Flushing Advice! A little confused about the process

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
flushing: running extra water through a pot past 20% runoff?
or
flushing: using little to no nutrients in the last week(s) of a soil or soilless grow?

problem is there are 2 definitions. one is normal practice and one is not.
I'm thinking he means depriving plants of nutes towards end of harvest time.
 

piratebug

Well-Known Member
I’ve done side by side twice. I’ve let others be the judge. Not a single person could actually tell and they admitted it “except I was thinking that first one”. BS. White ash is a sign of a good dry and no unwanted retained moisture. Black ash is because it is not dry even if you can keep a fatty going passing it around. Green grass fires smolder forever.
The most easiest way to test the flush, no flush thingie, is to cut 2 equal branches, at the start of week 8, and put one in just plain pH(ed) water, and put the other in water that contains the feed it was currently getting and you will easily see why flushing is so dumb! The one in the plain water will immediately start moving nutrients from whatever fans leaves it has available, and bud growth will stall, and the other one will continue pumping up the buds!
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
The most easiest way to test the flush, no flush thingie, is to cut 2 equal branches, at the start of week 8, and put one in just plain pH(ed) water, and put the other in water that contains the feed it was currently getting and you will easily see why flushing is so dumb! The one in the plain water will immediately start moving nutrients from whatever fans leaves it has available, and bud growth will stall, and the other one will continue pumping up the buds!
Imo, maybe back off the EC a lil, but don't completely stop feeding. Nature doesn't do that.
 

kovidkough

Well-Known Member
The most easiest way to test the flush, no flush thingie, is to cut 2 equal branches, at the start of week 8, and put one in just plain pH(ed) water, and put the other in water that contains the feed it was currently getting and you will easily see why flushing is so dumb! The one in the plain water will immediately start moving nutrients from whatever fans leaves it has available, and bud growth will stall, and the other one will continue pumping up the buds!
how will it do this before roots form?
 

piratebug

Well-Known Member
So do you cut off nutes a few weeks out and give them plain water or do you continue to feed them up until they are ready for harvest?

Why even stop feeding them? Plants don't actually eat what we feed them, they convert light energy into their own chemical energy using the raw nutrients we feed them, so whatever is in the soil / root zone, cannot possible end up in the plant in its raw form unless what is in the soil is inert matter, and there shouldn't be any of that unless you are like them strange people that like to colorize their buds with food coloring and other dumb shit like that! And yeah, you might say why would someone do that, I don't know, but I have seen it, crazy!
 

atm420

Member
I have found that most of the members on here don't flush their plants. I did on my last grow but only down to an ec of about 0.8. I also flush when there is a good possibility of a nutrient toxicity.

Here is a pic of my last grow where I flushed to 0.8 ec 2 weeks before harvest. I ended up with a bad fungus gnat problem because the soil was too wet for too long. These pics were taken the day before harvest.
Week 10b2.JPG
Week 10c2.JPG
View attachment Week 10a.JPG
Based on information and help I have received here from the other members, that was the last time I will flush!
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
I have found that most of the members on here don't flush their plants. I did on my last grow but only down to an ec of about 0.8. I also flush when there is a good possibility of a nutrient toxicity.

Here is a pic of my last grow where I flushed to 0.8 ec 2 weeks before harvest. I ended up with a bad fungus gnat problem because the soil was too wet for too long. These pics were taken the day before harvest.
View attachment 4802377
View attachment 4802378
View attachment 4802385
Based on information and help I have received here from the other members, that was the last time I will flush!
2 more weeks on those from what i see.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't there still be nutritional value to the soil at the time of harvest outdoors? I mean, i know the cold locks out P, so that explains color change, but outside of that, aren't other nutrients still available?
In soil yes. Name any crop we raise where we flush? It’s not like the plant is filled with unused nutrient salts and now you’re going to smoke them. The plant takes up what it needs when it needs it.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
So I have a strain that flowers for about 9 weeks. Does that mean I should start flushing or give just plain RO water at week 7 or wait until Week 9 to start flushing. Just confused a little about when to start the process. Or should I just keep an eye on the pistils or trichomes instead. What should the trichomes look like to know when to start flushing?
I was laughing my ass off too when I saw this man. There's at least one or two a day, so it's kinda funny. And some people feel strongly about the flushing issue. I was gonna be a smart ass too, but you're new and we all were. This is something I would've asked when I started so don't let the trash talk get to you. We're just trying to have some fun too. If you handle it well, you will go far here. You just need a thick skin, lol.

Seriously though. My thoughts are:

1. Don't flush. Just cut back on the nutrients towards the end if you need to.

2. Don't trust the breeders time. If they say it's an 8 week strain, plan on at least 10 weeks.

3. Don't harvest early. It's a common mistake a lot of people make. Post pics here and we can help. I'm glad I did my first time. Checking trichs is a nice final step, but I'm lazy anymore and don't really ever scope them anymore.

Welcome man.
 

piratebug

Well-Known Member
how will it do this before roots form?
A plant doesn't need roots to grow
I was laughing my ass off too when I saw this man. There's at least one or two a day, so it's kinda funny. And some people feel strongly about the flushing issue. I was gonna be a smart ass too, but you're new and we all were. This is something I would've asked when I started so don't let the trash talk get to you. We're just trying to have some fun too. If you handle it well, you will go far here. You just need a thick skin, lol.

Seriously though. My thoughts are:

1. Don't flush. Just cut back on the nutrients towards the end if you need to.

2. Don't trust the breeders time. If they say it's an 8 week strain, plan on at least 10 weeks.

3. Don't harvest early. It's a common mistake a lot of people make. Post pics here and we can help. I'm glad I did my first time. Checking trichs is a nice final step, but I'm lazy anymore and don't really ever scope them anymore.

Welcome man.

Yeah, I agree, all those are important, but #3, is like the golden rule, which most people never follow, which I have never understood. I mean think about it, you have already dedicated 14 -16 weeks to growing a plant, so why in the world would you not want to simply wait 2 or 3 more weeks if a plant needs it, to truly allow it to finish out?
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
A plant doesn't need roots to grow



Yeah, I agree, all those are important, but #3, is like the golden rule, which most people never follow, which I have never understood. I mean think about it, you have already dedicated 14 -16 weeks to growing a plant, so why in the world would you not want to simply wait 2 or 3 more weeks if a plant needs it, to truly allow it to finish out?
Impatience.
 

Topshelfruns

Well-Known Member
So just cut off nutes and give them plain water for the last to weeks, right? Or do growers usually feed them up until they are done?
It depends on your grow media and fertilizers, i grow in rockwool and i flush for 1 day. I use a flushing agent for 6 hours on the last day of lights on and pure ro water for the other 6 hours.
So my question too you is what media do you use? And what type of fertilizers?
Because cutting off ferts for 2 weeks in hydro is just not smart boss man. Your end quality and yield will suffer.
 

Deusracing

Well-Known Member
Agreed. I flush 24-48 hours ebb and flow. Sometimes none at all. No difference whatsoever if u dry and cure properly. All though I flush with h202
But I also feed up until the last 24-48 hours. Why cut back in the most important weeks. Lot of haze strains don’t even fatten up till week8-9
 

KillaCarta

Well-Known Member
The way I look at it is you feed the plant it’s whole life (hopefully natural nutes)and you think flushing a couple weeks before harvest is gonna just make it gone? Flushing just gets rid of all the good stuff in your soil since it’s in a pot not the ground it doesn’t take long but that’s a reason why gardeners will flip their soil every year before planting, you want all the good stuff in your soil, I just think it won’t do anything for you. You might as well poop and flush and forget about it.
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
Nature kinda does. As nutrients get used up in soil by the roots nobody in standing over them pouring Nutrients on them.
Ok, but then come springtime there's still no one standing over them pouring nutes. At any given time there should be enough microbes and fungi breaking down organic matter into nutrients.
 

707Patrick

Well-Known Member
Ok, but then come springtime there's still no one standing over them pouring nutes. At any given time there should be enough microbes and fungi breaking down organic matter into nutrients.
It really depends on the environment and how natural soil replenishes it self. Yes in good living soil it should if the soil is rich in life.
 
Top