Flushing! Let's Chit Chat

[brazel]

This will be a long post but quite relevant.

I tested cuttings all last year to decide for myself what all this fading plants was all about.

I ran 3 different strains and each run I gave 1 of each water only the last 2 weeks. They faded pretty yellow for the most part. The bud leaves tended to lighten some. They had the least potency and less flavor and aroma before and after cure. But were smoother to smoke soonest.

I fed 1 of each strong to the end. Vibrant and green. Too much nitrogen ended up in strange overgrowth and the buds were so harsh and earthy tasting for so many weeks that I never got to try them fully cured. Too much chlorophyll. Also foxtailing and almost 2 weeks extended harvest times.

And I experimented feeding only what I thought they needed tapering down concentrations to only water the last time or two. Or not. The object was to keep them medium soft green to the end. As uniform color as possible but not too dark and not too light.

This gave the same positive result each time. More flavor, more aroma and more potency. Not just potency but complexity of effects as well. And much more noticeable medical qualities. And a medium acceptable curing time. Some strains like berry indicas are tasty right away. Some like Haze are harsh and too peppery and grassy for a while.

This shows me that I have gotten some good potential from the plants. And they got more closely what they needed right to finish.

Also I switched to only grow ratios for the whole cycle. PK heavy nutes shorten the cycle by prematurely yellowing the plant and locking up the roots for sure. Feeding properly added an average of 2 weeks to the faded plants times. I tested a few different nutes a few ways to determine this previously. Yield and quality can be much higher without boosters.

Overfeeding was bad on all counts. You can recover and keep them going but always long flowering times that way and bad flavor and harshness for more than weeks after dry.

Those are my findings in my garden. In Ocean Forest and Pure Blend Pro Grow for nutes. And under 600w Hortilux Super Hps lamps.

Nice bro, I dig the desire to experiment

Yeah boosters and some other products are worthless.

Tapering off makes more since
Than flushing does

Thanks for the post

 

[MIMedGrower]

Nice bro, I dig the desire to experiment

Yeah boosters and some other products are worthless.

Tapering off makes more since
Than flushing does

Thanks for the post

Not exactly scientific but I know the plants I tested on real well.

I love this shit!

 

[Organikz]

So then here's my question...how do we flush positively and negatively charged ions with a solution that carries the same charge? How do we flush insoluble nutrients and heavy metals?

 

[GT21]

View attachment 770125 If you don't mind give me your opinion on these flowers, it's day 10 in these pics and it's seems like my plant is all pistil and no calyx...

The top right pic is not my plant... it's about the same age and it has a much better pistil/calyx ratio... mine seems to be twice the pistil half the calyx...I know every strain and phenotype are different but this is my first grow so I am just curious.

Theyre there..just wait till later and theyll swell up

 

[GT21]

Nice bro, I dig the desire to experiment

Yeah boosters and some other products are worthless.

Tapering off makes more since
Than flushing does

Thanks for the post

There is leaching and then there is flushing

 

[MIMedGrower]

There is leaching and then there is flushing

Everyone seems to have a different definition of “flushing”.

Only Leaching is an actual gardening word. What are your definitions?

 

[MIMedGrower]

So then here's my question...how do we flush positively and negatively charged ions with a solution that carries the same charge? How do we flush insoluble nutrients and heavy metals?

I will use the word leach for running a volume of fresh water through the pots to clear out excess salts.

You are suggesting that all elements are involved in cation exchange. They are not. Excess salts can simply build up and come out of solution. And they wash out with the water once melted into solution. Some not all. Depends on the medium.

Works much better with a low dose of fertilizer. As salts attract salts.

All we are really doing is unblocking the roots from excess calcium and phosphorous for the most part. Those are the largest molecules.

 

[Theperculatr]

Thanks guys! I'll stick it out and see what happens... as far as flushing... I am growing in FFOF soil with no nutes in veg and 4tsp of Jamaican bat guano sprinkled on soil 1st week of flower, I have no deficiencies or health issues... would you still recommend flushing, is it necessary with so few nutes?

 

[DemonTrich]

I do like nature, and autumn off the plant. Last 2 weeks they get water only as needed. Not really flushing so to speak. But a form. At chop, most of my fans are pinkish/purple/yellow.

 

[GT21]

Everyone seems to have a different definition of “flushing”.

Only Leaching is an actual gardening word. What are your definitions?

Leaching is just plain water for last couple weeks leaching nutrients.... flush is when you take it to the bath tub and pour gallons of water through it

 

[xavier7995]

Leaching is just plain water for last couple weeks leaching nutrients.... flush is when you take it to the bath tub and pour gallons of water through it

That has always been my take, though I have to say that in practice I refer to the whole process as "the flush." I do what you describe, dump a bunch of water through the container to wash out what you can and then just plain water for a week or so to let the plant try and get through the rest. I have come to the conclusion that low feed levels for the life of the plant is much more essential than trying to get excess out at the end.

 

[GT21]

That has always been my take, though I have to say that in practice I refer to the whole process as "the flush." I do what you describe, dump a bunch of water through the container to wash out what you can and then just plain water for a week or so to let the plant try and get through the rest. I have come to the conclusion that low feed levels for the life of the plant is much more essential than trying to get excess out at the end.

Ya i guess its all flushing...this is just what i remember an old grower saying one day. We just call it all flushing. I prefer to use small amounts of nutes too. I have never flushed a plant in my life...but every plant gets leached for 2-3 weeks

 

[sixstring]

She was green until about 55 days,orgnic soil so nothing but water.but on day 55 I gave 15ml hybrix (molas) and 10ml humic acid into a gal of ro and from that day on I made sure I water until there is runoff.temps remain the same 72f night 80f day
Flushing is a weed site term very loosely lol.

 

[xavier7995]

Tbh, the argument against flushing makes a lot of sense. Depriving a plant of nutrients during those final weeks where weight stacks on just seems counter intuitive. That said, I get my best results with a week of water after flushing out as much as I can, coco is great in that regard. I think I might still be feeding higher than necessary though since the flush does improve the end product and I can't really point to any other solid reason.

 

[MIMedGrower]

Ya i guess its all flushing...this is just what i remember an old grower saying one day. We just call it all flushing. I prefer to use small amounts of nutes too. I have never flushed a plant in my life...but every plant gets leached for 2-3 weeks

It’s all Leaching.

From Miriam Webster;

“Even a little rain will leach nutrients out of the soil.”

Flushing is a made up weed growing term

 

[MIMedGrower]

Tbh, the argument against flushing makes a lot of sense. Depriving a plant of nutrients during those final weeks where weight stacks on just seems counter intuitive. That said, I get my best results with a week of water after flushing out as much as I can, coco is great in that regard. I think I might still be feeding higher than necessary though since the flush does improve the end product and I can't really point to any other solid reason.

If your results are better with water at the end you are feeding more than is necessary.

I keep using less nutes on bigger and bigger plants as I continue practicing with the same system.

I am down to less than half the added fertilizer I used to get to this point 2 years ago. And the plants are about a third larger. I had to move up to 5 gallon buckets because they were too easy to tip over with the 3’s I have been using.

 

[GT21]

It’s all Leaching.

From Miriam Webster;

“Even a little rain will leach nutrients out of the soil.”

Flushing is a made up weed growing term

It’s all Leaching.

From Miriam Webster;

“Even a little rain will leach nutrients out of the soil.”

Flushing is a made up weed growing term

Had that backwards. ..its all leaching.... damn pot grow books... makin new names up

 

[MW7945]

It's for plants that are being real dickheads. I've been flushing for like 4 weeks now. Still green as can be.

 

[GT21]

It's for plants that are being real dickheads. I've been flushing for like 4 weeks now. Still green as can be.

How long in flower did you use nitrogen?

 

[MW7945]

How long in flower did you use nitrogen?

First 6 weeks ;)

My plants are hella leafy.