I'm saying in a side by side taste test, one plant flushed, the other one not. You will taste the difference every time. Supersoil recipes are designed to run out of nutes at the end for a reason. Almost every major fertilizer company makes a flush or a finishing formula. In a fast growing system with a nute hungry plant you may only need to flush for a little while, but you still need to. Jason King who wrote the Cannabible series recomends at least 2 weeks or longer with some strains. DJ short says at the very least one full watering with run off and one more after that. Every grow book says flush. Jason and DJ have smoked more kinds of weed than any of us and are known two be some of the most respected people in terms of good weed. I bet even Arjan flushes. I don't think I'm being arrogant, I think your weed is lower quality than it should be and you just don't seem to mind.
As far as in nature, it don't need to flush because everything is growing off of compost and wormcastings. If you want to grow weed old style and not push it to the limit I'm sure flushing is of no use. Go throw some top of the line fertilizer in any natural setting and if it don't burn everything it will explode in growth. I know when buying produce I can taste excess fertilizer sometimes too.
I don't mean to come across offensive but I don't even view it as an arguement so much as a chance to help others have better smoke. My taste buds have prove it to me and my friends thousands of times. Not ripping on your taste buds unless they don't work, then I just feel bad for you, my shit taste awesome (bowl after joint after joint after whatever)!
I have done a side by side comparison. As have quite a few other growers on this site.
I saw no difference in taste what so ever.
Where I have seen a difference is during drying & curing.
Having a proper drying period, with proper temperatures, steady humidity and a good airflow as well as having a well thought out cure with attention to detail can bring out the best of the particular strain you are growing (even improve it).
On the other hand, a fast dry with improper burping times in the cure can lead to nasty harsh bud.
I think you are being rather arrogant by saying that the weed people who don't flush grow must be of lower quality (in essence; they should taste a difference because pre-harvest flushing removes the nutrients from the buds (improves the taste)).
I have provided scientific evidence for the false assumption, which it is.
You can search the forum to get every piece of information but a lot of it is here:
https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/496111-i-dont-starve-my-plants-15.html
I'm not even going to argue over the "author argument".
It's silly to believe that self proclaimed experts (not educated in science) know everything.
Many of the most celebrated and brilliant famous growers have been proven wrong.
I like Jorge Cervantes but a lot of what he has written and said has been proven wrong by scientific research.
I would prefer if you used the term 'pre-harvest flushing' instead of flushing.
There is a huge difference between the two.
Flushing can be helpful in correcting a salt build up, overfeeding or a pH issue (and many other things).
Pre-harvest flushing is a complete and utter myth, there is no evidence for any of it's proclaimed benefits to work or be factual.
I have seen people say it improves everything from taste (removes harshness), odour, growth, potency and a whole lot of other nonsense.
The important thing is that no proof has been provided.
It's not even a theory, it has been proven incorrect.
What are you talking about; "..grow weed old style and not push it to the limit.."?
I think you seriously underestimate the amazing weed people who visit this site grow.
Especially the veterans.
To me you are talking utter nonsense in that paragraph.