Harvest & Curing Kinda confused on flushing

[GCase]

So I'm on day 58 going for 70 then chopping her.

Do i really need to use 15 gallons of water? Because that's a ton of water and sounds like an expensive water bill.

How often do I water using "15" gallons (however much I decide on)

And how soon before harvesting do I stop flushing or watering?

Do I still water the plant and use molasses till the end? Or just flush with molasses in the water?

The final week to two weeks is actually a "rinse."

Last year, we tried to make a distinction between a flush and a rinse.

Flush is serious business. The two x water per gallon of medium is for emergencies to flush out heavy nute concentration, salt build up and PH issues.

Though, a few growers do a semi-flush when they switch from grow to flower nutes.

The last few weeks just water as usual with either plain water or add a rinse product. Some don't PH the rinse and others do.

Molasses is ok--not much is needed--it is loaded with K. The flush products are sugar based.

 

[az2000]

And how soon before harvesting do I stop flushing or watering?

Muddy's stickies "When to harvest" and "lifecycle" helped me understand this topic. For me it was confusing that the 2-3 week "cleanse" is different than a "flush" (fix a nute burn/imbalance problem). Cleansing is merely watering as you normally would for 10-20 days and let the plant burn off its stored nutrients.

I followed Muddy's method for my first (and only harvested) auto grow and got amazing results. Those last days (and lack of leaves?) caused the buds to swell. I got 6.5 ounces (strain had something to do with how much it yielded).

It was hard for me to wait as long as I did. I was afraid I'd need to harvest before the "cleanse" was completed. But, it was pointed out to me that I could "flush" using something like "sledgehammer" or "clearex" if I found myself in that jam.

The important points for me were: "cleansing" isn't "flushing." And, cleansing isn't only about smoother smoke (less nutrients in the cured bud), but also those last 2-3 weeks of productive growth. It's like the proverbial "killing 2 birds with one stone." Just let them consume what's left -- and put it to use (bulking up).

 

[Autoflowerpower420]

Muddy's stickies "When to harvest" and "lifecycle" helped me understand this topic. For me it was confusing that the 2-3 week "cleanse" is different than a "flush" (fix a nute burn/imbalance problem). Cleansing is merely watering as you normally would for 10-20 days and let the plant burn off its stored nutrients.

I followed Muddy's method for my first (and only harvested) auto grow and got amazing results. Those last days (and lack of leaves?) caused the buds to swell. I got 6.5 ounces (strain had something to do with how much it yielded).

It was hard for me to wait as long as I did. I was afraid I'd need to harvest before the "cleanse" was completed. But, it was pointed out to me that I could "flush" using something like "sledgehammer" or "clearex" if I found myself in that jam.

The important points for me were: "cleansing" isn't "flushing." And, cleansing isn't only about smoother smoke (less nutrients in the cured bud), but also those last 2-3 weeks of productive growth. It's like the proverbial "killing 2 birds with one stone." Just let them consume what's left -- and put it to use (bulking up).

Thanks man! I'll take a look at the life cycle one I read the other one all the time! And my main cola is pretty dense. But lower down on the stem there are some good sized nugs they are just very airy and not very dense. Will this get a little better as they beef up from the nutes in the leaves?

 

[az2000]

Will this get a little better as they beef up from the nutes in the leaves?

Without a photo of your plant, I can't venture an opinion. But, mine bulked up *a lot* during that 2-3 week cleanse. This is the grow journal for my first autoflower. In that post (at 62 days) the lower leaves had begun to yellow and I asked if I should start the cleanse. I was told to wait 3 weeks.

Subsequent posts show what it looked like as I waited; when I began the cleanse at 82 days; and again at harvest (101 days, after 2.5 weeks of cleanse).

I can't tell you 70 days is wrong for you. I'm sure it's strain dependent. My 82 to cleanse and 101 to chop were much longer than I anticipated.

All I can say is that waiting longer caused my buds to fatten up. It didn't feel right as I waited. But, when it was over I felt I experienced exactly what Muddy described. The die off, the trics turning cloudy, the fattening up during what looked like deteriorating vitality.

Hopefully my pictures will help you judge when to start. But, one thing to remember: Don't worry about waiting too long. If your trics turn cloudy too soon (if you planned for a longer brown-out/die-off) you can always use one of those "flush" products to clear the soil and get some of the cleansing done faster.