Flushing Question

brassic

Active Member
Do you still need to flush periodically with organic nutes to prevent a build up of ferts in the soil, I'm using biobizz grow and bloom. thanks
 

ceestyle

Well-Known Member
yes. i flush with plain water and then feed afterward with my regular nute solution. salts build up in the soil .that's bad, mkay?
 

organick

Well-Known Member
I have seen grows with planters with NO DRAIN HOLES using organic soil, the grower just water/fertilized just enough each time. Of course the guy was a master grower.

I have drain holes and trays myself. Best case scenario in a grow to me would be to flush at the very last watering before harvest (never been able to time it like that though). When I say "flush" I mean drain the water from the trays, as in the volume of the pot in water. Example a three gallon pot with soil, roots, and plant would be flushed with three gallons of water (or more).
Basically I only flush when I make a mistake or at the end of a grow. Some organic gardeners don't flush at all. Many different schools of thought out there. Had to harvest early this grow, no flush, some black ash and "sizzling" but the taste is there and it's not harsh. Whould have been a lot worse if I had used chemical fertilizers, almost ;) unsmoke able.
Peace out.
 

regrets

Well-Known Member
As far as I understand it you don't have to flush until the very end with organics. They are not salt based so you don't have to worry about build up. If you over feed then a good flushing is needed followed by another feeding. But otherwise you should only flush for the last week or two.
 

ceestyle

Well-Known Member
i'm not sure exactly what form the nitrogen is present in guano, castings, etc., but potassium, magnesium, and calcium are all present as carbonates. just because they're organic doesn't mean they're not salts, and the counterions - carbonates, for example - can cause lockout in excess quantity by making the desired ions unavailable. This is when a flush is productive, usually in between two major stages of growth, between vegging and flowering, for example. In any case, it sure doesn't hurt.
 
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