Do Buds Swell during Flushing? – Green Garden Tribe

Plant flushing is a never-ending topic of discussion. Plant flushing is one of the final steps in a plant's growing cycle. This technique is done when harvest time is just around the corner. Many novice gardeners are curious, do buds swell during flush? Do buds swell during flushing? Yes! The swelling of buds during flushing is because the plant takes in the excess nutrients before harvesting to ensure a high-quality yield. Flushing is a vital process as if you don’t flush your plants, you’ll be reaping crops containing residual salt. Also, your harvest won’t have the right taste or aroma. What Is Flushing? Flushing is a technique done before harvesting. Flushing is done by giving plants water and no nutrients for a period. Flushing is done to flush out the excess nutrients, salts, and other contaminants build up in plants. It’s also done before flowering and harvesting. As mentioned, it gets rid of excess nutrients. But what does that exactly mean? Flushing is feeding plants with nutrient-free water and not a nutrient-rich mixture you would normally feed your plants. Flushing helps your plants burn off, use up and get nutrient build-up and salts while growing. Overfeeding your plants may make them have a nutrient burn. Flushing can reverse this by helping your plants’ waste and/or use the nutrients so they can continue to grow properly. Flushing, though, will not give your plants new life. Done alone pre harvesting will not make your harvest smell or taste better. The quality of your harvest still depends on how well your plant was grown and harvested, as well as how well you cured and stored your harvest. Many experienced growers who did not flush their plants before harvesting say that is a huge difference in the quality of yield than when flushing was done. Your plants store excess amounts of nutrients, compounds, and salt all through the growing periods. Without flushing, your plants will not be able to dispose of these excess compounds. This will make your harvest taste harsher and more bitter. Not flushing before harvesting may also make your harvest have black ash. It will also make your crops have an unpleasant smell and the taste of chemicals. In short, not flushing before harvesting can compromise the quality of your high-value harvest. Flushing – The Last Phase of Bud Development Flushing is done during the final weeks of flowering. You will need to start flushing to push out the last phase of bud development. Flushing will also allow your plant to use the build-up of residual nutrients. At the end of the growing cycle of your plant, if you find too many salt deposits, it means you have been overfeeding your plants or have been using overly concentrated salt-based nutrients. Buds Swell During Flushing Yes, buds will continue to grow or swell during flushing. Truth is, you will be seeing some of the bed development of buds during the flushing period. This is so because flushing allows your plant to use the excess nutrients it still has. The plant "knows" that when flushing is done, harvest is not too far beyond, and its life is near. During flushing, the buds will flatten during the last remaining weeks of the flower and will produce trichome (hair covering on a plant) Terpenes (aromatic compounds many plants) and flavonoids will also be produced by plants during this period. This is so because your plant is making a final effort on pollination. Some growers also say that since your plant is no longer using energy for the uptake of nutrients, it can use all its energy during flushing to push bud development and terpene production, thus, causing the swelling of the buds. It is also important to remember that flushing is not meant to promote new growth. Why Buds Swell During Flushing? This is because the plants are not pushing out on nutrient uptake all their energy. Thus, the buds will still ripen during flushing to uptake the remaining nutrients, no matter how little they are. During flushing, your plants have more energy to concentrate on making the buds swell. While the buds will swell during flushing, they will only mature and not grow. The Right Time for Flushing Timing is always key. Flush your plants during these times: Around harvest time. This varies from plant to plant and on the growing medium. If you are growing plants in hydro, flush for one to two days before harvesting. If your plants are growing in soil, flush between one or two weeks before harvesting. If your plants are growing in coco, flushing should be done one week before harvesting. Between The Vegging and Flowering Cycles. Flushing will prepare your plants to get in flowering nutrients by clearing out or absorbing vegging or grow nutrients. When Your Plant Has Excess Nutrients. When the tips of the leaves of your plants turn brown or yellow, dry up and eventually die, this means that you have been overfeeding them. Flush your plants to get rid of the excess nutrients. Final Thoughts on Do Buds Swell during Flushing? Flushing refers to both hydroponic and earth grown plants. It also would be carried out on plants whose aroma and flavour will be important to you. It would thus normally be referring to Marijuana or Cannabis crops but could also include other types of plants.