Auto strains with short life cycles are they legit? Wanting a decent yield as a newb is an auto a good start? I've read some anti auto stances etc. Th

I started with autos, and did not mind it, I knew so little and it was fine. Now as I have advanced a bit as a grower, I prefer autos outdoors and Photos indoors. Mainly cuz my end of year gets cold and wet and that fucks up any photo with molds and WPM. But an auto outdoors is perfect done before any of that shit. Indoors photos are king, they can clone, take HST, control flip to flower and they come in fem like autos. Just less shit to deal with vs autos, like random plant sizes or flips to flower. Of the ppl who I have seen that grow great autos are always using a DWC or hydroponics setup. Plus if you grow at 12/12 you essentially turn a photoperiod into a autoflower and it will automatically bloom around week 4-5 when its mature.

You can't just take their description and expect the plants to be completely on schedule but there are some faster and slower phenos even in the same strains. If you want maximum yield you should go with fems if you are able to control your light intensity and cycle. You can decide how much space they should take and not send them into flower until your tent is "full". But if it is your first grow anyway you should stop worrying about your yield anyway because there are many hurds to take until you get really good results.