Hi fellow growers!
I have a question regarding flushing. I am currently doing a hydro grow and will be trying out soil next. The feeding schedule for my nutes recommend that I flush mid veg and before switching to flower and 2 weeks before harvest. The instructions say run PH balanced water through your system for at least 1x 24hr period. And obviously run PH balanced water through your system for 2 weeks before harvest. I get that part.
How does it work in soil? I am planning on using the fox farm trio as my base. The nutes also make mention of flushing mid veg and before flower, as well as 2 weeks before harvest. Do I just run water through the soil until it comes out clear at the other end or is there a formula as to use twice as much water as your containers for example? How many times should I do this mid veg and before flower? How does it work in the two weeks before harvest? do you flush it twice a week?
As anyone had any experience with the autopot self feeding systems? http://www.autopot.co.uk/easy2grow-extension-kit-detail
Your advice will be greatly appreciated!
thanks
Joker
When you flush soil pots; Use 3x’s the capacity of the pot. i.e. 3 gallon pot; Run 9 gallons of water through it.
Before photo period change; You do this once; Then give fresh Bloom nutrients when pot dries enough to allow for a new watering. At end of finish. Flush the same way, but let the soil dry as you would during grow. Repeat until you are ready to dry for harvest. Peace.lw
late.tip: In hydro; When doing final flush; You need to change the water every couple days. Flushing helps to remove stored nutrients from the plant. As you \ flush the plant your water will build to a higher ppm, because it is taking nutrients, and nitrates from the plant. So; If you use the same water for 2 weeks; you are still making minerals and depopsits available to the plant. You do not wan thtat; So, Change the water evey 2-3 days during final flush.
I’d have to disagree with why the ppm in the water is rising. It is not so much pulling nutrients from the plant, scientifically the osmosis is only working one way, nutrients can not be pulled backwards out of the plant.
However as the plant is finishing and being deprived of nutrients by flushing it with pure water every 2-3 days, the plant will be forced to use it’s chlorophyll (green pigmentation) reserves from the leaves and elsewhere and then in the meantime the roots will be degrading – dying off from being restricted of nutrients as well as the general ripening flowering process – and as such are broken down by microbes in the root zone and otherwise by natural decomposition, that will, if allowed, be used as a source of nitrogen and other nutrients by the plant. And the ppm will rise.
So, yeah still flush the water completely every 2-3 days during the last 2 weeks of flower.
Thank you for the replies guys, this defo cleared a few things up!