Tips for washing marijuana roots

If you are reading this, it is because you are close to harvesting, and it is time to prepare the plants for cutting.
Before harvesting our plants, a key practice is washing the roots. For some it is something known, but for others it is something that can raise doubts.

What is marijuana root washing?

The process consists of using a significant amount of water and thus actively removing nutrients from the soil. Any mineral or nutrient present in the soil washes away over time, leaving the soil clean.

Why do cannabis root washing?

Eliminating the nutrients that we have in the substrate, contributes to the quality of your harvest in a significant way, since they force the plant to consume the residual food that is still present in its system. By not carrying out this washing process, the nutrients become waste that could affect the quality, flavor and poor combustion when tasting our buds.

Root washing by nutrient blocking

It happens when elements like magnesium, zinc, iron, or even potassium,
they predominate in the root zone and cannot be absorbed by the plant. It could be due to the supersaturation of chemical fertilizers with a high content of salts or also the wrong pH values ​​for the growing medium.

Root washing by overfertilization

If we detect an over-fertilization in the crop, stop applying fertilizer and carry out a root wash. For this, we will use clean and soft water, that is, water with a good PH.

When to do root washing?

Normally we can start washing the roots before harvesting. If its flowering period is 8 weeks it could start six weeks after the start of the flowering stage, although it is preferable to analyze the trichomes of your plant to try to predict when the plant will be ready, if we notice that the trichomes begin to turn a Darker color is a positive indicator to start the process.

How to do the root wash?

Washing the roots is easy, we will only have to water with plenty of water until our soil is clean of fertilizers, at first the water will come out brown, but if we continue watering it will come out cleaner. The water will have to be at a temperature of 20-22º, since if it is cold it will stress, and if it is hot it will rot the roots.

How long does the washing of marijuana roots take to take effect?

Once the roots are washed, we must suspend the use of fertilizers and nutrients and only water it with water if we observe that the substrate becomes dry. This will force the nutrient plant from its food reserve, it will change its appearance and turn yellowish. That will tell us that the root wash has worked.

Conclusions

Choosing to wash the roots will bring us many benefits when it comes to enjoying our cannabis in each puff without strange tastes and free of chemical compounds that can alter the final product. Root washing is a process in which abundant water is used, you consent to this process and take care of the water.

Related questions

How many times to wash the roots?

The root washing can be done twice, once during the vegetative phase and another two weeks prior to harvest.

What to do after washing the roots?

No debemos hacer nada, solo debemos regarla con un poco de agua si vemos que el sustrato está muy seco.