# DWC "FLUSHING" with...................... ?? - STELTHY



## stelthy (Nov 15, 2011)

Hi one and all, I am steadily approaching my Harvest date and would really like to hear from all DWC growers what their best method of 'Flushing' is what they/you use ie/ Plain PH balanced water, or a flushing agent etc etc.. ??

I would like to hear all views : Pro's and Cons, and from what point you start the flush & for what duration etc etc... Infact please add as much info as humanly possible on DWC Flushing techniques!


Great replys/post's = GREAT +REP!


I hope others find this thread helpful, many thanks - STELTHY


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## wiimb (Nov 15, 2011)

been watching your plant on the quite grow and i think she is the shit! 
job well done!
Plain water and change regular is what i do to flush pal


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## stelthy (Nov 15, 2011)

wiimb said:


> been watching your plant on the quite grow and i think she is the shit!
> job well done!
> Plain water and change regular is what i do to flush pal


Have you always used just PH balanced water to flush...or have you tried any other Flushing products? How long do you flush for? - STELTHY


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## wiimb (Nov 15, 2011)

i have never finshed a flush as i have only done one grow and they day i put them in flower the got pinched 
and i never added any thing but plain water and i was going to change water every 2 or 3 days untill weeks flush is finshed 
here my video of my last grow 
[video=youtube;da5tGpRmDKA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da5tGpRmDKA&lc=pCZFqqEiirPui89acAnpHpo6gChJ8NI2I3GDqkfNmgA&feature=inbox[/video]


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## stelthy (Nov 15, 2011)

wiimb said:


> i have never finshed a flush as i have only done one grow and they day i put them in flower the got pinched
> and i never added any thing but plain water and i was going to change water every 2 or 3 days untill weeks flush is finshed
> here my video of my last grow
> [video=youtube;da5tGpRmDKA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da5tGpRmDKA&lc=pCZFqqEiirPui89acAnpHpo6gChJ8NI2I3GDqkfNmgA&feature=inbox[/video]


Nice...what strain was she? ... its a shame someone stole her/them.. how'd that happen? How many liters did/do your DWC buckets hold? - STELTHY


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## wiimb (Nov 15, 2011)

here m8 as much as i like talking on RIU and other poeples threads mate i have just sucked a huge bong and im bakedd lol
heres a link to the babys of these in the same set-up same buckets same strain 
https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/472326-fuk-out-old-new.html


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## stelthy (Nov 15, 2011)

wiimb said:


> here m8 as much as i like talking on RIU and other poeples threads mate i have just sucked a huge bong and im bakedd lol
> heres a link to the babys of these in the same set-up same buckets same strain
> https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/472326-fuk-out-old-new.html


Lol ok dude  I am just loading a bucket + bottomless 1.5L JD bottle gunna take a huge hit and chill for the next few hours I'll check out your LINK in a sec, cheers for your input though  - STELTHY


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## wiimb (Nov 15, 2011)

no bother mate any time


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## rowlman (Nov 15, 2011)

stelthy said:


> Hi one and all, I am steadily approaching my Harvest date and would really like to hear from all DWC growers what their best method of 'Flushing' is what they/you use ie/ Plain PH balanced water, or a flushing agent etc etc.. ??
> 
> I would like to hear all views : Pro's and Cons, and from what point you start the flush & for what duration etc etc... Infact please add as much info as humanly possible on DWC Flushing techniques!
> 
> ...


Holy fuckin shit on a stck!...thats one bushy plant...you gatta post the yield on that baby!
I flush for the last 2 weeks with just water PH'd at 6.0-6.3 or so. I've harvested after only a few days of flush with no difference too though. 
Nice job !


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## stelthy (Nov 15, 2011)

rowlman said:


> Holy fuckin shit on a stck!...thats one bushy plant...you gatta post the yield on that baby!
> I flush for the last 2 weeks with just water PH'd at 6.0-6.3 or so. I've harvested after only a few days of flush with no difference too though.
> Nice job !









Feel free to check out my thread:-



https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/320402-stelthys-600w-hps-project-new-64.html



The LINK shows the building of my cab, my 1st grow in the cab and this one (Royal Haze ^^ Above) hope you enjoy it 

cheers for your input  - STELTHY


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## ATL HYDRO (Nov 15, 2011)

Plain water with about 80ml of final phase for my 10 gallon system, then ph balance water and wait 1-2 weeks.


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## nick17gar (Nov 16, 2011)

stelthy said:


>


Um yea that looks dank dude

when i did DWC, and now in soil, i refuse to flush unless theres an issue. i do taper off nutrients towards the end, and the last 2 weeks or so i use 0 *chems*. 
i say Chems specifically because when im getting ready to harvest, i use sugars/carbs/juice extracts til the last day. this last harvest, i had watered a bit with different extracts (lemon / orange) and the taste is there. on another i kept doing chems til the last day, and its harsh. 

the best thing ive done so far, was cut off all nutrients about 2 weeks before harvest, leave sugars (molasses) and kept using that bottle of "sweet" til the last day. i added pure water and that stuff, and the residual chems in the reservoir kept being diluted over and over til they were all nil.

either way no matter what ya decide to do, looks like you got something well worth being proud of. grats man!

EDIT: i cut off the water pumps 1-2days before too, when they go into that 24-36hr dark period. it gets them a lil drier, faster. (if growing peppers, it makes the peppers spicier too. "thats a spicy meatball!". i got some big nugs, and spicy peppers lol)


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## woodsmaneh! (Nov 16, 2011)

Very nice plant, like wow!

*
Pr-harvest flushing puts the plants under serious stress.*

I don't flush and have not done so for about 10 years. I found that starving my plants of food was counter productive. No-one in the growing world does this but weed farmers and the only reason people do it is manufactures can sell shitty products. If you cut back on the food by 50% you will get a better yield and that's what we all want. Now for some reasons not to flush, when you flush with water the first element to flush out is N, but when the N is gone it locks up other elements like Magnesium. Without Nitrogen mag stays where it is, in your plant. Evey smoke weed that popped and sparked? So if you must flush always use 25% of recommended nutrients. The other thing is the smoke and taste are all done in curing not flushing. 


I put the summery first, It is also backed up by science links attached. 


*Summary:* 
*
Pre-harvest flushing puts the plant(s) under serious stress.*  The plant has to deal with nutrient deficiencies in a very important part of its cycle. Strong changes in the amount of dissolved substances in the root-zone stress the roots, possibly to the point of direct physical damage to them. Many immobile elements are no more available for further metabolic processes. We are losing the fan leaves and damage will show likely on new growth as well. 

The grower should react in an educated way to the plant needs. Excessive, deficient or unbalanced levels should be avoided regardless the nutrient source. Nutrient levels should be gradually adjusted to the lesser needs in later flowering. Stress factors should be limited as far as possible. If that is accomplished throughout the entire life cycle, there shouldnt be any excessive nutrient compounds in the plants tissue. It doesnt sound likely to the author that you can correct growing errors (significant lower mobile nutrient compound levels) with pre-harvest flushing.  

*For one thing, the most common way that growers flush their crops is by giving their crops water that has no nutrients in it. But this doesn't fully cleanse your crops. It only starves your plants so they lose vigorous floral growth and resin percentages just before harvest. Other growers use flushing formulas that generally consist of a few chemicals that sometimes have the ability to pull a limited amount of residues out of your plants.* 


*Nutrient fundamentals and uptake:* 

Until recently it was common thought that all nutrients are absorbed by plant roots as ions of mineral elements. However in newer studies more and more evidence emerged that additionally plant roots are capable of taking up complex organic molecules like amino acids directly thus bypassing the mineralization process.  

The major nutrient uptake processes are: 

1) Active transport mechanism into root hairs (the plant has to put energy in it, ATP driven) which is selective to some degree. This is one way the plant (being immobile) can adjust to the environment.  

2) Passive transport (diffusion) through symplast to endodermis.  

http://www.biol.sc.edu/courses/bio102/f99-3637.html 

The claim only chemical ferted plants need to be flushed should be taken with a grain of salt. Organic and synthetic ferted plants take up mineral ions alike, probably to a different degree though. Many influences play key roles in the taste and flavour of the final bud, like the nutrition balance and strength throughout the entire life cycle of the plant, the drying and curing process and other environmental conditions.  

3) Active transport mechanism of organic molecules into root hairs via endocytosis.  

*Here is a simplified overview of nutrient functions:* 

Nitrogen is needed to build chlorophyll, amino acids, and proteins. Phosphorus is necessary for photosynthesis and other growth processes. Potassium is utilized to form sugar and starch and to activate enzymes. Magnesium also plays a role in activating enzymes and is part of chlorophyll. Calcium is used during cell growth and division and is part of the cell wall. Sulphur is part of amino acids and proteins.  

Plants also require trace elements, which include boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, sodium, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, and silicon.  

Copper, iron, and manganese are used in photosynthesis. Molybdenum, nickel, and cobalt are necessary for the movement of nitrogen in the plant. Boron is important for reproduction, while chlorine stimulates root growth and development. Sodium benefits the movement of water within the plant and zinc is needed for enzymes and used in auxins (organic plant hormones). Finally, silicon helps to build tough cell walls for better heat and drought tolerance.  

http://www.sidwell.edu 

You can get an idea from this how closely all the essential elements are involved in the many metabolic processes within the plant, often relying on each other.  

*Nutrient movement and mobility inside the plant:* 

Besides endocytosis, there are two major pathways inside the plant, the xylem and the phloem. When water and minerals are absorbed by plant roots, these substances must be transported up to the plant's stems and leaves for photosynthesis and further metabolic processes. This upward transport happens in the xylem. While the xylem is able to transport organic compounds, the phloem is much more adapted to do so.  

The organic compounds thus originating in the leaves have to be moved throughout the plant, upwards and downwards, to where they are needed. This transport happens in the phloem. Compounds that are moving through the phloem are mostly:  
Sugars as sugary saps, organic nitrogen compounds (amino acids and amides, ureides and legumes), hormones and proteins. 

http://www.sirinet.net 

Not all nutrient compounds are movable within the plant.  

1) N, P, K, Mg and S are considered mobile: they can move up and down the plant in both xylem and phloem.  
Deficiency appears on old leaves first. 

2) Ca, Fe, Zn, Mo, B, Cu, Mn are considered immobile: they only move up the plant in the xylem.  
Deficiency appears on new leaves first. 

http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu 

*Storage organelles:* 

Salts and organic metabolites can be stored in storage organelles. The most important storage organelle is the vacuole, which can contribute up to 90% of the cell volume. The majority of compounds found in the vacuole are sugars, polysaccharides, organic acids and proteins though.  

http://jeb.biologists.org.pdf 

*Trans-location:* 

Now that the basics are explained, we can take a look at the trans-location process. It should be already clear that only mobile elements can be trans located through the phloem. Immobile elements cant be trans located and are not more available to the plant for further metabolic processes and new plant growth.  

Since flushing (in theory) induces a nutrient deficiency in the root-zone, the translocation process aids in the plants survival. Trans-location is transportation of assimilates through the phloem from source (a net exporter of assimilate) to sink (a net importer of assimilate). Sources are mostly mature fan leaves and sinks are mostly apical meristems, lateral meristem, fruit, seed and developing leaves etc.  

You can see this by the yellowing and later dying of the mature fan leaves from the second day on after flushing started. Developing leaves, bud leaves and calyxes dont serve as sources, they are sinks. Changes in those plant parts are due to the deficient immobile elements which start to indicate on new growth first.  

Unfortunately, several metabolic processes are unable to take place anymore since other elements needed are no longer available (the immobile ones). This includes processes where nitrogen and phosphorus, which have likely the most impact on taste, are involved.  

For example nitrogen: usually plants use nitrogen to form plant proteins. Enzyme systems rapidly reduce nitrate-N (NO3-) to compounds that are used to build amino-nitrogen which is the basis for amino acids. Amino acids are building blocks for proteins; most of them are plant enzymes responsible for all the chemical changes important for plant growth.  

Sulphur and calcium among others have major roles in production and activating of proteins, thereby decreasing nitrate within the plant. Excess nitrate within the plant may result from unbalanced nutrition rather than an excess of nitrogen.  

http://muextension.missouri.edu 

*Summary:* 

Pre-harvest flushing puts the plant(s) under serious stress. The plant has to deal with nutrient deficiencies in a very important part of its cycle. Strong changes in the amount of dissolved substances in the root-zone stress the roots, possibly to the point of direct physical damage to them. Many immobile elements are no more available for further metabolic processes. We are losing the fan leaves and damage will show likely on new growth as well.  

The grower should react in an educated way to the plant needs. Excessive, deficient or unbalanced levels should be avoided regardless the nutrient source. Nutrient levels should be gradually adjusted to the lesser needs in later flowering. Stress factors should be limited as far as possible. If that is accomplished throughout the entire life cycle, there shouldnt be any excessive nutrient compounds in the plants tissue. It doesnt sound likely to the author that you can correct growing errors (significant lower mobile nutrient compound levels) with pre-harvest flushing.  

Drying and curing (when done right) on the other hand have proved (In many studies) to have a major impact on taste and flavour, by breaking down chlorophylls and converting starches into sugars. Most attributes blamed on un-flushed buds may be the result of unbalanced nutrition and/or over fertilization and improper drying/curing.


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## kindnugz (Nov 16, 2011)

Wow, nice plant! LST/Scrogging like this is the way to go if you have the time and patience for a longer veg cycle. It also helps maximize your output if you are limited to a certain number of flowering plants according to state mmj laws. 

When I switch to flush mode, I use a Botanicaire ClearEx solution in a garden sprayer to spray down and flush out the entire inside of the 19 gallon plastic bin and underside of the net pot. You can see the clearex carrying away all kinds of residue. I flush a second time with PH 5.8 water to make sure it is all rinsed out. A PPM meter is helpful to make sure of a good flush. Then I'm ready for a week of running with water only. 

To be honest I am incapable of telling flushed from non-flushed weed when I smoke it. I am still working on refining those skills. That doesn't stop me from striving to put out the best possible medical bud that I can!


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## ChronicClouds (Nov 16, 2011)

I PH to 5.5 for flushing. I like to change my reservoir back to back at least twice before I cut.


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## stelthy (Nov 17, 2011)

Hmm..some useful info so far... I am still on the fence as to whether to keep feeding with 25% of my nuitrient measures or whether to just use PH balanced water either on its own or with a flushing agent... I am wondering how much growth I'll lose if I just use PH balanced water with or without the flushing agent instead of feeding until the end ??

Has anyone kinda flushed ie/ cut out all nuits except Boost, or Cha-Ching ?? ,,, I wonder if this would help, and or increase bud size whilst also clearing the plant from the other nuitrient build-ups etc ??

I have am due to start Flushing tommoz.. so its crucial now that I decide upon the best way to bring my lady to her glorious end. I could cut out all nuits except either Boost or Cha-Ching for the duration of 1 week and then in the final week .. then... use just PH Balanced water!??



Also on a separate note whats the deal with water curing? Pro's n Con's please  !! ............. many thanks - STELTHY


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## nick17gar (Nov 17, 2011)

i just dont think its good to starve them. the plants dont like flushing them with a huge amount of pure water, so thats an added stress at the very end of the life cycle. i think cutting back on nutes will allow the plant to use the build up nutrients. 

i agree with woodsmanah, no one other than pot growers flush. at the same time no one other than pot growers probably give as much of a fuck about their plants. 
even when doing peppers, and going for spicy spicy peppers i dont flush, i just stop using nutes towards the end, and dont water the last day or 2. 
i dont think ive ever heard of anyone that does fruits or veggies actually "flush" the plant with tons of water to remove chems.

Perhaps the best thing to do now is to break off a branch, mail it to me, ill smoke it. then stop using ferts, mail me branch #2, ill smoke that, then flush it, mail me branch 3 and ill smoke that. ill holler when my research is complete =)

really it seems like a trade off, the flushing is said to lower the harsh-ness of the smoke, but at the same time it can cut down on potency. id rather a lil tingle in the back of the throat, and a massive high, then sucking in something that refreshing on the throat and not getting high at all.


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## k0ijn (Nov 17, 2011)

stelthy said:


> Hi one and all, I am steadily approaching my Harvest date and would really like to hear from all DWC growers what their best method of 'Flushing' is what they/you use ie/ Plain PH balanced water, or a flushing agent etc etc.. ??
> 
> I would like to hear all views : Pro's and Cons, and from what point you start the flush & for what duration etc etc... Infact please add as much info as humanly possible on DWC Flushing techniques!
> 
> ...





Congrats on such a fine result 

I do not flush myself and therefore cannot recommend it but what I know from people who flush, they tend to use RO water pH'ed properly.
I would like to point out that flushing plants haven't been shown to improve taste, harshness factor, odour or anything else even though people might say so, even though people like Jorge Cervantes might say so.
It's a disputed issue and the two sides are basically:



Pro: 
You can improve the harshness factor (reducing it) by flushing and some also claim to have taste & odour improvements.
^ This is very disputed.

Flushing is key in correcting medium imbalances (mineral buildup etc.), pH problems and other 'growing errors'.
This is not really flushing per se, but what is known as *leeching*.
^ This is probably the most important fact about 'flushing', since it's proven and is used by everyone (every time you change water in a hydro DWC setup you are basically flushing (wether that may be removing stale water, changing pH or adding / taking nutrients).
The important thing to know is that even when you leech you do not remove any nutrients stored in the plant you can only correct errors in the medium and the water.



Con:
Removing nutrients in the most critical phase of flowering is logically not a smart thing to do since you deprive the plant(s) of their 'food' and in turn thereby lower their ability to reach their full potential. 
What is proven to affect harshness, smoke, odour, taste etc. is a drying & curing, therefore it would seem logical to focus on that part.






When all is said and done, it's a preference call for many, and it's taken very lightly sometimes, which results in a lot of errors.
Your best bet is to try it all out for yourself and read the conclusions as to better your personal grow.



I however will still advice against doing it, no matter what, you will starve your plants at the most critical time and it will affect the outcome of your harvest.


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## nick17gar (Nov 18, 2011)

so how long did you veg/flower this plant anyways? that photo makes me wanna try some scrog.


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## mike91sr (Nov 18, 2011)

k0ijn said:


> The important thing to know is that even when you leech you do not remove any nutrients stored in the plant you can only correct errors in the medium and the water.


Question about this. Based on chemical/physical properties of osmosis/diffusion, the plant would sense the lower concentration of nutrients in their environment compared to roots. So it would either:
A. Take up extreme amounts of water in an attempt to dilute the higher concentrate of nutrients inside the plant
B. Expel nutrients into the medium to raise the concentration


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## k0ijn (Nov 18, 2011)

mike91sr said:


> Question about this. Based on chemical/physical properties of osmosis/diffusion, the plant would sense the lower concentration of nutrients in their environment compared to roots. So it would either:
> A. Take up extreme amounts of water in an attempt to dilute the higher concentrate of nutrients inside the plant
> B. Expel nutrients into the medium to raise the concentration





When I talk about nutrients stored in the plant I don't mean the root zone.
Nutrients are stored in the leaves (not in the buds as many people think).

Osmosis concerns the roots of the plant since only it takes effect when a cell is submerged in water and tries to level the solution ration between itself and the water, that is basically the process of osmosis.
Therefore a cannabis plant will not retrieve nutrients stored in the leaves and expel them into the medium (water, if we're talking hydro) to balance the solution in ratio to what was already being processed by the roots.

The cells in the roots (if submerged inwater) however will diffuse or take up more water based on the solute ratio.

There are 3 possible reactions:

_If the medium is hypotonic &#8212; a dilute solution, with a higher water concentration than the cell &#8212; the cell will gain water through osmosis.
If the medium is isotonic &#8212; a solution with exactly the same water concentration as the cell &#8212; there will be no net movement of water across the cell membrane.
If the medium is hypertonic &#8212; a concentrated solution, with a lower water concentration than the cell &#8212; the cell will lose water by osmosis._


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## mr. green thumb 01 (Nov 18, 2011)

wow good thread. i personally do flush for a week with a flushing agent and RO water seems to bring the trichs out more. Unflushed does seem to taste harsh to me and not burn smooth also crackles and pops when you smoke it. I would say atleast a 3day flush min.

No nutes at the end is ok IMO the plant has plenty of stored nutes and as long as they are not yellowing and dieing then they are not starving.
Stress can also be good at the end to bring out the trichs in my opinion and thats why alot of people do the few days to a week of complete darkness to STRESS the plant into knowing its dieing so she gives you all she has. I also like the part where someone said they cut off the water pumps the last couple days and I also withdraw the water a 2-3 days before harvest

I only say this for DWC because in soil I do feel like flushing pretty much drowns your plants and if in SOIL to just back the nute off at the end.

And did I hear someone say that less nutes equals more yield or something like that? Not always true to much nutes at the wrong time can cause more harm but not less nutes the whole time. If you hit your plants with a shit ton on p&k at the right time you will get soda can flowers everywhere.


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## mr. green thumb 01 (Nov 18, 2011)

k0ijn said:


> When I talk about nutrients stored in the plant I don't mean the root zone.
> Nutrients are stored in the leaves (not in the buds as many people think).
> 
> Osmosis concerns the roots of the plant since only it takes effect when a cell is submerged in water and tries to level the solution ration between itself and the water, that is basically the process of osmosis.
> ...


It does seem my plants do drink 2x the amount of water during the flush though is this them looking for more nutes?... very interesting.. and soggy buds equal mold&rot hmmmmm


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## vapedup (Nov 18, 2011)

of course u want to flush some, i do a week, but 3 days of flushing in hydro should be fine, also a tip, turn the air supply off to the water for the last 3 days, will help with curing, sure someone will say im trippin, but its a fact


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## k0ijn (Nov 19, 2011)

mr. green thumb 01 said:


> No nutes at the end is ok IMO the plant has plenty of stored nutes and as long as they are not yellowing and dieing then they are not starving.
> Stress can also be good at the end to bring out the trichs in my opinion and thats why alot of people do the few days to a week of complete darkness to STRESS the plant into knowing its dieing so she gives you all she has. I also like the part where someone said they cut off the water pumps the last couple days and I also withdraw the water a 2-3 days before harvest



The plant stores nutrients in the leaves but that doesn't mean that removing nutrients (by flushing, which is in sense leeching and _not_ flushing, a common misunderstanding) will leave the plant with less 'food'.
You will stunt the plants exponential growth near the end of flowering by depriving it of nutrients, and what will happen is that the plant will start to eat itself to survive, contributing to slower growth.
It has never been proved that stress is good for plants, and the thing about "bringing out trichs" by stressing is pure conjecture.

Removing the source of energy from any living organism doesn't improve the organism, it slowly destroys and breaks it down.
That is basic biology. 




mr. green thumb 01 said:


> I only say this for DWC because in soil I do feel like flushing pretty much drowns your plants and if in SOIL to just back the nute off at the end.
> 
> And did I hear someone say that less nutes equals more yield or something like that? Not always true to much nutes at the wrong time can cause more harm but not less nutes the whole time. If you hit your plants with a shit ton on p&k at the right time you will get soda can flowers everywhere.



Actually, leeching (what you are calling flushing) is more important for soil growers, since a buildup of minerals is inevitable.
Hydroponic grows don't have the same issues, since water is replaced and the buildup of minerals much easier to control.

Nutrient solutions in ratio to yield are important, but too high a concentration or too low a concentration are both harmful to plants.
You want the middle ground, the perfect ratio of a solution relative to how old the plant is.




mr. green thumb 01 said:


> It does seem my plants do drink 2x the amount of water during the flush though is this them looking for more nutes?... very interesting.. and soggy buds equal mold&rot hmmmmm



The cells submerged in water will gain water through osmosis when you leech, since the nutrient concentration outside of cells in the roots is diluted.
Therefore it might seem like the plant is drinking more water, in fact it's the cells in the roots which are affected by the hypotonic medium and therefore almost bursting themselves by taking up H2O.








vapedup said:


> of course u want to flush some, i do a week, but 3 days of flushing in hydro should be fine, also a tip, turn the air supply off to the water for the last 3 days, will help with curing, sure someone will say im trippin, but its a fact


That makes no sense at all.
Why would you remove the oxygen from the water? If you remove the oxygen from the water you are basically strangling the roots, killing the plant.

And in what way would that help with curing of all things?
Do you have any proof of this conjecture?


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## mr. green thumb 01 (Nov 19, 2011)

thank you koign I will give this a shot next tub. I appreciate the good info. Sounds like you know what your talking about...its worth a shot imo

So ripening is with in the plant its self and keeping nutes helps this happen faster? And flushing lengthens this process? I always though flushing helped to ripening the plant But then again I have always flushed-leeched or wutever for a short period at least 3days but I dunno just trying to get this all into stoner terms lol. 

I will post my non flushing results or 1/4strenth nutes in a few wks thanks again.


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## k0ijn (Nov 20, 2011)

mr. green thumb 01 said:


> thank you koign I will give this a shot next tub. I appreciate the good info. Sounds like you know what your talking about...its worth a shot imo
> 
> So ripening is with in the plant its self and keeping nutes helps this happen faster? And flushing lengthens this process? I always though flushing helped to ripening the plant But then again I have always flushed-leeched or wutever for a short period at least 3days but I dunno just trying to get this all into stoner terms lol.
> 
> I will post my non flushing results or 1/4strenth nutes in a few wks thanks again.



Yw 

How a plant grows is very scientific and complicated, and yes it does take place within the plant, cells convert energy and minerals so the plant can grow.
What determines ripening though is a little bit more complicated, the amount of light and the period (length) of light the plant receives tells it to start producing flowers.
Depending on the strain, and the many variables (light, air, CO2, water, nutrient solution etc.) it takes anywhere from ~6 weeks to ~15 weeks of flowering before it's reach peak maturity.
Leeching plants take away their main source of 'food' if you will, you remove nutrients right at the most pivotal time in the flowering phase, this affects the plant.
Just like it would affect a human being if you took away food, your body would start to eat itself, the same is true for a plant.

There is no scientific proof of leeching improving the plants flower production, ripening or anything else.
Many people claim all sorts of improvements, like more trichomes, faster growth etc.
I have never seen one shred of proof of any of these claims.

What leeching is good for (and might I add, excellent for) is correcting errors.
Like an imbalanced nutrient concentration, medium with too high or too low pH, mineral buildup etc.

That is what experienced growers use leeching for.


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## KLITE (Aug 23, 2013)

I find this information very interesting, I have always been a 2 week plain ro water ph'd changed 2-3 times a week flusher. I have tried previously flushing in dwc for just 1 week, chaning water every 2 days and correcting ph and no flushing solutions. I was incredibly displeased with the final result to say the least, even with a 2 week slow drying process nd 1 month cure the smoke was harsh and just not that tasty (good genetics and grown with all the food love care ventilation lighting and attention)... Maybe going 2 full weeks might be two much, however im beggining to think 10 days is the best... About to harvest something that will have been with water for 1 week changed 2 and now final phase for the last week (first time it's tried, my pal insisted on it..) but will post results of this experiment. I have been very impressed so far with how much weight the buds still pack on without any nutes in the water, but weak branches make me realize the plant needs its nitrogen... I think 3 days is way too little! especially after my 1 week experiment.


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## LivingCanvas (Aug 23, 2013)

Most flushing agents are simply glucose/sucrose and water, IE sugar water.

There are a few thoughts on flushing in DWC. Now unlike soil/coco/rockwool/etc
we use only water. (And maybe pebbles/rockwool blocks) Because of this our "medium"
is non accumulative. It only ever contains a constantly shifting nutrient concentration.

In soil/coco/rockwool drip every time you fertilize, nutrients accumulate in the soil/coco/rockwool.
If one doesn't account for this, unused elements can reach excessively high concentrations, which
will need to be flushed out of the medium to avoid continued uptake and a bad flavor.

If you don't run excessive ppms in DWC you shouldn't need to "flush" the plants.
If you are going to do it, I always run R/O water and DON'T pH. I don't pH it because I'm not trying 
to have the plant take up MORE nutrients. I thought we were trying to FLUSH them out!? Water doesn't
need to be pHed if there's no nutrients in it. (IE R/O water) 

What I would suggest: If you have been running HIGH PPMS (1500;1800+) then simply drop them back
and ease them off the sauce. Keep dropping your PPMs til they're at low levels FOR YOUR SYSTEM. Some systems
supply nutrients differently, and will already use lower PPMs (such as the undercurrent system). If ppms are that 
low, you don't really need to flush. (Because DWC is not an "accumulative" medium/system)

Clearex is sometimes one such flushing agent. I've read the label at the shop where I used to sell it. It's just sugar water. 
You can buy it if you want, but plain water is cheaper. But here's one parting thought: Is it worth running 1500+ ppms during flower,
worth 2 weeks, 10 days, 7 days of "starving" your plant? Maybe try a test this harvest. 

**Cut a couple small sample colas before your flush. Flush everything else per usual. Compare the results.
I know everyone will argue that you always need to flush, but I'm more interested in finding the truth than just following others ideas.


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## KLITE (Aug 24, 2013)

LivingCanvas said:


> Clearex is sometimes one such flushing agent. I've read the label at the shop where I used to sell it. It's just sugar water.
> You can buy it if you want, but plain water is cheaper. But here's one parting thought: Is it worth running 1500+ ppms during flower,
> worth 2 weeks, 10 days, 7 days of "starving" your plant? Maybe try a test this harvest.
> 
> ...


I have been told by a very experienced grower when giving plants very high doses of nutrients actually builds up a stock amongst roots and even in the plant itself (no idea how accurate this is, he did grow for longer than i had shaved and worked in an hydroponic pepper farm in holland). The reason why i think flushing agents can be good is to break up the salt build up in the tank more than flushing out anything, but i don't know. Well seems like it's not just drying and curing that appears to be an art... flushing too...


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## mehrific (Aug 24, 2013)

Good thread. Im glad you bumped it up klite.


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## joespit (Sep 14, 2014)

I just dropped my units down the 1/4 strength to try this out.. What are your thoughts on the 2-3days of darkness theorem koji?


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## QuestforKnowledge (Feb 12, 2015)

im on my 42 day of 12 12 an my buddy doesn't flush as well this is first dwc grow loving my out come so far to me it make since about not flushing an the drying an curing of the bud effects the taste with that said do you at least lower your nutes or run full strength the whole time?


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