I know this is a bit of a tired discussion — some people swear by flushing their plants for up to two weeks before harvest, while others claim it’s completely unnecessary (especially in organic setups).
For anyone new to growing, flushing usually means watering with plain, pH’d water to remove leftover salts or nutrients from the medium. The idea is that it improves flavor and smoothness by helping the plant use up what’s left inside.
And then, of course, there are polar opposite takes on the efficacy of flushing:
Some growers say it makes buds cleaner, smoother, and better tasting.
Others say it’s a myth — that you’re just starving the plant during its most critical stage.
And then there’s the organic crowd, who argue microbes balance things naturally anyway.
So what’s your experience been?
Do you flush? If so, for how long?
Have you ever done side-by-side runs to compare flushed vs unflushed harvests?
Do you notice a difference in ash color, burn quality, or terpene profile?
I’m especially curious to hear from both soil and hydro growers — and whether you’ve found flushing to actually make a noticeable difference.
Interested in hearing what all your takes are on this!
When I first started in 2018, I did “flush” during the final weeks before harvest. I no longer do that and have seen nor tasted any difference in the final product.
I do flush before I chop just because that is what I learned when I first started. I have heard that it doesn’t make a difference. I also chop at the end of the dark cycle right before the lights come back on. I think I will give it a try not flushing one of these days and see what happens
Organic living soil. I dont flush. I only water with plain water all through grow. Never a true “flush”. Top dress nutrient application.
I reuse all my soil and I believe flushing has a negative effect on my mediums health. Just me.
I have flushed before organic with zero noticeable difference
@Storm just reinforced my thoughts all along, organic growers have long claimed organic grown has the best taste, and those plants eat right up til chop! If your plants are any kind of color other than green right up to harvest, there’s something wrong or they need something . This doesn’t include purple or genetic colors. Biggest difference in taste I’ve found lately comes from the DryDoc and Cannatrol dried and cured buds, they don’t seem to lose any terps as they stay under 70 degrees, where terps start to evaporate.
I’ve tried flushing found it to waste the leftover nutrients in my medium for reuse, also in DWC I feed all the way through from start to finish, learning hydro convinced me not to flush.
And I’ve not noticed a smell or taste difference or even a smoke difference in final product.
And more to it as @Retiredoldguy , @Growdoc , and as @Storm just wrote organic don’t flush so why should any other it’s the same outcome.
I didn’t flush when I grew in soil because it didn’t really make a difference then. In my current setup using AutoPots and GH Flora nutes the smoke taste like pure chemicals if I don’t give them 1-2wks of plain water before harvesting
There’s a HUGE difference between a organic grow and the crap we put into our plants I’d like to give Jacks a try but its a expensive initial switch to make
My experience has lead me to flush before harvest. I have had bad experiences when i did not flush. Weed taste like dung. Of course my drying process at the time was not the best. This could be a fator to my taste
I listen to my girls from start to finish. If I do need to flush, I do it but not becuase of any info found on the web. When I switched to coco, I learned watering to runoff daily was needed to rinse out the salts since I use synthetics. Also I think “Flush” needs to be clarified so we are all on the same page as to our answers. To me Flushing is needed to reset the soil and flushing usually takes 3 to 5x the pot size in water. I do not consider using water only the last 2 weeks flushing. If my plants are still green those last 2 weeks, then I know she has what she needs in the pot since she isn’t consuming herself. If I see yellowing leafs down low going into the home stretch, then she needs something to finish and will continue to feed up to chop day.
I used to flush after I drank the Kool-Aid. Not anymore; never noticed a difference.
Only time I’ve had crappy tasting weed, it was because of crappy harvesting, crappy drying, and crappy curing…unless you like weed that tastes like a combination of alfalfa and cow manure.
I’d like to give Jacks a try but its a expensive initial switch to make