I'm going to agree with what Turbo said on the front page. That being that autos are not for everyone.
Photos and Autos both have their place. Which to grow depends on not just your preference, but your needs.
Some will say autos burn more electricity because you run them 18/6 for the whole grow. While it's true that the light schedule remains full and is not cut like with a photo, you're growing that plant for less time. So no, they don't burn more electricity.
Flowers from a photo and auto of the same "strain", compared against one another, the photo is going to be better overall. However, it may not be by much, and that auto is still going to be really, really good. We're talking maybe 2% diff in THC. So a 24% strain in photo, might be 22% in an auto.
You feed autos the same nutrients, there is no difference in that. You grow them the same in terms of medium, watering, etc. You can run some type of hydro, soilless, or soil.
An auto will progress through its life cycle regardless of lighting schedule. It will veg for however long it wants (as determined by its genes) and then start to flower without intervention.
Now with photos, as you're aware, you have more control. You can veg them to the size you want, then flower them. If something happens, you can veg longer to recover. There is certainly more wiggle room with a photo. A photo will yield more, but don't let numbers sway you. One reason a photo will yield more is simply because someone can veg it longer. An auto and photo the veg for the same time won't have a huge difference in yield. The photo will produce more, but the gap isn't super huge.
If you're comfortable with growing a plant, give an auto a try if you would like. In a 4x4 tent, you could run 5 and be in good shape (exceptions apply now and then.) Having that extra in there can help make up for the yield difference a bit.
Now there are some things you can't really do with an auto, or do as easily. For example, running a ScrOG, or mainlining them. They just don't veg long enough to recover from all the toppings with a mainline. You can kind of try to ScrOG them, but it's different than with a photo. Again, from the standard topping requirements.
However, if you have a solid genetic strain that grows well, you can top an auto flowering plant. I have 5 in a 4x4 tent right now, and you bet all 5 were topped. You MUST exercise extreme caution when doing this. If you are unable to top your plant by the start of their 4th week, then back off and go with straight LST. If the plant is not growing strong, then back off and go with straight LST. Which leads us to the next part. Do not top an auto that is past it's 3rd full week, or not growing vigorously.
With an auto, you're best bet is LST. There are several forms out there, and which route you go is personal preference. If I were to need to go with straight LST, I would probably do the circular form. Effectively bending the plant and growing it out to the edge, then following around the edge of the pot. The goal with LST and auto's is to get the middle opened up for better growth down below.
If you're brave enough, and decide you're willing to top (if able), check out the quadline thread.
If growing in soilless or soil, you won't be up potting like you would a photo. You will put your seedling in its final pot and be done with it. You must be careful with the watering. There is a ton of info on this site alone about doing this, and it's not complicated at all. You just have to know what/how/when.
Old Salt is also right on Mega Crop. It does an excellent job, and really cuts your nutrient bill down. I picked up a bag that should last me about 65 weeks. (Running 2 grows it's shorter on the calendar than that.) That bag, shipped, was under $80 USD. I couldn't get through one grow for that with any other nutrient line. It's not the be all end all, but it's a very, very good product. Other then the possible need for a little extra CalMag, that one bag of MC is all you need. If you are one of those super tinkering types that love to tweak all the individual parts of your nutes (and there's nothing wrong with that) than MC probably isn't your cup of tea. You can add a little to it, but must be very careful as it's a fully balanced product that has plenty of everything to go from start to finish. Auto or photo, it on its own is worth a look.
The biggest determining factor with an auto is genetics. You don't want any weaker breeders with sketchy genetics. Stick with the big dogs and you'll be in much better shape. Fast Buds, Blimburn, Barney's, Dinafem, etc. No canuk, no crop king, no low-end breeders. If the genetics aren't strong, might as well move along. If you get shaky genetics, you're going to have a bad time and will experience all the stereotypes of an auto. Good genetics and you'll be off to a solid start.
After genetics, you'll need good light, and good growing practices. Those practices also include patience, just sayin.
I wouldn't run an auto and a photo in the same tent, generally speaking. The autos finish quicker because of their genetically determined veg time. They're still going to take many weeks to flower. Because of this, you want to ensure you're not flipping your photo to 12/12 when your auto isn't done. If you can time it so your auto is done by the time you're ready to flip, it's doable. It's not a matter of a few weeks though. If you want to do that, wait for the auto to start flowering and stop its stretch before dropping the photo. Then you should be alright. Just make sure there is room for your photo to get plenty of light.
Thank you for all the info, A lot of good points for each. You are awsome for giving me an unbiased opinion based on facts. I got alot to chew on, one last question though. Can you clone autos? Btw My grow tent is 7x4x7
I would love to do that, but unfortunately the area that I live in currently I'm pretty sure once they start to flower they will mysteriously disappear..lol
