How to grow 'normal' plants as if they are 'autos'

By: Simon

If you ask my opinion then I have to say that I advise 'normal' plants in the time you have. Why? Because autos are great for certain conditions but 'normal' plants will always have a better quality and/or more yield. You can also treat 'normal' plants in such a way that they 'behave' like autoflowering plants. How?

By giving them 12/12 early in life. The result will be that 'normal' plants will behave exactly like autoflowering plants. They will also start to produce flowers immediately when they become adult plants. Because that is what autoflowering plants do.

You can make the light cycle 12/12 once the plants are 2-3 weeks after germination. They will become adult around 3,5 weeks. So that is the time you should have the lights at a 12/12 cycle. The earlier you give them 12 hours darkness the smaller they will stay. Because they only grow when the lights are on.

When you give them 18 hours of light, 6 hours of darkness till 3 weeks after germination then they will be bigger than if you give them 12 hours of light from week 2. But if your tent is limited in size, I think it is advisable to change the clock to 12/12 when they are exactly 2 weeks after germination.

The advantage of 'normal' plants above autos is that they will perform well with just 12 hours of light. Autos need like 18 hours of light to perform well. Of course autos can grow buds with 12 hours light as well, but they won't be as good as they would be with 18 hours of light. This is the biggest difference in my eyes: that normal plants need less light during the flowering cycle. Autos need 18 hour of light to give a good result. 

Another advantage is that you cannot really clip autos, but 'normal' plants you can clip. The right moment is when the stem is growing just above 3 knots (the point where the leaves/side branches grow from the stem). Clip the stem right above the 3rd knot, and do not wait, when there is a little stem visible above the 3rd knot clip the little tip away. Now the plants can recover quickly and grow 6 side buds of equal height. 

Good luck!