I have heard conflicting stories about washing/pre-flushing your soil. Basically just water until good run off and set to dry. I wouldn’t think that this was true if you were using a soil such as Fox Farms or any of the other pre-mixed ready to grow soils. Any thoughts? I can see both sides.
Using mother nature’s nutrients - No - feeding the critters in soil
Using man made nutrients - Yes - feeding the plants directly
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By bloom, you’ll most likely be adding to nutes to your Fox Farms potting mix and your store bought organic soils, unless you’re using Super Soil.
Whether you water flush them or just don’t feed them for a couple weeks before harvest, buds definitely taste better and burn better when they’re flushed.
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The main reason for this is the soil gets hydrophobic. Pre-soaking it helps reduce this. Nothing like watering your plants and the water just sits there on the top of your soil and rolls off and drips out of the side of your fabric pot.
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@BobbyDigital, Thanks for the response. Is this necessary even when using the Fox Farm in a mixture similar to this:
I am planning on using this configuration but using @merlin44’s mixture for each type of soil except the Light w Warrior’
@blackthumbbetty, Thanks for your response also, I must have been a little foggy when I posted this last night, I have definitely been paying attention to what you and others have stated about feeding and flushing before harvest. After re-reading my post this morning, my thoughts were clear in my head, just doesn’t look like they were clear when, I put them on the screen. What I meant to ask was pre-flushing brand new soil prior to putting new seedlings into the new pot necessary. As always, thanks for your advice, suggestions and comments, they are very much appreciated, as is the same from everyone else on this forum. Everyone has been fantastic. I have found everyone on this site to be outfreakingstanding.
@Skydiver, thanks also, I am researching this super soil and if I don’t go to hydro, I may give the super soil a whirl.
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Only if you’re doing Coco, really, then you most likely have to rinse out some salts and charge it with Calcium, as well as moistening/fluffing the Coir.
With the hot organic soils, preflushing will release a lot of nutrients, so that might not be a great idea. If it’s dried out, the medium should be slightly moistened before adding plants, but just enough make it slightly clump if squeezed in your hand.
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Sorry, I misunderstood your question. I see you’re talking about pre flushing. I don’t pre flush. I pre soak. Meaning water just the soil (to near runoff) and letting it sit a few days. Definitely wouldn’t flush new soil.
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@blackthumbbetty, thanks, that was my thought also, just wanted to check myself. I had heard and read of others doing this and didn’t see any benefit but, just as you stated, I would think that you would be defeating the purpose of purchasing a product like Fox Farms.
@BobbyDigital, thank you also, I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t missing something.
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It’s not really that it’d defeat the purpose of nutrient rich soil, but rather the flushing would start the microbes breaking things down and your hot soil would become volcanic! Might burn your babies.
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Got it and as always, thanks for your help.
A spray atomizer with distilled water in it works wonders to prep the soil surface at watering. The mist immediately wets the soil layer and watering is much easier.
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