How to do a Root Wash in Marijuana plants

You may be a bit surprised by this technique, and even think that it is difficult, however, if you have a cannabis crop, this option may be the most reliable to save your plants and not to mention your harvest, which may be the distinguishing point. between a product of excellent quality and another not to mention. In our online grow shop we talk about it.

A culture without washing the roots can provide buds that when smoking them will only generate a bad experience, due to the itch in the throat and its unpleasant taste, since too many nutrients and minerals are stored during growth, which modifies the result of the harvested product. If you are not good at cultivation then you buy cannabis, Marijuana from any legit online cannabis store or nearby cannabis store (Links to an external site.) in your local area.

What is root washing for?

1. This is an activity usually carried out by growers in order to eliminate overfertilization of the land in which the marijuana is planted.
2.  Root washing is generally carried out using common water to achieve the elimination of the nutrients that are contained in the soil, dragging minerals and nutrients to leave the soil free of these.
3. Surely you are wondering, why would you want to eliminate the substances that feed and make your plant grow? , as it has been discovered that washing the roots will stimulate your plant to use all the residual food that remains inside, as well as eliminating the excess chemicals or substances used during the vegetative phase.

When to do the root wash?

Usually, these tend to have a flowering period of approximately two months, but if you do not feel completely confident you can carefully look at the appearance of the trichomes of the plant since they are the ones that will really tell you when is the right time.

The trichomes that were transparent in appearance will begin to turn dark and indicate that it is now the precise moment in which we can perform a root wash, this can become a bit tedious or difficult for an inexperienced person but then with the experience you will get to know in detail what are the aspects and signs that indicate that the plant needs its corresponding root washing.

When you decide to wash the roots, you are also replenishing or restoring the substrate, it has happened to more than one of them that during the growth phase they have accidentally over-fed Cannabis, even causing it to become wilted, among growers this is known as “burned for nutrition ” and it occurs more frequently than we can imagine, but it is not an incorrigible situation thanks to the fact that with the washing of roots we can correct the error.

Although the most ideal time to carry out this technique is before harvest, it does not mean that we cannot do it before, this should be done as long as the plant shows signs of overfertilization because this will be the only way to rescue it and have it ready. for the harvest.

This may be due to the fact that the accumulation of minerals and salts alter the PH levels, severely affecting the metabolism of the plant, so using plenty of water it helps to remove all excess substances and balances the pH to be optimal. and the plants gradually regain their normal metabolism.

There may also be the opposite case in which we carry out the washing of the roots when it is not yet necessary, achieving a considerable loss of nutrients and minerals essential for the growth and development of marijuana, causing them to become weak and small, and may become wilted or look faded.

If the crop is hydroponic, it will be necessary to avoid fertilizing about 2 weeks before harvest and add only water, in the case of Sativa varieties the root washing must be carried out in the middle of the flowering period, so the substrate does not saturate fertilizer or minerals and at the end of the cycle the plants will look much healthier.

How many times is the root washing done?

Experts in the cultivation of cannabis have recommended that the roots be washed twice, once during the vegetative phase and another two weeks prior to harvest, since in this way we will be eliminating the excesses and promoting a better quality of the seeds. buds.

If you fear that your plant has a nutrient blockage, you can choose to routinely wash the roots at the beginning of flowering and two weeks before the end of this period, all these data can be incorporated into your cultivation techniques to have the best harvest.

How to do indoor root washing?

• This is a simple procedure in which we will only need to water the plant with water in large quantities to be able to guarantee that the soil is clean.
• The ideal water temperature should be between about 20 to 22 ° C, that is, neither too cold nor too hot so as not to stress the plant and not damage its roots.
• To make the procedure more discreet and practical you can do it in a bathtub or under a Faucet,  adding enough water until the water that comes out of the plateau looks clean compared to the beginning in this way we will have the certainty that the Roots wash was the right one.
• Among the recommendations given is to avoid performing the procedure very late at night because the roots at that time do not absorb too much water and if we add large amounts we can flood them and cause them to rot due to the humid environment that we will be creating.
• The most ideal thing is to gradually wash the roots to be able to detail if there are signs or symptoms of excess, adding three times the amount of water that the pot retains, and it can be done in several days more safely.
• When it is decided to wash the roots, the use of fertilizers will have to be suspended for at least 48 hours prior to the procedure, it will also be necessary to evaluate the humidity of the soil so as not to flood them and affect the root system.
• As in indoor cultivation, this must be done 2 weeks before harvest, if for example, it is a strain whose harvest is obtained in the last days of September, it must be done in the middle of that month.
• It will be necessary to be aware of the flowering time and how long it will be until the harvest since if this procedure is carried out ahead of time we will force the plant to feed on the reserve of nutrients located in its leaves and if we do it very late we will be altering the quality of the harvest obtaining unpleasant results when smoking.
• If chemical fertilizers were not used but instead used manure or compost that are natural organic products, it will not be essential to wash the roots.
• The most advisable thing is to cover all the possible space in the field and water it with plenty of water as much as it can absorb and let it wash away all the excess nutrients then wait a while the procedure should be repeated to ensure that it is effective.

If you do not feel confident you can test the difference between a plant with root washing and another that does not and in this way discern the quality of each one and the changes in its flavour so that in this way you can adopt it as a key routine when growing. your plants.

We will know that washing the roots has had a satisfactory effect when the colour change of the trichomes from a dark colour to whitish occurs, which will indicate that our plant is healthy and above all ready for harvest. If it is the first root wash that you carry out, doing the procedure in just the right time will be enough, and then with experience, we can learn to analyze the signals in the buds and trichomes.

Once the roots are washed, we must suspend the use of fertilizers and nutrients and let it continue its cycle naturally without any additives and only water it with water if we observe that the substrate becomes dry. Another factor that we cannot neglect is the pH because the correct thing is that it is balanced, otherwise we will not be guaranteed the necessary conditions for our planet to develop properly.