Final Flush: Myth Or Fact?

[Drivejunky95]

Flushing and starving the plant with RO water may as well be the same thing. I simplified...

Boy, what a heated topic. Reminds me of fermenting and secondary fermenter topics on the homebrew forums lol.

 

[Blew Hiller]

I do believe the jury is still out on the one about planting directly over the carcass of a freshly-hanged thief, though.

If she weighs the same as a duck and floats...she's a WITCH!

 

[TheFertilizer]

Well here's my question...

If not flushing supposedly cannot leave heaps of nutrients left in the flowers, then what's the deal with bud that burns like a 4th of July sparkler?

Most of the time I hear people complain about bud tasting bad, or the ash not burning down to complete white, etc. it's just bud that wasn't even dry enough to be smoking.

But sparkler-bud... Now that's interesting stuff.

 

[TorturedSoul]

If she weighs the same as a duck and floats...she's a WITCH!

Or... you know... didn't get out of bed that morning with plans to drown .

The real witches never got caught. Because they were witches .

Yeah, I'm a smart-@ss (newsflash? lol...). But I once saw a woman stop major arterial bleeding - with her hand. Had gray hair - white, actually - in her 20s. That might have been due to all the partying we did, though, IDK. . . .

 

[TorturedSoul]

Well here's my question...

If not flushing supposedly cannot leave heaps of nutrients left in the flowers, then what's the deal with bud that burns like a 4th of July sparkler?

Most of the time I hear people complain about bud tasting bad, or the ash not burning down to complete white, etc. it's just bud that wasn't even dry enough to be smoking.

But sparkler-bud... Now that's interesting stuff.

I am not discounting your question. But I will counter with one of my own: Do you have TWO samples of bud from that plant, one cut and dried and the other one cut after (the first bud was cut and) a short "flushing period" occurred? That's about the only way I can think of to test this stuff with your question in mind. Even then, you'll end up with bud that was harvested at two different times, so you'll still have that to account for. But if you can so account, that should be somewhat educational.

Hey... The only benefit in flushing, IMHO, is that the gardener is not feeding at that time. Plants nearing senescence don't need a great deal of nutrients. In other words, read your plants and feed them what they need.

Are the people who seem to be the biggest proponents of this flushing thing the same people who follow nutrient recipes? Because even the nutrient companies will (if they even discuss cannabis in the first place, of course) tell you that they're just general recommendations and that specific strains, phenotypes, and even individual plants... will have their own unique nutritional requirements, and that this can and will be affected by various environmental conditions. Add more light, plant grows at a higher rate and tends to require more nutrients. Add significantly more dissolved oxygen to your DWC reservoir and the plant becomes a more efficient feeder, which means it will tend to require less nutrients (and may exhibit signs of overfeeding while the same plant in a less efficient setup wouldn't). Give your African landrace sativa the same ratio of nutrients that your "OG" Kush demands... and it'll probably show signs of nitrogen toxicity. Nutrient recipes fit plants in the same way that "one size fits all" t-shirts fit people, some of whom are skinny as a fence post and some of whom might actually be taller if they were laying down.

If someone is trying to flush their media, that is to say, trying to rinse away a buildup of nutrient salts... It's just trying to fix a f*ck-up after the fact, lol. Comparable to washing your baby's face after not paying attention to how much food you were trying to shove into her mouth at feeding time .

 

[Camaro1691]

I love all the input everyone has here. And while it is and always will be a topic for debate, I do respect everyone’s opinion and the science behind the subject, however, I have always and will forever flush each harvest I have. That’s just what I’ve always done and I can’t bring myself to change that when I know how my product comes out. I only flush for a week not 2, and I do use clearex when doing so.

Do those same people still hang their plants to dry upside-down, so that the THC can drain down into the buds?

And as a matter a fact I do still hang my plants upside down after harvest, but not to wick thc out that’s just nonsense lol, it’s just the easiest way to dry it before trimming and curing for me

Well here's my question...

If not flushing supposedly cannot leave heaps of nutrients left in the flowers, then what's the deal with bud that burns like a 4th of July sparkler?

Most of the time I hear people complain about bud tasting bad, or the ash not burning down to complete white, etc. it's just bud that wasn't even dry enough to be smoking.

But sparkler-bud... Now that's interesting stuff.

It’s been to my experience thru investigation work and having suspected buds tested that weed of this nature, more often than not, has been sprayed with something wether to weigh it down or as a foliar spray while growing, and not properly cleaned before drying and curing, in the instance of foliar spray, a method that is new to ME and I haven’t tried yet, is Doc Buds bud washing. I don’t foliar spray at all thru my grow, but I’m going to try his technique on a branch or 2 this next harvest to see what the hype is all about and if it’s worth the extra effort to me

 

[Aroxol]

Science also says you can drink piss if you’re dying of thirst...but still, I’d rather find water.

 

[Marzbadrock]

This topic has given me a idea or two. I'm going to take 2 clones off the same plant, after rooting in the cloner I'll plant in 1 gallon containers, veg a week then into bloom room. Feed one up until harvest and flush one for 2 weeks. I'll sample for myself, send a sample to lab for testing and see if any variance.
Also I think this would be a fun community grow experiment, get a few people in on it n see if we all have same results.

 

[Camaro1691]

This topic has given me a idea or two. I'm going to take 2 clones off the same plant, after rooting in the cloner I'll plant in 1 gallon containers, veg a week then into bloom room. Feed one up until harvest and flush one for 2 weeks. I'll sample for myself, send a sample to lab for testing and see if any variance.
Also I think this would be a fun community grow experiment, get a few people in on it n see if we all have same results.

Yup, 2 clones from the same mother grown side by side would be the closest to a controlled test you’d get

 

[bluter]

Hey... The only benefit in flushing, IMHO, is that the gardener is not feeding at that time. Plants nearing senescence don't need a great deal of nutrients. In other words, read your plants and feed them what they need.

while not poking the bear...

without advocating flushing, i think you may have kinda explained why it is done...

 

[TorturedSoul]

Lol, poke away. There's a spot on my back that I am no longer flexible enough to scratch.

I came back to add that I am certainly no expert cannabis gardener and, therefore, do not always correctly read my plants. <SHRUGS> I just wanted to mention that, as I didn't want to be giving the impression that I was standing on a virtual mountain top, shouting down at "you people who cannot read your plants."

But I do advocate for it. It's not "do as I do, not as I say" - it's "do as I wish I could do, better, but better." (That even looks like a mouthful, lol. Past my bedtime.)

I also recommend against putting a cannabis plant in the punishment room (darkness) for its last couple of days of life. Give it light right up until "sunrise" on the day you execute it, then do the deed at dawn .

 

[Conradino23]

Do those same people still hang their plants to dry upside-down, so that the THC can drain down into the buds?

I do believe the jury is still out on the one about planting directly over the carcass of a freshly-hanged thief, though. But at least that one ends with a dead thief, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt .

I’ll drop another one. Water with molasses makes for a sweeter bud... another magic belief.

Though I see less cooking the roots after harvest nowadays, which means this myth is going away.

But magic is still here, which is quite fascinating to be honest, cause it’s been always a large part of traditional agricultural practice.

Science is difficult, complex and confusing and botany might seem like too much for a lot of growers, but magic comes with a set of guarantees as it relies on the personal effort and strong belief in a result.

I like to add some magic to my growing myself even if I think that flushing is useless

 

[TorturedSoul]

I had some magic powder once, but I didn't waste it on my plants .

I read some time, somewhere, that people didn't like science because they couldn't argue with it, couldn't bargain with it, and couldn't bribe it; that this made them feel powerless because they could not, through force of will or guile, "beat" it.

I don't know, but it did cause me to chuckle. I assume that, when attacked, people will attempt to reason with the person wielding the knife - but if they fall off a bridge, they do not attempt the same with the river/rocks below.

 

[falstaffo]

Science also says you can drink piss if you’re dying of thirst...but still, I’d rather find water.

urine therapy is actually widely practiced to great effect, hell it even tells you in the bible (not that imreligious lol) ‘drink thine own waters)this is widely believed to tell us to use our own water of life for health lol

im a heavy meat and junk food eater. but if i was a happy raw vegan i would probably be so inclined to practice UT too!! lol
yeahyeah im a weirdo what ya gonna do about it lol

 

[Barney86]

My vote goes to No flush. Here's why.
Last year I was working with a lad that wouldn't stop bangin on about these cali orange tins. £130 per 3.5g and it's the best thing they've ever smoked...
Well, I had a passion fruit on which is a "cali orange" hybrid. Couldn't help myself.
Was done in hydro and fed right up to the chop. Few weeks curing till the orange smell came out then I fleeced him like a bitch. Joke was on me though cos he sold the lot at 25 a g a made a fuckin fortune. Not a single person noticed it wasn't organic, never mind that it wasn't flushed. He was back wanting more within the week, wish I'd took cuttings lol.
I don't condone this sort of behaviour, it was a pretty shitty thing to do but fuck me it was funny. The guy I grow for was buzzin. Thought we were gonna be millionaires but was just a one off to see if it worked. Won't be doing it again lol.

 

[LiberalThinker]

Thanks Blew!

@Drivejunky95, I have a link in my signature to a scientific analysis on preharvest flushing.
Here it is:

A critical look at preharvest flushing

Pre harvest flushing is a controversial topic. Flushing is supposed to improve taste of the final bud by either giving only pure water, clearing solutions or extensive flushing for the last 7-14 days of flowering. While many growers claim a positive effect, others deny any positive influence or...

www.420magazine.com

Flowers do not uptake nutrients from the soil, whether synthetic or organic. The plant takes up the nutrients and converts them into sugars to build the buds.

It's the dry and the cure that preserves the flower smell and taste and rids the buds of harshness.

Huge arguments have gone on over this, but more and more growers are coming to the conclusion that flushing is bro-science.

Keep in mind that you should do whatever you feel good about, but I feel there is no reason to starve a plant just when you want it to power its way to the finish line.

Note: this does not apply to flushing to correct soil imbalances! Just the alleged "cleaning the nutes from the buds before chop" flushing .

It makes zero sense to me to mess up a plants final finale, which is the point you've been waiting for. I'm also in the camp that it is the cure that cleans away the excess nutes and also chlorophyll taste by controlled bacterial degradation.

 

[TorturedSoul]

it even tells you in the bible (not that imreligious lol) ‘drink thine own waters)this is widely believed to tell us to use our own water of life for health lol

It wasn't directed towards innkeepers, as advice meant to keep them honest (and alive, I suppose)?

im a heavy meat and junk food eater. but if i was a happy raw vegan i would probably be so inclined to practice UT too!! lol
yeahyeah im a weirdo what ya gonna do about it lol

I haven't spoken to any rabbits lately, so this is just supposition on my part, but I don't think you would - vegans eschew all animal and animal-based products as I understand it, so it'd be against the rules. For which, whoever it is that has the duty of kissing you... would presumably be grateful .

 

[TorturedSoul]

Science also says you can drink piss if you’re dying of thirst...but still, I’d rather find water.

Wasn't that recently the opening statement in a government reply to one of those global warming idiots?

<HE ZIGS, HE ZAGS, DODGING ROCKS AS HE RUNS AWAY!>

 

[bluter]

Wasn't that recently the opening statement in a government reply to one of those global warming idiots?

hahahaha

hahahahahaha

hahahhahahahahaha ... i get it.. you said you have a government


hahahahahahahahaha





edit: btw, sorry to the OP. this is way too OT.

now back to regular programming. i still flush, nyah !

 

[falstaffo]

It wasn't directed towards innkeepers, as advice meant to keep them honest (and alive, I suppose)?



I haven't spoken to any rabbits lately, so this is just supposition on my part, but I don't think you would - vegans eschew all animal and animal-based products as I understand it, so it'd be against the rules. For which, whoever it is that has the duty of kissing you... would presumably be grateful .

well maybe lol some also say it is telling us to be faithful to our wives and drink from our own well, ie not be lured to infidelity lol
all down to interpretation i guess lol

and regards to vegans rules, they mention nothing about from ‘thyself’ lol
i just can imagine drinking stinky yellow piss full of toxins, vegans who practice ut claim theirs tastes closer to coconut water lol