Hello folks,
I recently (yesterday) harvested one of my Blue Dream autos.
It was a huge plant but…
The description boasts 5-15 ounces per plant.
I have never had over 2 ounces on any individual auto plant harvest.
Does anyone know a secret?
Plants grown under (6) Mars Hydro TS600
18/6 light sequence.
3 gallon buckets.
Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil.
There are no secret passages to better yield. Master the basics rather than chase techniques that promise better yields. All the tricks in the world won’t do any good if the basics aren’t nailed.
Good drainage, proper nutrients, good lighting, good airflow, management of pH and PPM, and so on… Then consider productivity tweaks only after you have mastered the basics.
The other significant factor is that autos do as they please and sometimes are poor performers. Go with photos for consistently better results.
Keep in mind also that the yields cited by seed sellers assume ideal conditions.
Words to live by 
I figured as much. Autos definitely do what they want.
I grow autos in a cycle so I can harvest every couple of weeks.
Because I have only one room I cant really grow the photos that way.
I do agree it is bigger and stronger yields with photos.
Just takes too long for an impatient pot head like me.
I do grow a batch of Acapulco Gold every year though.
Thanks for the input.
My auto yields increased significantly after I stopped starting them in their final pots. They do much better as seedlings in solo cups, and as long as you do the transplant very carefully it doesn’t harm them at all.
I think 5 gal fabric pots would give you better results than 3 gal buckets. Also, if you want to keep growing in soil, look into a variety that has some coco in it, like Mother Earth Coco Peat, or some of the Roots Organic mixes. I got much better results with both of those than Fox Farm soils. Or if you want much better yields, look into growing in coco.
These are some Mephisto autos in 7 gal fabric pots in coco.
Thanks for the great advice.
I will try the bigger pots and mother earth.
I do start my grows in solo cups and transplant accordingly. Never had a problem either.
I think it is best to ignore the “expected yield” in all situations when talking about an indoor grow. When you have the challenge of vertical height to contend with, the whole of convention of “this plant yields x, this plant yields, y…” goes out the window.
The only thing that determines yield in an indoor grow is number of colas and how good the wall to wall coverage in your grow tent is. Seeing floor in flower is usually a good sign that one did not fill out the space to its fullest potential and that yield will suffer. One plant completely vegged out in a 65 gallon pot in a 4x4 still yields the same amount from a tent jam packed with 12 autos. It makes no difference.
That said, your chances of a 15 ounce plant with autos is low. That’s not a jab at your growing skill, it’s just the nature of the beast with autos. Even the most seasoned growers still get dwarfs or early flowering plants. A lot of it comes down the genetics of that seed, your grow style, and luck.
I don’t like depending on luck, so I personally stick with photoperiods using a rotational harvest schedule. They always get vegged as long as they need, I never put a time limit on it. When I get close to stop seeing floor, that’s when I know I’m ready. Now I’m harvesting reliably every 8-10 weeks. Best of luck!
