Pre-Harvest Flush -- How Often?

Got about 5 weeks left on the plant I have in bloom before I run my base run on my chosen strain (no clue what this strain will do) it could run in 7weeks or 20. Then I will work backwards. First 2 one for the dark one for the light. Then 3 one on my sugar/flush cycle 1 with 2 weeks sugar no flush and 1 with an extra week of salts and 1 week of sugar no flush. The only real benefit I am convinced flushing has is washing out the salt build up from synthetic nutes.
I try and journal updates of each of my plants no less the once a week so my journal should be pushed to the top of new post regularly.

VaSmile said:

Then 3 one on my sugar/flush cycle 1 with 2 weeks sugar no flush and 1 with an extra week of salts and 1 week of sugar no flush. The only real benefit I am convinced flushing has is washing out the salt build up from synthetic nutes.

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just my .02, maybe try 1 your normal way, 1 no sugar no flush (you would just taper off the nutes toward the end), and 1 sugar no flush?

ALPHA.GanjaGuy said:

just my .02, maybe try 1 your normal way, 1 no sugar no flush (you would just taper off the nutes toward the end), and 1 sugar no flush?

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I'm allowed 4 plants no reason why I can just add that to the others. When I taper should I taper to 0 where my last feed is just water at normal level(not a flush)

VaSmile said:

... The only real benefit I am convinced flushing has is washing out the salt build up from synthetic nutes.

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Placebo effect is real

VaSmile said:

@ALPHA.GanjaGuy @Jjgrow420 @MtRainDog @Hook Daddy
You have all show to be knowledgeable and experienced cultivators and have earned my respect for your opinions and practices.
This is the system I was taught and I/we constantly pull down dank ass buds out of my tent (I have no idea what I'm doing outside and am learning on the fly)
You telling me my program is wrong is not enough for me to make whole sale changes to the program that has proven effective. Isolating and testing a single variable is the scientific method. your robust consensus is enough motivation for me to take a year or so to run these side by side comparisons to provide actionable data.
Based on what I know about my mentor and all of your track records kept here on riu my hypothesis is that I will be eliminating many practices in the next year or 2. I just gotta see it with my own eyes first

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You are confusing correlation with causation. The roots are a semi-permeable, one way membrane. You can't leach from the plant. Flushing is for leaching hydro substrate when you're not growing in DWC or NFT rails. The difference is in soil you feed sugars and precursors to a microbial herd that then adjust the pH, process/breakdown nutrients to be accessible and 'feed' it to your plant. So as @ALPHA.GanjaGuy said you are feeding a microbial herd then removing their food as they turn to utilizing your soils nutrients to feed to the plant.

In hydro we give immediately available nutrients so we don't need a microherd. No matter how well you dial it in most of us overfeed a little and every 2 weeks you run a low osmolar solution through the plant to leach retained salts that will burn the plant if your substrate dries out. The more retained salt the greater risk of burn and pH disruption and nutrient blocking/lockout.

So stating that what you do produces better buds does not follow your plants physiology. Have a good read of some actual botany books. But eventually try a single variable comparison like you suggested. I think that's a great idea. Separate out what you do to produce your dank and try it side by side one at a time with that usual voodoo that you do I bet your harvest will be of very similar quality. Run clones of the same plant(s) and check it out for yourself. Anyway best of luck on this. I look forward to see how your controlled grow does.

VaSmile said:

I'm allowed 4 plants no reason why I can just add that to the others. When I taper should I taper to 0 where my last feed is just water at normal level(not a flush)

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I wouldn't say down to nothing but the last few weeks when you notice they're taking up less you can start lowering your ec/ppm.

Like others said, all you're accomplishing is washing away the microbial herd. Imagine all these little animals that become a large, thriving population that work symbiotically with your plant to provide it what it needs. Anytime you get run-off, you're washing away all these little workers that were needed to build your plant. Now your plant has less workers to keep feeding it what it requires, so deficiencies begin to crop up. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when you let living soil dry out too much, you're left with a bunch of salts which will now throw the ph off. Living soil, with sufficient aeration, works best when it's constantly properly hydrated. Watering the right amount more often (like everyday or every other day) is the best approach ime.