To flush or not to flush before harvest....

[Zoidberg]

Sorry if this is the wrong section, it just seems to be where most posters hang out!

Anyway, I was reading various boards and there seems to be a mixed opinion of the final flush before harvest if you grow organically in soil. I had always believed that a final flush was necessary.

However, I've been reading some opinions that this does not allow the plant to reach its full potential and that it makes no sense to starve the plant and force it to use the stored nutrients in the leaves.

From my perspective, the final flush is annoying. I'm growing a strain that should be done in 8 weeks. I'M in the 7th week now and there's no way that it's going to finish in a week. The buds are still fattening and the trichomes are still clear. I don't want to flush and discover, after a week, that the plant is still not ready for harvest. This would mean that I could have fed my plants for longer and thus, maximum potential was not reached.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Do any other dirt famers flush or not before harvest? At the moment, I still think that I will flush but I will be fairly pissed off if I flush too early!

[kindprincess]

flushing ensures that your smoke will have a natural taste... not flushing can leave a very harsh chemical taste, even after curing.

[Splifted]

Heh, its never polite to leave a floater, you should always flush.

Yah, man, plain water and lots of it. Maybe keep feeding sugar w/ the water, but nothin else. Get them ferts out

[invision]

just plain water, you always want to flush about 10-14 days before harvest.

[TroutBuds]

I can see why you wouldn't want to take a chance starting you flush too early. I always take starts off my plants. Did you? The reason I ask is that even though you may have been told they are 8 week plants, sometimes things take longer. Does the possibility of the taste changing mean they'll be any less potent? I don't think so. Once you've grown this strain and get the timing down then you'll know for sure how long they take and the next batch you can flush at the right time. I'd watch them close and when you think you're a week or so out then start flushing them. Even if you do it for only 2 or 3 days it'll be better than not at all.

[kindprincess]

... i flush when i see the first amber trichome. sometimes i'm late, but i'm never early. (this is how i know about the taste factor... shh, don't tell anybody!)

[Legalizdahurb]

I often find my plants take a week or 2 longer than the official time. I usually start cutting down the feed as the last few weeks approch so the plant uses some stored food but is still getting some from the soil. I then just feed water when most of the trics are going cloudy. Once i have grown a strain a couple of times it becomes easier to guess the right time.

[Zoidberg]

Ah interesting. I'm surprised I haven't gotten anyone here who doesn't flush. I suppose I will flush after all but it's still an interesting topic for debate. For instance, what do you think of this quote pulled from a user of another board?


Flushing is a weird term, a few years back it referred to what you did when you had a chemical salt build up mainly in rockwool slabs but also when over using chemical ferts in compost. ie running lots of water through the medium until all the built up fertiliser and crystallised salts were washed away.

Now it seems it also refers to starving plants during the last week or two of flowering. This of course gives an inferior product compared to what each plant is capable of producing within its genetic potential, ie: less psycoactivity and potency, much more CBD and CBN, less THC, less turpenes and finally lower final crop weight.

Some people in the hydro world now think that by running on just water that they can flush out excess chemicals from the plant by some form of reverse osmosis through the roots into the flushing water. Its amazing the myths that grow in the cannabis community.

Outdoors when growing in soil, where cultivated organically it is nearly impossible to remove any nutrients by rain or water running through the soil. It is only with modern farming practices, that huge amounts of chemical salts get flushed/washed from the soil into our water courses/rivers every time it rains. This happens with both chemicals and through the bad practice of slurry spreading.

It is a good point that when growing outdoors naturally, you cannot flush your plants. Ah well, something to talk about at least :)

[Zandor]

Ah interesting. I'm surprised I haven't gotten anyone here who doesn't flush. I suppose I will flush after all but it's still an interesting topic for debate. For instance, what do you think of this quote pulled from a user of another board?



It is a good point that when growing outdoors naturally, you cannot flush your plants. Ah well, something to talk about at least :)


I am not sure where you got that quote from but my best advice is to not read anymore from that person....They have no clue about growing quality medical marijuana.

Flushing is always done to remove the excess nutrients from the plant and to force the plant to use up stored chlorophyll.

Stop feeding N the last 2 weeks before you start to flush.

[Zoidberg]

The Z man has spoken, end of debate :) Cheers for the reply and keep up the good work with the podcast!

I stopped feeding N about a week ago and I'm planning to flush on Friday (56 days in flower).

[faithlessxxx]

But how long can you keep on with the PK?

[Zandor]

But how long can you keep on with the PK?


You are cutting the plants in 2 weeks anyway so it's not a worry. At this point the plant is using up 80% P & K anyway and not needing any N so you are good to finish.

Zoidberg- Thanks dude I am glad you enjoy it.

[yung a]

so flushing means to use to use distilled water instead nutirent right?

[Zoidberg]

I will be using Ph'ed tap water! I normally water with water that's been through a Brita filter but if I did that when flushing, it would take me about a fortnight! No nutrients is correct.

[Zandor]

so flushing means to use to use distilled water instead nutirent right?


Well you don't need to go to the expense of distilled water. But good quality water like what you have been using is fine. You still Ph the water and it's best to flush with a commercial flusher like flora Kleen, ClearX or the one that advanced nutrients makes.

But just stop feeding N 10 day's before you start your flush.

Then some where around here I posted a how to flush and know when you are done.

[faithlessxxx]

.

Zandor, I didn't quite get your reply. How long can one PK for?
Thanks.

.

[Zandor]

.

Zandor, I didn't quite get your reply. How long can one PK for?
Thanks.

.


14 to maybe 16 days with out any worry. You are at the end of the plants life cycle anyway and going to harvest so any sign in the fan leaf is expected and really wanted.

[faithlessxxx]

Oh, ok. I dropped N two weeks before harvest and then did one last PK after that, about 12 days before harvest. I was scared you'd say that I missed out on the last two weeks of PK'ing, phew ;)