To flush or not to flush, that is the question (Poll)

Indoor Growing
#21

I do not flush, nor do I see the point in flushing. Every argument on the pro-flushing side seems like hippie science. That being said, in the last few weeks, the demand for nutrients drops significantly compared to the onset of budsites during and after stretch. I simply use a lower strength nutrient, seems wasteful otherwise.

People seem to be fond of their plants fading, and it does look cool I 'spose, but a fading plant is struggling to obtain nutrients, and I prefer to give my plants what they are asking for. The flowers/terpenes/resin/trichomes aren’t INCREASING by denying your plant nutrition.

Further, I think ash color isn’t a useful metric, nor does it mean anything to me. Seems to have more to do with completeness of combustion than anything else. Dark ash is either incomplete combustion or a higher proportion of carbon black, maybe too many residual sugars in the bud from drying too rapidly? I got theories…

Long flowering varieties are a slightly different animal, cutting nutrients (specifically Nitrogen) in the final stages seems to discourage re-flowering.

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#22

I have, but I’m not going to anymore. It simply doesn’t make sense to me logically. The plants aren’t going to spit out the nutrients they’ve already ingested so to speak. Besides my container grows this year I’m going organic so I don’t see the point of trying to flush good stuff out of my soil.

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#23

Ya my thoughts are no flush or minimal flush needed in hydro and maybe flushing in soil but I will be doing little to no flush (maybe 2 days max) and I am in hydro.

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#24

I don’t flush in dirt but do stop ferts last few weeks. In soil the goodies are there naturally. Trying a hydro grow currently and going to flush…mostly out of curiosity. It seems that the plant would benefit by letting it uptake it’s needs till harvest but that’s just my .02. So basically I’m a yes vote this run but not usually.

#25

Will be interesting to see more studies on the matter come out. Plants secrete alot of substances from there roots, mainly acids. Would be neat to prove that the magnesium levels In the plant material drop when flushing.

1 Like
#26

The question is initially biased, and that’s the recurrent problematic with this subject.

This is not binary, and the factors are numerous :

  • strains (a haze mustn’t be finished like a skunk and vice versa)
  • turn over (grow type)
  • lenght, quality, type and concentration of the feeding
  • medium type and its age at the end of the grow
  • do you overfeed for yield/speed or not ? (no matter the nutes type)
  • what is the level of quality you’re aiming ? (street, coffee-shop (dispensary?), cups …)
  • drying-curing process planned
  • … etc

imho and at first glance, this question should be divided and discussed by type of grow/medium. To get out from the “magic spell than can be applied to everything, everywhere with everyone” but also to can enter in the details of the procedures. Now you have to known than this kind of knowledge is maybe one of the most “protected” of our little world (for obvious reasons), you will have a hard time to known how weeds than make you cry are really finished ^^

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#27

I thought it was a matter of conviction, if you think flushing is a myth, unnecessary or for toilets, as it has been said, you will never use it. Where the circumstances may vary is in the flushing option, you may use it just only in hydroponics or in certain strains, but you do flush one way or another.

Simple questions will give you simple answers, if there is something to point out or more useful info to give you have always that chance to do so. :sunglasses:

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#28

I flush when using chemical nutrients per prevalent guidance, but truly do not know if it is needed. It is normally pretty short of a flush, a week or so in soil and maybe just a few days in coco.

Again, still not sure i need it but do it just in case because alot of folks act like if you don’t you are fucking up.

What i am going to do is stop flushing and not start again until i have a problem that it is a potential fix for.

1 Like
#29

It would indeed be neat, but if you look on the chart I posted magnesium is the pale blue bar and you can see it does not drop with a flush. As more studies come out, with different strains, in different mediums, so we will get more data points and understand more fully the processes a plant goes through in later life.

Until then, there now is a scientific study that suggests no nutrient reduction in the plant matter of the flowers even if you restrict nutrients in the late stages of life.

I eagerly await further studies to see if they support this finding, or provide more interesting nuanced results which may contradict it.

Make sure you dry and cure properly then, otherwise you will lock in the chlorophyll and the harsh taste.

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#30

I did see the results of the magnesium in the study you posted ,I’d like to see alot more studies done ,one is interesting but I’ll trust what I see and expieriance more then theory for now. First step in science is to make a observation and then to try and understand the process that leads to it. I see a positive result from flushing regardless of the strain, the reasons for this may yet to be understood and there are alot of variables that could effect this and the results of the before mentioned study. I say to each there own and if people are curiouse they should try side by side comparisons. Sometimes what works for one person dosent for others, I always say the best way to grow is the way that gives you the best results. Only way to figure that out is to try different methods applied to the same plants and go with what works best for you. Every grow room has tons of different conditions that change the phenotypic expression of a plant and thus change its reactions to the way it is treated. Until there is alot more data available to subject will be debatable and up to personal opinion.

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#31

No flush zone! Does your local veggie gardener flush their garden beds?

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#32

Weed and vegetables are two totally different things, smoking vs eating. Comparing one crop to another is very basic thinking I’m sorry but all plants have different needs and benefit from specific growing styles.

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#33

Here is a interesting read on the subject suggesting a lack of nitrogen may be beneficial towards terpene production and expresion.


Screenshot_20190521-225951_Chrome.jpg720×1280 274 KB

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#34

At the end of the day…unflushed weed tastes like absolute shit…
I couldn’t give a flying fuck what anyone else says.
The people that say it doesn’t matter have no appreciation for tha flava.
Or no knowledge of the fava.

Luke…:sweat_smile::sweat_smile::sweat_smile::sweat_smile::sweat_smile:

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#35

Yehh I tried the whole it doesn’t matter theory on my PPP I gave it 1 weeks flush and it doesn’t smell too bad or even taste too bad(isn’t cured yet I tried a sample) but it’s got the chem smell when I do my usual 2 weeks with less water there is no smell of chemicals there. So I will be sticking to my minimum 10-14 day flush from now on 7 days is not enough.

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#36

I’m of the belief flush is for hydro/synthetic nutes and is to remove salt build ups from over fert etc.
In a technically water only soil how would you flush?
Also, From my understanding switching from a high ppm nutrient solution to plain water can cause problems with osmotic pressures and can rupture cells in the plant, so at the end of the cycle it should be a tapering off of nutrient levels…

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#37

After 20 years of growing dro and doing side by side tests I’ve never seen any difference. This is a never ending debate that will never end lol

Unless you have real bad salt buildup I don’t see any reason to.

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#38

Cure for longer and the chlorophyll eventually dissipates. Thing about you you weed monster is curing is not possible as soon as you see it you wanna smoke it :rofl:

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#39

You can flush hydro medium if you notice salts building up or the ph going too far out of range. A slightly overfed plant can be corrected up to around week 5 of bloom by reducing feed strength. After that it’s usually too late to recover it. A badly overfed plant is usually best treated by chucking on a compost heap.

Don’t overfeed and reduce the strength during the last couple of weeks and you won’t need to flush :thumbsup:

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#40

How long do you cure for? Like on average before smoking it.

1 Like