Al B Fuct who is one of the greatest growers on here does not flush and has done comparisons between the two and there is no difference. Think about it, in nature, do plants get flushed? Al B Fuct idea is give them nutes all the way, why limit your bud growth the last 2-3 weeks. I would imagine farmers who used cow poo would not use it as a fertilizer if there crops tasted bad or had a funky smell! Right? Now if I had some scientific experiment that showed the trace elements left behind and was the cause of bad taste and smell in the bud, and was bad for you, then I might change my methods. But for now, I cannot tell a difference what so ever. However, I do run Drip Clean on my hydro setup.
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So it does keep my pipes and roots and grow medium clean from particles and dirt. I also use H202 in the rez keeping all the bad junk to a minimum. I flush and clean the res every 2 weeks. As far as getting all the nutes out of the plant, majority of it will dry out. If there is any trace elements left, I believe there going to be there no matter what. Maybe less if you flush and let the plants use it all up, but then by the 2nd week, the plant is stressing and does not have energy and nutes, and begins to die off. I chopped mine when there fully healthy and drinking there food normal. Maybe there is a difference in my bud and THC and what not VS. flushing. You might as well get your buds as dank as you can before you chop. Get my drift? I don't know if what I am saying makes sense, but it does to me and that works.