Breeding my favorite Auto before it's gone forever.

So now I have the problem any autoflower grower eventually has. The cultivar was the best one I grew so far but I can't get the beans again. They're either sold out fast or discontinued. Fortunately, last time I ordered beans I didn't read the description fully or somehow missed it, but I got regular Auto flower seeds. Gnome Automatics "Coal Miners Daughter". The first two I grew from a ten pack (12 seeds actually) were female. So many dense flowers that you could not see the main stem or branches. It looked like a purple cactus. Excellent smoke with unusual flavors. Now I have to start learning a little more about plant breeding and genetics.

For now, I'm hoping for a male or two to make seeds with. I have a 2x4 tent that I could move into a separate area. My continuous grow system is set up like this. The plants start in the 5x5 and as they grow I'll move four of them into a 4x4. The 2x4 is basically a nursery for starting plants mid run. So I'm pretty much set up for some "pollen chucking". Should I just pick the strongest male and female plants and move them into the 2x4 and grow them as normal? This time of year I can put a few outside if I run out of room. Should I grow the rest of what I have? Should I use smaller three gallon pots or the recommended five gallon or more pots for higher yield?

Sour Stomper from Mephisto also Sold Out. Should I put a stomper in with the Coal Miner male and female? I'm going to unless someone talks me out of it. I don't want to run out of my favorites so far. I finally got my soil right and calmed down with overwatering and adding nutrients I don't fully understand. The soil and plants are fine. I no longer add stuff the plants don't want or need. I'm not trying to push the plants for massive yields anymore. My goal is to grow exotic plants and share them with strangers and friends. I handed a big purple bud of Black Strap to a total stranger last week and said "smoke this instead." Enjoy! my pleasure. He and his girlfriend shared some shots of the best cognac I've drank in a while. I never got their names.

Any advice is welcome. Happy growing.

I have a 2x4 a 4x4 and a 5x5 tent. all are 80" tall. The 2x4 has a panel style led and the other two tents have bar style led lights. All lights are on timers and can be dimmed. Plenty of fans, AC, humidifier etc. I have pots of all sizes and shapes. Everything a grow room needs including a smoke alarm and fire extinguisher. (Nobody ever mentions those last two important things)
The soil is organic and screened a few times, by me, to remove woodchips and rocks and then again to evenly distribute the moisture. I lighten the whole mix up with extra perlite (washed) until its much lighter than I think it should be. I sow directly into the soil and cover the area with a small clear cup. In a few weeks if I'm lucky, I'll top dress when the flowers look like buttons and the plants are ready to stretch.

How can I make best use of my set up to get the best results? I have eight regular CMD Autoflower F-5 seeds. I also have Sour Stomper Fem. auto seeds and two seedlings growing now 15 days old.

Does anyone know anything about breeding Autos?????

Django66 said:

Does anyone know anything about breeding Autos?????

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What you need to know? If you are just breeding to keep genetics alive, I’d pick the best ones (if you have a choice) and pop them in a separate tent. If selectively breeding, do the same with the plants that have desired traits. If you already have pollen you can dust a lower branch at start of flower to ensure seed maturity/viability. I’d say Gnomes coal miners daughter and Mephisto sour stomper would be an excellent cross and the F1 stock you get should have that “vigor “ . If you carry it farther, to F2-F3 there will be genetic variation. This is when you select the plants with traits you desire. Then you carry it further into F5-7 range where genetic stability starts to take hold.

Kindbud421 said:

What you need to know? If you are just breeding to keep genetics alive, I’d pick the best ones (if you have a choice) and pop them in a separate tent. If selectively breeding, do the same with the plants that have desired traits. If you already have pollen you can dust a lower branch at start of flower to ensure seed maturity/viability. I’d say Gnomes coal miners daughter and Mephisto sour stomper would be an excellent cross and the F1 stock you get should have that “vigor “ . If you carry it farther, to F2-F3 there will be genetic variation. This is when you select the plants with traits you desire. Then you carry it further into F5-7 range where genetic stability starts to take hold.

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Fantastic info. I need a place to start and it sounds like I'm on the right track. All the new plants 100% came up together and look good. Something to the full moon thing? I can fit 6 seedlings in the 2x4 to get them started. Down the rabbit hole I go...... Any suggestions as far as guides or books on plant breeding?

Have you looked into colloidal silver or sts? It by far an easier way to make an exact copy of your genetics without fussing with males. I’ve done lots of seed runs this way and they produce exact copies in my experience. Pretty sure this is how most breeders do it once they have their genetics down and want to mass produce