Definition of Flushing needs some work.

[Mystical Flower]

There are two VERY different techniques used by growers. Definition 1 Flushing to remove salts. Definition 2 Flushing at end of flower. They are completely different things that many use the same words for.

Definition 1. For many growers using salt based nutrients, salts may accumalate and cause problems. Basically, if you have 5 gallons of soil you run around 10 gallons of water through the soil to remove salt build up. There is a little variety to the amount of water used, but the idea is to remove excess salt. Usually, this is done once or twice during an entire grow. Flushing in this way is used to "reset" the soil and to correct problems as needed. You dont have to flush, but its a useful tool when you run into problems.

Definition 2: Watering with plain water in the final weeks of flower. Yes ! People call this flushing too, but its completely different than the flushing listed above. This simply means feeding plain water and no nutrients for a week or two end of flower, very different than flushing large volumes of water through soil to remove salts.

This hobby has some work to do with its terminology. It can be very confusing...How do I know? I'm a newbie with only a few grows under my belt. This was difficult to understand until I realized people were using the same word for two completely different things...

 

[Sueet]

I agree, it is annoying that the same word gets used both ways.

I find it more annoying tho that the second definition just makes no sense to me. You cannot wash nutrients out of a plant once it takes them up, although I guess you could argue starvation does something sort of like that, but why on earth do people insist on starving a plant right when it needs its' nutrition the most? If a plant is growing in the ground how is one supposed to 'flush' it?

Are folks believing somehow that every plant grown outside, under the sun in the nice fresh clean air is inferior to the ones grown inside under tiny fake suns? I don't think they do... it's (flushing) just one of those things that people believe because they 'heard' it somewhere.

I'm pretty sure it is just people trying to explain why their flower is sometimes harsh, but it feels like it has more to do with the cure than a flush, to me at any rate.

 

[Roy Growin]

I promised myself never to discuss this again for exactly this reason - the terminology is wrong from the start
You can rinse salts from medium, but you can't 'clean' what's inside the plant and nor would you want to
The only reason I use plain water at the end is because I don't think the plant needs nutrients to ripen its fruit
For example, once tomatoes have set their fruit there is no point in feeding any more, it will only use what it has stored up in veg - ie you feed a plant what it will need in the following week or two

 

[safeman]

like to run a few days of just water before 12/12 flip - there was a study about the amount of time in/when flushing - better taste, aroma, ect in the amount of time you flush before harvest - a few day before harvest was the best. (will find article and post it - a scientific study not done by a product line believe it was in Cannabis Business Times ( 2 week flush / 1 week flush ect)

 

[Sueet]

I promised myself never to discuss this again for exactly this reason - the terminology is wrong from the start
You can rinse salts from medium, but you can't 'clean' what's inside the plant and nor would you want to
The only reason I use plain water at the end is because I don't think the plant needs nutrients to ripen its fruit
For example, once tomatoes have set their fruit there is no point in feeding any more, it will only use what it has stored up in veg - ie you feed a plant what it will need in the following week or two

I agree with you - in most cases. However, I see it way too frequently online that people choose to starve a plant that doesn't even have leaves left to draw from. If you have lots of healthy leaves, absolutely, why waste.

That is, technically, half the point of leaves anyway, nutrient storage.

 

[Mystical Flower]

The purpose of this post is to let new growers know that people recommending flushing may be talking about two completely different things. The thread seems to be moving in another direction, I get it, but that was not the purpose of my post...

Definition 1: = Flushing. You use a lot of water to "flush" the soil. Definition 2: Feeding plain water, should not be called flushing if you ask me. Period. It should be called watering.... (without nutrients) Make sense? I'm telling you, it causes a lot of confusion I've seen it all over the forums..

Now, on the subject of Definition 2: witholding nutrients late flower, you have to realise that almost all Cannabis grow books and Nutrient Feed charts DO recommend withholding nutrients late flower. If your new to growing and read a lot, chances are you'll see this recommended. This also confuses the hell out of new growers.

Yes, I was there for the tests they performed both feeding and starving the plants late flower, most prefered the nutrient fed buds over the starved. It was an eye opener to many. Now, many question the practice of (feeding plain water--I wont say flushing) late flower, which is good. I feed my plant as needed all the way to the end..If I feed plain water towards the end, its simply because my plant doesnt need nutrients and I know I'll be harvesting soon.

Last thought, you never know if you'll need another week or two for your buds to finish.... If you start starving them too early, you may wind up going two to three weeks without feeding nutrients. This is another strike against starving the plants late flower if you ask me. I still say they shouldnt call this flushing, because it isnt.

 

[Mystical Flower]

I agree with you - in most cases. However, I see it way too frequently online that people choose to starve a plant that doesn't even have leaves left to draw from. If you have lots of healthy leaves, absolutely, why waste.

That is, technically, half the point of leaves anyway, nutrient storage.

Yep ! I left too many leaves on my last grow and my plant did not need to be fed (much) late flower... Trimming was a bugger though, god I hate trimming. Yes, many new growers dont realize that plants feed off their own leaves. Its good to defoliate, but if you over do it, your plant doesnt have a reserve to fall back on.

Got a chuckle out of this,thinking about a plant lollipopped and defoliated heavily (few leaves) in combination with no feed = disaster ! Been there, done that...

 

[Mystical Flower]

I promised myself never to discuss this again for exactly this reason - the terminology is wrong from the start
You can rinse salts from medium, but you can't 'clean' what's inside the plant and nor would you want to
The only reason I use plain water at the end is because I don't think the plant needs nutrients to ripen its fruit
For example, once tomatoes have set their fruit there is no point in feeding any more, it will only use what it has stored up in veg - ie you feed a plant what it will need in the following week or two

Well, I think many people think of salts as "toxic chemicals" that get stored in the plant. Who really know exactly what going on inside the plant? You can flush soil and roots, but the plant itself is different. Again, I'm talking about definitions. If your feeding plain water to lower nutrient levels in the plant, well it should be called just this. Wateriing without nutrients. NOT Flushing ! If your flushing the soil with a lot of water to lower salt levels in the soil, OK, thats flushing.

 

[safeman]

This debate has been going on for years - no right.wrong answer - it's the cultivators choice - thinking about it if your finished product taste harsh (you are tasting the chemicals used)

 

[Sunasun]

This debate has been going on for years - no right.wrong answer - it's the cultivators choice - thinking about it if your finished product taste harsh (you are tasting the chemicals used)

Means it hasn't been cured yet. Harshness goes away with properly cured bud.
If you were right, why don't our vegetables taste like a cornucopia of animal excretions?

 

[Coneal49]

Means it hasn't been cured yet. Harshness goes away with properly cured bud.
If you were right, why don't our vegetables taste like a cornucopia of animal excretions?

I agree it's all about the curing process. I'm mean that's what every article said that I've read but some say both. So yeah it's really up to an individual cultivator. I do both flush and cured but I'm just getting back into cannabis cultivation after IDK 15yrs give or take of not growing and a lot of things have changed in my opinion. But good luck everyone and have fun a glorious growing season.

 

[safeman]

another debate : do you use " RH packs" (Boveda /Boost) to help your cure. have done both and because of the end results of using them I don't use any type of rh packs. Many say they "rob" the taste of your end cured product. Thoughts ??

 

[Mystical Flower]

another debate : do you use " RH packs" (Boveda /Boost) to help your cure. have done both and because of the end results of using them I don't use any type of rh packs. Many say they "rob" the taste of your end cured product. Thoughts ??

Yes !!! Using RH packs will take away a lot of the goodness, I know too well, I learned the hard way...I used them on a grow that I didnt dry well enough and the packs "sucked" the excess humidity away.. My buds were almost odorless in the end.

If you put your dried buds into a jar with a hydrometer, and the RH is above 60---- DO NOT USE HUMIDITY PACKS. They will take a lot of the goodness away.. If your buds are on the drier side, lets say 55RH in the jar, its ok to use the humidity packs to add moisture. As long as the humidity packs arent lowering the RH your fine...Its also ok to use them if they are maintaining RH....

Im drying buds now, and without a humidity pack, the RH reads around 55... So, I am using 58RH humidity now and watching the RH closely... So far so good, and its smelling great !

 

[safeman]

Yes !!! Using RH packs will take away a lot of the goodness, I know too well, I learned the hard way...I used them on a grow that I didnt dry well enough and the packs "sucked" the excess humidity away.. My buds were almost odorless in the end.

If you put your dried buds into a jar with a hydrometer, and the RH is above 60---- DO NOT USE HUMIDITY PACKS. They will take a lot of the goodness away.. If your buds are on the drier side, lets say 55RH in the jar, its ok to use the humidity packs to add moisture. As long as the humidity packs arent lowering the RH your fine...Its also ok to use them if they are maintaining RH....

Im drying buds now, and without a humidity pack, the RH reads around 55... So, I am using 58RH humidity now and watching the RH closely... So far so good, and its smelling great !

agree with you -- like you tried them there "packs" - never again --BUT they might be of some use if you are "curing for long periods , say 7mos + ???

 

[Sunasun]

Yes !!! Using RH packs will take away a lot of the goodness, I know too well, I learned the hard way...I used them on a grow that I didnt dry well enough and the packs "sucked" the excess humidity away.. My buds were almost odorless in the end.

If you put your dried buds into a jar with a hydrometer, and the RH is above 60---- DO NOT USE HUMIDITY PACKS. They will take a lot of the goodness away.. If your buds are on the drier side, lets say 55RH in the jar, its ok to use the humidity packs to add moisture. As long as the humidity packs arent lowering the RH your fine...Its also ok to use them if they are maintaining RH....

Im drying buds now, and without a humidity pack, the RH reads around 55... So, I am using 58RH humidity now and watching the RH closely... So far so good, and its smelling great !

Sounds like you harvested a light stressed plant way too early and are now blaming the humidity packs for your error.