The thread did take a turn as
@grayeyes mentioned. It seems flushing means different things to different people. In one instance it is a remedy for pH imbalance; introducing lots of water to neutralize toxicities. In the other instance, it has to do with a gradual weaning off of nutrients during senescence. I've done both for these different reasons.
I dont really flush but i do put my plants on at least 2 weeks of no ferts just water and enzymes regime before harvest. If you use enzymes at EVERY WATERING you will have no build up of salts at all because whatever did build up gets broken down and is made available immediately.
I do not agree that no "flush" does not influence taste and quality of the end product. Plants that have been fertilized until harvest do not burn clean, the evidence is in the smoke and in the ash.
I only trust my own eyes and taste buds , it simply makes no sense and it is even unnatural to fertilize until harvest . Thats my 2 cents and no hippie boomer on youtube can change that lol.
I agree with
@Jahnova, it is how I typically finish my plants. Dr. Bugbee does not contradict. Provide enough for the plant to finish, no more. As plants continue to mature we have all observed the slowing metabolism. They cannot accommodate more nutrient or water at this time. Best to follow the life cycle and adjust the regimen accordingly.
If we follow Bugbee's science logic, darkness suspends certain processes for terpene and cannabinoid production. He suggests keeping the lights on for synthesis to the end. That makes sense to me. He mentioned that excess heat vaporizes terpenes but CO2 concentrations increase metabolism and plants are able to tolerate higher temps. Some say higher temps even without the CO2 work well for LED. So what about the terpenes? If colder temps preserve terpenes than shouldn't we strive for sub 80F? I keep my hazes between 75-80F max.
I use fulvates, sugars, kelp, yucca, microbes to hasten the last minute metabolism. I agree with Dr. Bugbee's idea about "precision stress." I believe water reduction in the end provides a stress response for last minute terpene and cannabinoid production. To some extent, it signals to the plant to do all the things necessary to finish up its life process.
As you know, I'm a big advocator for silicates and kelp I am also a big believer in saponins like yucca.
"Yucca is great for flushing excess salts from plant roots. Nutrient salts tend to build up in the growing medium due to repeated wetting and drying of the fertilizer mixture. Over time, the salt build up makes it harder and harder for the plant to take up water and the plant begins to suffer from salt stress. Yucca makes water “wetter”. Its surfactant action allows the water to penetrate deeper into the soil and flush away more of the accumulated salts from the root zone."
A few properties of Aloe Vera:
Amino Acid
Aloe Vera contains the following Amino Acids: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Valine, And Tryptophan, Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Cysteine, Glutamic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine, Glutamine, And Aspartic Acid.
Enzymes
Those include the following: Amylase, Bradykinase, Catalase, Cellulase, Lipase, Oxidase, Alkaline Phosphatase, Proteolytiase, Creatine Phosphokinase and Carboxypeptidase.
Micro & Micro Nutrients
These include Vitamins A, C, E and B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 in addition to Choline, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Chromium, Selenium, Copper, Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus and Sodium.
Lingnins & Polysaccharides
They include: Galactose, Xylose, Arabinose, Acetylated Mannose And Acemannan.
A good thread generates many opinions. We all stand to benefit from the sharing.
mu