Maybe this has been discussed, but what’s your guys opinion on this study from earlier in the year on flushing vs no flush
I’ve always kinda thought this. I think the ideal would be to lower bites levels (especially nitrogen) for the last bit of flowering, but totally starving the plant during the critical ripening phase does seem counterintuitive.
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Exactly. I’m doing a no flush harvest, a 3 day flush and a 7 day flush. Now I’m in DWC so my no flush technically isnt 100%, I’ve just diluted the water in those buckets as the water levels have dropped until I’m ready to cut. I don’t think what people BELIEVE is happening when they flash, is actually having. Water in the roots (imo) isn’t actually equating to pure water flushing the buds. I’d be surprised if anything is actually being removed in terms of nutes
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Flushing is only needed if you feed your plants heavily. Otherwise, it’s not a step that needs to be taken.
Flushing rids nutrients/salts and microbes, (if too much water is used at once), from the medium, so plants are forced to use their stored reserves in lieu of uptaking sufficient nutrients via their roots.
Flushing depends on a few factors for me personally.
When I grow outdoors, I don’t normally need to flush the plants.
There serms to be more of a need for flushing when I grow in containers, but it’s not a constant.
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Kind of an aside here but this book gave me a new perspective on plants in general and I recommend it to everyone.The Hidden Life of Trees
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It does seem counterintuitive to stuff the flowers with as much P & K that they can take while the resin is being produced and then cut them off before you harvest. I’m not certain, but it seems that it would affect terpenes and other things like esters and alcohols within the plant that give it flavor. What is common practice for farmers that produce organic fruits and vegetables? I must know. I think, therefore I am.
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Flushing once or twice before the chop does no harm. I’ve noticed really no difference between a short flush, a long flush and no flush. Whatever floats your banana boat 
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Imo in terms of flavor and smell, 99% of that post harvest is all about how well and long you do your cure.
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flushing is for the medium, not the plant. its only use is to correct an error (mistakes with nutes, spilled something into the container, etc). its obviously not detrimental, tons of people have been flushing for years and years and still turning out nice nugs, but its definitely not necessary (or doing what most seem to think it does)
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I like to do it for the colors but honestly can’t tell a difference between flushed and unflushed.
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Although I usually only flush for 3-5 days, sometimes I am in a rush to clear up some space and only do it once. After reading thru that study, I’m tempted to try a couple of Harvey’s with zero flush. I’m still wondering if even toning down feed levels are necessary.
Any thoughts on this, or anyone here has input on their methods.
It’s been said over n over, but I’ll say it again “Great Topic” 
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I had it pounded into me to flush before cut. But I ran outta time due to weather once and the harvest came out just fine. I don’t know a ton but I’m leaning towards your dry/cure is the ticket.
What about harvesting during lights off vs on???
Does this have any effect on taste and or harshness?
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Probably not, IMO.
FWIW @HandBanana I don’t flush. I cut nutrients towards the end to about 1/2 or so since they stop drinking as much. Nutrient demands dwindle. Figure I won’t waste money if they aren’t gonna use it.
People think of it like the plant just has these massive stores of built up elements in the tissue from fertilizer, but that is simply untrue. So much “conventional wisdom” is built on faulty reasoning, and it’s because a) weed cultivation was entirely underground until recently and b) it was mostly grown by people disposed to “alternative” ideas. The whole idea of flushing is predicated on the assumption that fertilizer is somehow bad for plants.
Once someone told me if I crushed my girl’s birth control and sprayed my seedlings with it, I’d get all females. It sorta seems halfway logical, but it’s total hogwash. Nails in the stalk, planting by moon cycles, you name it haha. I refer to it as “hippie science”.
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Well that my plan then, just cut nuts back and chop her down. In October… Lol
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I have never flushed and feed right up to harvest…I do not like starving, and I have always surmised neither do they…no matter what anyone told me over the years.
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I grow DTW in coco and will flush every couple of weeks to remove excess salts in the soil. Other than that I just watch the plants. In the last couple weeks as leaves are dying off I’ll generally cut the nutes back mostly cause the plant don’t need as much at that point.
I think the thought process behind flushing cane with the knowledge that cannabis is a dynamic accumulator. So, and I’m guessing here, someone thought that the plant will just take up whatever, whether it needs it or not, including excess nutrients. So by that logic yes feeding just water would force the plant to use those excess nutes. The problem is we’ve all seen what excess nutes do to plants. So if a plant has nute burn a flush would help. But if you have a perfectly healthy plant at harvest a flush won’t do anything but starve a plant.
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This is also where I get confused.
Isn’t the flush what technically makes the leaves fade off? A healthy well plant shouldn’t have withering leaves unless it is just overly ripe or under ailment of sorts?
Well I suppose that depends on your definition of overly ripe. Majority of my plants will hit a point where regardless of what I feed will start senescence and the leaves turn colors. For most of my plants it’s that same time period that I start to see amber trichomes.
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I guess the thing to do is run out clones of the same plant and test side by side, be perfect with lab results at the end
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