flushing does not affect flavor

[9fingerleafs]

blind test by green technologies couldn't find differences between flushed and not flushed bud.

https://hightimes.com/grow/new-research-shows-flushing-plants-before-harvest-may-be-unnecessary/

[MDR]

I think with the vast amounts of fertilizers out there and different brands of nutrients, it's probably better to flush simply as a precaution. I also assume Green Tech has their nute cycle down to a precise science.

[Tersky]

The only difference I notice is that it takes less time for the harsh taste to leave. I have a blue og that i did a test on. Harvested a branch before flushing and then flushed for a week and harvested the rest. The flushed weed i could smoke once dry (5-7 days from chop) without really harsh taste. It still tasted a little like grass but not harsh. The non-flushed nearly killed me. Given enough cure time tho they both taste the same. I have done this test in the past and have come up with the same results. Not flushing added a week or two (or more) to cure time to get rid of harsh taste. If you are wanting to smoke as soon as possible, flush. If you dont mind waiting an extra month for it to cure, then dont. The benefits of flushing are a shorter "ready to smoke" cure time. That said, some people like the harsher taste...i dont but some do.

[Tersky]

Oh i must add i use synthetics. Specifically GH Flora Trio.

[D.A.A.S.69]

I never could tell a difference ,in flushing or not,

[9fingerleafs]

me neither

[D.A.A.S.69]

None of my old head, lol, buddies can either, that's kinda like defoliating, everybody's got their own opinion.
Have a great Holiday Season 9fingerleafs

[9fingerleafs]

you too my good friend

[Spidermite]

Even Ed Rosenthal says flushing is questionable. He did state that flushing possibly lowers overall yields and strength.

I think growing using non salt based nutrients, think teas, fish emulsion, blood meal etc is the way to go forward. The other ways work great and maybe the yields would be higher but this is just my opinion. And non salt based nutrients do not need flushed.

This is just my opinion and I cant back it up with science yet. Mostly because I dont want to look. Lol I do know it makes some mighty fine bud.

[SoOrbudgal]

My thoughts are if you grow in the ground or organic soil mix in containers watering takes care of soil being rinsed away of nutes. Big pharma growing spooks me, it's such a quick turn around the way they grow what sort of chemicals are they using ? We know plants feed uptake from roots, are they flushing to remove there growing products?

[Woodsman67]

I flush, to remove the salts from the container. The difference in taste is noticable. I grow my own seeds, so I am very familiar with "my" herb taste. After a friend grew some, using Miracle Grow, zero flushing, you could taste the difference. Personally, totally opinion, I think the original source of the NPK, whether it was organic or chemically treated and dried human waste, is the biggest factor. My last 2 weeks is only molasses and water, so maybe that helps some but I would concentrate more on nute originating sources vs flushing when it comes to taste.

[SoOrbudgal]

I agree Woodsman67 when I grow in containers I flush/water with unsulfured molasses and my bud smell sweeter taste is much smoother. I've not used much store bought ferts. mix my own teas I know what my plants look for and ask for comes with many years of growing gardens and weed.

[Obi-Wan]

Great topic and article. I tend to agree with the senior cultivation editor for High Times. When it comes to flushing, the need for it is really tied to the nutrient levels used during the grow. If we’re giving the plants just enough nutrients to remain healthy it would stand to reason that we wouldn’t experience a noticeable build up of minerals in the buds. When I first started growing I used the GH recommended feed chart. It was common for my EC to be 2.0-2.5 and even after a 7 day flush I felt like my buds were still a little harsh after a 3-4 week cure. These days I max out my EC at 1.8 but generally it sits between 1.4-1.6 and I like to gradually drop it during the last few weeks before harvest. I can routinely give a 1-3 day flush resulting in clean smoking buds after just 2 weeks of cure.

[9fingerleafs]

i agree, i think the way overfeeding a plant in late flowering affects flavor and the smoking experience is taken out of scale. meaning a flushed bud and a non flushed bud will taste and smoke a lot better than a overfeed bud. that doesnt mean we have to take that to the extreme and remove every nutrient from the plant

[YYCannabis]

I was told yrs ago that if a joint keeps going out needing relighting again and again and again it’s because it wasn’t flushed properly. I think it was related to excess nitrogen or something that wasn’t properly consumed by the plant.

Ive never been able to verify that.

[9fingerleafs]

i can tell you with confidence that moisture level and how evenly its grinded have a greater impact on how a joint burns, even how tight you roll can determine if the joint goes out by itself or not. but i cannot say for sure whats inside the flower doesnt affect the burning cause it def does but i think its minimal compared to other factors

[MDR]

9fingerleafs - I would agree with this. I am not an avid smoker, but I always loved rolling joints. That was my exact experience. I would always keep a small stash of dry bud to compensate for new stuff that was to high in moisture.

[SoOrbudgal]

Me too I have green bud not cured well yet and dry i'll blend those together so it burns evenly ( works most time) but yes the grind and how tight it's rolled has effect on burn and staying lit. I've ground it really fine in a coffee bean grinder did too many pulses made it very hard to stay lit, don't pulse to much LOL

[YYCannabis]

I don’t doubt that too much moisture can be a problem for burning hippy joints, but I’ve had stuff that was popcorn fart dry and still needed flame almost constantly. The ash was very black...well, more black than usual.

[9fingerleafs]

indeed i had one plant that shower the same trait, dont know what it could be but i grew it from a batch of 5 and the rest were great

[Woodsman67]

To the best of my knowledge, and I'm no scientist, salt exists in every form of NPK regardless of origins. But absolutely source matters in content of salts. Organic sources dont always mean what you expect it to either. Great post and thoughts.

[Spidermite]

I use foxfarms trio on some grows. On others I use supersoil and teas. Yes all nutrient lines have salts. Synthetic fertilizers are more readily available and show quicker results. Natural fertilizers come from animal, plant, sea water etc. They by them selves are not readily available to plants. You have to have microorganisms on the soil breaking them down to useable sources.
I dont fall for organic or all natural etc etc. Cyanide is organic and natural after all.

If you amend your soil properly and it is full of living organisms you can get away with almost no nutrients added. The growth may be slower but the quality and ease of use makes it worth it.

https://www.rxgreentechnologies.com/rxgt_papers/synthetic-vs-organic/

[Toker1]

How are they defining flush?
The removal of nitrogen from the diet is the only flush I ever do. Yeah, dousing your plants with water like a fire suppression system has never really done anything.

[s62]

Interesting research, although keep in mind it was done by a nutes company lol. Non-biased, I’m sure
I currently grow in super soil, so I don’t flush, but this is still very interesting.

[alltatup]

Very interesting discussion!! One thing that bothered me about the article was that he didn't say how much salt was left in the buds when he mentioned that "Overall, there was no significant change in the mineral content of cannabis flower as a result of different flushing treatments."

So now I'd like to know what is left over in the buds...

[starramus]

Another myth we follow religiously exposed. Just think of all the water we've wasted!