The Lowdown on Autoflowering Cannabis Ruderalis

Chances are you’ve come across the idea of autoflowering cannabis strains by now, but how much do you really know about the Ruderalis strain? If you’re not in the practice of growing your own, the answer is probably…not a great deal. If you’re a keen home grower at any level though, autoflowering strains are a fairly modern twist on cannabis cultivation that’s not to be overlooked. Well, modern with the one example of cannabis ruderalis, but we’ll get to that a little bit later. On the whole, autoflowering strains have taken growing markets by storm worldwide, which isn’t difficult to understand when considering the benefits they bring to the table.

What’s the Deal with Autoflowering Cannabis?

Contrary to common belief, autoflowering cannabis strains are not the result of some dangerous and dodgy experiment with genetics. They were first cooked up in a lab…that much is true…but by way of an entirely natural and ingenious process. And to say that the results were game-changing would be an understatement to say the least.

Autoflowering cannabis strains were and are created all over the world by cross-breeding regular Sativa and Indica strains with cannabis ruderalis. What makes cannabis ruderalis unique is that it has evolved to become an autoflowering cannabis strain in its own right, due to the tough and harsh conditions in the areas in which it grows wild. It is native to areas like Northern Russia and China, where it has to deal with colder weather, shorter seasons and reduced daylight. In order for ruderalis to survive and prosper, it needed to make itself able to enter its flowering cycle with reliable regularity, as opposed to having to wait for the seasons and the weather to tell it what to do.

This differs from standard cannabis, which will continue growing in its vegetative stage indefinitely, until such a time comes when extended hours of darkness tell it the time has come to start flowering. It can be the seasons that instigate the change naturally or the grower’s use of controlled growing conditions. Either way, the plants have to be ‘told’ when to go into their flowering stage. In the case of autoflowering cannabis, the plants will automatically begin flowering after a set amount of time, regardless of what the seasons and the weather does.

Great for Growers

Autoflower Cannabis Ruderalis grow set up

An Autoflower cannabis grow

The popularity of autoflowering cannabis is such that it’s now possible to pick up autoflowering seeds for pretty much any big-name strain going. Some argue that by raising plants that always flower at a set time, you sacrifice the ability to keep them in their vegetative state for longer and produce the largest possible plants. Which is true, but it’s worth remembering that not only does this type of controlled growing take far more time, skill and dedication, but a lot of home growers don’t actually want the largest possible plants!

For the vast majority of growers, autoflowering strains are a Godsend, bringing to the table a whole bunch of unique bonuses including the following:

Year-Round Harvests

For one thing, by eliminating the need for the weather or the seasons to tell your plants what to do, you benefit from the ability to grow and harvest at any time of year. If you grow outdoors in a region blessed with either permanently pleasant or largely unpleasant weather, relying on seasonal changes when growing cannabis can be dangerous…deadly, even. And if you grow indoors, you’ll need to know exactly what you’re doing at all times to give your plants what they need throughout each life-cycle stage. As such, it’s far easier to switch to autoflowering cannabis, which takes the guesswork and effort out of the equation entirely. They know what they need to do, so they do it without your instruction – regardless of the time of year.

The Fastest Results

For those looking to produce quality results in the fastest possible time, autoflowering cannabis strains tick all the right boxes. Some conventional cannabis types might be fast, but there are plenty of autoflowering strains that can take you from seed to generous harvest in just 10 weeks. It could be that you’re impatient, it could be that you’re desperate or it could simply be that you want to produce as much cannabis as possible in the shortest timeframe. In any case, you’ll find that autoflowering strains get the job done better than any others available to you.

Stealth Plants

Given the way in which autoflowering cannabis strains are engineered to enter their flowering stage at an early juncture, you can also rely on the kinds of small, stealthy and easy-to-hide plants that are great for anyone trying to keep things under wraps. If you pick up an autoflowering version of a generally small or dwarf specimen, you’d be surprised just how much you can churn out with plants of about 50cm in height. Which in turn means that no matter what kind of space you have available, you’ll be able to make the most of it. And while on the subject, it’s also worth bearing in mind that short, fat and stocky cannabis plants also tend to be far more robust and less likely to snap.

Indoors, Outdoors

It’s a common misconception that autoflowering cannabis strains are meant to be grown indoors exclusively. The truth of the matter is quite different, as while they certainly can be grown to perfection indoors, there’s nothing to say you can’t put them outside too. In fact, if you live somewhere with pretty gorgeous weather even for only a short period of time, they could certainly gain a lot from all that sunlight. That is, depending on which strain you choose…of course.

Pure Gold for Beginners

Last but not least, perhaps the biggest benefit of growing autoflowering cannabis strains is the way in which the process is comparatively effortless from start to finish. Given the way in which they take care of deciding for themselves when it’s time to start flowering, they make the perfect choice for beginners. Not to mention, those who are prone to the odd accident or oversight here and there, which may otherwise wreak havoc on a cannabis plantation. Generally speaking, ask any seasoned seller of quality cannabis seeds and they’ll tell you that if you’re new to growing, autoflowering seeds represent a great place to start.

Don’t misconstrue though: it is still a process that will demand a good amount of time, effort and investment in the necessary equipment. It’s a case of putting in as much as you intend to get out – the only difference with autoflowering cannabis seeds being that they make it quicker and easier to reach the finish line!