Originally published at: https://homegrowncannabisco.com/grow-your-own-with-kyle-kushman/water-nutrients/why-when-and-how-to-flush-marijuana-plants/
As with quite a few cannabis growing techniques, flushing your plants can seem counterintuitive. Why would you want to remove nutrients from the soil? Surely cannabis plants need nutrients to survive? On the contrary, there are a number of good reasons to flush your cannabis plants. This article will explore those reasons, answering questions like,…
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Thank you for the information!
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Except there’s no science behind pre harvest flushing.
It’s on par with people taking detoxifying laxatives to purge their system of “toxins”.
Depending on how early you flush you could also be affecting yields. A recent study shows that smokers actually preferred the taste of non flushed bud.
Learn how to properly cure and store if you want a smooth smoking herb.
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Howdy @vhawk! Thanks for posting, I was wondering about this myself. I definitely noticed that my first batch that I flushed for a full 2 weeks had lost a lot of the smell it had and I was wondering if I should have kept feeding. I might have just started the flush too early. But I think I’ll try at least one of my next batch feeding up until harvest. Happy growing!
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Flushing doesn’t make sense from a horticultural science position. Not unless you’re correcting ph. I slow my feeding after the buds are within a couple weeks because they’re just not packing on mass.
Good growing!
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Hmm, well after checking out that flushing trial article I’m rethinking flushing on my current batch. I know Kushman in the original post says he continues feeding with his vegamatrix up to harvest. Anyone have any experience with foxfarms line?
I’m 5 days into flush (foxfarms sledgehammer and now just clean ph’d water), and I’m now thinking maybe I should start feeding again a couple times before they finish?
Any thoughts/personal experience on it varying the flush/no flush @Khatru, @MDBuds, @DollarBill, @Kronic? Input from anyone who has tried would be appreciated.
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Well @CoolBubs, I never really flush in the way many do.
I simply discontinue the bloom nutes (Fox Farm BigBloom)1 week before harvesting.
I will just water regularly with plain water, not watering to the point of water running out of the containers. This has worked for me over the years.
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Thanks @Khatru! Got it, so cut out the Big Bloom (the bat guano/earthworm castings). Though continue with maybe a couple Tiger Bloom feedings the last week, maybe a bit of molasses? Or just the regular water? I’ll take your word with that dank you grow! 
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@CoolBubs flushing and when to flush all depends on what fertilizers and nutrients you use as well as what environment the plant was in.
In a safe environment without toxic chemicals in the air or water a plant grown only using organic nutrients in soil or hydro will not need to be flushed. Not flushing will not harm the final product though it will take an extra week or two to finish the cure.
If the plant is in an environment where it has come in contact with harmful chemicals or a toxic atmosphere or chemical nutrients were used a flush is necessary to pull those toxins out through osmosis and a water cure may also be necessary depending on the nature of the contamination. If your plant has unnatural chemical fertilizers or other toxins in it even if cured properly it is dangerous to smoke and can literally combust in blue/green flames. It will be harsh and toxic to smoke.
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Lotsa people have good results with lotsa different approaches.
The way I’ve been doing it works for me.
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Oh dang there’s no magic, all-working method? 
Okay yeah that all makes sense, thanks for all the knowledge y’all! 
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@CoolBubs i never flush, tried it twice wasn’t satisfied. i normally don’t use anything that won’t naturally flush during watering. and very light on anything i do use. Runt Plant of 6 Gorilla Glue #4 Fem. tastes dang good to me 
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I remeber when I could by a lid for 50$. That was a sandwich baggie so full you could just close the flap over the top of the bag, probably 2-3oz, but noone weighed back then, we just used our fingers.
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@Khatru 4 Finger Oz’s
after that bud rests and cools down from soaking in sugar wax and rolled in kief it’s one solid block of Hash @Rye
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FLUSHING - For about 5 years I was a major grower and flushing was always a controversial issue. I personally did not like it for it DEFINITELY reduced the smell of the product. When selling, first is visual, second is smell, then feel and then taste. There were times I would flush and times I would not. When I experimented with nutrients and tried to force grow (mostly during flower phase), the nutrients left an aftertaste that was frowned upon by some of my perveyors. Most users cannot discern the aftertaste but the major buyers had stringent rules. Other major buyers cared about the look, smell and feel (moisture content). That is what sold the product. I could tell the difference between them and preferred flushed for the taste but non-flushed for the aroma. After calculating ROI, I determined that the cost of the proprietary nutrients did not warrant the increase in production. Growth was mostly based on LIGHT, humidity, CO2. Using simple 20-10-20 throughout the grow phase produced 90+% of growth attained by specialized nutes. When I retired (burned out) from growing (by the way - straight hydro - nothing compared to growth attained using hydro), I just started growing for my personal use only. I did notice that organic and soil produced a MUCH HIGHER quality in both smell and taste and effects than all those special nutrient additives. Obviously my yield is lower but for my personal, this is well worth it
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Sugar wax? I’m not sure what you did here, but it totally looks awesome!!!
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@Kris i know it’s tough when some one throws out pics and believe me without a Channel on a youtube or such it’s hard to explain processing without video like @Kronic has. just click his name here then the link on the youtube search . click Subscribe . he gets around to something new all the time. 
hint hint 
You’ve reached the maximum number of likes. Please wait 7 hours before trying again. To Me 
best Sugar Wax and best Kief comes from first wash only, after that, any of the other less tasty stuff is made and no cough Big Tingle
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@CoolBubs I always flush to prompt the excess sugars out of my plants but that’s also because I give a high ppm feeding right at that 14 day marker and I’m flushing the soil of the excess stuff. I do Ice Flushing as well and my flushing is mainly to just rid the soil of the excess nutrients being dumped by the plant so she can continue to flush through her ones in her leaves. I also do Ice Flush for colors. For synthetic or par synthetic nutrient lines flushing is absolutely necessary to not have a chemical taste left in the bud, regardless you’ll have trace amounts as you can’t flush out anything that’s already developed inside of bud structure. What you’re flushing out is the excess nutrients in the trim / sugar leaves to help create a smoother, cleaner product that will taste more clearer with terpenes rather than any nutrients or excess salts left in any plant matter.
I grow organics for that reason and personally I rush Aphrodite’s Extraction and Terpinator all the way to harvest, so even my true flush isn’t a flush. They always maintain sugar, carbs, and carbon.
@DollarBill Thank you so much man I really appreciate that! I’m actually posting a new video today, tomorrow, and Tuesday! Daily vids for a few days haha 
BIG GIVEAWAY coming too 
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