I could have swore I read somewhere that cloning of auto flower was possible but you would need to pop the seed in a tissue culture environment then start chopping up nodes and expanding in tissue culture.
@Ballziez I just read your post about synthetic seeds and wondering if you’ve experimented with cloning auto flower in tissue culture?
10+yrs of reading and growing, I’ve heard you cant clone an a/f. No topping, no uppotting.
If you’re just looking to preserve the genetics it’s possible to keep an autoflower alive past it’s normal time, but that’s a whole different animal than growing for harvest.
I know there’s people working on using hormones to delay that autoflower trait indefinitely but I’m not sure if anyone’s made headway.
@IsolationChamberLab I have not got around to testing that out yet. It’s on my radar but I’m still working out the kinks of the process with photoperiod stuff. I have read mixed reviews about if it’ll work or not in the first place, but I’m leaning towards it being a possibility. It really just depends on when their internal clock starts but In theory since you are just growing a embryo from somatic cells it should act the same as a seedling does once planted. I’m going to pop a couple autoflower seeds this week to start toying around with.
In my limited experience growing them at scale the biggest issue is genetic variation. They are all over the place with how they grow and what traits they show. Not a huge problem for someone growing a few in a tent or outside but it makes them less than ideal for commercial cultivation. If it does work I can see them being amazing- it would be hard to beat something that can yield a qp plus from seed in 70 days!!
You can certainly top them as long as they are healthy and its done at the right time. The ones I topped did better than the ones I didn’t in my “experiment.” The lower branches on some of the plants grew over a inch over night after I did it!
I think transplanting is fine too, again assuming you time it right and the plant is healthy. I gave away some Hemp autoflowers I started in my greenhouse last year and they grew fine. Might not be ideal but definitely possible. I think if done right it could produce better results, it makes watering a lot easier. total PiTA to try and water a little seedling in a 5 gallon bucket!!
Mephisto for sure if you are looking for the real thing, I can’t say enough good things about these guys and their gear.
They have a plethora of unique strains and they went the long road and did all the hard work themselves! I remember like 10 years ago being a tester for their strains when mitch and co started working on great autos, its a pleasure to see how well hard work has payed off 
Welcome to the future @aridbud! Looking forward to your input here in the Botany and Cultivation section.
@BG305, what kind of characteristics are you looking for in an auto as far as yield, potency, and harvest time?
Afterthought Autos are legit. Great genetics from a great dude. I sent him this way for many reasons.
Many factors growing outdoors…weather, pests, soil conditions. Rather than looking for yield, concentrate on QUALITY The nice thing about autos, successive planting every 15-30 days allow s for a perpetual harvest May- Oct.
Some pics of Emperor’s Bandanna, planted on 2/10, sprouted on 2/14, so 8 weeks old tomorrow. It’s in a 3 gallon pot, and the first pic has a 2 quart jar for reference.
She was sharing the pot with a male that just got culled yesterday, and had to survive on her own while I was away on vacation and depressed and lazy while home. Been flowering for over a week already. I’m guessing I’ll get about two ounces out of her. Probably could have been double if she wasn’t so cramped for space most of her life.
Atlas seed co has commercial use
Actually, it’s better to have the right balance in your medium. “Cutting/Topping” can actually stunt your plants if not done correctly. Better to LST.
Key phrase there is if not done correctly. Same thing goes for watering, feeding, etc. if you don’t do it correctly it can stunt your plants. I haven’t done a scientific study on the matter, but in my experience I had better results when I topped at about 15-20 days compared to LST. Plus it was a lot less labor. But different strokes for different folks, what works for me may not work for someone else.
