Autoflower vs. Photoperiod yields per year

[Biologist]

I have been trying to find a good comparison of yields per year for autoflower vs. photoperiod and having trouble. Most things just quote the yield per plant, which is useless since you can grow lots of autoflower plants in the same amount of time a photoperiod takes to do one cycle.

Anyone want to give me some ballpark figures? I'm growing autos and photos right now and really loving the autos and thinking of switching my whole operation to using autos. Can autos yield something close to photoperiod strains when you look at the yield over a whole year? Or do the photos still win, hands down?

 

[Biologist]

Oh and I should mention it would be for an indoor grow, so I'm looking at yields per year grown under indoor lighting etc.

 

[wh1p3dm34t]

the answer depends on more factor, how do you grow the photodependant varieties, always from seed? do you have clone and mother room.. it is up to you

 

[The_Skunkist]

You can change some factors with autos like light duration and size of pots .
And it changes everything .

So you can concentrate energy switching lamps timing.

Same seed can make 10 to 150 or + grams depending on environment and cares you give it .

Traduced comment from an auto grower :
Hi. 300x300x200, 47 pots 18 liters (Earth), 600w green power X6, Adjust wing wide pro (1000 W), Lumatek, J 25 ° C / N 18 ° C, Flora series + PK 13/14 from Hesi + Hesi root complex also. Table K hydroponic dosage. Water temperature 19.5 ° C. Within 10 days of rinsing, 5 days of TOTAL black without water. 1.25g / W is 4500g / 3600W. I have been running for a few years with this variety and for the moment "I touch wood" I never went below the g / W. Cordially.

Enjoy autos !

 

[Biologist]

the answer depends on more factor, how do you grow the photodependant varieties, always from seed? do you have clone and mother room.. it is up to you

The photos are initially from seed but in the future it would be clones. That would be another savings for me if I switched to autoflowers I think. My business only has a few employees so less time messing around with cloning and all that. It seems like the costs from buying autoflower seeds is negligible compared to the labor and time costs for cloning and maintaining mother plants, etc.

 

[bigAl25]

My yield in 2 gallon pots, organic soil with two 400 watt lamp, HPS and MH, was 1/2 of what I was able to obtain with fem photoperiod seeds verses autos. I was able to top my fem at least twice if not three times during veg. afterthought seeds suggested not topping, although some people top, fim and train autos to get great yields with 5 gallon air pots. The ones with raised holes all along the pots. Maybe you will be able to do better but I have given up hope of ever getting the same yield with autos.

 

[Biologist]

My yield in 2 gallon pots, organic soil with two 400 watt lamp, HPS and MH, was 1/2 of what I was able to obtain with fem photoperiod seeds verses autos. I was able to top my fem at least twice if not three times during veg. afterthought seeds suggested not topping, although some people top, fim and train autos to get great yields with 5 gallon air pots. The ones with raised holes all along the pots. Maybe you will be able to do better but I have given up hope of ever getting the same yield with autos.

How long was your grow period for the two different types? Can you fit in twice as many harvests per year with the autos so that it comes out about even?

 

[Ibechillin]

How big of an "operation" are you talking about? how many lights over how large an area under each light 3x3 4x4? Are Plant numbers limited/issue?

Honestly you cant compete with keeping mothers and growing sea of green from clones.

 

[Biologist]

How big of an "operation" are you talking about? how many lights over how large an area under each light 3x3 4x4? Are Plant numbers limited/issue?

Honestly you cant compete with keeping mothers and growing sea of green from clones.

Plant numbers aren't really an issue, my only limit is the 200 amp electrical circuit supplying the location.

 

[Treevly]

My yield in 2 gallon pots, organic soil with two 400 watt lamp, HPS and MH, was 1/2 of what I was able to obtain with fem photoperiod seeds verses autos. I was able to top my fem at least twice if not three times during veg. afterthought seeds suggested not topping, although some people top, fim and train autos to get great yields with 5 gallon air pots. The ones with raised holes all along the pots. Maybe you will be able to do better but I have given up hope of ever getting the same yield with autos.

Now there's a direct answer.

 

[Ibechillin]

Plant numbers aren't really an issue, my only limit is the 200 amp electrical circuit supplying the location.

Your in a perfect position to absolutely crush it! Clones and mothers are really low maintenance, minimal lighting power needed.

With a 100 site cloner its set and forget essentially other than checking water level in reservior, roots in 10-14 days.

Even more efficient If you dont want to keep mother plants just take cuttings from plants currently in flower before wk 3 preferably.

 

[wh1p3dm34t]

that is not answer for the question, only bigAls experience, and he admitted to make other method than the breeder suggested to treat the plants.

and autos can be germinated in perpetual way in every 2 weeks os somethin and moving them just towards the next level, and replace them with fresh seedling, without the need to keep up another room for vegs and clones
and mothers

autos will give you more phenos, while with clones you can be constant
there are so much cons and pros

 

[aridbud]

That's like comparing pineapples and apples....apple in the name, but different. Grow autos for what they are...short lived, quality medicine at a fraction of time, seedling to harvest.

Photos you can manipulate with light regimen, cloning.

Autos to have their reserved place...those not having a large space, incognito outdoors and can successively start every 25-30 days for perpetual harvest.

 

[Biologist]

Ok thanks everyone for your responses, lots for me to think about.

 

[Ibechillin]

Grow autos for what they are...short lived, quality medicine at a fraction of time, seedling to harvest.

How can autoflowers be any faster than photoperiod plants realistically? Running photoperiod plants 12/12 from seed can have them finish ~10 weeks give or take same as autoflowers with similar yields. Taking clones from quick finishing photoperiod plants can reduce harvest cycles even further to 7-8 weeks skipping the germination phase altogether since cuttings are already sexually mature. Really the only difference I see is the photoperiod independence for flowering.

Buying seeds gets expensive, making your own seeds would be more wasted time/cost/space than maintaining mother plants and taking clones or just taking clones from early flowering plants to negate keeping mother plants. Clones in my opinion are less prone to problems that freshly germinated seeds deal with like damping off and autoflower plants stalling early on can really hurt yields as well.

If you decide to keep mother plants you can run a smaller veg area overall with a higher # of plants in flowering. Cuttings/cloners take minimal space, rack shelving and t5 lighing make great clone factories in small 2x4 floorspaces to make hundreds of clones quickly and is really space effecient.

You can take cuttings from mother plants 2-3 weeks before a cycle finishes flowering. So that when you harvest plants, there are more ready to fill the space again perpetually. This way in flowering area 16 plants per 4x4 floorspace (1 plant per square ft) in 2 gallon pots soiless medium drain to waste fed daily/multiple daily feeds with scrog netting.

If you decide not to keep mother plants and take cuttings from photoperiod plants before or shortly after putting them into flowering you can store unrooted cuttings in the fridge until you are ready to root them.

 

[wh1p3dm34t]

there are not one or two autoflowers now, which can be ready from seed to harvest in 60-65 days or in some hydrosetup even under 60 days....

 

[mr.brunch]

Higher electric costs running autos... permanent 18/6 or more

 

[aridbud]

Running photoperiod plants 12/12 from seed can have them finish ~10 weeks give or take same as autoflowers with similar yields

Well, our experience, 12/12 for photos takes a wee bit more than 10 weeks. Many autos are done on 2-2.5 months.

Super autos are more like their 12/12 photoperiod sisters, taking 100
+ days.

Stealth, ease of growing, yes from seed! Have cloned a fair amount over the years. With autos, in optimal conditions, seeds do just fine.

To each their own. We like both, but favor autos. ;o)

 

[insomniac_AU]

You're not really comparing apples with apples though are you? IMO an auto will never be as good as a quality photoperiod strain.

If it was me it wouldn't even be a discussion, clone photos all the way. Cloning allows a much more consistent product and with a separate veg room allows perpetual flowering as mentioned at a lower power usage per day. I'd have 2 flower rooms staggered so the lights are on in one room in the morning and the other room in the evening.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

You're not really comparing apples with apples though are you? IMO an auto will never be as good as a quality photoperiod strain.

If it was me it wouldn't even be a discussion, clone photos all the way. Cloning allows a much more consistent product and with a separate veg room allows perpetual flowering as mentioned at a lower power usage per day. I'd have 2 flower rooms staggered so the lights are on in one room in the morning and the other room in the evening.

Right, the first post doesn't really set constraints on the argument by stating exactly what "best yield" means. Milligrams of THC produced per dollar input?