EXPERT GROW ADVICE
SUBJECT: Lighting for Auto-Flowering Strains
FROM: Joe in Berwick, ME
For years, I’ve been using 400-watt high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting during the vegetative stage and 1,000-watt lighting during the flowering stage. I recently had my first grow with auto-flowering Lemon Skunk. Long story short, I ended up using a 12/12-hour day/night light cycle and yielded very loose and light buds. What light intensity and schedule should I use for autos?
Dear Joe,
Auto-flowering plants are strains that will flower at a certain age, regardless of the photoperiod. They’re made by utilizing ruderalis genetics, a low-THC cannabis that came from Russia and other northern parts of Eastern Europe where the plant adapted to the short growing season by flowering early. The advantages of growing auto-flowering plants is that they can be harvested in less than three months from planting, even in the middle of summer. The best lighting schedule for auto-flowering plants is 18 hours on and six hours off throughout all stages of
