Flushing period

[Hdk40]

Hi to all, I’m approaching week 6 of flower on two autos - my question is this…Do you think buds fatten up during this period,? What are your experiences in the last few weeks of the cycle? Mine seem to still be fattening up, I have no Amber trichomes yet

TIA
HDK

[Bluey]

Yes they do. They will fill out now. Keep temps and humidity down and lots of airflow for best results.

[Hdk40]

Thanks Bluey Need a dehumidifier I’m running at around 65%. Should I stop feeding now?

[Bluey]

Week 6 of flower I'd be trying to keep it under 60% for mold mitigation and you'll need to steadily lower it further..under 50 in late flower.
Don't stop feeding it

[Rootsruler]

What is breeder timeline on this cultivar? Why do you want to stop feeding?

[Hdk40]

I read that stopping feeding to flush gets rid of any harsh or unpleasant tastes, thought I’d ask on this one I didn’t want to stop feeding if she was still fattening up the buds

[Bluey]

It's subjective. I don't think it makes a difference.

But there's risk with yield and mold

[Rootsruler]

Flushing is when you push large amounts of water through your medium to strip out whatever nutrients you have in the soil. Usually because you've over fed and you need to reset the medium. Flushing, for the purposes you've been told is, IMO, broscience.

What you're probably doing is tapering where you do low or no PPM feeds the last week or so to use up whatever food is still in the plant. I've never noticed a difference either way.

[StickyNugsAZ]

I think most sources say flush about 2 weeks before harvest and imo buds have finished fattening by that point

[Rootsruler]

I think most sources say flush about 2 weeks before harvest and imo buds have finished fattening by that point

I'm not saying the practice is bad. I'm saying flushing is an extreme way of resetting your medium. Stopping giving nutrients the last couple weeks to reduce the amount of ions in the plant is tapering.

I haven't tasted the difference between tapering and feeding right up to harvest. People confuse the two terms. Just want to make sure if you tell someone to flush their plant the last two weeks they aren't dumping tons of water through the medium stripping out nutrient.

It's infuriating to read when someone recommends that person "flush" the last couple weeks to "flush" the nutrient out of the flower for better, smoother smoke. That's not what happens.

[Tone3000]

https://www.growweedeasy.com/flushing

"Flushing... may improve the quality and smoothness of your cannabis buds before harvest. ...The process of flushing involves giving your plants just plain water with no nutrients for a period of time before harvest."

Is this the infuriating part? It seems that, like it or not, flushing is the standard term for the process and even if you can't notice the difference, it is still generally recommended so it seems that most people find it makes enough of a difference to be worthwhile.

Are there other reasons not to flush, as long as it is not done too early? And if the above is not what is happening, then what is?

[Cougar672]

Here is an interesting article from High Times magazine on flushed vs unflushed weed. Pretty small sample size so more research is needed, but supports what most here are saying- no need to flush.

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

[Bluey]

There's an enormous amount of uneducated opinion, personal attacks on the author, a lot if irresponsible comment in the comment section.

Some people get really butt hurt when science doesn't find what they "believed", and some good balanced comment.

It's been said now for sometime that all flushing achieves prior to harvest is a cost saving from using less nutes....I'd go further that it may heighten the risk of health associated diseases as a result of imbalance and other factors in the plant. It stands to reason and we see it first hand that stressed plants are more susceptible to mould, that's a given. Flushing stresses the plant.

[Tone3000]

That is an interesting article. I agree with the article's conclusion - the jury is still out. The results of only one trial are interesting and it certainly merits further study but it's not enough to conclude that flushing is not necessary. I'm always open to new information!

[SoOrbudgal]

I've experienced from past trials an errors in outdoor growing in pots/containers weather is the challange during the fall rainy season which is Oct. here in Oregon. If the plants stay wet the chances of mold, stem rot increases tremendously. I quit watering/feeding during the last 7days prior to the harvest. I've timed it and don't chance it but it still appears in small sections and happens rapidly. I try to let the roots dry out in the soil and the plants suck moisture from themselves.

[Bluey]

The approach you took at the end of your grow is a bit different to what was studied SoOrbudgal From what I understand your approach is not too dissimilar to how most outdoor grows are managed start to finish re watering. Just enough to wet the soil without runoff and as we know runoff strip's soil of nitrates and other goodies plants need.

Firstly you were growing outdoors in a soil of types, so it's producing its own nutes and keeps producing them as long as the soil contains moisture whether the plant is in the soil or not.

Secondly you roughly monitored your plants water uptake and reduced the water you gave it in line with the plants needs. The last week of a plants life it needs very little as its no longer growing and just trying to survive to reproduce, a last ditch effort at maintaining the species...evolution at work! It's also cooler and rains.

This still allows the plant to uptake its nutes it needs to survive, particularly the nutes that are immobile and locked into the plant cells that cannot be transported to the buds to keep the buds viable to reproduce.

So your plant still gets the nutes it needs to survive that last bit.

This flushing bit is all about denying the plant pretty much all nutes. Think hydro without feeding it but still giving it water. This kills the plant because it can now only scavenge nutes that are available as mobile nutes in the plant, and denies the plant all nutes that are not mobile. So the plant runs quickly into an imbalance, stresses and then starts to die. The yellowing of leaves is dead plant. Once this happens it's my theory that it is more susceptible to disease because it is now sick.

I know when my sativas are stressed and sick they are more prone to mold and disease and losses go up fast. I harvested last grow early because of this not wanting to risk losing some decent bud even though it was a tad early. If you look closely at my last grow you can see cal/mag deficiency on one almost throughout the entire grow, heat and light stress on many of the buds especially the most developed and other minor problems...plants getting sick very fast.

Edit. During the dry plants continue to transpire they just can't photosynthise so well in the dark. The health of the buds is at its most critical point now until moisture gets down to a level where mould spores cannot take hold and grow. I thinknit best to start this with healthy buds and not buds rotting on the plant.

[Cougar672]

Wow. Had not read the comments. Lots of close-minded, ignorant opinions there.

[shadycon]

You will find this on all internet forums. I usually read for information and ignore the rest.

[StickyNugsAZ]

I thought the op meant tapering off nutes at the end if grow as opposed to flushing out the grow medium to correct an issue.
I try to use only natural supplements the final couple weeks in soil to avoid any chemical taste.

I do not like that chemical flavor at all
I plan on a day or 2 of only calmag ph'd for the next hydro

[SoOrbudgal]

Yes i too go very easy on feeding in the last month and just water with unsulferated molasses last 2 weeks.

[Rootsruler]

Follow up with a study I found on the effect of flushing

Cannabis Flushing Research Study (rxgreentechnologies.com)

The conclusion is flushing doesn't improve taste or potency.

[Bluey]

I agree with the conclusion and don't flush prior to harvest.

[Stickybeard]

Terminology is where most find the dissagreeancy on this topic. Like StickyNugsAZ said, To some of us (myself included) flushing before harvest is simply water only, letting the plant use what's left in the soil and excess in storage (fan leaves). Others call it leaching ect.
If I'm using synthetic nutes (soil or dwc) I will finish the last 1-2 weeks with water only. I enjoy the fade plants go through in the end. They all do a bit differently. And the colors can be stunning!

As for organic grow you don't need to do anything. Good job!

I find no need to use more nutrients when the plant and soil have enough in them for 2 weeks.
I've also noticed less hay smell during cure.

Outdoors can be different with rainfall. SoOrbudgal I used the same method in Northern Cali when dealing with rain. Letting the plant dry itself . No more than 3 days without water for me.

Maybe many of us like to error on the side of caution. I'm willing give up that whopping 2% gain at the end for the piece of mind that I'm ingesting less raw chemical.
there are finallyfmore studies happening now than ever before. Last one I saw was about where the nutes come from and what forms. Some are from other industrial processes and not the best for human consumption.
By now you have harvested. Next time do a side by side and try to spot a difference.