AutoFem seeds are the fastest growing !

AutoBlueberry, grown in the UK under 250w HPS lights. Lots of bud for one lucky grower just 10 weeks after planting the seeds.

With the end of 2011 approaching, I lit up a fatty and took a look at the statistics to seed what varieties people have been growing this year. It is the data on the AutoFem seed sales that has been staggering. In 2011, and the year still has a little longer to run, AutoFems finally achieved the same sales levels as some of our best selling traditional varieties such as White Widow, Orange Bud, Passion #1 etc. AutoFem seeds are even outselling a number of our popular traditional varieties, a lot of growers have converted to them and I guess 2012 will see even more.

I must admit, I never expected AutoFem seeds to reach the same popularity levels as our best sellers this quickly. The only other occasion when we have seen anything quite like this was in the 1990’s when feminised seeds were introduced and sold like hot cakes. Feminised seed technology had been the Holy Grail for years and some said it was impossible. When we told the world we were going to sell feminised seeds everyone wished us luck but I am sure some of them thought we were mad.

I tried some well grown AutoMazar the other day and it was extremely good, it was on a par with many of the traditional varieties in terms of the quality, duration and intensity of the high. Yes folks, Auto strains – when grown properly – are really that good. I know some people had their doubts about Auto when we saw some early issues with hermies and limited potency, but the time has come to forget all about those issues and face the new reality. The best auto strains are now as good as traditional varieties and that is a fact.

What is Dutch Passion doing about it all you may ask. Well, we can’t tell you absolutely everything that we are doing for obvious reasons. But what we can say is that we are investing massively in the Ruderalis plant. For so long Ruderalis was the forgotten cousin of cannabis indica and sativa, but not anymore. I never imagined that we would be spending so much time and attention looking at, examining and selecting AutoFem specimens. It is a science all of its own.

Ruderalis from Russia, Asia, Siberia, remote European locations and other pretty unlikely regions are all coming under the Dutch Passion spotlight as we look to push AutoFem varieties further than before. One thing we have learnt about creating AutoFem seeds is that it is really quite different to the process of creating traditional strains. You have to learn new skills in plant biology, Ruderalis is different to the indica and sativa’s. There are no short cuts, becoming a master in AutoFem seeds means learning lots of new stuff. Dutch Passion are treating the AutoFem strains every bit as seriously as we took feminised seed technology in the 1990’s. The starting point is Ruderalis, without mastering Ruderalis you can’t get the best end results, creating new AutoFem seeds is much more complicated than the process of creating new ‘traditional’ strains. On the other hand, the speed and convenience that comes with the best AutoFem strains is revolutionising home grown ganja. People that would not normally grow their own weed are doing so for the first time. Other people that grow traditional varieties are also growing AutoFems to complement their normal strains.

In a month or two we will be able to reveal exactly what all this will mean for our 2012 AutoFem range, and trust me you will love what we have to say. Just be patient a little longer, the wait will be worth your while.

AutoFem seeds are the subject of many of the questions we get at Dutch Passion. The feedback we have been getting from experienced growers has been interesting. A number of people that grow from cuttings (clones) have recently said that this is not always as reliable as they would like. Clones produce plants that tend to be shorter and not quite as robust as seed-grown plants. Growing from clones works for many growers but you don’t always know for sure that the cutting will be a good one from the desired strain and free of disease. That’s why seeds have remained so popular over the years. Here in Holland some old-school purists prefer seed-grown plants over clones and have done for years. Some of the growers that have traditionally grown from cuttings have tried AutoFems for the first time in 2011 and seen growth rates, time-to-harvest and yields exceed those from cuttings. It has surprised lots of growers and caused a ripple of change to flow through the established attitudes towards AutoFems.

Another great AutoBlueberry grow. Short plants with good yields, great for balcony grows, greenhouse grows, indoor or outside.

As 2012 approaches we expect that more people than ever will get a pack of AutoFems for next year and give them a go. Quite a few people will grow them in greenhouses or outdoors in their gardens, they take just 10 weeks from start to finish and often stay below 1 metre so they are easy to hide. Lots of growers with south-facing apartment balconies have found that they can become self sufficient in their weed supply simply by growing a few AutoFems on their balcony. Indoors AutoFems perform well under 20 hours of light/4 hours darkness. Outdoors in the countryside is where I expect tens of thousands of growers will plant a few AutoFem seeds this coming year. Instead of worrying about finding a private grow patch that will be undisturbed for 6-7 months, AutoFems only need 9-10 weeks so the chances of success are much, much higher. 2012 will be the year that many more self sufficient urban cannabis growers become believers in AutoFems.

Dutch Joe

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