Flushing: The Myth that won't Die

[olderthandirt]

...As to flushing soil with ph/salts problems, IMO by the time you flush the damage is done, then you wash away ALL nutrients....
... your plant may recover but is not likely to produce like it would have...

Actual flush to attempt to correct soil pH issues is one of the errors I committed my last (first) grow.
And yes, this observation is anecdotal rather than clinical trial based but it be true to my old way of thinkin'.

Had two other plants later in the season that developed pH issues, did not flush but instead ensured the water and such going in was pH'd properly and those plants did fine.
As for the ones that I did "flush" well.... not a wise procedure at all! Stunted the livin' bee-jay-zus out of the plants.

pop22, Debunker at Large would be a good badge for you!

 

[Corgy]

ok, lets call ir cleansing. As to flushing soil with ph/salts problems, IMO by the time you flush the damage is done, then you wash away ALL nutrients. Then add them back to the soil....three weeks recovery for your plant right there. Unless you had to do this very early in veg, your plant may recover but is not likely to produce like it would have. I've even tried it. Should have just tossed the plants and not wasted the space on them!

Yep, feed them till chop, then dry and cure them properly, THAT is how to get the sugars out of your bud! Sugars are all that can be removed.

That flies in the face of what some well known growers on here do and recommend when sharing their normal and reduced feed schedules, never saw anything stall or miss a beat after the midway flush, up contraire.... If that is what is actually done..... You know, the growers who watermarks their pics, run identical threads on several forums, won't post final weights but always grow the finest dank....

 

[pop22]

Ah now I'm talking doing it for a plant that has ph issues and shows signs of problems. And why is there excess salts in the soil ( SOIL not soilless, let's clear that up)
over-feeding??? Do nutrient companies encourage over-feeding on their watered down, bottled nutes? Hell yeah! Don't want them to last too long........ Personally, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"...........

And sure, nutrient companies spout the same rhetoric as everyone else. this is an OLD myth and the older they are the harder they die........ I've seen an RDWC grower consistently to the point of boring........ grow 1-2lb plants yet never raise ppms above 650-700. And that is across many strains, so that disproves to me, need for crazy high ec/ppm. And he's been doing it for years. HygroHybrid on youtube. Think his channel is a pay channel now sadly. This guy sets the bar on DWC/RDWC growing!

But this is also the reason to grow organic! Who needs all these headaches!

That flies in the face of what some well known growers on here do and recommend when sharing their normal and reduced feed schedules, never saw anything stall or miss a beat after the midway flush, up contraire.... If that is what is actually done..... You know, the growers who watermarks their pics, run identical threads on several forums, won't post final weights but always grow the finest dank....

 

[Kakarot]

Preach on brutha


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[KushNFT]

Ah now I'm talking doing it for a plant that has ph issues and shows signs of problems. And why is there excess salts in the soil ( SOIL not soilless, let's clear that up)
over-feeding??? Do nutrient companies encourage over-feeding on their watered down, bottled nutes? Hell yeah! Don't want them to last too long........ Personally, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"...........

And sure, nutrient companies spout the same rhetoric as everyone else. this is an OLD myth and the older they are the harder they die........ I've seen an RDWC grower consistently to the point of boring........ grow 1-2lb plants yet never raise ppms above 650-700. And that is across many strains, so that disproves to me, need for crazy high ec/ppm. And he's been doing it for years. HygroHybrid on youtube. Think his channel is a pay channel now sadly. This guy sets the bar on DWC/RDWC growing!

But this is also the reason to grow organic! Who needs all these headaches!

I've never grown anything over a pound but I grew this in NFT and the EC never got much above 1.0 as this particular plant (auto Pink Grapefruit from ShortStuff seeds I think) kept the pH low and I didn't have pH up so it was a struggle to get nutes in.

Normally running with such a low EC would mean I'd have to work harder with the pH down and I have a hard enough job keeping up as it is sometimes so I normally just go with the manufacturers recommended 2.0.

PS that one was only 3/4lb:smoking:

 

[EvilScotsman]

I'm already a convert but thanks for posting such a fascinating read. It's been a good couple of decades since high school biology but at least some of the basics stuck

cheers kush, is this the one you were on about? its a bit much for reading at this time of night but sure ill manage it tomorrow at work in between sleeps lol.

 

[d.t]

good one, does flushing take some of the fire out, lol

ah Yes exactly the opposite, I am a chilli grower, and you quickly learn to increase the potency of chillis, in their final weeks you must stress our plants out by lack of nuirents and very occaisonal watering. Plants thinking they are going to die put extra energy into reproduction (chilli production)
I am new to growing herbs though and autoflowers, it may be different, but it makes sense to me..
I have heard some jamaican farmers put a blade through the stalk of the plant the day before harvest.
I am at day 72 of my first indoor auto grow. I am now going to stop feeding, not a conventional 'flush' as i am growing in autopot so just water bottom feed, but i will let it dry out every day. [by the way..bigup @hansbrick you are my teacher!] I love reading this forum, but have little time to post let alone a journal. A wife, a baby, working two jobs.. its pretty hard to find time. But yes thankyou AFN! from my experience growing chillis i do strongly believe in the final days it is best to dry the plant out and give water and no nutirents to stress it some what. but thats just what i am doing, first year growing. peace

 

[trailanimal]

ah Yes exactly the opposite, I am a chilli grower, and you quickly learn to increase the potency of chillis, in their final weeks you must stress our plants out by lack of nuirents and very occaisonal watering. Plants thinking they are going to die put extra energy into reproduction (chilli production)
I am new to growing herbs though and autoflowers, it may be different, but it makes sense to me..
I have heard some jamaican farmers put a blade through the stalk of the plant the day before harvest.
I am at day 72 of my first indoor auto grow. I am now going to stop feeding, not a conventional 'flush' as i am growing in autopot so just water bottom feed, but i will let it dry out every day. [by the way..bigup @hansbrick you are my teacher!] I love reading this forum, but have little time to post let alone a journal. A wife, a baby, working two jobs.. its pretty hard to find time. But yes thankyou AFN! from my experience growing chillis i do strongly believe in the final days it is best to dry the plant out and give water and no nutirents to stress it some what. but thats just what i am doing, first year growing. peace

cheers grobro!, it's nice to have a quiet place to visit, Life's busy noice can take over

 

[EvilScotsman]

thats a very interesting theory @d.t. sounds reasonable enough aswell. im asuming capsicin is seen as a defence mechanism so it would make sense for them to make themselves hotter. i also choose to believe thc is a defence mechanism so i suppose i should also believe what youve just said... goes against everything ive just spent 6 months learning though lol .
im going for yield and i use constant, heavy trimming and training to stress my autos out for the majority of the grow anyway. i beat them senseless at the end with heavy trimming every other day and full strength nutes up untill the last week. then drop it to about 250ppm of only the good stuff for 5 days. just water for 2 or 3 then chop. only person that noticed was the person i gave it all too. she says it averaged a 7/10 from everyone that got it and nobody else noticed it wasnt flushed. so its not true what folk say about hydro weed lol. and it was my first grow so 7/10 is pretty good by my books : ) also im chopping today and thursday so its too late mwahahaha

 

[pop22]

I've been carrying a $20 bill for 3 years now that nobody has won....... anyone who tells me they can tell the difference I bet them, they can't. I've never lost the bet. Its like the guys that say they can "hear" the difference between $100 speaker cables and zipcord. BULLSHIT! And that one has been disproved with scientific tests...........

thats a very interesting theory @d.t. sounds reasonable enough aswell. im asuming capsicin is seen as a defence mechanism so it would make sense for them to make themselves hotter. i also choose to believe thc is a defence mechanism so i suppose i should also believe what youve just said... goes against everything ive just spent 6 months learning though lol .
im going for yield and i use constant, heavy trimming and training to stress my autos out for the majority of the grow anyway. i beat them senseless at the end with heavy trimming every other day and full strength nutes up untill the last week. then drop it to about 250ppm of only the good stuff for 5 days. just water for 2 or 3 then chop. only person that noticed was the person i gave it all too. she says it averaged a 7/10 from everyone that got it and nobody else noticed it wasnt flushed. so its not true what folk say about hydro weed lol. and it was my first grow so 7/10 is pretty good by my books : ) also im chopping today and thursday so its too late mwahahaha