Modified on: 30/04/2021
What is cannabis flushing and what is it for?
If you are approaching the world of hemp and marijuana seeds, you have surely heard of “Flushing cannabis“, a technique that seems to be indispensable for obtaining a healthy and abundant harvest.
Although it is not possible to grow cannabis in some countries, we imagine that you are still very curious and want to know what flushing is and what it can be used for.
By recommending that you buy weed seeds online for collecting purposes only, and not to use the information below to start or take care of a plantation, let’s see what this technique is and the advantages related to it.
Flushing cannabis: what is it?
The term Flush literally means “to wash”. If we apply the term to the world of weed, flushing means washing the marijuana.
This does not mean that growers put the plants under a jet of water as if they were having a shower! By doing it, they would risk ruining the flowers and, therefore, compromising months and months of hard work.
“Flushing” cannabis means exactly washing the roots of every single plant, in order to eliminate the nutrients and any harmful substances present in the soil.
How is the grower doing?
He simply has to water the soil abundantly with clean water, literally flooding it. You can repeat the process a second time, but only after draining all the excess water and waiting 10 to 20 minutes.
More experienced growers use a water quality detector, able of measuring Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). The TDS reader provides useful information on the purity of the water flowing away from the pots, allowing farmers to check whether the flushing has taken effect or not.
Read also: Growing cannabis outdoors: what it means + pros and cons
When is it appropriate to proceed washing the cannabis roots?
There are particular times when it is advisable to wash the marijuana roots. Here are:
- In case of change of nutrients to bring to the soil
- Before harvesting the cannabis buds
- In case of nutrient blockage
Let’s see them one by one.
Nutrient Change & Flushing
Cannabis needs nutrients for much of its life cycle, particularly Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus (NPK). However, the need for nutrients differs according to the various stages of plant development; for example, cannabis does not require the same amount of nutrients during the vegetative phase as it does in the flowering phase.
In the transition from one phase to another one, it is advisable to wash the roots in order to avoid mismatching the amount of nutrients supplied to the plant and to guarantee healthier growth in this way too.
Flushing before harvesting the marijuana flowers
It seems that washing the roots before harvesting the buds pushes cannabis to make good use of its nutrient reserves, so that the latter do not affect the taste of the flowers.
Washing roots when nutrients are blocked
The blocking of nutrients occurs in the event that these are present in the soil but the plant is unable to absorb them.
It usually occurs in the case of over-fertilization of the soil, especially if there is a particular nutrient that prevails over the others. Alternatively, the reason for the nutrient blockage could be the incorrect pH (the pH value of the soil in which cannabis grows should always be between 6 and 6.5).
In this case, the flushing of the roots helps to dispose of excess nutrients, change the pH and make the soil ready for the supply of the right amount of nutrients.
Is flushing really useful or is it an urban legend?
Although flushing is not a mandatory procedure, it could be very useful if the grower sees signs of pain in the plants, such as yellowish leaves or dark spots on the foliage.
As for the pre-harvest flushing, this may not affect the flavor of the cannabis flowers and therefore be superfluous.
In any case, there are those who put it into practice and those who do not, but all the growers who take this precaution affirm to obtain better quality cannabis than that which has not been flushed.
Read also: Cannabis Ruderalis: definition, characteristics and origins of this marijuana variety
In conclusion
Now you know all about the practice called cannabis flushing and its usefulness, especially in case of an excess or variation of nutrients.
However, you have to remember that in many countries it is not possible to grow marijuana: you can buy cannabis seeds, but treat them as if they were collectible products. You can store them, keep them in a drawer, but you can’t germinate them.
With this in mind, we invite you to take a look at Sensory Seeds, our online cannabis seed shop, where you will find many varieties of auto flower seeds, feminized seeds and fast flowering seeds from BSF Seeds!
We are waiting for you: you are always welcome!
