How to Increase Yields in Your Autoflowering Marijuana

Autoflowering marijuana plants are the most popular kinds of marijuana grown by many breeders and growers. This is because of its great qualities as a profitable plant for small entrepreneurs as well as its sturdy and hardy nature. Basically, autos are far easy to grow provided you supply these with nonstop light, good plant food and enough water. Autoflowering cannabis is ready to harvest in just 8 weeks but you can still improve your yield when you follow these easy tips:

Improve plant nutrition

• Make sure that your plants get all the important nutrients. This kind of marijuana plant does not need to eat, eat, eat. Whatever you feed it, do it very lightly.
• Auto seedlings require only pure water and once it has entered the flowering stage, you can now add nutrients. Again feed lightly.

Improve soil requirements

• Use a light, airy soil that is low in nutrients. It does not mean that you cannot use normal soil but you will get better yield when you use this kind.
• You can make your own soil by using this recipe: 3 parts of peat moss, 3 parts compost, 2 parts pearlite and 1 part Vermiculite

Growing strategies

• Start growing your plant indoors even if you intend to place this outdoors. Give it a good start and make sure that it will survive well indoors and outdoors.
• You can use cuttings from an autoflowering plant to make other plants. However because their flowering cycle is according to their age and not by light you will not be able to hold them in their vegetative stage than you would be able to in a regular plant. Therefore you won’t be able to produce another autoflowering plant by cloning. You can only create another one by seeds.
• You can use advanced techniques to create better yields on autoflowering plants. However these should be done during the early stages of the development of the plant.
• Topping can be done to create two colas instead of one. Topping is actually chopping off the main cola and then using high stress techniques to create two colas and hence to increase yields. The auto plant will be able to recover and this trains the plant to use its energy to bloom two colas instead of just one. This practice is done to regular as well as autoflowering plants in the hopes of increasing yield however this could put the plant in a lot of stress.
• FIMing is another high stress technique to increase yield. This is also like topping but instead it cuts only the top part of the cola (just like shaving or getting a haircut) to create four colas. The plant will also be forced to bloom not just one main bud but instead to use its energy to develop four. This method technically increases yield and lets the plant develop a flat-like appearance however this could stress the plant a lot.
• Comparing topping and FIMing, FIMing is less stressful because it only cuts off the top parts of the main cola and not the entire bud! The plant won’t be in so much stress to recover. There are growers that say that it will only take half a day for a FIMed plant to recover.
• If topping and FIMing is too stressful to do, you can otherwise just use tender loving care to ensure that your plants get the best yield. By carefully monitoring their progress, keeping track of their light and dark requirements and ensuring that they get enough food and water will already ensure their health and growth success.

Keeping Free from Pests

Pests in your grow room or grow area could dramatically reduce your yield no matter what type of cannabis. One of the most common pests in cannabis plants are spider mites. These mites have flat bodies that could be red, black or translucent and are so called because these are related to spiders. Spider mites can drastically reduce your yield because of their large appetite. They can chew on leaves and suck up the sap inside them; a single female mite can lay eggs with each egg containing hundreds of small mites. These can destroy your crop in just a matter of a few days.

Spider mites can completely destroy buds making them useless if you do not act fast. These mites can create a thick web which can cover your leaves and buds; by then your crops would be useless.

• Use a water sprayer to spray mites away from your plants. Look at the underside of leaves where they usually start eating your leaves. Spray diligently until your plants reach harvest time.
• Do not use chemical sprayers since these can drastically affect the health of your plants. Just use the water flushing period because it is the safest technique.
• After harvest, purify your grow room to completely get rid of mites. Use insecticides if you must and then totally clean your room before you start growing a new batch.
• Preventing spider mite infestation is the best way to take action. First of all, do not take in plants from other gardens or grow areas. Use a special area to contain plants before you let these join your crops. Use a lab gown or large jacket when you enter the grow area to protect your plants. Be diligent and monitor your plants every day.

Get the Latest Information and Tips

Because of the internet, it is now easy to get and share information from people who are also in the same boat. There are a lot of online sites that can help you improve your yield and grow autoflowering cannabis at home. Even if you have never grown autos before, you can get support from expert growers and breeders through social media. You can increase your yield too by getting more information about the type of strain that you are growing or you can also share information that you have learned as you go along. Arm yourself with the latest knowledge and you can grow crops with the best yield in no time.