Washing the roots of marijuana plants is one of the most important tasks if we want to get the best quality in our harvest, and many people do not take it into account. We want our friends and grow shop customers to get the most defined flavor and their weed does not scratch when smoking, and for that we have prepared this article on how to do a proper root washing before cutting the plants.
🧐 What is root washing?
We call root washing in cannabis plants the act of cleaning the substrate and the root zone of the salts accumulated by the fertilizers. Every time we water with a fertilizer in soil or coconut crops, we are adding salts to the substrate, where the roots absorb a part, but a certain amount always remains in the soil.
There are 2 types of cannabis root cleaning, the one done to avoid nutrient blockages caused by accumulated salts, and the final root wash that is done before harvest. The first is good to do in some types of cultivation, and the second is very important to do it always.
🎬 What is root washing for?
The root wash that is done before harvesting serves to force the plants to consume all the food reserves contained in the leaves. When the roots are properly washed prior to harvest, the nutrients that remain in the root zone are eliminated by leaching, that is, the water drags the salts to the drainage of the pots, and in this way the substrate.
Once the roots do not find food in the soil, the plant is forced to pull the leaves to be able to eat, and that is very good at the end of the crop, since this way the leaves yellow and the chlorophyll and all the food they contain.
But there is another type of cleaning the root system of marijuana, and it is washing the roots by overfertilization. This is done so that the excess of salts caused by overpaying does not cause nutrient absorption problems. If you see that the leaves of your plants become very dark, claw-shaped, or with burned tips, it is very possible that they need a root wash to correct overfertilization.
There is also the root washing that is done regularly during cultivation to keep the substrate clean, avoid saturation of the roots, and that they can absorb nutrients in the best possible way, it could be said that they are preventive root washes.
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👾 How to wash the roots indoors
It is about watering with plenty of clean water, so that thanks to the leaching all the remnants of salts are dragged down to the drain. Each plant needs approximately three times as much water as the volume of the pot it has, that is, if your plants are in 7-liter pots, each one needs around 21 liters of water so that the roots are well cleaned. The most widespread way is to take the plants to the shower or bathtub, to have the water close by, and especially to have a drain where all the excess water can be evacuated.
The shower phone helps a lot in this regard, and the ideal is to do it little by little, it is not necessary to open the tap all the way. This way of cleaning the roots of marijuana is very comfortable, but it has 3 problems, that with the water part of the substrate can also come out and reach the drain, that the PH that comes out of the water from the network may not be correct, and especially that in many places the tap water is too hard, so it is not ideal.
It does not have to be distilled water, but if it is soft, it is better
The pH of the ideal water for the final root washing in the ground is 6.5 to 7, but if it is somewhat higher or lower, nothing happens, because from that moment the plant no longer has to eat from the substrate. On the other hand, this factor is very important for the root washes that are done in the middle of the crop, because in those cases the plants do have to continue eating from the soil.
The last part of the final root wash prior to harvest, we like to do it by adding to the water some of the products that help eliminate accumulated salts and improve the flavor of cannabis. For that, what we do is fill a bucket with water, pour the recommended dose of the product, and water all the plants.
On the other hand, in the root washes that are carried out throughout the crop to keep the substrate clean of salts, it must be done in another way. In this case, the last part of the washing is done with water to which we add the corresponding fertilizers for the phase of the crop in which it is found.
🎯 The best products for washing the roots
There are some on the market products that help a lot in the task of washing the roots of marijuana. From our point of view there are some that are better for crops with mineral fertilizers, and others that are more appropriate for plants fed with organic fertilizers.
Cannazym for washing the roots of organic crops
A classic that has improved the taste of weed for millions of people. Not only is it used before harvesting, it is good to use Cannazym throughout the entire crop, to keep the root system as healthy and strong as possible.
The basis of this product are enzymes, which break down the accumulated salts and at the same time accelerate the decomposition process of the matter to turn it into available food for the plants again.
Cannazym by Canna contains more than 12 types of enzymes to ensure the health of our marijuana plant…
Add 2.5 ml per litre to the irrigation water.
Apply from the 1st week until the end of the crop once a week.
Composition of Canna Zym by Canna:
NPK 0-2-1
0% Nitrogen.
2% Phosphorus.
1% Potassium.
0.1% Sulphur.
Root washing with Flawless Finish by Advanced Nutrients
This chelated-based product is perfect for removing accumulated salts in plants grown with fertilizers of mineral origin. Flawless Finish manages to destroy even the traces of nutrients that water alone cannot eliminate, and it is the most recommended for growing marijuana in coconut, hydroponic, aeroponic, and any that is not organic.
Flawless Finish, a powerful root cleaner that transforms mineral residues left in the soil into plant food...
The recommended dose of Flawless Finish is 2 millilitres for each litre of water and should be applied at the final stage of harvest for 7 or 10 days with a minimum of three irrigations before harvest if planted in soil or coconut fibre…
✅ How to wash roots outdoors
Indoor plants are in pots and move easily thanks to their size, but how do we wash roots in mother earth? Well, as the saying goes, if Muhammad does not go to the mountain, the mountain goes to Muhammad, so the ideal is to bring the water to where the plants are. If you have a hose that reaches the crop, you have it easy, it is enough to water for a while without stopping, little by little so that the soil gives time to swallow all the water, but 10 to 15 minutes per plant would be fine.
This also applies to plants grown in pots, since they are usually large and placed in heavy pots, so it is the most comfortable way to clean the roots of outdoor plants in general, both for those that are planted in mother earth. , as for those that are in containers or pots.
🚀 Washing of roots in hydroponics
It is clear that a hydroponic or aeroponic system cannot be moved to the toilet or some place where you can clean the roots, but do not worry, it is not necessary to move it. To wash the roots in hydroponics, it is best to empty the tank, clean it well, refill it with water, add Flawless Finish or a similar product, and let the mixture recirculate for6 hours at least.
This must be done about 10 or 15 days before harvesting, and it is important to clean the tank well so that no remains are left on the bottom or the walls. Once the recommended 6 hours of recirculation with the product have passed, the tank is emptied again, it is cleaned again, and it is filled only with water this time, the PH is adjusted, and it will stay that way until the final cut.
✨ How do you know when to do the root wash?
To know the ideal time to wash the roots before harvesting, it is best to look at the trichomes of the buds with a microscope, to check their degree of maturity and thus decide the optimal time to harvest. In this article we talk about trichomes as a natural marker of the point of maturation of cannabis, if you are not very clear about this aspect it will surely help you.
If you grow with organic fertilizers, the best time to wash the roots is about a week before harvest, but if you feed your plants with mineral nutrients, it is better to do the washing 10 to 15 days before cutting the plants. . You can look in the catalog of the seed bank for the flowering time of the variety you grow. If it says that it is 9 weeks of flowering, it is best that you start looking at the trichomes from the sixth week, since they can always come out earlier.
⭐ When to cut after root washing?
Ideally, you should base yourself on the maturation of the trichomes to choose the day of harvest, but if you have gotten lost and are in a hurry to cut, wait at least for the soil to dry after washing the roots, so that the substrate It is not damp at the time of harvesting and that way the drying is more correct.
If you have never done a root wash, I already warn you that the substrate remains much longer wet than after a normal watering, take that into account to calculate the time to cut. If you grow with mineral fertilizers and wash the roots 15 days before harvest, it is very possible that your plants need some more waterings before cutting. These waterings can be normal, but always water or water with some of the products before mentioned.
➕ Washing the roots in autoflowering plants
The washing of the roots of autoflowering plants in flowering is done exactly the same as for other varieties of marijuana. You can rely on the same factors to determine the right time to wash the roots, but in this case instead of looking at the flowering time indicated by the marijuana seed banks, you will have to see the total cultivation time, because with the cars you measure like this.
It is good that you write down the day the plant sprouted, and count from that moment to know the approximate time remaining until its harvest. When you have 20 days to go to the time indicated by the banks, you can start looking at the trichomes to calculate the exact day, and when there are 1 week, 10 days, or 2 weeks left for cutting (Depending on whether they are grown with organic fertilizers or minerals) do the root wash to your autoflowers.
📱 Conclusion
Today we have learned when, how, and why to wash the roots of our marijuana plants. It is a very easy task that is really worth doing to get the cleanest and tastiest herb possible, and it is very important not only for the quality of the final product, but also for our health as consumers, do not forget it.
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