I’ve heard so much conflicting information about flushing it’s ridiculous.
Flushing is the process of using nutrient-free water for irrigation in hydroponic systems, or achieving neutral/original TDS (total dissolved solids) runoff in soil systems. This is traditionally started some time two weeks before harvest and continues up until harvest.
The benefits are purportedly cleaner tasting bud and a higher quality product, but how much of this is true and how much is myth?
It’s clear that when the leaves start to yellow, the plant is pulling nutrients out, but does this actually have any effect on the quality of the buds? Do the salts really stay behind and effect the color of the ash? The science is definitely out on this one.
Some people will say it does matter, others will tell you it can’t hurt. A growing school of thought is that the flush weakens the plant’s immune system and opens you up to bud rot.
I’ve decided, based on all of this information, to flush for 48 hours before harvest. I have a hydroponic system and I’ll be collecting the runoff separately instead of recycling to make sure my flush water is always clean. 48 hours should be long enough to get any benefits while not weakening the plant to the point of disease.
What do you do? Do you flush? Have you ever noticed any difference?