Is flushing based on any science?
- Thread starter bgmike8
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Phatlewtz
Well-Known Member
You're washing all the salts left by your nutrients, it also allows the plant to use any stored nutes...allowing for a "white ash" appearance after smoked...You'll notice that when you don't flush, the ash is black and chunky...lots of people feed till chop though, but if its my own headstash I'd like to make sure its as clean and pure as it can be for me..
GuyLeDuche
Well-Known Member
Seriously? I have never flushed a plant in my life and my ash is always white, I dry my herb properly.....Washing away built up salts in the medium is a valid reason to flush IMO, but proper feeding should avoid most of that...
Anon Emaus
Well-Known Member
First off there are different meanings to "flushing". What i will assume you mean is the meaning of just providing your plant straight water for the last 2+ weeks of its life assuming that it will feed off of what is stored in the leaves.
In all the reading i've done on flushing I have never once seen anyone state anything scientific that encourages flushing. Just the ole bro science of "well dude I do it and it totally works. It totally uses up the nutes left in like the leaves bro. Also this weed genius bro says to do it so its totally true"
I have however seen multiple scientific reasons of why you should NOT flush. Reason being there are mobile and immobile nutrients, when flushing you are no longer providing the plant both, in turn making it very likely that you will reduce your final yeild.
Don't overfert or have any big issues when growing and do a good dry and cure and that will result in a good clean smoke, not flushing.
My thoughts are that I never have grown in soil and dont know shit about it. But "flushing" the medium sounds reasonable, i get that. But two weeks of flushing the medium? Now that doesn't sound reasonable.
Now hydro on the other hand, has no medium, so why in the world you would flush for over 24-48 hours, beats the hell outta me. In hydro you can literally measure the uptake of nutes so you can see that the plant feeds until the end so why would you not feed if its feeding...
In all the reading i've done on flushing I have never once seen anyone state anything scientific that encourages flushing. Just the ole bro science of "well dude I do it and it totally works. It totally uses up the nutes left in like the leaves bro. Also this weed genius bro says to do it so its totally true"
I have however seen multiple scientific reasons of why you should NOT flush. Reason being there are mobile and immobile nutrients, when flushing you are no longer providing the plant both, in turn making it very likely that you will reduce your final yeild.
Don't overfert or have any big issues when growing and do a good dry and cure and that will result in a good clean smoke, not flushing.
My thoughts are that I never have grown in soil and dont know shit about it. But "flushing" the medium sounds reasonable, i get that. But two weeks of flushing the medium? Now that doesn't sound reasonable.
Now hydro on the other hand, has no medium, so why in the world you would flush for over 24-48 hours, beats the hell outta me. In hydro you can literally measure the uptake of nutes so you can see that the plant feeds until the end so why would you not feed if its feeding...
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superbak3d
Well-Known Member
Stop now. Just stop
The only time you should ever flush is if YOU fucked up your soil.
"Salts left by nutrients". Well technically all nutrients are salts and your root fungi uses these salts and converts them into sugars for the plant.
The salts in your soil are a necessity for a healthy plant. Flushing them out is actually one of the worst things you can ever do to your plant.
As long as you have good drainage, you'll never over fertilize your soil or get nute lock.
RM3
Well-Known Member
and is called leeching
bgmike8
Well-Known Member
Yeah I read the truth about flushing. Most of it. I didon't click every link.
I'm thinking I'm not gonna flush at all.
I'm in an aero tub the plants started in inch cubes so there really is no medium.
I had thought about cutting the water off a day or two before harvest to dry em out but now I'm thinking that if a slow dry is better then I shouldn't even do that. Especially since I'm going to be in an a/c 'd space and that will make it low humidity
I'm thinking I'm not gonna flush at all.
I'm in an aero tub the plants started in inch cubes so there really is no medium.
I had thought about cutting the water off a day or two before harvest to dry em out but now I'm thinking that if a slow dry is better then I shouldn't even do that. Especially since I'm going to be in an a/c 'd space and that will make it low humidity
Trich_holmes
Well-Known Member
You've got some solid advise above. Some folks get confused when it comes to flushing. You should only "flush" if there's a problem. As in running 3x or more water through at one time to cleanse the soil per say. What everyone else says is right, just stop with nutes a few weeks before and just use plain water(which is what others call flushing) it can certainly be confusing sifting through everyone's experiences and opinions. i give em water for the last time and when their ready to be watered again is when I chop. Takes around 5 days before they hit the jars. Good luck
qwizoking
Well-Known Member
ive done whole grows never having run off for instance, got amazing bud that burned beautifully.. this is one of those times you can look at the studied tobacco industry, how types of nutes and ratios affect burn quality etc... black ash, i don't feel like getting all fancy right now, but yes is an improper dry/cure
and there is no science supporting flushing
and there is no science supporting flushing
Mad Farmer DeeJ
Member
here is some science...
Okay… jeez people are sooooo opinionated.
Ill start with I flush.. I flush for a week before i harvest.. damn near until the plants yellow out.. for me its not a taste or burn ability.. I actually have connection to a soil lab and have ran finished product through a LICO machine. LICO machines basically tell you fertility amounts in soil. (npk readings) I will share the lab report with anyone who PM's me. So i have science to back this.
The lab analysis proves that by NOT flushing our soil the finished products contained high amounts of residual fertility. With one flush 3 days before harvest it lowered by more then 60% and with 3 flushes it lowered it 83%.
Im not saying that this will effect taste. For me its a health thing……. I use organics and chemicals in combo so i NEED clean buds for comfort...
flushing can mean two things as well. there is the finish flush right before harvest (usually 3 times the amount of container size, this is the one I'm referring to above. then there is the normal flush which is way less water.. its not even a "flush" simply a "just plain water water"… and listen its depends on how you fertilize and what you fertilize with… period.. If your a heavy, more is better kinda person you should flush weekly especially if you use a lot of liquid organics ferts.. as for the few people that say they don't flush well i guarantee you feed a whole hell of a lot less and use fewers types of liquid ferts.. I will not argue with anyone this is what i do professionally. All i will say is
YES its based on science. if you know anything about the organic soil matrix you will flush occasionally… If you don't then wtv good for you.. I wouldn't smoke your shit anyways… hehe jk read a book...
Okay… jeez people are sooooo opinionated.
Ill start with I flush.. I flush for a week before i harvest.. damn near until the plants yellow out.. for me its not a taste or burn ability.. I actually have connection to a soil lab and have ran finished product through a LICO machine. LICO machines basically tell you fertility amounts in soil. (npk readings) I will share the lab report with anyone who PM's me. So i have science to back this.
The lab analysis proves that by NOT flushing our soil the finished products contained high amounts of residual fertility. With one flush 3 days before harvest it lowered by more then 60% and with 3 flushes it lowered it 83%.
Im not saying that this will effect taste. For me its a health thing……. I use organics and chemicals in combo so i NEED clean buds for comfort...
flushing can mean two things as well. there is the finish flush right before harvest (usually 3 times the amount of container size, this is the one I'm referring to above. then there is the normal flush which is way less water.. its not even a "flush" simply a "just plain water water"… and listen its depends on how you fertilize and what you fertilize with… period.. If your a heavy, more is better kinda person you should flush weekly especially if you use a lot of liquid organics ferts.. as for the few people that say they don't flush well i guarantee you feed a whole hell of a lot less and use fewers types of liquid ferts.. I will not argue with anyone this is what i do professionally. All i will say is
YES its based on science. if you know anything about the organic soil matrix you will flush occasionally… If you don't then wtv good for you.. I wouldn't smoke your shit anyways… hehe jk read a book...
SPLFreak808
Well-Known Member
So does it test the contents in the plant or in the soil which is it? I didn't know you could directly test NPK in a plant.
Tbh nobody should be feeding to flush weekly, the plant would grow half as fast as the unflushed properly fed plant which makes no sense considering double the nutrients were used on a smaller plant.
Would this apply to food crops aswell?
SPLFreak808
Well-Known Member
I never flush regardless.
My flowers always burn to white dust. Only time they burn black/harsh is when they get improperly dried. I still have yet to see a healthy unflushed plant burn black.
Send me your unflushed "harsh" bud and ill rinse it off with water and start the dry/cure all over again and end up with a smooth product. The dry/cure process is VERY easy to fuck up and not everyone wants to admit it but you can try again by re-moisturizing the bud although it will never come out as tasty as doing it right the first time. Ever notice the growers with insane dry/cure skills don't taste any difference from water-curing or flushing?
My flowers always burn to white dust. Only time they burn black/harsh is when they get improperly dried. I still have yet to see a healthy unflushed plant burn black.
Send me your unflushed "harsh" bud and ill rinse it off with water and start the dry/cure all over again and end up with a smooth product. The dry/cure process is VERY easy to fuck up and not everyone wants to admit it but you can try again by re-moisturizing the bud although it will never come out as tasty as doing it right the first time. Ever notice the growers with insane dry/cure skills don't taste any difference from water-curing or flushing?
bgmike8
Well-Known Member
I'm on aero. Soil tests don't really matter do they.
I'm talking about what is in the bud. I'm thinking the chemicals aren't in the bud anyway. They're in the water then the roots suck up what they need and the plant takes what it needs.
Plus most people say that if you cure it right it doesn't matter. So where do those alleged nutes go during cure?
I'm talking about what is in the bud. I'm thinking the chemicals aren't in the bud anyway. They're in the water then the roots suck up what they need and the plant takes what it needs.
Plus most people say that if you cure it right it doesn't matter. So where do those alleged nutes go during cure?
Wilderb
Well-Known Member
I'm confused. You said that you run "finished product" through a machine that is designed to test soil? So you are testing your weed? Also, what is "residual fertility"? What exactly are you measuring? This is the first time I've heard this.