for their growing methods.
Over the last few years seen many people try to grow True Auto-Flowering strains outdoors but end up with tiny crappy dwarf plants that are almost worthless. I will try to clear up some of the confusion of which True Auto-Flowering strains should be grown outdoors and which should be grown indoors only. Maybe I will start another thread that gives a list of what Classification each strain belongs to, would love your guys help with that list!
There are 3 AF classifications due to average height, growth rate and structure of the plants:
Micro ( 0-35cm),
Dwarf ( 35-70cm),
Monster ( 70-140cm) in height.
Micro Auto-Flowering Strains should really only be grown Indoors! Due to their limited amount of slow vegetative growth, putting them outside under a shorter period of light each day, along with unstable temp and weather conditions will result in very small plants and come no where near the potential they show indoors. Micro AFs are mainly used for stealth micro grows, AF-SOG systems, or Blanket Cropping in soil beds.
Dwarf Auto-Flowering Strains classify most of the AFs on the market today, with so much variation between these types of AFs ( speed of vegetative growth, branching structure, resistance to temp and weather changes, etc...) it is hard to standardize where they should be grown. For the most part Dwarf AFs should be grown Indoors to reach their maximum potential, but some Dwarf AFs are hardy enough to be grown Outdoors with great success. Most AF breeders don't include Outdoor performance in their descriptions usually because they haven't been tested outdoors. Try to avoid growing Dwarf AF strains outdoors unless they contain outdoor performance information in the description, or they have been tested outdoors by a reliable source. With the amount of variation in branching structure of different strains, care should be taken when planning the system they will be grown in, pot size and spacing should be considered concerning the strains branching structure. Indoors look for strains with limited branching when considering a compact AF-SOG, strains with a healthy branching system require more space to utilize for maximum yields. Spacing is a major concern to AFs indoors, do a lot of research to be sure of the growth structure before committing to a growing method. If grown outdoors Dwarf AFs must be started outside, in a green house, or sun room. Starting them indoors under lights then put outside in sunlight may result in stunting as the plants take a long time to harden off from the sunlight. They also do best in containers instead of direct ground planting, select the best size of container in relation to plant size. Usually nothing smaller then 2 gallon pots with a standard of 3 gallons or more per plant outdoors.
Monster Auto-Flowering Strains are the largest AFs to date, averaging close to 1m or more in height and width. Monster AFs utilize an extended and fast paced vegetative period before flowering, resulting in much larger plants, ( NOT to be confused with SEMI-AF STRAINS!!! ) They also seem to be more resistant to outdoor conditions and are the best AFs for outdoor yield production. This class of AFs should be started outdoors if that is where they will be finished, but they have been successfully started indoors then moved out with ok results, with that extended veg period they have time to recover from the move to outdoors and continue to veg out before flowering. They can be transplanted after sexing directly into the ground, if containers are used a minimum of 3 gallons is required, with a standard of 5 gallons or more. Monster AFs usually take longer to finish then the Micro and Dwarf Classes, so expect a few weeks longer in the garden when growing the Monster AFs.
Expect to see these classifications on SGS gear, other information will be added to each strain (when available) as well, AF-SOG spacing in soil and hydro, growth structure (branching or not) and so on. Just seems necessary. Each class can be filled with more details and so on, what you guys think?
Peace
SGS
I wanted to address something that is bothering me, with the vast amount of variation in True Auto-Flowering strains now, they should be Classified as to what type of AFs they are. These classes will help growers select the correct AF strain for their growing methods.
Over the last few years seen many people try to grow True Auto-Flowering strains outdoors but end up with tiny crappy dwarf plants that are almost worthless. I will try to clear up some of the confusion of which True Auto-Flowering strains should be grown outdoors and which should be grown indoors only. Maybe I will start another thread that gives a list of what Classification each strain belongs to, would love your guys help with that list!
There are 3 AF classifications due to average height, growth rate and structure of the plants:
Micro ( 0-35cm),
Dwarf ( 35-70cm),
Monster ( 70-140cm) in height.
Micro Auto-Flowering Strains should really only be grown Indoors! Due to their limited amount of slow vegetative growth, putting them outside under a shorter period of light each day, along with unstable temp and weather conditions will result in very small plants and come no where near the potential they show indoors. Micro AFs are mainly used for stealth micro grows, AF-SOG systems, or Blanket Cropping in soil beds.
Dwarf Auto-Flowering Strains classify most of the AFs on the market today, with so much variation between these types of AFs ( speed of vegetative growth, branching structure, resistance to temp and weather changes, etc...) it is hard to standardize where they should be grown. For the most part Dwarf AFs should be grown Indoors to reach their maximum potential, but some Dwarf AFs are hardy enough to be grown Outdoors with great success. Most AF breeders don't include Outdoor performance in their descriptions usually because they haven't been tested outdoors. Try to avoid growing Dwarf AF strains outdoors unless they contain outdoor performance information in the description, or they have been tested outdoors by a reliable source. With the amount of variation in branching structure of different strains, care should be taken when planning the system they will be grown in, pot size and spacing should be considered concerning the strains branching structure. Indoors look for strains with limited branching when considering a compact AF-SOG, strains with a healthy branching system require more space to utilize for maximum yields. Spacing is a major concern to AFs indoors, do a lot of research to be sure of the growth structure before committing to a growing method. If grown outdoors Dwarf AFs must be started outside, in a green house, or sun room. Starting them indoors under lights then put outside in sunlight may result in stunting as the plants take a long time to harden off from the sunlight. They also do best in containers instead of direct ground planting, select the best size of container in relation to plant size. Usually nothing smaller then 2 gallon pots with a standard of 3 gallons or more per plant outdoors.
Monster Auto-Flowering Strains are the largest AFs to date, averaging close to 1m or more in height and width. Monster AFs utilize an extended and fast paced vegetative period before flowering, resulting in much larger plants, ( NOT to be confused with SEMI-AF STRAINS!!! ) They also seem to be more resistant to outdoor conditions and are the best AFs for outdoor yield production. This class of AFs should be started outdoors if that is where they will be finished, but they have been successfully started indoors then moved out with ok results, with that extended veg period they have time to recover from the move to outdoors and continue to veg out before flowering. They can be transplanted after sexing directly into the ground, if containers are used a minimum of 3 gallons is required, with a standard of 5 gallons or more. Monster AFs usually take longer to finish then the Micro and Dwarf Classes, so expect a few weeks longer in the garden when growing the Monster AFs.
Expect to see these classifications on SGS gear, other information will be added to each strain (when available) as well, AF-SOG spacing in soil and hydro, growth structure (branching or not) and so on. Just seems necessary. Each class can be filled with more details and so on, what you guys think?
Peace
SGS
