Last water before harvest?

[Tumbleweed]

I'm sure this has been answered a million times, but my search is week today. How long before harvest do you give your last watering?

 

[YYCannabis]

The theory of “flushing” plants is debatable. Some say it must be done, while others say it’s fine to harvest sans flushing. So the choice is yours. If you are going to flush, most people do it for 1-2 weeks of plain water (soil) or 2-3 days (hydro) before harvest. I’m not sure if there is an exact science to it.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I thought the plain PHed water was the flush? Which I've done for the last couple weeks (Oops, I'm in coco!) But I was more concerned with the moisture content in the bud when harvested. I'm thinking the more moist, the slower you can dry, but don't want to be too moist???

 

[YYCannabis]

Nah. Unless you have ultra low humidity, the buds will retain moisture as best as they can.

 

[YYCannabis]

Correct. The plain water is the flush. I’m not familiar with coco, but since it’s very comparable to DWC hydro, I’d say you have probably finished flushing any excess nutes from the coco and the plant is surviving off the energy in the leaves.

 

[DeadlyFruit]

Yes, the plain PH’d water is your flush. Not everyone does it as YYC said. I tend to just use plain water for the last 2 or 3 watering.

With regards to drying - I think generally speaking you don’t want your bud to dry too quickly so don’t worry about lowering moisture in the plants pre-harvest. If fast drying is your intent you can cut the buds from the branches and dry them on racks rather than hanging the colas, but I think most people try to draw out the drying process a little, feeling it dries more evenly and contributes to the quality. Not sure of the science but I think it starts the curing on the right foot and it also allows the insides of the buds and branches to dry at a similar speed to the exterior of the buds, so they are not wet inside and dry/brittle outside (becoming a potential problem when you jar it and find out the next day the jar humidity of your brittle dry buds spiked to 90%). Some people who dry trim (search for dry trimming vs wet trimming if you haven’t heard that term before) do it because the leaves cocoon the bud and slow it down further, starting the cure before it goes into the jars. Some dry their bud in paper bags for similar reasons. An analogy that makes sense to me is curing your grout when you are doing tiling - keeping the surface a little damp so it doesn’t dry too quickly on the surface and crack from the moisture still deeper down.

 

[SoOrbudgal]

This is sorta off subject Tumbleweed but on a plant from my last harvest ya know the stems are hollow right? Well mine are anyway but my nodes were spaced like 4-5" apart some longer. I took those " straws " dried them in a cup on my window sill and now we got weed straws for sipping :big-smile: Kinda fun LOL

 

[DeadlyFruit]

This is sorta off subject Tumbleweed but on a plant from my last harvest ya know the stems are hollow right? Well mine are anyway but my nodes were spaced like 4-5" apart some longer. I took those " straws " dried them in a cup on my window sill and now we got weed straws for sipping :big-smile: Kinda fun LOL

That’s great! Do you actually use them? I imagine they are a single use and toss item or they would mold but still great for avoiding single use plastics. Do they add a woody (or weedy 🙂 ) taste?

 

[SoOrbudgal]

Oh yes we use them when we need a straw for anything. They are size of pencil but won't work with something thick. Works well in my whiskey drinks. No not really a taste to them unless green but mine are dry like bamboo yellow.

 

[TOKABIGONE]

Me like!!!

 

[TOKABIGONE]

Great idea SoOrbudgal I just poured 1 1/2 fingers of 12 year old Dewers scotch for a nite cap. Extremely smooth, it is truly for sipping as it has a wonderful alcohol soft warm feeling that lingers on my throat and pleases me. You better get a patent lawyer quick tho, cuz I will steal your idea and "Grow My Own". I won't sell them because my belief is you never advertise but you could bag 6 and sell thru the Dollar Store for $1.50. Low cost, low budget impulse merchandise. Hemp straws, Think about it......it could be bigger than Mt. Saint Helen's soap with real lava ash. I still have a bar in a slightly abused, somewhat ragged, original box from 1981 with soap in unused condition. Any takers, lol! Probably from China. :nah:

​:frustrated:

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Buy American​ Made, you won't be sorry.

 

[TOKABIGONE]

It may still have scent, idk, lost my sense of smell. It's a bummer when you don't know if the neighbors can detect your aromatic plants.

 

[MagicMike66]

I’m nearing harvest on my 3rd grow, and keen to always experiment I’m trying something different this time. When flushing, I’ve always ph’d it but it’s got me thinking why? Isn’t the purpose of ph’ ing water to improve the uptake of nutrients etc. during feeds yet flushing is meant to be ridding the plant of these. This time I’m going just plain tap water with no ph or anything else added.

 

[YYCannabis]

Not sure why at the end of a long and patient grow you would abandon your responsibilities to not give her the best care you can. The whole process, from seed to jar to cure, is about caring for the plant’s health and harvest.

I’m sure the bud would still be fine...or maybe it won’t...experimentation is the only path to knowledge. Be sure to keep us posted on the results. 👍