Flushing and dark period before harvest!

[StoneyChef]

I grow in DWC. So I been reading around on different forums and what not and can’t seem to find the information I am looking for regarding flushing and keeping your plant in complete darkness before harvest. So people say to flush with PH’ed water a week before harvest for taste and smooth burn. The reason they give is that it makes the plant use up what ever is left. However, if I keep my plant in the dark for a long periods of time, won’t that do the same? Basic plant biology say that if a plant is kept in the dark for a long period of time it will start eating it self to sustain its life as long as possible until it can find a source of light to begin making food for itself again. Am I right to think that or did I completely miss the point?

[Juicyj89]

StoneyChef, from what I know, flushing with pH'd water is the ONLY way to "flush". There for the plant leeches the excess nutrients and usually the yellowing of fan leaves occurs during this process. Also, doing it in DWC, most growers would say 1-3 days for a flush. The only thing i know leaving a plant in the dark would do is start to make it die. Which is what would happen eventually. But like a 24h dark period or so is SUPPOSEDLY said to increase trichrome production due to the plant thinking its about to die or something. Idk for sure. I think that's a myth. But again, none of this is coming straight from me its just what ive read here and there. Hope it helps.

[D.A.A.S.69]

StoneyChef ,I grow in soil, so I don't know about DWC, but when the nutrients start running out in my soil, the plant, most Definitely starts feeding from stored nutrients from the plant, turning yellow as a result, which helps with the mellow smooth taste, come harvest time.
Been keeping my plants in the dark, the last 50years, I think it helps, not a myth,in my mind at all!!
You have to grow more than a few plants to be able to tell though.
New growers want be able to tell that though. Not grown enough plants yet to tell the difference,
GoodLuck with whatever you do though!!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Never claimed to be no pro, just been growing for that long.
I don't have to put up pictures, to prove anything, But trust me I got plenty of pictures, lol.
Nothin wrong with reading a book for your First few grows, But your gonna learn more from experience, imo.

[Juicyj89]

I agree. Hands down. Hands on is the way to learn. But you now seem to be avoiding the question all together now........................

What does leaving your plant in the dark do??

[D.A.A.S.69]

Pretty sure that you have read the benefits of keep in plants in the dark, a day or two before harvest, several seedbanks even say the same,
Stress, like Potted said, is one thing, same with what weedpharma says.
No scientist here, but they even amber up quicker.
HappyGrowing

[Potted]

Book smarts only goes so far,I’ve met people who know it all but can’t grow s#it, a road scholar on the other hand grows better thru experience or is that expertise? Not sure why keeping the plants in the dark works maybe it stresses the plant into making more or better tries Ok big guy u got what u want......... now chill.

[Farmall]

Haha... I have said I had read more books in the last several months then 4 yrs in school... when I walk in to the room and they are right in front of me...just like a beautiful , well forget that.... the book smarts fly out the window and I stand there an mumble.

[Weed Pharma]

When I started growing I thought it was 70% science/books and 30% art/grower talent.
Today, I think it's 70% art/grower talent and 30% science/books!
Most likely it's somewhere in between.

I will not speak on topics for conditions I have not grown in- so the(DWC) flush conversation: I will yield to others.

I do however, take a plant that is dying and keep it in the dark for very long periods of time- to use up the nutrients and improved the perceived quality (subjective).
And since "curing" takes a couple of months...

I really didn't see any difference a couple of dark days would make either way and my experience doing or not - supports that notion.

I do not see any harm and in fact, put a plant in the dark for 24 hrs yesterday- as I was harvesting this weekend and needed the room.

[DrPhoton]

I personally believe that experience is equally as important as science, or knowledge. We have not got where we are today without either.

[D.A.A.S.69]

This is one of my last grows, she only got 15-16inches tall, but got 4ozs, dry from her.
Not trying to brag by no means, but she was fun to grow, surely not trying to avoid anything, just trying to help,.
Juicyj89

[Smokesteve]

Mama Mia !

[Farmall]

The colas look like those fluffy cotton dusters they use for window blinds and under bed

[D.A.A.S.69]

Smokesteve thankyou.
Farmall, they do look like those dusting things,lol, until you squeeze one, they don't give a bit , pretty hard.
Thanks Farmall, sure hope yours turn out well, I'm sure they will !!

[9fingerleafs]

first of all water does not need to be phed for flushing, now flushing for several days before harvest is a way to induce senescence so the plant uses whats inside the leaves and knows its gotta get ripe cause it means winter is here. extended periods of darkness cannot induce senescence because this process needs light in order to use chlorophyll inside the leaves. hope this helps (:

[Juicyj89]

Makes sense. But you'd think if you were "supposed to" flush with RO water, GWE would have something about that. Wouldn't they? Or did i miss that somewhere?

[9fingerleafs]

I wonder that too 🤔 let’s see what nebula says

[Juicyj89]

For sure

[Farmall]

damn, is that where they get senile from ? Deterioration with age and a loss of power?

[DrPhoton]

Both very good questions, lets start with flushing.

The idea of flushing is that minerals or assimilates are somehow reduced in the flowers of cannabis. The flushing process removes the salts from previous fertigations to create a solution which is practically only water.

As it stands, flushing is not supported by any scientific theory or hypothosis, in which suggests that the flushing process can reduce the quantity of minerals in plants. Minerals go through a biogeochemical cycle, which goes through several successive chemical transitions. For example nitrogen is continually being recycled from plants to animals to decomposition back to the earth. Although these minerals can be assimilated into organic components, the minerals are still there. They are virtually indestructable compared to organic substances, such as vitamins which are volitile under specific temperatures.

The only workable process i know of is the effect of mineral deficiency on organic components, such as chlorophyll. However any of the natural processes that occurs due to these reasons, also occurs during the drying and curing stage, which to me with my experience, has the biggest effect on taste and burn than anything else. No matter what kind of feeding process the plants go through, a bad drying and curing process will always smoke worse compared to a good one.

Now with darkness before harvest. Much like the other question, there has been no evidence or theory which suggests leaving plants in darkness before harvest is beneficial.

Plants store their energy produced during the day from photosynthesis, mostly as sucrose and starch. Starch is stored in two ways, as transitory starch and stored starch. Cannabis does not store any significant long term starch, as its only a anual plant under the angiosperm family which does not genetically anticipate surviving past reproduction. As such, the only form of storage it has, is from transitory starch which is only short term and holds only enough photosynthates to last the duration of the night cycle. Exactly. I say exactly because plants utilize this transitory energy efficiently, by applyling simple biological mathematics to ensure that 95% of the excess energy produced during the day, is used by the time light arives. Even if the light cycle changes. So this stored resource is very limited, and under the typical 12/12 cycle, would be completely exhausted after 12 hours of dark. After which any duration longer than 12 hours is going to cause the plant to starve itself, and undergo the same processes that is done with plants harvested and drying. Just a lot slower.

[Farmall]

Great explanation.... I could read your writings all day... THANKS

Ps. Don't answer this is you can't, as I see the removals.... But, are your other written articles available elsewhere? I am not a Facebook user, in case

OOOOPS ! I found some on FB and I can read them without a FB account