Another Flushing question

I didn’t want to hijak the other guy’s thread about flushing, but I’ve never done it before and will need to do it soon.

So the purpose of flushing is to remove chemical nutrients from the plants so you don’t get a harsh or chemically taste in your herb, correct?

By this reasoning, I would assume organic growers don’t need to flush?

I have a couple fish tanks, I put nothing in them except dechlorinated water, fish, sand, rocks and fish food. I’ve heard watering my plants with the water left over from my water changes will be beneficial to my plants.

Can I just stop the chemical nutrients and switch to fish tank water, so my plants continue to receive minor organic nutrients from my fish tank, or am I misunderstanding something with flushing?

Thanks!

You want to stop feeding it with any nutrients in the last few weeks and flush. Only water in the last few weeks. You pretty much over water the plants, some say three times the amount of water to size of container. So a three gallon pot would get nines gallons of water. Then if you have the means, you can check the ppm on the the run off water.
Just make sure you let the soil drt all the way after and has good ventilation. Flushing, imo can bring new issues when the soil stays damp too long.
Im sure the water in the fish tank has some microbes and nutes in it, but unless I have a way of checking how much I wouldn’t introduce to your plant at all.

What is the desired effect of the flush? Is it not to remove chemical nutrients? Does something else happen as a result of flushing? Does it increase the potency?

The purpose of the flush is to leach out any built up salts and nutrients, allegedly giving u better tasting buds that burn better. Most people say a flush is mandatory. Some say it unnecessary.
I think it’s only necessary when I use chemical non organic fertilizers. But some people say that isn’t even true.
Either way the vast majority flush. It’s confusing to me too… If I recall in my botany classes ages ago that once the fruit takes the given nutrients then it’s in there regardless of what i do.
But again 9 out of ten growers flush. It also gives you an autumn effect

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I demonstrated to @Not2SureYet that a good flush is perceptible in the finished smoke.

If containered I monitor my runoff TDS the last week to two weeks and depending on the media I simply water to 20% runoff and test the last 1/4 cup or so: in soilless I want under 100 ppm, in soil 300 ppm.

Once target is reached, plant is put into darkness for minimum 24 hours and harvested from a dark room. Remove branches from main stem and root mass.

I always do a peroxide bud wash. Doing so helps retain cured flower in a fresher state and removes atmospheric pollutants like skin cells and hair, dust mites etc. along with white powdery mildew (which is usually present at some level).

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@Myfriendis410
You opened up new questions for me now and this isn’t my thread lol!
You remove the root mass during the harvest also, why not later?
Do you always do a bud wash and clean? Always? It doesnt mess up the buds? Is it that beneficial???

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The idea of darkness is to allow salts to migrate to root mass and at harvest, before any photosynthesis can happen, the canopy is separated from that root mass. Bud wash per Jorge Cervantes and hang to dry as normal.

There is all kinds of crap in your plant material. It’s up to you whether you want to smoke it. This is after one plant grown indoors:

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Everytime I open this forum I learn something new without exaggeration, wow.
Ok, let me get it straight…you mean you remove the canopy from the root mass… Cut out the entire plant, correct ? Which is what I do after the dark period in a dark area… Which is what I do…usually
I thought you meant after you chop the entire plant, you then dig out the root system or root mass from the soil…
Also the you put them in a bath everytime even if you don’t have any major issue ?
Thanks @Myfriendis410

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I consider a bud wash to be essential.

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@Myfriendis410
Im really afraid to the bud wash, but I see how it’s essential. Im sure I and almost everyone has spores all over their plants as it’s present in nature. But I will wait till I have more of a perpetual grow to implement this into my process.
But thank you for introducing me to jorge cervantes … I’ve been binge watching his videos and taking notes since last night. This guy is awesome. Thanks

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Yeah same here! Makes me worry that I will remove potency, but I suppose that sticky icky seems like an oil, and oil doesn’t dissolve into water.

If I have a decent size harvest, maybe I’ll wash half or 1/4 and compare the end result. But I won’t feel comfortable doing my whole first harvest… I’m going to run out of smoke pretty just in time for harvest, and I may need to take an early sample.

So the prospect of ruining my first batch isn’t palatable, but I have another plant a week or 2 behind, so as long as that one is looking good at harvest, I don’t see the harm in experimenting, and everything I’ve implemented based on reading this forum has been beneficial, so I’m sure this will be too, but it seems unnatural…

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Trichomes and cannabinoids are not water soluble so you will not lose any potency or trichs at all during your wash some say certain terpenes can be water soluble but depends on the strain and what terpenes certain phenos carry, some are more dom than others, I bud wash my personal smoke and sometimes I’ll wash my give aways just depends, I don’t see any difference other than my personal never has human or pet hair or bugs in it as well as it does seem to cure better and faster with the the material I’ve washed vs unwashed… I believe most of us on the forum believe bud washes greatly improve quality of harvest, out doors it should be mandatory practice indoors not so much but especially for people who have allergies to dander and dust anything like that makes a huge difference for them!

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This goes back to the saying " the more you learn, the more you realise you don’t know "
Thank you guys for this great info and damn you for adding another step in my process :joy:

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