Technique to get better buds before harvest
Flushing is a simple technique that can improve the quality of your cannabis buds before harvest. But growers should also be careful with pre-harvest flushing because if you do it too early you can actually injure your weed and lower your yields. Fortunately, rinsing your cannabis plant is easy. Here are the steps to get healthier, smokable weed.
When to rinse your plants?
The flushing process involves giving your plants just water without nutrients for a period before harvest. For growers who normally water their plants with nutrients, you will need to water your plants as usual, but without adding any nutrients. Depending on the setup, growers usually rinse their plants this way a few days before harvest.
As a general rule, flushing takes place within a period of time (before harvest):
- Producer on modified floors: Do not rinse
- Producers on soils (standard crop): 2 weeks
- Coco Growers: about 1 Week
- Hydro culture: a few days before harvest
Rinsing your plants uses plain water to remove all nutrients from the soil. A large amount of water will have to pass through the soil, leaving it clean afterwards.
Purify & test the pH of the water
The best water for flushing is water filtered using an air stone or carbon filter to aerate the soil and remove compounds like chlorine and the like. Clean water with the correct pH will also do. You should always check the pH of the water before rinsing your plants, because too high or too low the pH can cause your plant to absorb aluminum. additional and other minerals. The PH must be between 6.0 and 6.8 for a standard crop (soil). While for hydroponic systems we will use a slightly lower pH, of the order of 5.8.
It is important to control the pH of the rinse water. Also to ensure that certain metals and salts are properly removed during the process. You should always check the pH of the water before rinsing your plants, because too high or too low the pH can cause your plant to absorb additional aluminum and other minerals. This is not the goal, since the main interest is that your plant completely absorbs the last reserves it has left. If you have an indoor culture, it is recommended to make sure that your pots are drainable.
Clean drainage
Water the plants until the drainage is as clean as possible. At first, the exfiltrated water may be cloudy or even brown. It will contain the last nutrients from the soil. When rinsed properly, the drainage water should be clean and clear. At first, depending on your soil, it may be necessary to saturate the growing medium. And this until the drained water is completely clean.
Some producers go so far as to measure the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the drain with a TDS meter. However, this is not an essential tool for most home growers. If you are measuring TDS, the numbers should drop to 50 parts per million (PPM) dissolved solids after flushing. It is recommended to keep rinsing until numbers are reached.
Let the floor dry as normal. And if necessary, repeat the rinsing process during the next watering. A grower will be able to perform an additional flush by measuring the TDS of additional flow or by visually assessing the clarity of the drainage.
Be sure to take precautions to avoid excess humidity in the environment. The soil should be dry between each watering. No one wants to get moldy grass (by moisture), control the temperature and airflow (ventilation). So be careful not to flood your growing medium!
Treat your buds
After harvesting, proper drying and curing of the bud will further improve the taste, and the overall smoking experience. The best results often come from slow drying and hardening of your buds.
After harvest, hanging your weed for drying, or using a dryer, will help remove any residual moisture. Many growers use fans to provide adequate air circulation and ventilation. Drying must be done away from the risk of contamination and mold.
The buds are ready to eat, when the stems inside your buds can be easily broken. To speed up the drying process, you need to polymerize your jars (wide mouth). Place a food-grade desiccant or moisture absorber near your inventory, or in the bottom of a container where you store your jars. This will help easily remove up to 62% of the residual moisture. A technique that will also help maintain optimum humidity levels while drying.
The time of the tasting is near, good smoke to all ^^
