How to time a FLush before HArvest?

so experienced growers, tell me this....how do you time your flushing before harvest?

i'm growing outdoors, from clones. i inspect my trichomes under a microscope, so i am dialed in to the clear/cloudy/amber state. but i want to time the flush so that i can harvest at the optimal cloudy/amber state (around 50/50).

example, at this moment, i'm about 10% clear / 90% cloudy in my trichomes. how many days from now can i expect to be 50% cloudy / 50% amber?

in past years, the amber state seems to have come on too quickly for me to react with a flush a good week prior to harvest. i usually get a flush to harvest gap of about 2-3 days.

 

Well flushing for hydro and soil is diff but I wanted to add on another point, 50% amber is a bit high. 20% or under is a better value. By 50% the THC has started to degrade. I guess it's really a personal choice, but that is just my opinion.

 

my second grow i decided to chop at the first sign of amber, so i flushed at cloudy.

 

first sign of cloudy or completely cloudy?


how many days in between flush and chop?


cannagirl, agreed that might be too high. last year i chopped most before before 50/50, at about 20/80, and some a bit later in the cycle, about 80/20. (in the end i didnt notice the difference because i got the budz mixed up together in the dry/cure process. doh! )


also, when you chop, does that freeze the trichome state? or does it continue to mature for X many days after the chop?

 

after chopping proper drying an curing will raise the potency an flavor...as for flushing what kind nutes you use,cause you may be able just to flush for 7 days then harvest..if the nutes were organic...peace az

 

i chopped at all cloudy, ist sign of amber. also i would think they continue to mature if they dont dry too fast. the plant will continue to attempt to be pollinated and continue on since it doesnt have a brain to let it know its been chopped, but who knows.

 

I'm with Canna on this one. 50/50 is a little extreme. If you're 90% cloudy it's time to start flushing right now, IMO.

 

is a flush necessary?

 

It is supposed to make it taste better by using up all the bullshit you don't want to smoke by starving the plant more or less.

 

flushing use's up the last of the ferts in the soil/plant....plants that havn't been flushed proplery burn the throut will sizzle an pop ina joint an its harder to keep lit...peace az

 

Flushing is not that necessary if you grow organic. I do myself but will still flush to some degree for the last couple weeks before harvest.