Flushing every once in awhile

[user192021]

I was just wondering if it's worth watering with straight water every so often throughout veg and/or flower to prevent buildup of salts. Would the plant suffer from this or should I just stick with nutes once I've started them until a week or two before harvest?

 

[Twistyman]

I only use nute about 4 times a month and usually use just water.. unless molasses during flower, or needed supplements....

 

[the357ink]

Water a few times inbetween feedings.

 

[Dirtyboy]

It does not hurt to flush them. I flush mine just before flowering and again half way through flowering. Its good to rinse out the salts and so forth.

 

[user192021]

Thanks for the responses. So what kind of flushing schedule do people use? What if I alternate between straight water and nutes for each watering?

 

[oddworld]

Well, technically, flushing is not the same as watering without nutes. I usually water my plants with regular water every other watering. If you want to flush your plants (assuming you're growing in soil), take them to the bathtub and water them until you see some runoff coming from the holes in the bottom of the pots. If the water coming out looks a bit yellowish, that's salt build up. Don't be afraid of overwatering them when you're flushing.

 

[Rudiger]

I don't know man. Have you actually done this? You have to run a serious amount of water through that bucket to get clean clear water out the bottom. It is dirt after all, and it's going to give the water a yellow/piss color as it flows through it. Unless you run a few garbage buckets full through the bucket.

 

[oddworld]

Yes, I have done this. I'm not saying to do it until you have clear clean water, because obviously dirt will seep through as well. I usually only water until there is runoff, then just let it drain until the water stops dripping out. However, there is a noticable difference between water with salt build up and water that just has dirt in it. The second time I did this, the runoff looked clearer than the first time. I guess that's why you're supposed to flush for two weeks before harvest. Make sure you get all that shit out, since it isn't really possible in one sitting.

 

[Lowkster]

Yeah good advice!!!

 

[Dirtyboy]

Well, technically, flushing is not the same as watering without nutes. I usually water my plants with regular water every other watering. If you want to flush your plants (assuming you're growing in soil), take them to the bathtub and water them until you see some runoff coming from the holes in the bottom of the pots. If the water coming out looks a bit yellowish, that's salt build up. Don't be afraid of overwatering them when you're flushing.

Thanks for saving me the time to explain. Fab job!

 

[MindFreak]

I've watched a few videos and they feel their plants every watering but every 2 weeks they do a flush

 

[Hairy Bob]

I've watched a few videos and they feel their plants every watering but every 2 weeks they do a flush

It's down to personal preference really, I use a mixture, mums get fed every watering and a good flush once a month, whereas the flowering plants get fed every 2-3 waterings.

 

[MindFreak]

It's down to personal preference really, I use a mixture, mums get fed every watering and a good flush once a month, whereas the flowering plants get fed every 2-3 waterings.

ok cool , I'll prob be feeding my plants once I order seeds and grow them out. and for flowering I might feed them every day then do the royal flush close to the end

 

[burtonblunt86]

absolutely worth flushing. sometimes you only have to do it a couple of times, sometimes you never have to do it. but flushing with clean straight water could only help out. i flush once a month, some plants really like being flushed

 

[Hairy Bob]

ok cool , I'll prob be feeding my plants once I order seeds and grow them out. and for flowering I might feed them every day then do the royal flush close to the end

There's no need for a pre-harvest flush, I found out by accident when I had to pull a couple of plants 5 weeks into flower cos I got paranoid, I just let 'em dry for two weeks then cure for another two, that shit was just as potent as anything else I've grown that finished with a 2 week flush at the end.
Half the taste comes from genes, I would say, and the other half from a good long cure.
Hell my mate even stopped flushing his hydro plants when I gave him a bud to try, he flushed one tray and not another that were same type, same mother, same conditions, same cure and we couldn't tell the difference. If you can you have better tastebuds than ours!

Edit: That's not to say don't flush, just not neccessarily right before harvest, those extra 2 weeks of nutes the plants get help the buds grow fat and dense, if you flush it's forced to consume itself to survive.

 

[Hedgehunter]

how many lites would a 3.5 gl pot take to flush ?

 

[atombomb]

Every 3 weeks or so I start checking my Runoff PH. I usually flush with 2-3 times the container volume or untill ph is back in check once a month. I also feed water between feedings, It doesnt seem to be enough. Plants seem to show more vigourous growth right after a flush IMO

 

[dpjones]

It is my understanding that flushing is pouring water throught until it runs clear. Just pouring water throught until you get some runoff is how you should water normally it is not flushing. It shows that the plant is fully saturated. If you are using expensive nutes then you probably dont want a massive amount of runoff.

Flushing requires a lot of water poured through the medium.

 

[MindFreak]

There's no need for a pre-harvest flush, I found out by accident when I had to pull a couple of plants 5 weeks into flower cos I got paranoid, I just let 'em dry for two weeks then cure for another two, that shit was just as potent as anything else I've grown that finished with a 2 week flush at the end.
Half the taste comes from genes, I would say, and the other half from a good long cure.
Hell my mate even stopped flushing his hydro plants when I gave him a bud to try, he flushed one tray and not another that were same type, same mother, same conditions, same cure and we couldn't tell the difference. If you can you have better tastebuds than ours!

Edit: That's not to say don't flush, just not neccessarily right before harvest, those extra 2 weeks of nutes the plants get help the buds grow fat and dense, if you flush it's forced to consume itself to survive.

well I'm not going to be using organic nutes and I have had some that still had nutes in it. The Strains that are longer (ie 8 weeks) you can get away with 1 week flush

 

[MindFreak]

It is my understanding that flushing is pouring water throught until it runs clear. Just pouring water throught until you get some runoff is how you should water normally it is not flushing. It shows that the plant is fully saturated. If you are using expensive nutes then you probably dont want a massive amount of runoff.

Flushing requires a lot of water poured through the medium.

High Times Royal flush method

1 - Take a contanor of water t medium , slowly poor the water in , let it sit for a few mins so that the salts will have a chance to desolve , take the 2nd amout and slowly poor it in.

I belive doing this method will help make it so that the flush before harvest not having to be any more then a few days to a week