The Importance of the Flushing Stage

Have your recent yields tended to emit harsh, bad-tasting smoke? If so, there’s an easy solution to produce buds with clean, smooth smoke when growing autoflowering cannabis. Flushing, which typically occurs two weeks before harvest, refers to the process of using large amounts of water to remove excess nutrients from soil. In this article, we discuss the importance of the flushing stage, while providing readers with a guide on best times to flush, and how to tell if your plants are ready for flushing.

Why to Flush Cannabis Plants

Without proper flushing, your autoflowering cannabis may emit harsh smoke due to excess nutrients in your soil that are still present when you harvest your plants. Flushing is an efficient method to prevent nutrient lockout, which poses a huge risk to autoflowering plants.

What is Flushing Cannabis?

To flush your autoflowering cannabis plants, run large amounts of water through your soil to “flush” excess nutrients from the soil. By flushing your plants, you not only remove excess nutrients and make your buds taste better – you also promote healthy plant growth at a crucial stage close to harvest. By flushing your plants and removing excess nutrients from your growing medium, you force your autoflowering cannabis to absorb the remainder of nutrients left in the soil, which can result in more satisfying yields. The overall result is a better harvest, and better buds thereafter.

When to Flush Your Cannabis Plants

Monitoring your trichomes is crucial to determining whether it is time to flush your cannabis plants. Trichomes are the tiny, resinous glands that form a crystalline coating over the surface of high-quality cannabis flower. Monitoring your trichomes allows you to determine plant maturity, and ultimately, when your plants are old enough to undergo the flushing stage.

To determine the ideal time for flushing, check the color of your trichomes. You should typically flush your plants when trichomes transition from a clear color to a milky white. This allows enough time for trichomes to turn to the desired color – a mixture of cloudy white and amber – well before harvesting time.

Conclusion

Ultimately, proper flushing will improve your overall harvests and yields. In order to grow autoflowering cannabis that produces smooth, clean smoke, keep an eye on your trichomes so that you know when it’s time to flush your cannabis. As a result, you will cause your plants to grow larger at a crucial phase before harvest.