Read some old threads here and on other forms basically saying flushing causes ash to burn black. I bring this up because I did a two week flush this last crop, and after my regular 14-16 dry @ 60/60, and then cured in turkey bags in a 5 gallon food grade bucket for two weeks, buds are finishing with a black ash. No harsh, or nasty taste just black ash. I was wondering if anyone else has ever encountered this? I usually just taper off my Ec towards the end, but figured I’d try something different this time. What does OG say?
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I just top two of the same plants treated in the same manner One Burns with a perfectly white ash one burns with a black ash go figure
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My opinion is that if it tastes good, isn’t harsh, and does the job, does it matter whether it burns to white ash or black ash?
Is it possible black ash is indicative of a little extra moisture left in that particular bud causing it not to fully combust to white ash? Just spit-balling, because I really have no idea.
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I’ve always read that gray ash is indicative of a properly flushed plant, that the black is residual salts. But I have a plant I grew in a hempie, full feed to the last day that has gray ash. So I don’t know what to think.
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imo it’s more than just one factor that goes into the ash color. In soil grown, salt fed, you usually want a 3 week flush. As for the ash color… nutrient deficiencies/toxicities, and a correct dry environment also play a factor in the final ash color/smoke.
The one thing I can say for sure is… white ash bud always is a nicer smoking experience.
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I can’t see flushing causing that. @DannyTerpintine seems to have provided a good answer so I will leave it at that.
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I thought flushing had been pretty thoroughly debunked as a myth via actual scientific research experiments. And that the participants actually rated the buds that were fed till the end as better and better tasting than those that were flushed (I remember there being several flush durations tested, something like 0,3,7,14,and 21 day) and the longer the flush, the worse it was rated by the testers…
The article was posted here on OG somewhere….
And no statistically significant difference in ash color, cannabinoid content, or terp content.
It also makes sense to me that you would not want to starve a plant during the most important (to us) stage of its life cycle…
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Yes you’re right. There was a study that concluded that.
However, just my personal experience I can usually smoke bud and tell you if it was grown hydro, soil, sunshine mix or organics. And I’m pretty dead accurate. I also personally can taste the difference and taste the additives that were used if they were not cut out soon enough (depending on what additives they were).
So I really have to question the sample audience of that study, and their experience as just smokers, or growers as well. Because us growers have a much more complex pallet to noticing the nuances that the general smoker does not.
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I don’t flush and my ash is white.
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First thing comes to mind would be moisture level inside the bud. Usually dry smoke burns light gray to almost white ash. Any moisture it gets darker.
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I use organic soil additives and water only and I get white ash with some and black ash with others I tend to agree with those that thinking maybe a little moisture content my two cents
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I haven’t flushed in twenty years. I say your issue is either too much nitrogen in late flower or cure / moisture content. I can’t speak to hydro but a side by side I did years ago showed absolutely no benefit from a flush in organic soil or soiless mix.
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Super tasters absolutely are a real thing. And any study can have flawed methodology.
This is some thing I feel like I have heard and read several times, in different places.
It also seems ,anecdotally, like every grow book I have has a section with a “cutting edge “study on this, regardless of the vintage… 
Confirmation bias and placebo affect can have powerful effect whichever side you fall on.
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I’m in coco, and used Dynagro protekt, bloom, and they’re Magpro in flower this last run. I usually taper off Ec, but was listening to the GML show on YouTube, and he and a few others were talking about how they really recommend a 2-3 week flush, so I figured I’d give it a go. I never really had an issue with black ash, until now, so I did some google research, and came across a few posts of people saying they never had black ash until they started flushing.
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Yep. I read that report also.
This was my first thought. I have smoked bud that hasn’t been dried fully, and they burn black as night if at all lol! These buds are pretty dry though. Maybe a little too dry.
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GML is a solid show! Lots of gems to find there! 
If you’re going to flush I’d say 3 > 2 weeks all day. Straight ph’d ro water.
As far as ash color… I’ve gotten white/grey-white ash on seeded stuff I’ve fed all the way through. And I’ve got white-white ash on stuff from a 3 week flush as well.
…now here’s an interested point that just hit me… I do notice not flushing has a more potent flavour profile, but flushing tastes a lot cleaner (imo).
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