An autoflower is a specific variety of cannabis that automatically transitions from the vegetative growth phase to the flowering phase based on its age, not on the hours of light it receives. Re-vegetation, or “reveg,” is the process of reversing a flowering plant back into its vegetative growth stage, forcing it to produce new leaves and stems instead of flowers. The question of whether an autoflower plant can be re-vegged is fundamentally answered by the plant’s unique genetic programming.
Understanding Autoflower Genetics and Life Cycle
Autoflower cannabis strains owe their unique life cycle to genetics inherited from Cannabis ruderalis, a subspecies native to regions like Central and Eastern Europe. These areas have short growing seasons, which caused the plant to evolve an internal clock to ensure it completes its life cycle before the onset of frost. This genetic trait is “day-neutral,” meaning the plant’s flowering is triggered by maturity, not the photoperiod.
The transition from vegetative growth to flowering is fixed and generally occurs within a short window, often between 20 to 40 days after the seed sprouts. This internal timer is controlled by genetic markers, such as the Flowering Locus T (FT) gene, which bypasses the light-dependent mechanism found in other cannabis varieties. Once this switch is flipped, the plant is irreversibly committed to its reproductive cycle. Autoflowers typically complete their entire life cycle, from seed to harvest, in a rapid 8 to 12 weeks.
The Process of Re-vegetation in Standard Plants
The standard cannabis plant, known as a photoperiod variety, relies entirely on the ratio of light to darkness to determine its growth stage. Photoperiod plants remain in the vegetative phase indefinitely as long as they receive long periods of light (18 hours or more per day). They are induced to flower only when the period of uninterrupted darkness reaches approximately 12 hours.
Re-vegetation is a technique applied to photoperiod plants to force them back into the vegetative state after they have started flowering or after a partial harvest. This process is achieved by reversing the light cycle from the flowering schedule (typically 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark) back to a vegetative schedule (like 18/6 or 24/0). The extended period of light signals that summer has returned, prompting a hormonal shift that stops flower production.
The plant responds by producing unusual, single-pointed leaves and new vegetative growth directly from the flower sites. This reversion process can take several weeks, but it allows growers to preserve the genetics of a desirable mother plant or achieve a second harvest.
Why Revegging Autoflowers Is Not Possible
Re-vegetation is not a viable strategy for autoflowering cannabis plants because their life cycle is not governed by the light cycle. Attempting to manipulate the photoperiod, such as switching from 12 hours of light to 24 hours of light, will not trigger a reversal of the flowering hormones. The genetic switch inherited from C. ruderalis dictates a fixed, linear progression toward senescence, which is the biological aging and death of the plant after reproduction.
Once an autoflower begins to flower, its hormonal composition is dedicated to completing the reproductive phase within its short lifespan. The plant lacks the genetic mechanism to revert to vegetative growth, unlike its photoperiod counterparts. Any attempt to re-veg an autoflower typically results in the plant continuing its flowering cycle or, in some cases, stunted and stressed growth with minimal new vegetative production.
Growers who claim to have re-vegged an autoflower often encountered an unstable hybrid or a mislabeled photoperiod plant, which still retained the light-dependent flowering trait. For a true autoflower, its fixed genetic clock makes the re-vegetation process biologically impossible and impractical for cultivation purposes.