Flushing your cannabis plants can be a necessity at any point during the growing cycle. It has a few good uses and is actually a common debate on many cannabis forums.
Flushing involves running water through your grow medium to flush out any excess nutrients that could be stuck in the soil.
Most growers will only flush their plants at the end of the flowering cycle so that the plant uses up the nutrients within itself before you harvest.
This is supposed to produce a cleaner taste and smoke after the cannabis is dried and cured. Others use it to correct nutrient and PH issues within their growing medium.
No, using a product like FoxFarm SledgeHammer is not necessary to grow healthy cannabis. It is a natural solution designed to get rid of excessive nutrient buildup and promote healthy water movement through the soil. You can easily achieve the same thing with a regular water flushing.
Let’s take a closer look at the FoxFarm Sledgehammer flush and see when it is actually necessary to use it during your cannabis grow.
What is a sledgehammer flush?
FoxFarm Bushdoctor Sledgehammer flush is a solution derived from the yucca plant that is designed to flush out any remaining nutrient salts that could hinder flower production. It also adjusts the surface tension of the soil to allow for maximum water flow.
As your cannabis plant nears the end of its growing cycle it’s important to flush out the soil and replace it with only the nutrients your plant will need before harvest.
Just like a regular flush, the idea is to get the plant to use up all the remaining nutrients before harvest as there is a possibility of any leftover salts causing abnormal tastes and a dirtier smoke from your buds.
The other reason growers will use a flush is to correct a nutrient or PH issue with their plants, almost like starting with a blank slate.
How to properly use a sledgehammer flush?
FoxFarm recommends that you use a sledgehammer flush at least 3 times during the grow cycle, according to their feeding chart.
The first flush should be during the transition from veg to flower and then twice more after that, the last being right before you harvest.
This is to give your plants a fresh soil slate to add the proper nutrient amounts for optimal absorption.
Alternative flushing methods before harvest
Aside from using organic and synthetic solutions to flush your cannabis plant you can always just use PH corrected water to the same effect.
Cannabis has been cultivated a lot longer than nutrient companies and there really is no such thing as excess nutrients as the plant will only use what it can and convert these individual elements into the appropriate sugars.
A simple water flush for about a week before will give your cannabis plant a break and allow it to focus on creating beautiful trichomes while displaying some beautiful fall colors as a final hurrah before harvest.
