I kind of prefer a combined approach… first of all when your bud has pretty much filled and you don’t see anymore expansion…stop feeding nutrients…just go water only. Then try the 48 hours of darkness before you chop them…The physiology of the dark period is solid…
But hey, I know everyone of your tagged growers have some great experience and have developed their own methods!!
Perhaps over a few grows, you can try a few and tell us what you like best!!!
I’m sorry guys, I didn’t phrase that right. I don’t want to flush now. I meant that period at the very end of your grow when people flush to get the nutrients clean out, hopefully for better tasting buds.
It doesn’t take long to flush using these nutrients in coco or promix. If you have a inert media like those once you run enough water through them to get the ppm down to at most 1000 ppm. Then they start consuming the chlorophyll in the leaves. This gives you the fade. How long you do it is up to you. I usually just give them straight water the last week of their life with normal waterings…
I use flawless finish (AN) 2 weeks before harvest then water only.
I found in coco that might be a bit soon.
But I also use different nutrients. I’ve used AN, and now it’s Jacks .
Well that’s a heck of question. Ive tried both ways. Ive smoked both.
flavors were very similar more terpy in the un flushed.
The flushed had a better white ash.
You could tell which was flushed only if you knew.
I flush mine but i also chop my plants with lights on. I tried lights out for 24 and 48 hrs could not tell any difference.
So i like to flush for 2 reasons
Helps get the old nutrients out of the root zone.
I find that flushing any remaining nutrients away forced the plant to use more of its own leaves as the food. And in turn causes the plant finish faster. Because the plant thinks this is it!
Now i have been playing with flushing and shortening the light period to even less than 12/12 ive been down to 6on/18off hrs light total. Interesting i say interesting! More stuff to do. My aim is to trigger a quicker ripening/developing effect to happen the seeds and speed the maturation of seeds. Had some issues doing this on seeded plants.
Prey I am sure you have probably already tried it, but I find if I lessen the light on time before flip it also shortens the amount of time it takes to get them through flower, and growing them at 16/8 rather than 18/6 make them go into flower earlier. Not sure if it hurts the yield as I don’t have but one tent so can’t get any subjective test one grow to the next. I also haven’t ever done clones and that is really the only way to get a real comparison.
Oh and I have only tasted a major difference in the smoothness of the smoke by going organic, now that makes a big difference. I used the Dakine last grow, but I also loaded my pots up with a lot of organic inputs and it really made it taste great, everyone commented on how smooth and flavorful it is.
If you want a good flush that is very reasonable in price and works good look at TPS Liquid Soil. Works great. They also just recently came out with a inocculant that is absolutely LOADED with fungi and bacteria, has it’s own feed base like Recharge and is reasonably priced. They call it billions. $39.99 for a pound, about $20 cheaper than Recharge.
Thanks so much everyone, for the advice and knowledge on flushing. I really appreciate all your inputs. I am about to check out those TPS Nutrients for flushing and/or I may just go with the clear water for the last week. I just like to plan ahead a little.
I’ve been reading up on flushing and have found so many different ideas. This is one of the sites I have been looking at:
Very good article, I never flush until the last 2-3 days before harvest. My thought was the same as the article, if you deprive them of nutrients, the last little bit of grow can’t happen.’
The PH meter Ed shows is the one I use the HM digital. Have had it for at least 6 years works perfect still. I also have the TDS meter by HM.
IDK…
Some people claim you flush to flush out leftover nutes out of your plant which I believe is utter bullshit because you simply can’t flush excess nutes (that would cause a harsh smoke) out of your plant.
I’ve also tried both and couldn’t tell a clear difference. I always used to flush in the end and now I’m kinda leaning towards not flushing. Because if you are just giving your plant what it needs (food!) right 'till the end, all you do is… giving your plant right what it needs in the end. And really, I don’t notice a difference in taste/smoke at all.
This video, I keep referring to it:
There are other reasons why I would flush:
I do believe this could be true as well:
And if we can’t notice much of a difference in taste and smoke and blabla then flushing is basically saving nutes.
The grow has been moving along pretty good. I flipped the tent to 12/12 on March 31. I’m not sure when to begin counting weeks for the flowering stage, so I am probably around the middle of week 7?
Anyway I seem to have developed a problem with the JB in the 5 gal pot. If you look at the pictures, the two buds right under the middle of the light panel began looking weird. I did some research and I think they are “fox-tailing”? And those leaves look burnt. I pushed them back towards the healthy part of the plant tonight and turned the light down from 100% to 80%. The tent did get up into the high 80’s over the weekend too. But I think I have the temp under control now, with my AC going.
On the bright side that FSC Reg plant that was a freebie from Chitown @automatik is really looking good and healthy. And besides the two funky buds, the rest of the JB plant looks healthy.
Looking good. Foxtailing leaves during flower is light stress. The yellowing of leaves happen as the flower draws from the leaves to get energy to produce bigger flowers.
Your plants look beautiful…your color is excellent!
Let’s talk a bit about what you’re seeing…
If this yellowing began/continues in the UPPER leaves, not the LOWER leaves this is definitely a LIGHT INTENSITY issue!!!
Nacho describes ‘nutrient robbing’ where LOWER leaves will start to yellow if the bud’s nutrient supply isn’t sufficient to support the forming buds.
@dirt, I am NOT qualified to advise you on lighting but there are MANY on here that can…I step aside and tag in @ravenchief@PreyBird1@wow_arizona to get the conversation started!
You know that doesn’t look right. Somethings up in the root zone. Either a lock out. Or and air pocket possibly not draining. The fact its happening on a central portion of the plant is odd. I do see foxtailing. But that may not be light related more stress related. But i dont know that strains grow traits. I had a plant that fox tailed when it was too far from the light. And bleached more when it was too close and in the middle the buds were perfect. Wish i had a par meter at that grow.
Plants look beautiful. If the light adjustment doesn’t take care of your yellowing I would do a flush to reset the root zone. I like to add a little calcium and magnesium to my flushing water it binds with the other nutrients and helps to flush be more complete. After the flush I would feed her at half strength for a day and see how she does. But it could very well be a light problem and moving the plant might have alleviated that issue.
Thanks for taking a look guys-I really appreciate it. I dimmed the lights 20% last night, but they are still in the dark. I won’t be able to check them until after work today. What @PreyBird1 said about stress related has me thinking now that they got too hot over the past weekend when the temp changed. Since then I have been keeping a closer eye on the overall room temp.
If it appears that the condition is spreading or getting worse, I’ll do the flush as @ravenchief suggests.
On my first grow last year, when I harvested, I noticed that there were spots in the soil and root zone of some of my plants that were completely dry and even dusty when I dumped the soil out of the fabric pots. Like dry spots underground. Maybe that is what’s happening now–not sure.
That is exactly what i suspect has happened. There seems like there is a dry spot in the root zone. I try and water with a wetting agent. Promix-hp has a wetting agent but if it dries out to much it is very hard get it saturated. This is another reason i water to run off. And i water a little and come back and water again. This gives the media more time to absorb the moisture properly.
@PreyBird1 Is there a wetting agent I could buy and add to my water? Bob mentioned something about that a while back but I never followed up on it
Or should I just water this plant to runoff to the end?
How I have been watering/feeding the three plants is, I mix up 1gallon of distilled water with Dakine nutes and each pot gets about 1/3 gallon each night around 8pm. Maybe that’s not enough. I worry about overwatering so might be doing this wrong.
i love these guys line of products. They used to offer a sample and you paid ship. But i cannot find the link on there site now…it looks to have been taken down. Damn i was ready for another sample…you can get 1 a year.
Are you using any Humic Acid (HA) in your media???
HA has many attributes, air/water penetration is only one of significant advantages.
If you haven’t been using HA WE NEED to talk!!!
Don’t buy anything fancy to aid water penetration issues…just put 3=4 drips/Gal of Dawn dish liquid!
PS It’s not something you need to do all the time…if you put your irrigation water on the surfaceof your soil and see it bead up…it’s time to do it…then just observe over time and reuse the detergent if you see the beading again. FWIW
