How To Flush Cannabis Plants Correctly

This article explains how to flush Cannabis plants , the benefits, how to do it properly, mistakes to avoid and more! How well you flush will play a fundamental role in the final outcome of your crop, and if all of the hard work and tender loving care you have invested will pay off. There is absolutely no point in cutting corners and neglecting the flushing phase, especially if you are a home grower.

Why you should flush cannabis plants

Flushing is the process whereby only plain water instead of a nutrient solution is fed to cannabis plants. The goal is to dissolve any Cannabis nutrient salts that have accumulated over time, and to also encourage the Cannabis plants to use up their remaining internal nutrients.

The reason why flushing Cannabis plants is important is its effect on the quality of the end product experience and to offer peace of mind to the home grower, that their medicine is top quality and a sign of clean work. You may not realize how significant feeding only plain water is, so below is a list of each characteristic associated with buds that have not been flushed or at least to a poor standard. These rules should apply from street level, coffeeshop, social club, and dispensary.

How to tell if plants haven’t been flushed properly

Most connoisseurs will pride themselves on how clean their ash burns with a light grey tower of ash, gently sitting on top of a ring of greasy oil. However, when the ash from a joint or blunt has a charcoal black essence and stains the ashtray then this is one call sign the plants were packed full of Cannabis nutrients. Other signs are joints which burn unequally, harsh smoke and bad smell.

The correct protocol to flush cannabis plants

Replace all of the Cannabis nutrients that you were feeding the plants with only plain water. This means if your feeding regime was to use nutrients every day at 5ml per litre and feed 1 litre each to the pots, then you will simply feed 1 litre of plain water every day. In the same way, if you feed nutrient solution every 2 days, then use only plain water every two days and keep the feeding frequency and volume consistent.

Wait until the growing medium is mostly dry before watering again. Repeat this process for a full 14 days to really get the most out of your plants and ensure all Cannabis nutrients are washed away. You will notice the plants are flushing out all of their internal reserves as the leaves will change colour pigment . This is referred to as the fade / seasonal colours and is an indication harvest is imminent!

5 signs of well flushed cannabis plants

The fan leaves and smaller leaves will have changed in colouration to a hypnotic display of purples, yellows, reds, amber, green, and magenta. This is a sign all nutrients have been used
Your joint won’t need constant relighting and can be smoked all the way down to the roach with ease. Clean buds that have no Cannabis nutrients will maintain consistency when burning.
The ash is light grey, soft and will resemble a cigarette ash and the joints will not sideburn. There will be no need to clean the ash tray like and remove any black residue.
The flavour is out of this world and every toke is so smooth you just want to roll another one immediately afterwards. The after taste of terpenes between every inhale and exhale leaves a smile on your face and inspires you to want to grow flowers just as impressively.
The aroma that fills the room when the joint has been light is head turning, and a sign of how good the flavour profile will be.

Common mistakes to avoid with flushing cannabis plants

Flushing Cannabis plants is very straightforward and easy to do. Beginner growers can often over water and believe drowning the growing medium is the correct way. Over saturating your crop with plain water can do more harm than good and cause humidity levels to soar, which is the last thing you want during the final weeks of flowering.

Cutting corners and shaving a week or so off the final 14-day schedule. No matter how badly you want to harvest, this should be avoided by home growers using organics or hydroponic Cannabis nutrients . As grandma’s saying goes, good things come to those who wait!