What I don't understand is if science says nutes don't affect the final product then why is it a hot topic?
Because people still take the word of someone who's not changed their methods in 40 years over someone thats a new breed because apparently we lack experience lol.
Technically true but our science still counts for more.
Do a single, large plant in a 20-30l NFT, DWC or Wilma and you'll be able to see for yourself why most hydro growers say don't flush.
The ppm meter tells us not only how strong the feed is but how strong the plant wants it.
Towards the end of the grow, the nutrient intake does indeed go down massively but it doesn't stop.
About 3 weeks before the end it halves.
By 2 weeks to go it halves again.
1 week to go it halves again and after that it basically stops feeding and just drinks enough water to keep itself alive.
If you keep the ppm in line with what the plant is taking all the way through though then It"ll still cannibalise itself, leaves die off etc.
No risk of over feeding.
No risk of underfeedin and starving the buds and hurting the yield.
And probably most importantly.....
See when the you flush plants and the leaves die off because the plant liquidises the nutrients in them and makes them available for transport into the buds to make sure they stay alive for as long as possible.
It's a self defense mechanism to give them the highest chance for reproduction.
They eat themselves to stay alive.
But the point being that every time a leave dies, more nutes are pumped into the buds.. So at what point during this process are nutrients apparently being removed from the buds?
Doesn't make sense does it?