Get better buds, with flushing before harvesting your cannabis plants
Flushing your marijuana plants before harvest can make all the difference. This little task is simple and super easy to do. Just add water! Rinsing your plants is like a detox from all the nutrient and nourishing chemicals stored in the tissues of your plants. This is because your plant stores these nutrients in their leaves, in case they do not receive these nutrients for a while. Flushing can play an essential role in this process, and greatly improve the quality of the crop. But it is important to keep an eye on your plants, and to understand the role of flushing.
What is flushing?
For rinsing a plant, clean water is used to actively remove nutrients. A large amount of water passes through the ground. The minerals and nutrients present in the soil are washed away by this water, leaving the soil clean. It actually helps improve your harvest significantly. When nutrients are removed from the soil, your plant depletes any remaining nutrients still present.
It's a bit like the human body. We eat a lot of food and what we don't use turns into fat. In extreme situations where food is scarce, the body relies on this stored fat for energy. However, if the flushing is done too early, your plant can become sick ... So timing is key.
The best moment
We start Flushing two weeks before harvest. If the plant has an eight week flowering period, flushing will take place six weeks after the start of flowering. It's best to take a look at your plant's trichomes and assess when your cannabis is likely to be ready for harvest. The tiny trichomes are just starting to turn from clear, to a cloudy, milky color. This is a good indication for flushing. Two weeks later, most of the trichomes will have completely changed color.
Flushing can also be a good way to reset the soil while a plant is in the vegetative state. Sometimes growers accidentally overfeed their plants. This causes weakening and a change in color at the tips of the leaves. This is called the burning of nutrients. Flushing can remove this excess ... However, it is a drastic measure in the growth phase. So make sure the problem is stuffing up nutrients and not something else.
Practical details
Flushing your cannabis plants is a simple process. Untreated tap water is all you need to use for rinsing. But just be sure the pH is at the right level for your cannabis. The pH of the water should remain within the optimum range for the plants. It is between 6.0 and 6.8 for the ground. The pH cannot be below 5,8 for hydroponic systems. It is important to pay attention to the pH of the water to ensure that certain metals and salts will be properly removed during the process. Well water contains a healthy pH level and will not need treatment. But if it is necessary to add a treatment to adjust the pH of your rinse water, do not hesitate to do so.
Flood the ground with as much fresh water as it can hold. Let run for a few minutes to allow all the nutrients to be rinsed out… You must flood the soil to rinse your plant. If you are using inside the jars, note the color of the water that drains from the bottom. Normally it should be soiled and dirty ... Water the plants until the drainage is as clean as possible. Sometimes it is necessary to use a supplement (available in Growshops) which helps with drainage. However, it is not an essential tool for most Homegrowers.
A shower too early
When you flush the toilet on a cannabis plant too soon, you risk stunting its growth ... Because the buds are not receiving enough nutrients to develop properly. The right amount of nutrients, potency, quality, and weight of your buds may also be lower. Growth is therefore stunted during the most crucial phases of flowering and yields are reduced. The activity may be lower because the flowers do not have the nutrients necessary for THC development. And if the buds are also harvested too early, the loss of potency is at its maximum ...
Neglecting the pH of the water
Another problem, quite common and not to monitor the pH when flushing begins. It is important to maintain the pH at origin! This is to ensure that your plant uses the nutrients available properly. Maintaining pH is an exercise in prevention. This will prevent yellowing and leaf spots during flushing.
When the pH is too high or too low at the root of the plant, the chances of nutrient deficiencies are high ... In addition, your plant will tend to absorb more aluminum and salts from the water. Maintaining the pH will help prevent deficiencies and unwanted salt absorption. This while allowing your plant to use up its extra reserves of nutrients in the buds!
Duration of flushing
Generally, it is recommended to rinse the plants for a few days to 2 weeks. Unless you are on super modified ground. And there, for 2 weeks and without nutrients, the plant is likely to retard the growth of its buds. When the producer outside, the rinsing will be longer, but always in the two-week period, ie from 1 to 2 weeks.
For coconut substrates, just one watering or two with plain water is enough. Thus, producers using coconut fiber should only rinse their plants for a few days to a week. Everything will depend on how fast the plant turns yellow. When a hydro / DWC producer passes their tank to clear water, their plants literally have access and immediately to almost zero nutrients. For this reason, a hydro producer will usually have to rinse their plants a few days before harvest to prevent yellowing.
