Autoflowering cannabis: 6 reasons for its success

Unlike photoperiod varieties, which need the hours of light to shorten before they enter flowering, autoflowering varieties start that process automatically according to their age, generally between three and five weeks after germination. This particularity comes from a cross with Cannabis ruderalis, a subspecies native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, adapted to short summers and changeable light.

An autoflowering variety generally completes its cycle in 8 to 10 weeks, against 12 to 16 weeks for a conventional photoperiod variety. That saving in time correspondingly reduces how long the crop is exposed to weather hazards or pests for professional growers.

The reduced size of these varieties, often under one metre, makes them easier to fit into a constrained production space and limits their visibility, an important criterion for agricultural operators subject to a strict regulatory framework.

Inherited from Cannabis ruderalis, increased resistance to cold and to disease characterises these varieties, which simplifies their management for hemp growers in temperate climates, notably in France.

The short cycle makes it possible, within an authorised professional setting, to consider several successive harvests in a single growing season, which optimises the yield of a certified plot.

The absence of light-cycle management, since there is no photoperiod switch to organise, simplifies the technical running of the crop, an advantage appreciated on farms that grow several varieties in parallel.

Modern autoflowering varieties, selected for wellness hemp use, offer cannabinoid profiles that are more stable from one cycle to the next, which makes quality control and compliance with the legal THC threshold, set at 0.3% by the order of 30 December 2021, easier.

In France, growing cannabis, including hemp low in THC, remains restricted to registered agricultural operators using certified seed listed in the official European catalogue. Home growing by a private individual remains prohibited, whatever the THC or CBD content of the variety concerned. To find out more about the origins of legal hemp and the authorised supply chains, see our dedicated article.

Can you grow autoflowering cannabis at home in France?

No. Growing cannabis remains restricted to registered agricultural operators using certified seed, whatever the THC content.

What is the difference from a photoperiod variety?

A photoperiod variety enters flowering according to how long it is exposed to light, whereas an autoflowering variety flowers automatically according to its age.

How long does an autoflowering cycle last?

Generally 8 to 10 weeks from germination to harvest, against 12 to 16 weeks for a conventional photoperiod variety.

Where does the autoflowering capacity come from?

It comes from a cross with Cannabis ruderalis, a subspecies adapted to the short summers of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.