OPERLY
FLUSH
BIS
You ’ ve put so much effort into growing a healthy crop of cannabis , and now it ’ s harvest time . A few extra steps at the end of the cycle can be the difference between good and great cannabis .
by Dan Vaillancourt
Cannabis takes months to mature and flower , with countless hours and lots of money poured into your investment . Skipping out on a proper ripening phase means ruining your entire crop , while flushing time and money down the drain . Properly ripened flowers will exhibit a much more profound aroma , look , and taste while the THC and other cannabinoids will have a better , more usable effect on the body . Most importantly , it will burn properly , and you will only be smoking the cannabis , not the nutrients . If you run a medical growroom ( ACMPR ), micro-cultivation facility , or are a licensed producer you owe it to yourself and your customers to implement proper ripening techniques so your product is clean and passes lab inspections .
Knowing When to Flush
The stigma is the hair part of the cannabis flower , otherwise known as a pistil . Its main purpose is to collect pollen from the male plant when released and it grows out from the calyx which is what makes up cannabis flowers as we know them . The calyxes are designed to protect the plant ’ s reproductive system , however , for most growers ( other than breeders ), you won ’ t need to protect any seeds .
“ Properly ripened flowers will exhibit a much more profound aroma , look , and taste .”
Your stigmas ( or pistils ) will be white or soft yellow to start and over time they will turn a shade of red depending on strain . When your plants ’ pistils darken in color ( generally red ) an overall amount of 60-75 percent of the plants ’ coverage , it is time to start the flushing phase for two to three weeks depending on strain .
Takeaways :
• Read your plants ’ hairs ( pistils ), not the calendars .
• Initiate the flushing phase when 60-75 percent of the pistils have turned orange or red .
The Flushing Phase
Flushing should not be overlooked . It is such a crucial part of the growing phase where it inhibits bulking and ripening of the flowers while packing on THC when done properly . Initiating a flush for 14-28 days when your plant is at the 60-75 percent mark is the general rule , depending on the strain . This will ripen your flowers fully , giving the most robust flavors and highest THC your strain is capable of while packing on weight and cleaning the flowers out of stored nutrients ( yuk !).
Maximum Yield 85