Flushing..detrimental or beneficial?

[uraceulose]

What I mean is...

How do we know that the flush causes the plant to actually produce MORE THC?

Could it be that the plant is more so just trying to survive?

No doubt, it 'dries' it out quicker and provides a smoother taste quicker but is it really BENEFICIAL TO THE PLANTS THC PRODUCTION?

The benefit is supposedly from what I've read that the plant makes more triches to 'protect' itself or whatever but I just don't know how much sense that makes.

Thanks for any advice

 

[ydijadoit]

Ask this question anywhere, you are going to get 50/50 opinion, and start another "Flushing" war.
Nothing brings out the raging asshats from the woodwork like a good flushing debate.
I flush, for one week. Does it help? I dunno, would need a lab for that, and a college degree. Fresh outta both of those
I have smoked unflushed, and flushed. Flushing just makes me feel better, so I do it.
If it is not needed, and I am losing 10% yield, or potency, I don't care.
It's not for sale, and the stuff I grow blows my head off just fine.
If it does remove some nutrients from the plant, then I am doing a good thing. General Hydro makes good nutrients, but I wouldn't load up a bowl of them intentionally.
Good luck finding an answer you can hang your hat on, I still haven't.
Regards

 

[uraceulose]

Okay, well thank you for the response though. I have searched quite a bit over about 10 different forums and that's basically the answer I came up with also..

 

[fatigues]

Of course flushing helps. That plus RO for the last 10 days dramatically reduces NPK in the final product, changes the taste, smell and harshness on the lungs and throat. It has such an obvious effect on the final product that the color of the ash visibly changes.

While a degree in Biochemistry might help you better explain the botanical processes involved, you don't need one to see, smell and taste the benefits.

This isn't opinion - it's fact. It's the #1 reason that most of the hobby growers here on ICM are hobby growers at all. Commercial weed is rarely thoroughly flushed and starved and the final product suffers greatly for it.

I am surprised that this is even worthy of a serious question; it is clearly self-evident.

As for it being beneficial to THC production, who suggested that? That has never been the reason for flushing.

 

[ydijadoit]

Just playing Devil's advocate here... How about outdoor grown? I've smoked properly cured, sunshine grown bud, that was smooth, and white ash clean. I've also grown bud in DWC, that wasn't flushed, and came out clean and smooth.
Not being cynical, just an observation.
I do personally flush, but am only erring on the side of caution, due to lack of science. Sometimes "Bro logic" is good enough.
Regards

 

[uraceulose]

Of course flushing helps. That plus RO for the last 10 days dramatically reduces NPK in the final product, changes the taste, smell and harshness on the lungs and throat. It has such an obvious effect on the final product that the color of the ash visibly changes.

I am surprised that this is even worthy of a serious question; it is clearly self-evident.

As for it being beneficial to THC production, who suggested that? That has never been the reason for flushing.

I run RO water for the entire cycle.

Reducing NPK for the final 10 days in a DWC setup...this doesn't necessarily seem beneficial to me. I don't have a degree is biochemistry, do you?

It is NOT self evident unless you are an experienced grower, which I am not.

Not going to provide links to all the places where I've read it but will try to dig some up later this evening. There are quite a few sources of information online that claim it helps THC production at the end...

Supposedly the plants defense mechanism to the loss of nutrients causes it to dense up with resin as a final push to find pollen and look pretty/smell good.

It seems more logical to me to give the plant what it's been eating throughout the end of it's life..maybe a few days of straight RO PH'd water at the end.
The plant should dry out all of those "chemicals" that you say are in your discolored ash...it may take longer but seems more of the proper way to get the most production rather than the 'quickest' taste/dry.

 

[chileno1978]

Some people does flush, other does not ... is up to you, best thing: test it and decide for yourself.

IMO helps, for npk reduction (better smoke) and resin production. Since the plant need nutrients, but it does not have (defence mechanism). Also help reducing time between watering.

 

[hush]

In my experience, flushing for 1 to 2 weeks (depending on various factors) causes the plant to taper off the photosynthesizing, and instead concentrate on finishing. It always causes the pigmentations to come out, first of all, so things are prettier, and there is noticeably less chlorophyll in the buds at this point. But another benefit I've noticed is that the calyxes swell up and the pistils recede. So, whether you want to consider those aesthetic effects, or if you want to extrapolate from there and realize that those aesthetics will affect the smoke... that is up to you. But flushing certainly makes a difference.

 

[uraceulose]

Thanks so much..i'm just tossed up between whether to do it or not. I'm thinking to just flush for 2-3 days. Keep in mind there is no reducing/increasing watering times for this type of growing. The plants' roots are constantly submerged in aerated reservoir

 

[Haps]

The real question is....Are you a quality grower, or not? If you aspire to be a ganja guru, you want to make the best food grade product possible, flushing produces a cleaner end product, you can taste it on the tongue and in the lung. If you have done the rest of your job, the thc will be there, that is not what flushing is about.

Hap

 

[uraceulose]

Flush it is