Root washing’s underrated by many beginner growers, but totally necessary for top quality – buds free of chemical fertilizer traces, with much softer flavor and top quality; root washing could be applied when growing, preventing soil over fertilization and salinity.
Why is root washing necessary?
When adding fertilizers to the soil, you’re feeding with salts which remain in the soil and increase the salinity and soil acidity (PH), blocking the nutrient assimilation of the plant; if over fertilization’s not taken into account, root system will get blocked and marijuana growing will get paralyzed – wrong development and bad, scarce crop; PH control, and fertilizer doses, are fundamental for those problems – root washing’s also helpful for much better crops.
Even without over fertilization, if roots aren’t washed before cropping, the buds will hold the fertilizers applied on the previous days; washing the roots two weeks before cropping, the buds will get free of fertilizer traces (worse taste, scratched throat), with yellowish leaves and low chlorophyll taste of the final crop.
Gea Seeds suggests to stop irrigating the strain on the last 2/3 days – no humidity, fast drying (humidity could provoke fungi, destroying months of work).
Fertilizers prone to over fertilization
Excess compost can block the plants – chemical fertilizers are more aggressive for root system (most of all, flowering NPK).
How to recognize over fertilization
Strain coloration’s fundamental for over fertilization; common symptoms:
- Dark-green leave coloration – nitrogen.
- Creaky, dry leaves – excess nitrogen.
- Claw-like, wrinkled leaves – excess phosphorus.
- Thin leaflets – excess phosphorus.
Root washing
Root washing’s a really simple process – no product/money investment/advanced knowledge; abundant strain irrigation to avoid substrate fertilizers as much as possible: the pot will throw out brown water, gradually cleaner – when similar to irrigation water, root washing will be finished; when on mother soil, the only option’s abundant irrigation – when hydroponic/aeroponic, just water in the deposit on the last cropping days.
As previously mentioned, root washing’s a simple process for final quality grows – ideal flavor/smell, no excess growing; for top marijuana, root washing.
