oltomnoddy said:
Really?
I was told to flush 3-4 days to clean out the ferts. If that's the case,
I can start new clones right after the chop.
Ok, lets look at this logically. The smokable part of the plant is the plant matter and oils that are in what we refer to as the "bud".
The bud is basically some small amount of plant fiber and a huge amount of oils and other plant fluids. These substances are between raw plant sugars, (that are derived from photosynthesis which converts the minerals and water given the plant into plant sugars, water and minerals), and the final product of oils containing all of the psychoactive chemicals at the time of harvest.
We'll call the point of entrance to the plant from the root zone, Number 1.
We'll call the point of entrance to the plant for light, Number 2.
We'll call the point of entrance to the plant for transpiration, Number 3.
Those are the three points at which humans can alter the plants intake of sustenance.
Those are the only three ways that a grower can change what a plant takes into itself.
By altering the input of nutrients into #1, the plant will cease to have the balance that proper feeding in #1 has been providing it. This in turn causes many things to happen. The plant will slow it's rate of transpiration. Because of this slowed transpiration, it will require less nutrient to remain as healthy as it currently is. Basically, it will start to feed from it's stored resources. This in turn will slow the production of resin. This is in direct conflict with the "flush" folks theories. They believe that a plant will *increase* it's resin production in some defence mechanism. This simply cannot happen. I'll explain why. If the plant has less nutrient, it must take nutrient from itself and combine this self made nutrient with the water intake and deliver it to what it considers the most important part of the plant, the bud. The transfer of water into the plant takes less than one day from tip to tip, (this has been proven by many grade school food coloring experiments). Within one day, the plant will start shutting down and using it's last resources as food. The plant will have less and less resources each day. Within just a few days, the chemical processes in the plant will have almost stopped.
Now, in the same time period, we'll discuss what happens when the plant receives balanced, flowering nutrients all the way to the time of harvest.
The plant continues to make resin at the fastest rate possible. It does this because it's already turned on for this function and has been for many weeks. Towards the end of flowering, the resin production is naturally at it's very highest and the thc production is at it's strongest. While many thousands of resin glands are just starting to turn amber, fresh, new thc is still being produced at full speed by the plant. When you harvest, the plant will still be making thc. The thc it's making at harvest time will not be there in the same quantity if you stop feeding it two weeks before you harvest it. The plants systems will already be shutting down.
My way, you get fresh thc all the way to harvest.
Flush with nothing but water for two weeks prior to harvest and the thc production will fall for at least the last week.
As far as I know, no one has disproved the results of the testing done on medical MJ that support what I've just said.
If so, I'd like to read the studies and conclusions.
If you have a chemical background and can digest the data on MJ testing on a botanical level, then the information is already out there. Some careful digging on Google will find all of it. Just go for "Marijuana Medical Plant Testing Chemical"
That should get you started. If you can't find anything, let me know and I'll dig some up for you. I've read thousands of pages of this stuff. Most of it's already been done guys and gals.
The research now is not so much on potency, but method of delivery into the human body. Aerosol inhalers are the latest fad in the scientific community. I'm still trying to find some of those...hehe
Well anyway folks, that's my 2cents on the subject of flushing.
I've, (pardon the pun), flushed the possibility of it helping down the tubes.
Real, scientific method is what will convince me otherwise. Anecdotal stories don't cut it in the world of science. Stories are nice, but facts be facts.
What a motor-mouth I am tonight.....
Have a great one folks. See ya on the flip side. :beatnik:
