To flush or not to flush?

[HappyHazmat88]

This is why I asked.... Exactly why.... Some say yes some say no....studies on both sides... But none that are indefinite.

I appreciate all the comments and useful information given here...and yes again correct ...that each grower will have different takes on each process.....so with this I will personally continue what is working for me and stay away from this subject in the future until more information arises.

I have a lot yet to learn and will continue to do so.....

 

[EZCalyx]

I am jumping in here to see what others beliefs are. I think this a good topic and I am curious what has been working for others out there. I currently lean towards the flush side where two weeks before harvest only fresh water is used. Have any organic growers here experimented with flushing and not flushing? I need facts and proven experience!

 

[Emilya Green]

I am jumping in here to see what others beliefs are. I think this a good topic and I am curious what has been working for others out there. I currently lean towards the flush side where two weeks before harvest only fresh water is used. Have any organic growers here experimented with flushing and not flushing? I need facts and proven experience!

I know that in this bizzaro world we live in today, starvation by giving only water at the end, is called flushing. This is the problem. It happened on another popular website, this first mis-use of a centuries old term meaning to force 3x the container size of fresh water through the soil, and all of a sudden, starving the plant at the end was called flushing all over the internet.

You can not flush a plant just as you can not flush all the nutrients in your own body by going on a water only diet. You can only flush soil. By starving your plants, you are not cleaning them out or making your buds smoother... you are making it impossible for the plant to get what it needs to properly finish out the buds, the flavor profile and the THC content. By starving your plant, your plant will be LESS than what it could have been. If you need to, do a side by side test and see for yourself... the end result will be obvious.

Organic growers think the idea of flushing is ridiculous... all of our nutrients are usually built into the soil. There is NEVER a time when our plants are being starved until we separate the roots from the plant at harvest. We also have no need to ever flush our soil, because salts from man made nutes are never building up in our soil.

 

[Roy Growin]

I am jumping in here to see what others beliefs are. I think this a good topic and I am curious what has been working for others out there. I currently lean towards the flush side where two weeks before harvest only fresh water is used. Have any organic growers here experimented with flushing and not flushing? I need facts and proven experience!

You don't need to 'f-word' organic grows and 2 weeks is far too long in any event
The f-word at 6 weeks is to clear synthetic nutes building up salt in the medium so you can continue to feed them more
Giving plain water in preparation for harvest is only when the trichomes have set and ripening, that isn't f-word-ing

 

[Melville Hobbes]

The safest way to negotiate this minefield is to trust nothing that you have not verified in your own garden. If anyone has seen me do it, I have and can now prove that a synthetic grow needs to be pH adjusted, with facts and logic, but still the belief that this is not necessary stubbornly and regularly raises its head around here. We oftentimes see grows get in trouble by not adjusting their fluids pH and never flushing their soil. I have explained many times, even to Shed, that without putting your nutes into the proper pH range, 4 chelated elements will not be available to the plants and these 4 are critical to the overall growth. Sadly, some people seem to be more inclined to believe in personality, rather than logic and science. There is nothing new in this, but it is frustrating to see among a community that is trying to learn from each other and to advance the state of the art.

It's interesting that you bring this up. I'm in the process of testing it myself right now.

 

[Rexer]

Hey Happy!

Sorry I just saw this

I think the others have covered it well.

Though, truthfully the way I grow there is no flushing. Feed till you chop.
Many bad tastes, and weed that makes you cough can be fixed with bud washing, and proper drying/curing.

 

[Sparkey224]

Im lowering ppms final 2 weeks, add alternate waterings between feeds.
Ive feed till the end and also have flushed too.
For my goal, no deficiencies, lower ppms and throw in additional waterings with a carbohydrate.
Organic doesn't need to flush, just my take.

 

[EZCalyx]

I know that in this bizzaro world we live in today, starvation by giving only water at the end, is called flushing. This is the problem. It happened on another popular website, this first mis-use of a centuries old term meaning to force 3x the container size of fresh water through the soil, and all of a sudden, starving the plant at the end was called flushing all over the internet.

You can not flush a plant just as you can not flush all the nutrients in your own body by going on a water only diet. You can only flush soil. By starving your plants, you are not cleaning them out or making your buds smoother... you are making it impossible for the plant to get what it needs to properly finish out the buds, the flavor profile and the THC content. By starving your plant, your plant will be LESS than what it could have been. If you need to, do a side by side test and see for yourself... the end result will be obvious.

Organic growers think the idea of flushing is ridiculous... all of our nutrients are usually built into the soil. There is NEVER a time when our plants are being starved until we separate the roots from the plant at harvest. We also have no need to ever flush our soil, because salts from man made nutes are never building up in our soil.

That's an interesting opinion. Thanks for sharing. I disagree. Changing to only water for the last two weeks is not starving the plant. I make sure plant, soil and root health are optimum. The living organisms and processes happening in the plant and soil are plenty to feed the plant what it needs. In the last stage of flowering the plant doesn't need to be fed as all of the biochemical processes needed for plant development are done. I'm not sure if you are aware of the purpose of the leaves is not only to absorb and convert energy but to store it. Green leaves have so much stored energy and nutrients. Allowing the plant to finish by feeding on its own naturally wonderfully stored nutrients through the process of senescence is much cleaner way to finish the flower. I'm glad you've found another way that works well for you, that's cool. Sometimes it's about the journey and not the destination. It's obvious you're very passionate about what you do.

 

[Emilya Green]

Sometimes it's about the journey and not the destination.

We can at least agree in this.
I will continue to observe that plants grown organically do not experience this senescence that you claim is so important, and I wonder what makes you think that the resulting natural organic finish produces a less than clean product.

Enjoy your journey my friend, and I hope that someday along your path you will investigate organic growing where this issue does not come up, and then remembering this conversation maybe I will finally be able to change your mind.

 

[EZCalyx]

You don't need to 'f-word' organic grows and 2 weeks is far too long in any event
The f-word at 6 weeks is to clear synthetic nutes building up salt in the medium so you can continue to feed them more
Giving plain water in preparation for harvest is only when the trichomes have set and ripening, that isn't f-word-ing

You scared me using the f-word so much. It almost hurt my feelings. I use the flush and watering with plain water interchangeably because it is the exact same thing. Some people call plain watering for the last two weeks the flush. Some people call the flush when you stop using nutes and use plain water at any particular point in the grow. If you're saying there is actually a textbook definition that is set in stone somewhere that I am unaware of then I apologize but it sounds to me like you're splitting hairs and missing the point of the post. Sorry to offend you with the use of a word that you disagree with. I didn't mean it, I swear. lol

 

[EZCalyx]

We can at least agree in this.
I will continue to observe that plants grown organically do not experience this senescence that you claim is so important, and I wonder what makes you think that the resulting natural organic finish produces a less than clean product.

Enjoy your journey my friend, and I hope that someday along your path you will investigate organic growing where this issue does not come up, and then remembering this conversation maybe I will finally be able to change your mind.

Funny, it seems like many assumptions were just made.

 

[Sparkey224]

Funny folks, great topic. A lot of passion here..lol
Very important last 2 weeks of flowering and followed by the dry/cure process.
I dont consider watering as a flush. Definitely wouldn't want to interrupt her cycle last 2 weeks with a shit ton of water, 3 times the size of container.? No thank you!
Just enough ph water with cal/mag to barely hit the catch tray,then mild feeds alternating between.
This has really helped my Terps, which has extended into the drying.
With all mild feeds last 2 weeks, i just dont get the pop out of the flower.

 

[HappyHazmat88]

It's easier at this point to say some people prefer po-ta-tos and some people prefer pa-ta-tos.... It's a varying topic with new information surfacing as experiments take place.

 

[Sparkey224]

It's easier at this point to say some people prefer po-ta-tos and some people prefer pa-ta-tos.... It's a varying topic with new information surfacing as experiments take place.

I dont have the experience as some others on here. Just wanted to point out my observations. Which, asking my wife im wrong 95% of the time..lol
Great thread Haz.

 

[EZCalyx]

It's easier at this point to say some people prefer po-ta-tos and some people prefer pa-ta-tos.... It's a varying topic with new information surfacing as experiments take place.

LOL! I like my po-ta-tos fried! This is a good topic. I am looking forward to learning more and hopefully seeing some unbiased experiments. I'd be down to help with the taste tests! I feel even with concrete evidence and facts of what is actually occurring in the microscopic biochemical world inside the ripening cannabis flowers we all would come up with our own way of juicing them buds up anyways. Whatever journey you all decide to take I'd be happy to rip a bowl of it with you. Stay creative everyone, I'll be watching.

 

[HappyHazmat88]

LOL! I like my po-ta-tos fried! This is a good topic. I am looking forward to learning more and hopefully seeing some unbiased experiments. I'd be down to help with the taste tests! I feel even with concrete evidence and facts of what is actually occurring in the microscopic biochemical world inside the ripening cannabis flowers we all would come up with our own way of juicing them buds up anyways. Whatever journey you all decide to take I'd be happy to rip a bowl of it with you. Stay creative everyone, I'll be watching.

I like mine baked.....like me and yea I like this threads responses so far... It has a lot of real info and real experience with a touch personal feelings.... To me that's all I could have asked for.... Regardless of the path chosen the end goal is the same.

 

[Mayne]

Anytime anyone makes a generalization that is meant to discredit a common practice, and especially one that many growers all over the globe use and are recommended to use in multiple grow guides, there is a problem. Proclamations such as claiming that flushing should never be done except to clear a problem, or that pH never needs to be adjusted in a buffered soil, should be scrutinized very carefully. Blanket pronouncements like these are in my opinion doing a great disservice to the growing community. As a result of this conflicting information, and even clubs springing up endorsing these new age techniques, some people are outright discouraged from using tried and true methods and others find themselves confused by all the conflicting advice found even here, with even top growers on this forum arguing about the details and merits of these practices.

The safest way to negotiate this minefield is to trust nothing that you have not verified in your own garden. If anyone has seen me do it, I have and can now prove that a synthetic grow needs to be pH adjusted, with facts and logic, but still the belief that this is not necessary stubbornly and regularly raises its head around here. We oftentimes see grows get in trouble by not adjusting their fluids pH and never flushing their soil. I have explained many times, even to Shed, that without putting your nutes into the proper pH range, 4 chelated elements will not be available to the plants and these 4 are critical to the overall growth. Sadly, some people seem to be more inclined to believe in personality, rather than logic and science. There is nothing new in this, but it is frustrating to see among a community that is trying to learn from each other and to advance the state of the art.

BOOM

 

[Mayne]

last 3 days of the plants life, water in only molasses, strip the leafs, 24 hours of light, with Cold air to control trich burn off, then chop.

Sugar and bad dry technique is what makes harsh smoke. We smoke the Tinnnny leafs that are ON THE BUDS, THOSE need "de-sugared" . By giving the plant 24 hours of LIGHT, it eats up the sugars, and CANT eat off the sun leafs, because there wont be any. By giving 3 days of dark, it rebuilds the sugars in the BUD GREENS, which, i think, is counter productive,

 

[Phytoplankton]

last 3 days of the plants life, water in only molasses, strip the leafs, 24 hours of light, with Cold air to control trich burn off, then chop.

Sugar and bad dry technique is what makes harsh smoke. We smoke the Tinnnny leafs that are ON THE BUDS, THOSE need "de-sugared" . By giving the plant 24 hours of LIGHT, it eats up the sugars, and CANT eat off the sun leafs, because there wont be any. By giving 3 days of dark, it rebuilds the sugars in the BUD GREENS, which, i think, is counter productive,

Molasses feeds the microbes in the soil, not the plant directly. As far as light/dark, I think you have it backwards. Light causes the sugars to form, that's photosynthesis. If you want to get better terpene profiles and less sugars, give 24-48 of darkness, the plant will quickly use up the stored sugars in an effort to stay alive. Stripping the fan leaves won't do a lot (plus I don't know too many that actually smoke fan leaves), since any green part of the plant has chlorophyll, and will produce sugars in the light. It's a proven fact that terpenes amounts are highest after a dark period.

From UCSB: "The chemical reaction that plants use to create sugar produces oxygen as a byproduct and requires energy in the form of light, so when plants are exposed to light, they use it to make sugar."

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

I did not expect this subject, which I must of seen well over a hundred times in the last decade being a member of to reach a 2nd Page !

Perhaps 3rd at this rate

How ever like many things in the cannabis world of growing you will experience two sides of the coin or what side of the fence do you stand on ?

I understand about the feelings the mixed views over many years of misconceptions but each & every bird in my garden can sit on a branch chirping their favourite song... some time you may need to change your tune !

But that is a life experience skill to learn



Scroll down....
















Low way down, perhaps not far enough ?

My experience of flushing... more leaf's drop off aka starving when old bro science would suggest the last couple of weeks the bud sites pack on more weight.... WTF

Makes no sense starving the plant to loose leaf's when photosynthesis is required for plant growth !




Right Ok