When do buds swell?

Hey guys and gals,
Generally speaking, on a 10 week strain, at what week do buds tend to swell the most? (hydro and soil)
Will my plants swell during the 2 weeks that they are being flushed?
Shart

Botanical Shart said:

Hey guys and gals,
Generally speaking, on a 10 week strain, at what week do buds tend to swell the most? (hydro and soil)
Will my plants swell during the 2 weeks that they are being flushed?
Shart

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typically they swell in the last two weeks, but if you flush and deprive them of nutrients during the last two weeks of their most productive life cycle, they will not swell as much if you were to continue feeding them until harvest day...skip the flush and enjoy fatter buds

Awesome advice. You hear a lot of people say that the chemicals build up in the buds however, I've always been a firm believer that the chems stay in the roots and that the plant uses them as needed. Curing eliminates harsh tastes and smells

I'd appreciate any and all input on whether or not I should flush my buds. Opinions from others are always welcome. ;P
Shart

I think the flushing thing goes the same way as the defoliation thing. Growers preference. I am currently growing only 2 plants kept em small side by side same lights and nutes etc... 1 am doing defoliation and flushing the other i am leaving. I am going to dry and cure the same. Obviously this is a microscopic sample of am experiment but just for me it lets me know which methods that i as a grower prefer. I am about 35days into flower right now and can say that the buds in the defoliated plant vs the buds on non defo i can not tell a difference. Of course many variables such as how much i took off when i did but my point here is try what you want. Find something you like. At the end of the day if your harvest is good and the smoke gets the job done thats all that youre looking for.

Do you find that the buds swell AFTER the hairs have turned color and start reciding, or before?

The calyx do the most swelling at the end of the flower phase in an effort to protect their seedset from the upcoming winter. Try flushing for only the last 36-48 hours in total darkness right before harvest. The darkness allows the plants Phytochrome levels to reach peak and in turn send the plant into spastic oil making mode. Also, the most amount of water will be still in the plant from lack of transpiration which will allow more control on the cure and ultimately end up in a smoother smoke.

-HM420

also, turn your air fans off and let the plant sit in a still room

Awesome advice HM. Could you recommend how I flush my soil SOG plants? In detail

Botanical Shart said:

Awesome advice. You hear a lot of people say that the chemicals build up in the buds however, I've always been a firm believer that the chems stay in the roots and that the plant uses them as needed. Curing eliminates harsh tastes and smells

Click to expand...

Based on the biology I have learned when I was in college you are half right and a flush may help. The leaves also collect excess salts as a defense mechanism to protect to roots. If you starve the plant of nutrients theres another mechanism allowing the plant to eat the excess salts in the leaves. What you want to do not flush until the buds are almost completely done. Then flush into half strength nutes and add some lemon juice for the citrus. The citrus helps the plants use up all the old nutes. Old leaves turn yellow and new growth is light light green. If you dont do this you are relying 100% on the cure to remove the excess salts which is chemically impossible. The weed will get much smoother after the cure, but without a flush you are smoking excess salts which could constitute to a harsher aftertaste. I agree cure is still much more important for taste and smoothness. Flush is more for reducing the amount of salts that end up in the ashes because technically they dont smoke anyway.

Not sure how people logically think salts will be changed at all by a flush. Are they under the impression that the salts will evaporate? Do they think the plants will change the salts chemical makeup? Do they believe flushing will cause the plants to leak salts into the soil?

All flushing does is deprive your babies of nutes in the weeks it needs them the most.

Worth a peek.