Your autoflower is acting very similar to mine, (which I am being told is normal) as they grow quick and do not respond the same as other non autos. I am also wondering if I need to thin out a couple of fans to let the undergrowth get better light anyone?? If you prune them though in the case of of auto NL auto they just get more bushy.
Don't be so hesitant to handle auto flowers pretty much like normal plants. Here are some things that I have noticed in my 2 years of working with them. First let's talk about what they are.
They are simply a cross of either indicas, sativas or both with Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis ruderalis is a species of cannabis that has
evolved in some of the less hospitable areas of the planet. Either due to the elevation or the distance from the equator they have survived in areas that would not support an Indica or sativa. Not to get too involved but it happens in plant populations on a continual basis. I guess the easiest way of explaining this would be to look at a population of a plant species in a marsh or swamp. You will notice that you may have a clump of water loving plants in an area. As you walk around this growth you will notice often individual plants that have taken root higher up on dry ground. Not it's normal location. As that plant makes and disperses seeds more plants will grow in this less favorable environ.
Over the centuries they become even more adapted to what was once a non hospitable area until they have become a distinct different species from their swamp loving cousins. The same thing happened to develop Ruderalis as a species.
OK so what has happened is that as cannabis grew in less ideal environments it evolved mechanisms to survive. In the case of Ruderalis it evolved in areas of extremely short summers due either to the elevation or the latitude. So therefore it had a very short time to flower and reproduce. It evolved to flower not on a photoperiodic basis but on a time schedule basis. This resulted in a plant that concentrated in surviving and not producing copious resin or high amounts of THC. Which is why it is now used as a cross with more powerful sativas and indicas.
There is nothing magical about this. You can find it in almost any vegetable crop with various days till maturity.
So back to Auto flowers. what I have found is this.
-they transplant extremely well with proper caution and will respond as well or better than normal plants. I have even transplanted plants well into flower with surprising results.
-They respond just like any other pot plant to the various training techniques. Tying down branches and selectively removing shading fan leaves to allow lower nodes to grow is the same as normal plants.
-Pruning techniques can very. In general if the plant is primarily an Indica you may harvest less if the plant is topped. If it is a sativa dominant strain I pinch it to increase bud sites. The only down side to pruning is in lengthening the time to finish.
-Be careful not to over feed autos. Especially nitrogen. This can result in more stretch and again lengthens the time till harvest.
There are some other things that I have noted but I will save that for another time. I hope this gives you a better understanding of what you can expect with an auto flower grow.
If you have any questions I will be happy to try to help out! Best of luck!
I guess the easiest
