The use of bloom boosters/additives

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
Where do all these "flushing" fools come from?

Son, flushing is an old school hippie MYTH! That is still carried on by those who write books and magazine columns. The only ones who write books and don't say to "final flush" are those writers that actually have schooling in botany or horticulture!

Don't be fooled! Flushing does nothing to improve the taste or the burn. All that comes from a proper long dry and cure!

In reality, your only removing nutrition from your plant at one of it's most critical times! Do not attempt to come back and argue with "logic" as science trumps logic 100% of the time!
its actually called nutrient leaching but people know it as flush..... but have fun feeding your plant through your whole grow bud hahaha
Youre right... science is great.... it depletes nutrients getting rid of chloro for an easier dry cure.
 

Flowki

Well-Known Member
No, you should be adding your booster to your base nutes.

Bloom booster should only be used twice for an entire grow. It's best recommended to do it right smack dab in the middle of flower. Week 5 and 6 of flower, you should be hitting your plants hard with nutes and gradually backing down as you go into week 7 and 8.
It was a trio pack consisting of an early phase two time use bud start. A carbo blast for every feed and a late bloom enhancer for last 3 weeks. Their is a separate powder from the same company called ton o bud to be used in mid flower, I assume that is the one you are suggesting to use in week 5 and 6.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
its actually called nutrient leaching but people know it as flush..... but have fun feeding your plant through your whole grow bud hahaha
Youre right... science is great.... it depletes nutrients getting rid of chloro for an easier dry cure.
Don't work that way - not as you think.

Using your logic. How are you doing better then nature by reducing nutrition and in nature none is?
What product is ever consumed by humans that has what you propose done? NONE!
ANY product use to "smoke" is very carefully dried and cured - closely monitored along the way.

Proper slower drying and curing does the same and better then what you propose!

Bet I get bigger yields and better quality by reaching closer to the plants potential then you do - every run!

You have fun 2
 

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
Don't work that way - not as you think.

Using your logic. How are you doing better then nature by reducing nutrition and in nature none is?
What product is ever consumed by humans that has what you propose done? NONE!
ANY product use to "smoke" is very carefully dried and cured - closely monitored along the way.
Hmmmmm.....
Proper slower drying and curing does the same and better then what you propose!

Bet I get bigger yields and better quality by reaching closer to the plants potential then you do - every run!

You have fun 2
Cool..... have fun.... ill have fun in biology class today. Hahaha enjoy your smoke...... i will.
 

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Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
Cool..... have fun.... ill have fun in biology class today. Hahaha enjoy your smoke...... i will.
LMFAO!!!!

BURNT UP over P&K'd novice garbage!

BTW - The below is all done with water only home made organic soils......You can keep your cartoon labeled multibottled synthetic nutrients that you don't even know how to use right!
 

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superbak3d

Well-Known Member
I've done both methods and found flushing literally does nothing for taste or smoke quality.

Now I just feed all the way to harvest and end up with frostier and denser buds overall cause I never stop feeding.
 

Alienwidow

Well-Known Member
Ive been testing this, or sorta this since i started growing. There used to be a very loud section of riu who used to claim that bloom food wasn't necessary, a balanced 3-3-3 or 16-16-16 food was the best thing for plants and bloom food was a way to suck consumers money away. I used to switch foods when i switched the light cycle and i was noticing an almost immediate yellowing of my leaves so i jumped on board with the balanced crowd and started seeing different results. Leaves would stay green up until harvest almost. Very green plants. And when i read the threads everyone was saying that you wanted lush green leaves at harvest. The only problem was that the taste i was getting and the smell wasnt very good. Grassy. Potency wasnt really where it could have been either.
So i figured changes were needed again.
Next was trial and error for a while trying the switch at week 5,4 and finally 3 of flower. My conclusion was that i was having the best results with a gradual switch at week 3. Not an immediate one, but more of a 50/50 veg to flower mix of nutrients for several waterings to get the plant used to the change in npk i was feeding it.
To me it was a light bulb moment that was so obvious that it hurt. The plant stretches for about three weeks after the flip, so nitrogen is needed for the plant to double or triple in size. Then the need for nitrogen lessens and blossom building starts.
My bloom booster expirience when i started was poor. I was still changing to bloom food when i changed the light cycle and my plants were usually yellow by the time most companies recommend adding it. So i didnt see much benifit. Well then i switched to the canna lineup and one piece of their puzzle is a bloom booster 0-13-12 or something like that. It goes in around week four of flower. Supposedly. So i checked other companies recommend bloom booster times and it seemed as if there were quite a few that were saying this was the time to add it. So i figured give it a whirl. My results were very good. I was really happy with my end product for all the runs ive done this way. I only use the pk boost for about a week and i factor it into my ppms. It jacks the p and k up pretty high for a while and then when its done i just use regular bloom food until the end. This is whats given me the best results so far with the final product. The only other major thing i do besides this is cutting out my calmag two weeks prior to harvest and replacing it with just mag plus sulfer.
With this method the plants arent totally green still the day of harvest, but also not totally yellow. The leaves start dropping at about week five but theres still plenty of green in the plant at week 8 which is when i chop. No yellowing of sugar leaves. Personally i dont run any strains that run over 9 weeks but if i did i would probably stretch my feed scale proportionately to fit the flower cycle.
That right there is my two cents on how i feed. The canna bloom boost is pretty reasonably priced and lasts forever since it only gets used for about a week but ive seen other companies totally gouging on bloom boosters which i think is silly. They all do pretty much the same thing so why are some companies charging astronomical prices? I do believe that people that wear white coats and work for places like canna nutrients are smarter than me, and smarter than the knowitalls cruising cannabis forums so i listen to them and pretty much follow the canna feeding schedule. It does reccomend the veg food be run into early flower, i just run it for a week and a half longer than they suggest.
 

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
I've done both methods and found flushing literally does nothing for taste or smoke qualit]

Now I just feed all the way to harvest and end up with frostier and denser buds overall cause I never stop feeding.
You can increase frost with uvb or 280 nanometers
 

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
Ive been testing this, or sorta this since i started growing. There used to be a very loud section of riu who used to claim that bloom food wasn't necessary, a balanced 3-3-3 or 16-16-16 food was the best thing for plants and bloom food was a way to suck consumers money away. I used to switch foods when i switched the light cycle and i was noticing an almost immediate yellowing of my leaves so i jumped on board with the balanced crowd and started seeing different results. Leaves would stay green up until harvest almost. Very green plants. And when i read the threads everyone was saying that you wanted lush green leaves at harvest. The only problem was that the taste i was getting and the smell wasnt very good. Grassy. Potency wasnt really where it could have been either.
So i figured changes were needed again.
Next was trial and error for a while trying the switch at week 5,4 and finally 3 of flower. My conclusion was that i was having the best results with a gradual switch at week 3. Not an immediate one, but more of a 50/50 veg to flower mix of nutrients for several waterings to get the plant used to the change in npk i was feeding it.
To me it was a light bulb moment that was so obvious that it hurt. The plant stretches for about three weeks after the flip, so nitrogen is needed for the plant to double or triple in size. Then the need for nitrogen lessens and blossom building starts.
My bloom booster expirience when i started was poor. I was still changing to bloom food when i changed the light cycle and my plants were usually yellow by the time most companies recommend adding it. So i didnt see much benifit. Well then i switched to the canna lineup and one piece of their puzzle is a bloom booster 0-13-12 or something like that. It goes in around week four of flower. Supposedly. So i checked other companies recommend bloom booster times and it seemed as if there were quite a few that were saying this was the time to add it. So i figured give it a whirl. My results were very good. I was really happy with my end product for all the runs ive done this way. I only use the pk boost for about a week and i factor it into my ppms. It jacks the p and k up pretty high for a while and then when its done i just use regular bloom food until the end. This is whats given me the best results so far with the final product. The only other major thing i do besides this is cutting out my calmag two weeks prior to harvest and replacing it with just mag plus sulfer.
With this method the plants arent totally green still the day of harvest, but also not totally yellow. The leaves start dropping at about week five but theres still plenty of green in the plant at week 8 which is when i chop. No yellowing of sugar leaves. Personally i dont run any strains that run over 9 weeks but if i did i would probably stretch my feed scale proportionately to fit the flower cycle.
That right there is my two cents on how i feed. The canna bloom boost is pretty reasonably priced and lasts forever since it only gets used for about a week but ive seen other companies totally gouging on bloom boosters which i think is silly. They all do pretty much the same thing so why are some companies charging astronomical prices? I do believe that people that wear white coats and work for places like canna nutrients are smarter than me, and smarter than the knowitalls cruising cannabis forums so i listen to them and pretty much follow the canna feeding schedule. It does reccomend the veg food be run into early flower, i just run it for a week and a half longer than they suggest.
Good info...atmospheric nitrogen is on the rise... pk is not in the air.
 

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
My personal experience is that in soil, a bloom enhancer is pretty much a waste of money, as if you start adding to your soil a higher P,and K at week 5- 6 it will take too long for efficient uptake to increase bud size, but will definitely affect taste and burn of product.
In hydro, a different ball of wax. I add Technaflora Awesome Blossoms (2-11-11) after my flowers have developed, and almost always get foxtails, from any plant. I then add AN Overdrive (1-5-4) for the last 2 weeks of bloom, and my buds definitely increase weight by a decent amount over the norm (the fans will cause the colas to sway). I grow in my own style, as I start to turn down light time on, in the last 2 weeks, until the last week where my lights are only on for 5 hours per day (tried total darkness, doesn't mean shit). I stop adding any nutes for the last week to finish (my flush).
So, in dirt save your money, in hydro, where the uptake of nutes is way faster, go for it, and try the Awesome Blossoms, as with it's high ratios mean it will go a LONG way, as you don't have to use much. But as they say, to each their own, so have fun testing, I've done it, and now I pretty much have settled down to what I think works. Save your money though, if you are in soil.
 

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
Ouch! Should have held that photo lol
Sorry bud... i dont have time to pull leaves all day on multiple tents.

And three pounds a 1k.... wow!!!!.. 1.3ish gpw... whats the secret? Nitrogen? Nutes till chop? Do you do it in 100 days? 30veg 70ish flower here. ....but 1.3gpw.. thats better than many systems

I mean feel free to check out my fried plants on instagram. ..im not shy hahaha vvvvvv
 

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Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
Ouch! Should have held that photo lol
Sorry bud... i dont have time to pull leaves all day on multiple tents.

And three pounds a 1k.... wow!!!!.. 1.3ish gpw... whats the secret? Nitrogen? Nutes till chop? Do you do it in 100 days? 30veg 70ish flower here. ....but 1.3gpw.. thats better than many systems

I mean feel free to check out my fried plants on instagram. ..im not shy hahaha vvvvvv
Removing the "dead" does not cure or improve feeding imbalance.....Hiding a problem, does not fix the problem. now or down the road.

Greenthumbs 2, your second pics are far better! Props, your better then the first pic shows - appologies!!!

I had a harvest just a cpl back with an average of 10.4 zips per plant (4) under a 1K, with my WO Organic soil....lets see, that's 1580 grms per 1 - 1k or 1.58 grms per watt. (Blue dream is easy and yields well).....That also translated to dbl the old rule of 1 zip per gallon of pot size......Once a strain is dialed in.....I find near 2x per gallon of pot size as my rule = most strains! Some like any Blue Cheese or "Cookies" won't due it because of the plants yield potential.....

Anyway, nice follow up pics!
The second posted pic and ---- The lower middle one with the coloring going - what strain if I may ask?
 

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
Removing the "dead" does not cure or improve feeding imbalance.....Hiding a problem, does not fix the problem. now or down the road.

Greenthumbs 2, your second pics are far better! Props, your better then the first pic shows - appologies!!!

I had a harvest just a cpl back with an average of 10.4 zips per plant (4) under a 1K, with my WO Organic soil....lets see, that's 1580 grms per 1 - 1k or 1.58 grms per watt. (Blue dream is easy and yields well).....That also translated to dbl the old rule of 1 zip per gallon of pot size......Once a strain is dialed in.....I find near 2x per gallon of pot size as my rule = most strains! Some like any Blue Cheese or "Cookies" won't due it because of the plants yield potential.....

Anyway, nice follow up pics!
The second posted pic and ---- The lower middle one with the coloring going - what strain if I may ask?
Thanks...those buds are off that tent...or the last one.. and like i said... im not shy.... over 1000 photos all by me in my link... the plant eats the leaves whether its fed all the way or not...its weather manipulation .... a good soil and mycorrhizal population including others... you dont have to feed the soil feeds... but it you do use this synthetic. . Or anything like it... you want a solid couple weeks to get the salt crap out your dirt....enjoy...

All of it gets my dry Kb formula. ..its so easy its silly. And my base is botanicare pro soil/coco.
 

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Medizzinman

Active Member
I admit I use a ton of stuff. Some may or may not be beneficial. I believe that adding things gradually to the mix and in moderation is key. Not to mention good drinks of plain water inbetween feedings. I also montor PPM carefully and dont like my feedings to exceed 1300 PPM in late flower. The only booster I use at full strength is big bud. Heres an example of what I'd put in a nutrient watering. Iguana bloom (1/2-3/4 strength max), calmag, silica (ween off this by week 4), wet betty 4ml per gallon (1/2 strength), and big bud (specified weeks at full strength), and some botanicaire sweet raw (full strength). Sometimes I will alternate the base nutrients with a good tea like botanicaire pure blend pro instead. Main thing is to make sure you watch for lush growth, no leaf abnormalities, and watch the PPM or strength of the soup. Always good to observe plants 3-4 days after a feed to tell how they like it or not.
 

Flowki

Well-Known Member
Some good feed back thnx. I will look to use the boosters no more than two consecutive feeds possible going from 1/4 to 1/2 str, then just base neut in between phases at 1/2 str. I don't have a ppm meter but hopefully that's within range, or going off what you guys have been feeding it sounds like it.

I'm hoping that using low strengths and sparingly will enough to show any or no improvement over the others that won't be using boosters as it will hopefuly avoid salt or over neuting/lock outs. What I'm kinda concerned with is the importance I've read on the right NPK ratio, the powders will surely put that out of wack when in use.

Btw are you guys stopping watering when you see run off or do you go for 10-20% etc?. Not entirely certain on the factual importance of that. You know the drill, some say you don't need to, others say you do.
 

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
Sorry bud... i dont have time to pull leaves all day on multiple tents.

And three pounds a 1k.... wow!!!!.. 1.3ish gpw... whats the secret? Nitrogen? Nutes till chop? Do you do it in 100 days? 30veg 70ish flower here. ....but 1.3gpw.. thats better than many systems

I mean feel free to check out my fried plants on instagram. ..im not shy hahaha vvvvvv
I've never hit 3lbs per 1kw and ive gone as close as 8" to the foliage with sun systems 8" hoods. I was quoting sombody that claimed 3lbs dry per 1kw. 3lbs in a 4x4 would be crowded as fuck. Hell 2lbs in a 4x4 is already cluttered but acceptable.

im an amateur grower who started with veg & bloom nutes, i had yellowing fans by week 5 of flower and almost no fans by the time harvest came around. then i got lazy and just started using pro-foliage from veg to flower with better results, i tapered down the feed near the ripening stage. Plants stayed green longer and i noticed the healthier my fans were during flower, the faster my buds grew but cure time is a week or two longer. 3-1-2 and 3-2-2(certain strains or times needed in flower) have worked for me when i used to grow with bottles/packets. Don't overdose nitrogen in flower and you'll be fine.
 

Greenthumbs21

Well-Known Member
I've never hit 3lbs per 1kw and ive gone as close as 8" to the foliage with sun systems 8" hoods. I was quoting sombody that claimed 3lbs dry per 1kw. 3lbs in a 4x4 would be crowded as fuck. Hell 2lbs in a 4x4 is already cluttered but acceptable.

im an amateur grower who started with veg & bloom nutes, i had yellowing fans by week 5 of flower and almost no fans by the time harvest came around. then i got lazy and just started using pro-foliage from veg to flower with better results, i tapered down the feed near the ripening stage. Plants stayed green longer and i noticed the healthier my fans were during flower, the faster my buds grew but cure time is a week or two longer. 3-1-2 and 3-2-2(certain strains or times needed in flower) have worked for me when i used to grow with bottles/packets.
Dont trip on weight... i was just joking bro.... yield is strain relative... look at grinspoon v big bud hahaha. Just work on quality.

Ps... if you got yellow leaves week 5... start with a higher ph by .5 in week 3..... chances are you get a ph drop from flower nutes
 
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