I think I've just figured out where the myth of flushing came from!

Barney86

Well-Known Member
Copied as part of my post from another thread. It explains the journey lol.
No point writing it twice :)

HOLY FUCK I THINK I'VE JUST SUSSED IT!!!
I THINK I KNOW WHY PEOPLE FLUSH INSTEAD OF CUTTING THE NUTES!!!!!

I was about to go on my usual rant there of why it's bad for them in coco but I've just had an epiphany.

People flush because they think it washes excess nutes out of the buds and gives a smoother smoke.
That's an absolute 100% myth and here's why.

When the leaves start going mental due to the lack of feed. What they're doing is reliquidising the nutes in the leaves and moving them INTO the buds to make sure they have all they need to survive for as long as possible.
That's the plants only thought in life. Do whatever it takes to make those buds last as long as possible for the best chance of reproduction.
They literally eat themselves to feed the buds.

So, now that we've realised that we can't possibly take anything out of the buds, why would people starve them???

Could it be that back in the days you had to flush because you smoked most of the sugar leaves too?
And those will taste fuckin nasty if they're still full of nutes. Wouldn't be able to sell that for top dollar in a month of Sunday's.
They were also mostly soil growers so couldn't possibly have known what hydro growers know today about how nutes work because you just can't measure it in soil.

Ahhhhh...... and even today's growers that swear by it are surely those that don't close trim and leave some of the sugar leaves on! (That bit I just thought of lol)

Wooaaahhh.... that's getting a copy and paste into a thread me thinks:)
 
I’ll copy and paste a little of my own then Barney. From this thread. Nutrient Leaching: A Study



“Conrad ... you’re dead right as far as nobody is going to directly ‘wash out their buds’ by flushing.

I think there’s some confusion around the idea of ‘flushing’ and maybe a variety of different ways people are using it. It’s kind of a stupid term actually.

Around three weeks before the end of flowering I stop feeding, or just feed very lightly. I’m growing in peat moss/perlite- its a form of hydroponics. So for these last few weeks the plants generally get water only. It gives them a chance to use up their food supply, which they do. Their leaves turn yellow and the flowers become colourful, sticky, and ripe.

To my mind, starving the plant towards the end like this also sends a signal that it’s ‘fall’. It depletes its remaining resources and puts them into growing beautiful fruit.

I’m pretty sure this is called flushing- though I don’t use the term myself. I don’t really call it anything. It’s just late flowering. It seems perfectly legitimate.

Works for me anyway. The bud clearly ripens better this way, while plants that are fed right to the end look all wrong to me.

I don’t really see how it could work in soil, which is not something designed to be wiped clean of nutrients.
I can see how it would work well for a true hydroponic grow though.

 
I’ll copy and paste a little of my own then Barney. From this thread. Nutrient Leaching: A Study



“Conrad ... you’re dead right as far as nobody is going to directly ‘wash out their buds’ by flushing.

I think there’s some confusion around the idea of ‘flushing’ and maybe a variety of different ways people are using it. It’s kind of a stupid term actually.

Around three weeks before the end of flowering I stop feeding, or just feed very lightly. I’m growing in peat moss/perlite- its a form of hydroponics. So for these last few weeks the plants generally get water only. It gives them a chance to use up their food supply, which they do. Their leaves turn yellow and the flowers become colourful, sticky, and ripe.

To my mind, starving the plant towards the end like this also sends a signal that it’s ‘fall’. It depletes its remaining resources and puts them into growing beautiful fruit.

I’m pretty sure this is called flushing- though I don’t use the term myself. I don’t really call it anything. It’s just late flowering. It seems perfectly legitimate.

Works for me anyway. The bud clearly ripens better this way, while plants that are fed right to the end look all wrong to me.

I don’t really see how it could work in soil, which is not something designed to be wiped clean of nutrients.
I can see how it would work well for a true hydroponic grow though.

See bolded: As Autumn approaches in nature outside, does the food in the ground suddenly deplete right on time? ;)
 
Fjf
I’ll copy and paste a little of my own then Barney. From this thread. Nutrient Leaching: A Study



“Conrad ... you’re dead right as far as nobody is going to directly ‘wash out their buds’ by flushing.

I think there’s some confusion around the idea of ‘flushing’ and maybe a variety of different ways people are using it. It’s kind of a stupid term actually.

Around three weeks before the end of flowering I stop feeding, or just feed very lightly. I’m growing in peat moss/perlite- its a form of hydroponics. So for these last few weeks the plants generally get water only. It gives them a chance to use up their food supply, which they do. Their leaves turn yellow and the flowers become colourful, sticky, and ripe.

To my mind, starving the plant towards the end like this also sends a signal that it’s ‘fall’. It depletes its remaining resources and puts them into growing beautiful fruit.

I’m pretty sure this is called flushing- though I don’t use the term myself. I don’t really call it anything. It’s just late flowering. It seems perfectly legitimate.

Works for me anyway. The bud clearly ripens better this way, while plants that are fed right to the end look all wrong to me.

I don’t really see how it could work in soil, which is not something designed to be wiped clean of nutrients.
I can see how it would work well for a true hydroponic grow though.


This is the bit before that lol. Were on the same train of thought mate. Just that I believe my way is a safer and more garunteed way to ensure they have everything they need.
My leaves still end up the same colour as yours. Sometimes much further gone.

I also grow in gt205 NFT reservoirs (my coco gets fed what they get) You can see hour by hour how much feed they're taking from the media and that's pretty much what it does week to week with the drop off.
By the end of it they still take around 150ppm but anything else gets left behind. Once they stop feeding completely they're done.
Can see it on the ppm meter if you use it properly...

Here's the copied bit..

Once the buds are fully formed and you post that thread that says " how long to harvest?"
Once a couple guys tell you it's 3 weeks away you can cut all the nutes in half.
Once your 2 weeks away cut it in half again.
And for the final week cut it in half again.

Flushing is for toilets. It might be something that benefits soil growers I really don't know but we don't need to do it. Just feed right up. You'll see the plant is cannibalizing itself anyway. The leaves will go all sorts of weird and wonderful colours but just keep cutting back.

HOLY FUCK I THINK I'VE
 
See bolded: As Autumn approaches in nature outside, does the food in the ground suddenly deplete right on time? ;)

No and I’m fully aware of all that. I’m using the idea of ‘fall’ very loosely.

Between soil and hydro- we are talking about different methods. My goal is to reach that ripe fruit on the vine thing.
 
No and I’m fully aware of all that. I’m using the idea of ‘fall’ very loosely.

Between soil and hydro- we are talking about different methods. My goal is to reach that ripe fruit on the vine thing.
Yeah, there's nothing like mixing it up to make it harder to talk about. :)
 
Why would you keep feeding plants nutrients in last three weeks, when plants not feeding on them? You can but wasting money, like your flushing it down the pot, lol...
Flushing, flush a medium and reset when lockouts occur.. only been last year or so I've heard or taken notice of people calling last three weeks, flush..
 
I believe flushing is to rid the bus of nutrients YOUR feeding them. Once the plant puts them into the leaves it’s not the same, it becomes converted. People don’t flush for the plant. They flush for themselves. For a cleaner smoke. I’ve smoked some strawberry strain that was flushed and it burned a nice smooth white ash. Smoke the same strawberry strain that was not flushed and it burns a lot harsher (noticeable) and the ash was black and would sometimes spark. That’s nutrients that are still in the bud. It is noticeable, least in my experience
 
WWOOOAAAAHHHH !!!!!!!!!

Slam the brakes on fellow potheads.

That's not what I'm trying to do here.

I'm trying to turn a new leaf here and help with understanding things.
I usually react like this to posts but I've realised that THAT is what's turning me into a knob. Ask @Emilya she'll tell you lol.
Anyway , if you can't behave like civilised adults then please take your comments elsewhere.

Don't care who started it, this isn't school. We're all here to learn and share.
If you don't agree with someone them please do so constructively....
Otherwise please kindly go elsewhere to share your views.
 
Right lads and ladies I've had a doob and composed myself and decided..... that I'm off to bed. I'm burst. :)
Be on the bus to work in 6 hours though so I'll tell you why you're all wrong then lol.

Have a smoke and a smile troops,
IT'S FRIDAY TOMORROW!!! !!!

WOOP WOOP !!!! :) :) :) (Its too much hassle getting the emoji from site on my phone. Big chubby fingers and it's a struggle :( haha
 
As a long time synthetic grower, I knew that flushing was necessary several times in the grow. Salts build up and need to be flushed out, and nutrient solutions change and you flush out the old to bring in the new. Nothing new there... I think the only point of contention is whether or not a flush is necessary right at the very end, immediately before harvest.
I tend to agree with the no flush crowd here... I don't think that final flush (that I used to do too) is necessary or even helpful. The most important flush however, in my experienced opinion, is a flush right before the final 2 week bud swell. After hitting the plant with everything you have through weeks 5-7, appreciable salts have built up in a synthetic grow. Salts restrict water uptake and at whatever percentage this is happening at this point of time, it is unacceptable. Flush to clear the soil and allow for maximum uptake during that last two weeks, and then hit them hard with finishing nutes right up to the end.
As Nunyabiz said, now that I am in TLO and have no salts building up, flushing makes no sense, but for those of you feeding out of a bottle, it does.
:peace::love:
 
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