👋Top is a clean cut, no confusion for the plant, road ahead is clear, by completely removing the main growth tip, the auxin source is eliminated. The plant permanently halts vertical growth from that main stem and immediately sends its energy and hormones to the two new, evenly spaced branches just below the cut.
Fimming slightly different because a small tuft of the top growth is left behind, the auxin disruption is temporary and less severe. The plant recovers more quickly and sends its energy to multiple surrounding growth points, often creating four or more new shoots from the same spot. It will eventually regain some vertical dominance after a few weeks if left to its own devices, but with a little more LST, bending the apex to the same height as the rest of the internodes, this shatters dominance, hopefully creating around 8-9 main shoots growing at equal height once recovered and grown out.
Reduced environmental intensity for now and let her focus on dealing with this new stress for a week or two.
When H+ ions are added to soil, the first nutrient displaced from exchange sites is typically aluminum (Al3+), if it's present, followed by calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), and potassium (K+), because aluminum and these base cations have different binding strengths. The order of displacement depends on the lyotropic series, where ions with a higher positive charge and those with weaker binding strengths are displaced first.
The specific order of nutrient displacement is determined by the lyotropic series, which ranks the strength with which cations are adsorbed by soil particles:
Al3+: Most strongly adsorbed, so if present, it will be displaced by H+ ions, leading to increased solubility of aluminum and potential plant toxicity.
Ca2+: Displaced next, as it is more strongly bound than Mg2+ or K+ but less than Al3+.
Mg2+ and K+: Displaced after Ca2+.
The displaced nutrients can be lost from the root zone through leaching, becoming unavailable to plants.
As H+ ions increase, the proportion of acid cations (H+ and Al3+) on the exchange sites increases, while base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) decrease, resulting in a lower soil pH.
The amount of photosynthesis (water splitting) directly determines the availability of H+ ions (protons) in a plant.
90% of water is for cooling of photosynthetic apparatus the other 10% is split for its H+ among others things.
Carbon sugars, like glucose, do oxidize in soil through a process primarily driven by microorganisms, which break down these sugars for energy. This oxidation converts the sugars into carbon dioxide (CO2) through cellular respiration, a key part of the soil carbon cycle, though some carbon may also be incorporated into soil organic matter. The rate and extent of sugar oxidation depend on factors like oxygen availability, the presence of Fe oxides, and soil redox conditions, which can all influence the process.
My understanding of why we flush.
Just plain water, what does it do?
Strips the medium of salts and nutrients making it empty.
What does that do?
Triggers nutrient recycling within the plant.
What's nutrient recycling?
It is a natural part of plant senescence, which can be triggered once you know the switches. A 24:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio will also trigger.
Why won't it trigger autophagy for me?
Nitrogen needs to be gone, gone, gone almost. Ammoniacal (organic) nitrogen takes 4-5 times more water to separate it from soil particles than nitrates so what happens is most people jist flush the nitrates, leave all the ammoniacal in there and this prevents autophagy initiating.
Nitrogen decays differently depending on its form during the dry.
Ammoniacal nitrogen will oxidize in the air, leaving no trace. But nitrates do no decay and turn volatile and smelly and remain trapped until smoked, no matter how long you cure it does not oxidize. This is why you need to trigger it and begin the denitrfication process prior to harvest to get rid of all the nitrates. Otherwise, you will smoke it.
Flush till autophagy begins, just make sure you add no nitrogen afterwards. Micronutrients for trichomes. Don't leave the medium empty for 2 weeks, that does nothing but reduce yield 10%ish. Trichomes are another thing. Trichomes themselves are not directly affected by flushing; rather, flushing affects the plant's nutrient uptake, which influences the development and final state of the trichomes. Trichomes are filled with antioxidants in the last weeks, which is what makes them cloudy. A lot of the processing of antioxidants requires energy and nutrients (mostly micronutrients ), so you don't want that soil empty for 2 weeks, you just want the carbon nitrogen ratio 24:1and no higher. She still wants what she needs to ripen.
Processing antioxidants is energy-intensive; heat and light accelerate the rate at which THC converts to CBN. This is why you lower DLI, lower temps. By doing so, you reduce the oxidative workload caused by photosynthesis, which opens up the oxidative capacity for the production of antioxidants. THC is mostly processed at night when the plant's oxidative capacity is generally moreso "free and available" for work