Is there a flushing agent you can use with organics?

[mrbong73]

The Ca and Mg are filtered out of the water during the RO process.
Vermi T is pretty much earthworm castings, peat moss and compost with some foodstocks. (basic compost tea)
Yes the molasses will feed the microbes.

 

[ibTheMan]

Vermi T is sent to shops Unbrewed, my shop custom brews it, they add something i think its microcasza < spelled wrong but i have no idea how to spell it right,lol.

 

[CT Guy]

RO locks to certain elements thats why if you run RO you have to add CalMag and things every time, Vermi T is a natural key-later and sense Vermi T is liven stuff the Molasses feeds them.

Heres what you guys can do, do your flush your way, cut your top buds, then flush with the T and wait a day then cut down the rest, the rest will be better, but try it for yourself.
also just go ask your local grow peeps about stripn flavor in flush , if they have no idea, well there not very good grows, with little knowledge.

VermiT is not a natural chelator, though some chelation may occur but that's due to the microbes in your soil and in the tea (it's not special to their tea by any means, any ACT will do). My problem with VermiT especially is that they make a bunch of false claims without any legitimate research. That and I met the guys down at a trade show in Vegas a few years back and they were more interested in partying than anything to do with growing. I took that as a sign that they were not a legitimate company. They're a bunch of kids in their late 20s/early 30s who threw together a black box with a water pump and put in some worm castings and called it a special tea. They claim you can store it in the fridge for days. Have you ever seen any data to support this claim? That's because there isn't any! Every company who uses a microscope and dissolved oxygen meter will be able to tell you that this simply doesn't work.

You bring up Cal/Mag issues with RO water, which is not what we were discussing at all.

And I couldn't understand the last part of your post. What is "stripn" flavor? Can you describe that in more detail please?

Thanks,
CT

 

[CT Guy]

Vermi T is sent to shops Unbrewed, my shop custom brews it, they add something i think its microcasza < spelled wrong but i have no idea how to spell it right,lol.

The word you are looking for is mycorrhiza, specifically VAM (vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza) in the case of cannabis. However, there's is ZERO point in adding it to a tea unless it's coming in direct contact with the plant's roots. In addition, that late in the game, it's not going to do anything anyway. You want mycorrhiza to be added when you initially clone or your first transplant, due to the amount of time it takes for colonization to occur.

I'm not sure your grow shop guys know as much as you think they do. My experience is that grow shop people know a lot about bottles of nutrients, but very little legitimate growing science. It's usually just some young kids who grow pot themselves and have no background in botany or plant physiology or microbiology.

At the end of the day, cannabis is just a plant. Do you have to flush your garden before you harvest your tomatoes?

Please don't take any of my posts as a personal attack, that is certainly not my intention. I just see a lot of misinformation going around on these boards.

 

[the_german]

hey,

best flushing agent for soil & soilless mixes is humic acid (the one from the hydrostore)

start flushing 2 - 1,5 weeks before harvest,
dont really flush, its ok to water the medium until its soaked with the humic acid containing solution.
dont use any calmag 2 -3 weeks before harvest, it will make the buds somewhat crunchy and they will burn like chinese crackers.

mycorrhiza is ok, but not necessary. its more important to use MO's when planting


greetz
the german

 

[Seamaiden]

RO locks to certain elements thats why if you run RO you have to add CalMag and things every time, Vermi T is a natural key-later and sense Vermi T is liven stuff the Molasses feeds them.

Heres what you guys can do, do your flush your way, cut your top buds, then flush with the T and wait a day then cut down the rest, the rest will be better, but try it for yourself.
also just go ask your local grow peeps about stripn flavor in flush , if they have no idea, well there not very good grows, with little knowledge.

That's not quite what's happening with water that's been filtered via reverse osmosis, whether or not it's been deionized. Reverse osmosis water has been almost completely stripped of all minerals, that's the reason why Ca and Mg need to be added back as they're some of the most important mineral elements a plant needs in order to complete its life processes. We don't typically add back minerals like Cu or Fe because the plants don't use them in anywhere near the amounts, nor are they required for as many chemical reactions as Ca and Mg. That's why we're focused on Cal-Mag in relation to using RO water.

To answer the original question: The flushing agent I use is water. Just plain water. Outdoor plants haven't gotten any sugars this year, I spent my $$$ on mineralizing the soil and adding back a little bit of organic material, forgot completely about buying more sugars. Molasses is but one appropriate sugar that can be used in growing. I've also used malted barley extract (want to try the dry product), panela/panocha, and palm sugar. All give pleasing results, none are quite so tasty to ME as molasses. A dab goes to the bucket & a dab goes to me. And then I get to lick the rim of the jar. :giggle
(I've always loved molasses, only syrup I'll put past my lips.)

 

[OGONLY]

The problem with flushn with RO is you will strip out alot of the flavor, addn molasses will help, Vermi T cost $15 and makes about 20 to 25 gallons you add 1ml B'Cuzz Flavor your good to go.

I totally disagree that R/O strips flavor. I fush for 2 weeks with straight R/O and the buds taste full and pure. You don't need anything to add flavor to your buds lol. If your genetics are solid, your taste will be also if you flush properly. A good R/O flush helps remove salts that have accumulated in turn making for a more pure end product.

Interesting to hear what you have to say about the Vermi T guys CT. Glad I never fell for that whole joke of a tea. The machine doesn't even airate the tea does it? I've been making my own teas for a couple weeks and the plants have never been happier. Its so easy to make, why would you buy it in a package?

 

[Blaze]

CT Guy nailed it - just cut what ever you are feeding with 10-14 days before harvest, perhaps sooner if you are using top dressings, and give them water to finish them off and you will be fine. Doesn't have to be R/O water unless maybe you have some really screwed up water with super high EC that will fuck up your plants. I've never used a flushing agent in my entire life, never had any issues with crackling, or flavor, so IMO, they are not needed with organic soil.

It also depends on what you call "flushing" - I always considered the above method to be a "flush" but many consider "flushing" to be running massive amounts of water through your plants at the end. Unless you really over-did some of your fertilizer or amendments this probably isn't needed with organics, BUT just because you are using organic products does not mean you will get smooth, tasty herb. I have seen many people grow organic herb that crackled and popped when you smoked it and tasted like shit. It is plenty easy to over-do the liquid organics or what I call "faux organic" like all the crap Fox Farm makes at the end if you are not careful. Plus of course the genetics and the drying and curing all factor in, so growing organic isn't some magic bullet to get good quality (though IMO the best herb is almost always organic).

 

[OGONLY]

As for my previous post I was referring toa hydro flush as far as R/O last 2 weeks. Forgot this was an ORGANIC flush thread sorry everyone.

I am rocking my first organic outdoor and indoor currently. My plan is to stop feeding teas and such 3-5 days before chop. Guessing I'll go straight R/O for the last few days?

Hey CT or Blaze, is it a problem to use Protect silica as a PH up after midway through flower. I've heard to cut it out around then in hydro. I don't PH the water when I water with teas. I do PH when I feed with things such as fish/ seaweed hydrostalate and liquid Karma. I only use those maybe twice a week in very small quantities though, so very little silica is being used.

I have though tried Budda Bloom (a blend of EWC, Guanos, yucca, and a few other similar things) and went with like half the recomended dose. I ended up having to put like at least 6 oz. of Protect silica in 5 gallons of water to get the PH to 6.3. It started at like 4.5. I thought that high a dose may be an issue late in flower?

 

[Alien]

CT and Seamaiden nailed it.

Stop feeding 14 days before harvest, and just use water.

 

[Seamaiden]

With my outdoor organic girls I don't mess around with pHing water. In fact, they don't even get filtered water, they just get it as it comes out of the well. All feeding ends about a month out, though that can be difficult to balance outdoors.

 

[CT Guy]

As for my previous post I was referring toa hydro flush as far as R/O last 2 weeks. Forgot this was an ORGANIC flush thread sorry everyone.

I am rocking my first organic outdoor and indoor currently. My plan is to stop feeding teas and such 3-5 days before chop. Guessing I'll go straight R/O for the last few days?

Hey CT or Blaze, is it a problem to use Protect silica as a PH up after midway through flower. I've heard to cut it out around then in hydro. I don't PH the water when I water with teas. I do PH when I feed with things such as fish/ seaweed hydrostalate and liquid Karma. I only use those maybe twice a week in very small quantities though, so very little silica is being used.

I have though tried Budda Bloom (a blend of EWC, Guanos, yucca, and a few other similar things) and went with like half the recomended dose. I ended up having to put like at least 6 oz. of Protect silica in 5 gallons of water to get the PH to 6.3. It started at like 4.5. I thought that high a dose may be an issue late in flower?

I've never used a pH meter, because in an organic soil, the microbes in the soil will buffer the pH for the plant. That being said, I also don't apply any bottled nutrients and have never tried Budda Bloom.

I use the Protekt silica at 1 tsp./gal for it's silica content (it's one of the most important, yet understated minerals for plants in the ag world). I use it all the way through flower at that rate. I've never tried a higher rate, though I think since it's a fairly mobile mineral you could get away with higher rates, though I'm not convinced it's necessary.

One run I my tent got way too hot (116F for 5 hours) due to an malfunction with my fans and the plants were a little burned but recovered within a week. I attribute that to a good biologically active soil and the silica I'd been applying.

My waterings stay the same throughout the grow, regardless of veg or flower. All I do it 2 T. of Tera Vita LC-10+7, 1 t. ProTekt, a pinch of Nature's Essence Seaweed Extract Powder. That's per gallon on the above rates. All my other nutrients and minerals are in the soil.

I'm looking to move away from theProTekt too and try plant extracts for the silica content, maybe horsetail or nettle.

 

[Blaze]

Hey CT or Blaze, is it a problem to use Protect silica as a PH up after midway through flower. I've heard to cut it out around then in hydro. I don't PH the water when I water with teas. I do PH when I feed with things such as fish/ seaweed hydrostalate and liquid Karma. I only use those maybe twice a week in very small quantities though, so very little silica is being used.

Hey OG - well CT more or less answer the question similar to how I would. I can't really give you a solid answer because I do not use Protect or a pH up. My water comes from a pond and from a spring so it tends to be very stable, so I never need to adjust pH. Also I am not using any liquid ferts, so I do not have to do any pH adjustment there. One of the nice things about using just compost tea and top dressings is that the plant will tend to adjust things all on it's own so pH is never really an issues.

For silica I just use rice holes in my soil prep, in addition to azomite and a few other natural minerals that contain Si. I use some of those same minerals sometimes when I make tea so my plants do get low doses of it once a week. Si is definitely an important mineral as CT pointed out, so IMO you do want to be using a little bit of it in some form or another.

 

[mrbong73]

My flushing agent is something like this:
5 gallons tap water or 50/50 w RO
1 tsp tm-7 (or cyto plus or kelp extract)
3-4oz aloe vera juice
2-3oz fish hydrolysate
1 TBS molasses
1 tsp pro-tekt

That's pretty much my water mix from start to finish. Or a slight variation. I just ran out of Ful power or I would include that as well.

 

[headiemeddie420]

The problem with flushn with RO is you will strip out alot of the flavor, addn molasses will help, Vermi T cost $15 and makes about 20 to 25 gallons you add 1ml B'Cuzz Flavor your good to go.

i don't think you would be strippin the taste out because all of the terpenes and oils are still in the plant. Maybe you are just noticing a stronger sweet taste becuase of the molasses?

 

[headiemeddie420]

oh and in my exprience a little bit of fulvic acid (Use bio Ag its the best by far) during the flush as well as a slight increase in ph ( almost around 7) helps bring about a nice swell in the last days

 

[hashrip]

I flush every three feedings and feed every three days. First I feed with my simple AACT, then I feed with my "ocean" mix tea, then I flush with a mix of humic and fulvic acid, hygrozyme and nitrozyme. Then I flush three weeks before harvest with plain R/O water. It works great! Superior weed everytime. I've never once had a plant burn like I didn't want it to.