What the Difference Is Between Autoflower and Feminized Seeds?

Updated January 2025

Are cannabis seeds the right starting point for your commercial grow? That all depends on your goals, growing environment, and the demands of your target market. For cannabis genetics enthusiasts, seeds are a great way to dive into phenohunting, seed popping, and building a clone library. 

But not all seeds are created equal. To make the right investment, you’ll need to understand the differences between autoflower, feminized, and photoperiod seeds. Let’s break them down.

What Are Photoperiod Seeds?

Photoperiod seeds produce plants that require specific light schedules to trigger flowering, which allows cannabis cultivators greater control over yields, cannabinoid and terpene profiles and other characteristics. Because cannabis plants grown from photoperiod seeds rely on lighting cues from cultivators, they are especially suited for indoor cultivation facilities, although they can also be planted outdoors in certain regions for seasonal, sungrown harvests.

Photoperiod seeds aren’t unique to cannabis. Poinsettia cultivators also manage the 24-hour photoperiod to cue flowering for their commercial crops, for example. Like cannabis, poinsettias are also typically grown from clones to ensure uniform size, color and flowering time in step with seasonal demand. 

Photoperiod seeds are ideal for developing clones because they produce plants with those predictable characteristics. In fact, autoflower seeds cannot be used for clonal propagation because they have such a short vegetative phase. Most cannabis growers who want to develop a clone library without sourcing clones online should start with photoperiod seeds.

What are Feminized Cannabis Seeds?

Predictable flowering isn’t the only characteristic commercial cannabis cultivators typically want from their cannabis seeds. They also want those seeds to produce female plants. That’s where feminized seeds enter the chat.

Regular cannabis seeds have a 50% chance of developing male or female characteristics. That’s how landrace strains reproduce in the wild, after all. Male plants are useful to cannabis breeders that want to generate seeds as part of a genetics program. Outside of that context, however, male cannabis plants are unwelcome due to the risk of pollination and creating seedy buds that are much less desirable to consumers.

To solve the time-consuming issue of popping seeds, monitoring development and removing any male plants, feminized cannabis seeds result from genetic manipulation of female plants. That complex endeavor induces those plants to generate pollen containing only female chromosomes. Feminized seeds are a subcategory of photoperiod seeds, which gives cultivators a consistent baseline for their gardens.

What Are Autoflower Seeds?

The third category of cannabis seeds are autoflower seeds. The difference between autoflower and feminized seed ties to the plant’s internal clock. Autoflower seeds produce cannabis plants that automatically transition to the flowering stage after a set growth period, regardless of light cycles. These seeds are ideal for fast harvests and low-maintenance grows, especially outdoors or in greenhouses, versus indoor cultivation facilities. 

The rapid growth cycle of autoflower plants allows for multiple harvests in a single growing season, even during extended summer daylight hours. Additionally, these plants require minimal infrastructure, as autoflower seeds tend to produce plants with a compact structure associated with indica-dominant strains—making them a good choice for facilities with multi-tier growing racks.

In the past, the tradeoff for those low-maintenance characteristics was less control over the resulting flower. However, recent advancements in autoflower genetics have led to higher yields, improved cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and greater pest and disease resistance. Autoflower seeds are an increasingly popular option for both new and experienced growers—especially those working in regions with shorter growing seasons or unpredictable climates.

Other Differences Between Autoflower and Feminized Seeds

While feminized seeds are often considered a subcategory of photoperiod seeds, many autoflower seeds are also feminized. Feminized autoflowering seeds combine the advantages of automatic flowering—transitioning from vegetative growth to flowering based on age rather than light cycles—with the assurance that nearly all plants will be female. This combination simplifies the cultivation process by eliminating the need to identify and remove male plants, allowing growers to focus on maximizing flavors, effects and quality.

How to Choose the Right Type of Cannabis Seeds for Your Commercial Grow

Choosing the right cannabis seeds for your production goals and market demand is crucial, especially in an industry known for tight harvest schedules and tighter margins. In general, sourcing clones can be better for a cannabis business budget as they’re ready for market much faster. Growing from seeds can add six to nine months (or two to three harvests) to a facility’s startup time. 

Autoflower seeds offer quick harvests and low-maintenance growth, making them appealing for rapid cash flow. However, their unique production schedules and potential for lower yields may require adjustments in workflow and labor, such as tweaking the facility automation systems including irrigation, fertilizer injection and HVAC and dehumidification. 

Starting from seeds is often a smart decision for outdoor cultivation, which would make autoflower seeds a natural choice for sungrown gardens. 

On the other hand, photoperiod and feminized seeds are favored by indoor growers who want to build a strong brand reputation in both retail flower and extraction sales in competitive markets. After all, cannabis genetics can help plant-touching businesses sell more products for better prices. 

Starting from seed, versus clones or tissue culture, does add additional steps to the production process, whether your team is phenohunting to establish a robust strain library or to expand the mother room. It can also offer unparalleled control over strain characteristics and peace of mind regarding pathogens like the hop latent viroid. 

Whichever type of cannabis seed you choose—and whether you’re focused on classic cannabis strains or must-try strains that are currently trending, or whether you’re pulling during the immaculate conception period of a newly legalized market—the important thing is trust your source. The difference between autoflower and feminized seeds isn’t nearly as wide as the difference between quality genetics and a weak crop that contaminates your garden with someone else’s problems.

Ready to elevate your cannabis cultivation game? Join the party with #IPARTYWITHJARRET and partner with Next Big Crop to grow your business to new heights. From facility design to operational support, we specialize in turning top-tier genetics into thriving, scalable commercial grows. Let’s make your next harvest your best one yet—learn more on the Next Big Crop Knowledge Drop blog series, or reach out today.