Is it really important to flush before harvest?

Dirtbag · Apr 16, 2021

I dont think placebo played much part in my results.

-My crops burned and smoked great for about 17 years straight while I did 2 weeks plain water at the end.

-kept reading on here how flushing was pointless so I tried 3 crops in a row tapering back nutrients at the end, but kept feeding light balanced feeds to the end, pot had burn characteristic problems. Burned out easily in a joint and ashes were dark grey/black. Flavor was ruined halfway through a joint. For numerous strains 3 crops back to back.

-went back to water only finishes and smoke quality improved dramatically again.

Some would say I'm a chronic overfeeder and that explains my need to flush, but I doubt that. I hardly ever go over 1.3ec.
And.. Flushing doesn't remove anything from the plant, it cant, it just prevents it from getting there in the first place.

Bluntsmoke · Apr 16, 2021

There's not a moment in the natural life if cannabis that the ground is depleted of nutes. Naturally there's always nutrients available to the roots. With that said I like to feed just molasses the last week.

Dr.Green55 · Apr 16, 2021

I can remember way back in the early 90's when we were all running hydro. we all flushed, in fact those guys still in hydro still flush. but not for the reason people think of today. somehow flushing has evolved into something way bigger so to say then what it is.

those guys in hydro run somewhat heavy nutes right up until a few days of harvest 3-4 days. they then drain everything and add fresh water, after a day change that, depending on the PPM they may do it 1 or 2 more times, all there doing is flushing all the nutrient water out of the system, media etc. giving the plant a day or 2 to use up the nutrients in it and secrete out in the fresh water its waste. if these guys were tapering off there nutrients a couple week before harvest they wouldn't need to flush so to say. but they don't need to do that in hydro system, soil is different

For soil or peat etc if your feeding properly throughout the grow not over feeding, and tapering off the nutes toward the end you should only have to give water for the week and at that point there should be very little nutrients left in the pot, if in the last week your running gallons of water through the pot to get the PPM levels down under 200 or 300, you have a feeding issue that should be corrected. and I think that is what people try to do in soil feed heavy right up until the harvest then flush it out. but I don't think that method really works in soil.

growsince79 · Apr 16, 2021

Bluntsmoke said:
There's not a moment in the natural life if cannabis that the ground is depleted of nutes. Naturally there's always nutrients available to the roots. With that said I like to feed just molasses the last week.

No so imo. There might be nutes in the soil but not available. My volunteer grew great all summer and fall with zero fertilizer or nutes. It survived 118f @ 18%rh with just water. When the temps got below 45-50 they turned yellow and purple- exactly like they do with a flush. I think the cold soil restricts the nute uptake. Some of my indoor plants will never yellow or finish properly without a flush. They will just foxtail forever. Others quit feeding and yellow on their own.
To me flushing is an attempt to mimic this nute deprivation. -a crop steering technique.

weed_weasel · Apr 16, 2021

Emedicen said:
Can anyone explain if it is important to flush cannabis or can they be dried without flushing?

I know this goes against common practice but I never flush, I feed right up until the last week. I have not found my harvest to be overly harsh. Lost my sense of smell & taste years ago so I can't say how it affects it in that regard.

Pileit · Apr 16, 2021

Once we stopped overfeeding customers couldnt tell the difference. Not sure if that was a result of the flush or plant health.

Pushrod Monkey · Apr 16, 2021

Flushing is Bro Science 4.0. Advanced Bro Science.

Pushrod Monkey · Apr 16, 2021

When does the bulking of buds occur? Last 2 weeks right? So let’s starve them right then. It’s like an athlete training for a marathon. What runner would fast for even a week before the race? It works the same way for plants as it does animals.

LexLuthor · Apr 16, 2021

Aqua Man said:
For discussion sake... what water source was used to flush? Iron higher with the flush... possibly tap water or wrll water high in Iron? If it's not RO there would be definite nutrient ratio imbalances that may account for the findings?

I prefer to reduce the nutrients to very low levels but still provide a small amount of balanced nutrient.

I also think a large part is how aggressively they have been fed leading up to the flush.

The explanation they said is because flushing with plain water could of released micro nutrients like zinc and iron that were stored in the media which resulted in a slightly higher amount being up taken by the roots. But nitrogen was 6.7% lower in the bud flushed for 14 days.

Basically, the results were so close that the difference is negligible.

As I said earlier, I believe it is beneficial to reduce nutrients the final 2 weeks of bloom.

LexLuthor · Apr 16, 2021

Pushrod Monkey said:
When does the bulking of buds occur? Last 2 weeks right? So let’s starve them right then. It’s like an athlete training for a marathon. What runner would fast for even a week before the race? It works the same way for plants as it does animals.

We put so much effort into making sure the plants have no deficiencies all of its life, then at the end we starve the shit outta it lol

Pushrod Monkey · Apr 16, 2021

lex0415 said:
We put so much effort into making sure the plants have no deficiencies all of its life, then at the end we starve the shit outta it lol

I don’t. I grew up in agriculture. I always ask people to name another crop that’s starved before it’s harvested.

Black ash? You don’t dry properly. Period. It’s retained moisture. Not unused nutrients. Plants use it as they take it up.

Kootenay.kid · Apr 16, 2021

Emedicen said:
Can anyone explain if it is important to flush cannabis or can they be dried without flushing?

I would say yes it is important, while you do not have too keep in mind what you are putting into the plant all the way through. NPK the elements of the fert staying the plant and those stay in unless you flush the plants. ever smoked some plant matter and there was a different hit and the ash was black or had a blackish look? thats residual fert the grower did not remove via a final flush.

during the growing phase its important to flush weekly as this washes away salt buildup and keeps the medium from becoming toxic, though the two "flushes" are different the final is to remove fert from inside the plant and is about a week long the weekly flush is just a time when you run fresh water through especially in soil.

You do not need any fancy stuff most commercial flushing agents are simply plant sugars similar to whats in molasses or juice they do not actually strip fert out they kreep the plant alive while it uses up whats left in the plant think starving person their body uses up muscles and fat stores until theres nothing left

just my opinions of course but Im also right lol

Kootenay.kid · Apr 16, 2021

lex0415 said:
That myth is busted with multiple university studies, here is one of them: CLICK HERE

Even with the evidence showing flushed and non flushed cannabis has the exact same nutrient content, people will still argue for flushing because it washes away excess nutrients from the bud, which is impossible, flushing only affects the rhizosphere. You have to figure it out for yourself because people will always argue both sides til the end of time.

I do agree to taper off nutrients the last 2 weeks because the plant will use up reserves in the leaves and it is a waste to give full strength nutes up until chop.

I went to look at the study and clicked on the guys resume his credentials and it came up 404 error none found lol

Pushrod Monkey · Apr 16, 2021

Kootenay.kid said:
I went to look at the study and clicked on the guys resume his credentials and it came up 404 error none found lol

Lol. There’s a link. With pictures.

Dirtbag · Apr 16, 2021

Pushrod Monkey said:
I don’t. I grew up in agriculture. I always ask people to name another crop that’s starved before it’s harvested.

Black ash? You don’t dry properly. Period. It’s retained moisture. Not unused nutrients. Plants use it as they take it up.

Properly grown weed actually burns just fine even when it's still a little moist. And some bud can be absolutely dust bowl dry and still not burn properly. The stuff I grew that burned black was dried in highly controlled conditions like always. But sure, the 3 crops out of the last hundred crops that didn't burn well was because those 3 were dried worse than the other 97 crops before it

I also grew up and have a career in agriculture. Name another plant that people grow indoors under high intensity lights fed high volumes of chelated nutrients, then processed and smoked?

Bluntsmoke · Apr 16, 2021

The answer is simple.
Does weed get flushed in the wild?

Pushrod Monkey · Apr 16, 2021

Try reading the damned study instead of looking to immediately discredit the author.

Dirtbag said:
Properly grown weed actually burns just fine even when it's still a little moist. And some bud can be absolutely dust bowl dry and still not burn properly. The stuff I grew that burned black was dried in highly controlled conditions like always. But sure, the 3 crops out of the last hundred crops that didn't burn well was because those 3 were dried worse than the other 97 crops before it

I also grew up and have a career in agriculture. Name another plant that people grow indoors under high intensity lights fed high volumes of chelated nutrients, then processed and smoked?

We don’t smoke tomatoes but we eat them. Zero health issues. Your comparison is kind of irrelevant. Again please name any crop husbanded by man that heads to harvest starved? Please.

Please flush away if you’re so inclined.

GrimgorzDaBest · Apr 16, 2021

It’s getting spicy in here

Kootenay.kid · Apr 16, 2021

Bluntsmoke said:
The answer is simple.
Does weed get flushed in the wild?

ever smoked wild dirt weed?

Dirtbag · Apr 16, 2021

Bluntsmoke said:
The answer is simple.
Does weed get flushed in the wild?

Does weed get fertilized by humans in the wild? Do you harvest a lot of wild weed? If so let me know how it smokes.

Is it really important to flush before harvest?

Is it really important to flush before harvest?

Dirtbag

Bluntsmoke

Dr.Green55

growsince79

weed_weasel

Pileit

Pushrod Monkey

Pushrod Monkey

LexLuthor

LexLuthor

Pushrod Monkey

Kootenay.kid

Kootenay.kid

Pushrod Monkey

Dirtbag

Bluntsmoke

Pushrod Monkey

GrimgorzDaBest

Kootenay.kid

Dirtbag

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