While patience is a virtue when it comes to growing, you don't have to suffer the pain of waiting. With early finishing outdoor strains, you'll get faster harvest periods for outdoor yields. This is particularly useful when you need to take advantage of short bursts of fine weather. Temperate climates, for instance, like the UK and Netherlands, benefit from quick growth through warmer spring, summer and early autumn seasons.
Late to the growing season? Then this is what you’re after. You needn't worry about compromises when it comes to these early finish outdoor strains, either. You can pick from high-THC varieties that are packed with flavor and loaded with long-lasting effects.
What does "early finishing" mean?
Early finishing strains are exactly as they sound. These strains finish growing earlier than typical strains. This generally means you can harvest these plants from the middle of September, and possibly earlier.
Record growth can occur within just a month and a half after planting, leaving less chance for the elements to intervene.
Early finishing outdoor strains - Top 5
These are the five of the fastest strains, when looking at flowering time:
- Hindu Kush autoflower
- Black Jack autoflower
- Northern Lights x Big Bud autoflower
- Sweet Tooth autoflower
- Critical feminized
1. Hindu Kush autoflower
Hindu Kush grows quicker than lightning thrown by Zeus. That is why Hindu Kush autoflower seeds might be the perfect choice when you are you want to start your grow at the end of the growing season. Her flowering stage takes less than 49 days, and due to her short vegetative stage this strain can take 2,5 months to grow, seed to harvest. And that is the longest time she can take, if you are lucky you can grow this wonderful plant in less than two months!
But what do you get in return for growing one of the fastest early finishing outdoor strains? A bountiful harvest of sweet and woody buds, that will give you a rather powerful, yet mellow high. Expect her to bring you to a temporal state of total calmness. This wild mountain crop has been an attraction since the 60s for this reason alone.
2. Black Jack autoflower
The words Black Jack call many different things to mind, from getting a winning hand in the casino and a Japanese manga in the 70s. But to us here at Weedseedsexpress, Black Jack calls to mind a beautiful plant, that flowers unbelievably quick. Just like many of the other early finishing outdoor cannabis strains on this list, you can harvest her within three months.
And even though Black Jack autoflower seeds grow faster than you can yell her name to the card dealer, her buds are not rushed. You can expect up to 250 grams per plant outdoors (in optimal growing conditions), and her balanced effects will help you relax, while also giving you surge of creative energy. Perfect if you are up for a creative session of writing music, poetry or stories. This cross of Black Domina x Jack Herer seem to have it all.
3. Northern Lights x Big Bud autoflower
Take two absolute classics, Northern Lights and Big Bud and you get this wonderful cross. Northern Lights x Big Bud autoflower seeds do not just offer a quick turnover, her buds give a bit of a different effect than many of her hybrid sisters. Besides her ruderalis genetics, she is full-blown indica. This means that her effects are calming, soothing and can even lull you to sleep. I mean, what else did you expect from a strain that not only delivers a strong blow of 22% THC, rounded off with a rather high CBD percentage of 3%.
Due to her tendency to play the part of Sandman, you would almost forget Northern Lights x Big Bud nuggets also have a rather fine flavor. With an earthy taste, combined with sweet and citrus flavors, it is not very strange to see that this strain is so immensely popular.
4. Sweet Tooth autoflower
Let's say you want to grow one of our early finishing outdoor strains, but you hate dealing with mold on weed plants. In that case, Sweet Tooth autoflower seeds would be the way to go. Taking a spot on our Top 5 Best Mold Resistant Weed Strains, Sweet Tooth has a diverse genetic background spanning from the Afghan and Nepalese mountainous regions, to the sunny beaches of Hawaii. She does seem to prefer the sunny side of Earth, as she grows best in warm environments, which we do understand.
Sweet Tooth also stays on the smaller side, which makes her perfect to grow if you have limited space in your cannabis garden. But her short stature does not seem to diminish her yield potential, as you can expect up to 200 grams per plant in the great outdoors! Who wouldn't say no to a big harvest of sweet, tropical fruity buds?
5. Critical feminized
Not everyone is a fan of autoflower seeds, some rather want to grow photoperiod feminized seeds. Which is why we selected this wonderful strain as well in this top 5. Just keep in mind that while the flowering period for Critical feminized seeds are on the short side, the vegetative time is based on the amount of sunlight hours this plant gets. At the end of the growing season, this can diminish the growth and the final harvest as well.
With that disclaimer out of the way, you can expect wonderfully balanced of a body stone that relaxes you to your very core and a head high that can even get your creative juices flowing. Her Skunk and Big Bud genes also help with her ease of growth, so even at the end of the season, growing Critical should be smooth sailing.
Choose your favorite early finishing outdoor strain
While we would always advise taking your time when growing cannabis seeds, we understand this is not always possible. Life can be turbulent and unpredictable, so it is good to know you have options. A last tip, when growing one of these early finishing outdoor cannabis strains, make sure that the local weather does not get in the way of your growing. Avoid the autumn wind and rains that are harmful to precious cannabis crops.
At Weedseedsexpress we are not just here to sell you weed seeds, we also are here to help you with the art of growing cannabis. If you are just starting your first grow, it might be wise to quickly take a look at our beginners grow guide, which will give you a quick overview of the growing process, step-by-step from seed to harvest. For more articles on growing weed, check our Learning Center, and for more blogs with top 5 lists and updates on new releases, you can visit our blog section.