Top autoflower seeds to grow for spring and summer 2023

Dancing days are here again and so are plenty of new autoflower seed strains to cultivate while grooving around the tent, greenhouse, or outdoor garden. 

Any of these top autoflower seed selections for 2023 are solid grabs: From bona fide legends to newer breeders that are producing insane standout autoflower strains. Unlike some regular seeds, autoflowering seeds germinated in spring and summer most certainly finish long before the winter rains come.

Seed bank shelves have had to make room for more autoflower seed packs the last few years, due to popularity in the United States growing exponentially. 

“There’s been this massive boom in autoflowers the last few years,” remarked Gas Lamp Seeds (formerly Hembra) owner Helene B. during a recent chat with Leafly. “We’ve seen a huge influx in people wanting autoflower seeds.”

Mephisto Genetics’ award-winning automatics

The duo behind Spain’s Mephisto Genetics has delighted more autoflower hobbyists than anybody else for years with their Autoflower Cup-winning genetics and documentation of each strain’s project scope and parental lineage. The team works lines for four to five generations to assure quality before releasing anything. 

One long-awaited project set back by Covid includes a trio of legit Gelato cuts crossed with some of their own classic cultivars. Iced ‘n’ Baked (Gelato 41 x Mephisto’s Wedding), Sundae Thumper (Gelato 45 x Forum Stomper), and Gelauto (Gelato 33 x Sour Stomper) are all soon-to-be released.

“We weren’t going to quickly do something because that’s not how we work,” said Mephisto Genetics, breeder and co-founder Mitch. “We still have to do things the way we’ve been doing it since the start.”

MephHeads can also look forward to a special project that incorporates a 35 year-old cut of Old School Haze from Super Sativa Club in Amsterdam.

Autoflower seeds with big yields

Autoflowers used to be runty, and low-yield, but no longer. Breeder Ben Koch of Speedrun Seeds (formerly Mutant Genetics) conducts exhaustive pheno hunts on his southern Oregon farm to hone in on desired traits across several filial generations. 

Granite Runtz, Froot Fuel, and the aptly-named Pound Dawg F5 are just a few potent strains that yield mightily and are easily available from Speedrun.

Many homegrowers of Speedrun Seeds report around 6-8-ounce yields of dried, trimmed flower when using 5-gallon pots. For more experienced growers aiming for yields featuring upwards of a full pound after harvest, Koch himself recommends 15-gallon pots with proper nutrient replenishment. 

See Also: Boss Hog OG Auto by Cali Connection, Big Shoots Auto by soFem Genetics, Humboldt’s new floral and sweet Apple Blossom, and the Mephisto Genetics Starter Pack & Outdoor Bundle–easy grows and impressive yields for newbs and crabby vets alike.

Old-school strains now as autoflower

Kicking it old school is just as cool as ever before with autoflower seed picks from Twisted Tree, Dark Owl Seeds and Twenty20 Mendocino.

Bubblegum autoflower seeds

Nothing like some classic ’90s Amsterdam-derived bubblegum flavor to throw things back a bit. Unwrap seed packs like Orange Bubblegum from Twisted Tree and Citrus Bubblegum from Speedrun Seeds for that lip-smacking good time

When talking about autos and bubblegum, don’t forget Mephisto Genetics’ Hubbabubbahaze and Hubbabubbasmelloscope, which breeder Mitch heralds as “easy to grow, with a beautiful bubblegum flavor.”

Classic sativa and kush strains in autoflower seeds

Marathon OG and Bruce Banner 3 Auto from Dark Owl Seeds both deliver classic kush and diesel lineages respectively from two premier breeders in collaboration. The legendary genetics supplier Cali Connection rewinds the Grateful Dead bootleg all the way back to 1991—Chem ’91, to be exact—with their auto version of the legendary DeadHead OG. 

Speaking of heady, the same goes for the Autowreck F4 from Twenty20 Mendocino, which uses a classic Trainwreck Arcata cut.

See Also: Humboldt Headband & Humboldt Dream, and St. Expeditus F4 & Tropical Wiz V.2 from Night Owl. 

Get down with candy terpenes & dessert strains

Crack your teeth on the sweet flavors of some of the most in-demand terpene and olfactory profiles in weed history: Candy and dessert. 

Runtz and grape candy crosses

Pineapple Runtz from Ethos features gassy “tropical starburst” terp profiles that are guaranteed to delight. Supreme Runtz F3 is another Speedrun gem that dishes out Froot Loops and fuel like it’s nobody’s business. 

Cake and Gelato autoflower crosses

Humboldt Seed Company developed Strawberry Cheesecake over the course of several years. The result is something akin to a delicious mix of strawberry sweetness and buttery cheese with a fantastic mood-boosting effect.

Mosca Seeds continues to create automatic Gelato crosses with these new F1 hybrids: Larry Bubba Gelly, Strawberry Sky Gelly, and Tres Grapes Jelly.

See Also: Purple Scoops, Big Gush, & Magic Fritter from Roc Bud, Sapphyre from Speedrun, Biscauto & Knows Candy from Twenty20, and authentic Thug Pug Genetics in Twisted Tree’s Pure Michigan Auto.

Automatic regular seeds for autoflower breeding

Most of the seeds mentioned above come in feminized form only. Home breeders should try regular autoflower seeds or “auto regs” to harvest pollen from males. Several top autoflower breeders have auto reg seeds available.

304 by Gnome Automatics is a great choice for the stable genetics and excellent hash-washing ability that Dan Jimmie breeds into all of his cultivars. This cultivar shows pink and purple flowers with lots of resin. There’s also a Gnome box set available with limited edition seeds and vigorous powerhouses like the purple potion of Anvil F8 auto reg seeds included. 

See Also: Viking Gardens’ Thor’s Hammer F5, Hammer Time F5, & Purple Thunder, and Firebudz Candy Avalanche Auto & Care Bears F5 auto reg seeds.

Unique and stinky autoflowers

So much goes into showing off the fruity, sweet, and scrumptious autoflower strains and trends as of late. Now how about we get a little weird?

Squirt from Humboldt Seed company features mono and sesquiterpenes that last longer to the senses and make themselves especially present in extractions. “It has to do with the molecular structure, “ explained HSC’s main man Nat Pennington.

Night Owl breeder Daz describes his Vacation Bubba strain as “acrid and roast beefy”. Not to be outdone, Invader Zam has some random phenos that—according to Daz—can exhibit “almost blueberry dirty diaper-esque” notes.

See also: Twenty20 Mendocino’s sulfur, garlic and onion medley known as MSG Auto, and the burnt fuel and onion combo of their Gogo strain.

Whatever terp profile floats your boat—bubblegum, Runtz, gas, kush, dessert, or even roast beef—choose autoflower seeds that you’re going to be able to nurture with the right nutrients and conditions for success. By choosing stable genetics from any number of reliable breeders mentioned, it ensures a better rate of success. 

OK, time to get gardening. Let us know how it goes.