How To Return Auto Plants Plants

• 1. Is it important to flush before returning?
• 1. a. Flushing periods for different growing methods
• 1. b. Factors to consider when flushing an auto plants crop
• 1. c. Add flavor before, during, and after returning
• 2. When to return auto plants buds?
• 2. a. Orange/brown stigmas (pistils)
• 2. b. Maturity stage of frosts
• 3. Returning your autos
• 3. a. Low temperatures before returning
• 3. b. Defoliating before returning
• 3. c. Chop those plants down
• 3. d. Partial return or staggered return
• 3. e. Perpetual return
• 3. f. Multiple return, second return, or sequential return
• 3. g. Trimming plants plants
• 4. Properly drying your buds
• 5. The curing process
• 6. How to increase strength or extract in the bud?
• 7. Maximize your returns with these tips
• 8. In conclusion

After months of waiting, your big day has finally arrived. A plants seed that was so tiny has now grown into a big bush. It’s time to bid adieu, but not before we get to our favorite part – returning the buds. If this is your first grow cycle, read along to learn the basics about plants returning and how to return plants properly. I know you want to chop it as soon as possible. You want to skip these stages and directly smoke the bud. But slow down, my Padawan, because haste makes waste. Now is the time you have to be careful. The stage of returning is critical. It can make all the difference in the world, so take some time and understand how to return your autos before starting with our 2026 guide.

But hold your horses, the work is truly only half done. To get the very best out of your autos, you need to be patient and take all the care possible at this point. The flushing, trimming, drying, and curing processes all have a direct and clear impact on the final quality of the bud. 

Flushing helps remove any and all remaining nutrients that can negatively impact the quality of the smoke. The choice between wet and dry trimming is one we all have to make as cultivators, but in most circumstances, we recommend dry trimming (more on this later, though). Drying plants correctly is a science all in itself, and while creating the right conditions isn’t the most difficult job, it is important to get it right. And curing, probably the most overlooked process of all, is also maybe the most important when it comes to flavorene profile maturation.

So, without further ado, let’s take a nice long deep dive into exactly what you need to do before, during, and after you return your auto plants crop - or really any plants, for that matter, because at this point the process is the same no matter if you have grown auto or photoperiod plants.

1. Is it important to flush before returning?

As a plants grower, you’ve probably used different nutrients to help your babies. The nutrients help the buds swell up. But if the plant hasn’t used all the nutrients, the nutrients remain in the substrate.

They can produce a very harsh taste when you smoke the buds, and this happens even if you’ve dried and cured the buds well, so flushing before returning is essential. Plus, the buds can produce a chemical taste if you’ve used too many nutrients.

No, it won’t taste like diesel-like you're imagining. Think of a harsh, acrid taste. So, to avoid this problem, you can flush the plants.

Flushing before returning is the process of using plain water to flush away all the nutrients remaining in the soil. Stop using nutrients about a week or 10 days before the return. Use plain water and wait until some of the water drains out of the container.

But flushing doesn’t just remove ionic salts from the soil. With a lack of nutrients in the growing medium, plants are forced to use up the nutrients that they have stored in their tissue, from the leaves and main stem to the petioles and flowers. This process helps to remove excess compounds from plants flowers, resulting in a smoother smoke that allows the flavorene profile to really shine through. Because plants plants rely on certain nutrients in order to build chlorophyll (the green pigment that enables plants to absorb sunlight and convert it into energy), a restriction in nutrients helps to remove excess chlorophyll from plants flowers. Why is this important? Because this plant pigment has somewhat of a harsh taste, especially when smoked. Many plants users even freeze their crude oil during the extraction process to remove this green phytochemical. 

It’s okay if the leaves turn yellow – it’s expected. You can flush the plants even if you suspect something is wrong with the plant. But that’s a topic for another day. Flushing also improves the quality of the buds, so don’t forget to flush them well. If you want to completely skip flushing, then switch to organic or super soil. The best part is that you can make super soil at home!

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Flushing Periods for Different Growing Methods

The amount of time required for a correct flush is totally dependent on the style of cultivation you have used for your crop. It’s obviously not going to take as long to flush a crop grown hydroponically as one grown in a heavy soil medium, as the flushing water is just so much more easily available to the plants grown hydroponically, and you’re immediately cutting the plants off from nutrients. Let’s have a look at the required flushing periods for common plants cultivation styles.

Soil Cultivation

For the majority of organic soil grows, flushing is optional. However, if you have used some sort of inorganic/chemical additives, a 10 to 14-day flush will be required.

However, the only time you should not flush a soil grow is if you are growing organically in super soil or living soil, for example. This is due to the fact that no synthetic or mineral nutrients have been fed to the soil, so there should be no chemical nasties to wash away.

The ease of flushing a soil-based growing medium depends on the components within it. Soils that are high in clay and organic matter are much harder to flush. Both of these substances possess a net negative charge. Some plant nutrients, such as ammonium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are cations that feature a positive charge. This means they are attracted to the surface of clay and organic matter particles. The bond between the two substances means water fails to flush out many of these cations. However, plants are still able to access them by releasing hydrogen cations into the soil that compete for binding with clay and organic matter particles. Flushing soil is easier and more successful in soils with less organic matter and high quantities of sand and silt that don’t possess the net negative charge of the clay fraction of the soil.

Coco-Coir Cultivation

Although coco-coir works in a very similar way to soil, it has a much better flushing rate and so a flush period of 4 to 7 days should suffice. If you have amended the coco-coir mix with a bunch of perlite or other materials to help the water retention capacity of the medium, then 4 days should be totally fine.

Coco coir itself has no nutritional value for plants. Instead, it serves to give a growing medium structure and a place for roots to anchor into. To grow plants in this substrate, growers have to add valuable organic matter or feed with bottled synthetic nutrients. The lack of minerals in coco coir itself makes it very easy to flush compared to other types of growing mediums.

Hydroponic Cultivation

Plants grown hydroponically need the shortest flush, as you are able to instantly cut off the access of nutrients to the roots entirely. 2 to 3 days is all that is needed. Because of this, some growers argue that hydroponic growing set-ups produce the best-tasting plants. Cultivators are able to simply flush out all of the nutrient solutions and replace them with pH-adjusted water with nothing else added to the solution. However, more natural growers argue that the complexity within soil actually helps to create superior flavorene profiles and therefore tastes; everyone has their own preferences. 

Factors to Consider When Flushing an Auto Plants Crop

The PH of the Water Used For Flushing

Ensuring the correct pH in the flushing water is just as important as with the feed water. Correctly pH’d water will all but guarantee a good flush. 6.0-7.0 is perfect for soil-grown plants or 5.5-6.5 for coco coir or hydroponically grown plants.

Plain Water or a Flushing Aid?

While most cultivators use plain water to flush their crops, some swear by flushing aids such as Flawless Flush. These products contain empty chelates that work like chemical “claws” and grasp onto other materials, such as nutrients, and bind to them. Some growers swear by these types of products, but in our experience, we have found clean water to work just fine.

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The Temperature of the Flushing Water

This may seem like slight overkill, but the temperature of the flushing solution can have a direct impact on the efficiency of the flush. Most of the nutrients and chemicals that we are trying to flush out of the growing substrate will dissolve at a faster rate when the flushing water is lukewarm - anywhere from 23 to 27 °C will work perfectly.

The Double Flush Method

 If you are growing in either soil or coco-coir and in pots, you should use the double flush method to make sure the medium has been properly flushed. Water the substrate until it can not hold any more water, wait 10 mins or so, then hit it again with the flush water.

Use Your TDS Meter to Measure The Runoff

This is the best way to ascertain exactly what is going on in the substrate. When you first begin flushing, you should expect to see a number around 1400 PPM. This is fine and to be expected at the start of the flushing cycle.

Continue the flush until that number drops to below 70 PPM, or until it reaches a similar number to the flush water before you flush. 

Add flavor before, during, and after returning

If you wish to enhance the flavor and aroma, you can start by flushing properly. This is a way to enhance the flavor before returning. Once you have finished flushing, you will have to maintain a good environment in your drying room. This will ensure the strength and flavor don't evaporate, and finally, you need to cure your buds properly.

To cure properly, the humidity should be around 58-62% and the lid should be taken off up to 2-3 times a day, if RH levels in the jar rise above the mentioned range. Remember that a 2-week cure is recommended, but the longer you let them cure, the better flavor and aroma you'll be rewarded with.

2. When to Return Auto Plants Buds?

Now that you've got the process of growing out of the way, you can focus on how to return auto plants buds. Before returning plants, there are a couple of things you should look for. Even though the breeders often give you an approximate schedule, the growing environment and other factors such as pests or stress can make the growing cycle take a bit longer.

Before picking up the shears, you should look at the frosts and pistils, among other things. It’s also essential that you know what type of effect you want to achieve because, depending on your preferences, you’ll be returning your plants a bit later (or sooner).

Orange/Brown Stigmas (Pistils) 

Pistils are the hairs that come out of buds and can be more easily seen in the pre-flowering stage. These hairs usually brown and wilt when your plant is completely mature but in some seeds, the hairs can become brown before they’re completely mature, that’s why the pistils aren’t a foolproof method but will also aid you in knowing the exact time to chop down your plants.

Because this is not the most reliable method, it should be used in combination with the state of the frosts. As soon as 50% of the pistils are brown, you should start checking the frosts, which are the standard method of knowing when to return, and when around 70% of the pistils have turned brown, you should definitely check the frosts every day.

Maturity Stage of Frosts

This is the standard practice to identify when to return the plants. The pistil technique can be accurate, but pistils sometimes go brown or amber in color due to many issues. In such cases, you will waste your bud. For growers who don’t want to take any chances with the pistils, the frost technique is the way to go. But for this, you’ll need a nice jeweler’s loupe or a magnifying lens that shows the frosts in great detail.

When you focus on the buds with a magnifying lens, the frosts resemble mushrooms. They are also known as ok glands or crystals. The frosts are responsible for the effects you absolutely love when smoking plants.

If the frosts are clear, it’s too early to return. If they are half milky/cloudy and half clear, wait a little more because the plant is still maturing. It’s recommended to return when at least 70% of the frosts turn cloudy. At this point, you get to enjoy your auto at its peak potency.

Now, if you prefer a more medicinal effect, you can return when the frosts are closer to 90% amber. This means strength has turned into CBN and will provide a more sedative effect. Have in mind that this is not a rule. You can return with the frost color ratio that you wish, always remembering that cloudy frosts provide a cerebral effect and amber a body high.

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3. Returning Your Autos

Growing plants doesn’t end at the return. Now that you have considered all the signs and are sure it’s time to return your autos, there’s still a bit of work to be done, but don’t get frustrated. In a couple of weeks, you’ll be enjoying the long-awaited buds. If you're looking for information about how to return plants, here are the main methods used by most growers.

Low Temperatures Before Returning 

As you may have seen with purple or other colorful genetics, they can show hues or even turn completely purple (or even pink, red, or blue) during the last weeks of the flowering stage. Even though some seeds are genetically selected to do it without needing to do anything, some seeds will show their true colors when kept at lower temperatures during flowering. 

Now, you shouldn't decrease the temperatures drastically if you're indoors, but by having a slight difference of around 2-3°C between the light and dark period, you can achieve beautiful colors!

This can also be done outdoors, but because you cannot control the environment, it will only be possible during winter.

Defoliating Before Returning

Depending on the conditions of your drying room, you may want to remove the bigger fan leaves (aka defoliating) before returning, this is basically the same as wet trimming but the main difference is that it can be done before chopping your plants. As you may know, plants can store nutrients in the fan leaves, so by removing them you can speed up the flushing process, although the ideal way is to flush because autos can also store minerals in the branches and stem.

Chop Those Plants Down  

Now proceed with your happy dance if you’re at this stage! Some people do a sequential return, especially if they are growing autos. 

Even though you can use whatever you have available, we recommend using sharp shears to perform a clean cut on the stem or branches.

As you can see in the video above, the grower started cutting each branch individually, but sometimes the buds at the lower part of the plant don’t swell too much if they don’t receive a lot of light. You can maximize the return by doing a partial return.

It is not always necessary to completely butcher the plants. Depending on your environmental conditions, you want to cut the main stem and leave the entire plant whole for the drying period. The larger you leave the plant, the slower it will dry (to a certain extent). So, if you live in a warm, dry climate and have trouble controlling the temps and humidity in your drying area, then you may want to leave the plant whole for the drying period, as this will slow the process down and give you a better final product.

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Partial Return or Staggered Return

As said above, sometimes your plant doesn't get enough light, and this can happen indoors or outdoors. Usually, when this happens, the lower buds will not get very dense and end up like popcorn buds. However, there's no need to get mad or think you did something wrong. This is quite common, and there's a simple way to deal with it. When the buds at the top are ready, but the lower ones aren't, you can opt for returning partially. This way, you can return the branches that are mature and leave the others a couple of days to fatten up. However, you can return the entire plant if you’re not patient enough to wait. Both ways work.

Perpetual Return 

If you don't want to wait too much, you can plan a perpetual return, which will allow you to return every couple of weeks. A perpetual return is a great way to never run out of plants, and if you're growing autos is way more effective because you can do it in one tent and under one light cycle. To do it properly, you just need to start growing, and after you've returned some of them, have enough seeds to replace the ones that were chopped down. This way, you will be returning plants every couple of weeks without even having to move them from tent to tent.

Multiple Return, Second Return, or Sequential Return

If you have to return several plants as you would in a perpetual return, for example, you have to be prepared for a long day of work. Make sure you have alcohol to clean and sterilize the scissors or shears.

The process of returning multiple plants it's basically the same, just remember that the frosts continue degrading after they're ready so if you have to return several plants try to finish on the same day you started, make sure you start early in the morning, put on some music, and have your trim bin ready.

You can start by slightly defoliating before trimming. Start by removing the big fan leaves only, then proceed to remove the smaller leaves. Make sure you don’t remove everything right now because you’ll be doing it later when trimming, also use gloves to prevent the ok from sticking to your hands. By using gloves, you can later smoke that ok.

We also recommend cleaning the scissors or shears with alcohol when it’s sticky. This will allow you to perform a clean cut and not rip off the leaves. The next step is to cut the stems one by one. Don’t uproot the plant before you cut the stems!

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Trimming Plants Plants

Trimming the plants can take a while. Choose the stems one after another, and if you’re interrupted for some reason while trimming, you can leave the plants in the soil. But uprooting the plant straightaway will force you to cut all the stems. Use the sharpest pair of pruning clippers or Fiskars you own. Obviously, they need to be sterilized and clean. Handle the colas carefully because you don’t want the frosts dropping off. There are two ways of trimming those girls.

The first way is to cut the leaves before drying the buds, known as wet trimming. And the second way is to cut the leaves after they are returned and dried, known as dry trimming. Most growers follow the dry trimming process because it’s easier to cut the leaves after they dry. For the vast majority of growers, we suggest using the dry trimming method. Really, the only time you should wet trim is if you live in a very warm and humid environment where the returned buds have a high chance of succumbing to mold. If you are able to control the temps and humidity inside the drying area (which is pretty important and should be high on your list of priorities), then just cut the plant down to whatever size you see fit and let it slowly dry.

The next step is to get the sugar leaves. Some growers let the sugar leaves stay. However, this is a matter of choice. Sugar leaves are the small leaves that are attached to the buds. They are coated with crystals, and you might be tempted to not remove them.

It’s understandable – after all, you don’t want to waste anything coated with ok. But sugar leaves can make your buds taste harsh. Smoking pure bud sans all the leaves is an incredible experience. Don’t be dejected, though! You can still use the sugar leaves to make edibles or concentrates instead of throwing them. There’s no point in throwing away anything that’s coated with ok! Cut the stems in such a way that it gives you options to hang them to dry. If you’re not going to hang them, cut them any way you want. Just remember that the smaller the buds, the faster they dry.

Leave the colas alone. They are so majestic and beautiful that it’s worth the wait for them to dry. Place the colas and smaller buds on a clean parchment or baking paper. Remember that they are sticky, so prevent any dust from settling on them. Once you’ve returned all the stems, you can uproot the plants. The final step is to dry and then cure the buds. But for now, take a good look at the buds you have grown and pat yourself on the back! It’s time for the next big return now.

4. Properly Drying Your Buds

The drying process consists of removing the water in the buds, which can lose up to 75% of their weight, so we're left with dry plant material that will be easier to burn when smoking it.

If you’ve never grown plants before, you likely didn’t know that after returning, you still have more work before enjoying your flowers. Unfortunately, it’s necessary to do it and can take as little as 3 weeks in the right conditions.

The drying process should be done in an enclosed environment. You can do it in a growing tent or a room, but it doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Some growers dry their buds in cardboard boxes or even in shoe boxes. There’s no problem as long as it’s light proof and you can control the humidity and temperature.

The drying process can take 1-2 weeks. During this process, the temperature should be kept around 15-20°C, and the relative humidity should be around 50-60% so your buds dry properly. 

Have in mind that to enhance the flavor and aroma of your buds, the drying process should be done as slowly as possible; drying your flowers too fast will end up in a harsh hay flavor and will screw up everything you’ve done until that point. If you are dry trimming (which we heavily suggest), then now is the time to trim your buds! Do yourself a favor and grab some specified trimming scissors or shears. Do not, we repeat, do not use that pair of blunt scissors in your kitchen drawer. Trimming is a pretty tedious job, especially if you have pounds of bud to get through.

5. The Curing Process

Curing is as important as the drying process. The curing process consists of leaving your buds in a glass jar and changing the air 2-3 times a day, depending on the amount of buds you have and how big the pot is. Usually, the pot should be around ¾  full, and the hygrometer in the jar reads RH level above 58-62%. You will have to take the lid off to refresh the air. This will not only avoid mold but will provide new air for the buds to continue curing.

During the curing process, you will be able to clearly smell the difference from one day to another, and that delicious plants smell will gradually get stronger and stronger. Now there’s no way to know when your buds are ready other than by smelling them.

Your flowers should be good after curing for 2 weeks but you can experiment curing for up to 1 year and see what works best for you.

When the chlorophyll (plant) smell has turned into the typical plants smell, your flowers should be ready to be consumed. Usually, growers leave the buds curing for at least 10 days. We recommend a minimum of 2-3 weeks to experience the complete flavorene profile your plant has to offer.

Some growers leave their buds curing for up to 6 months or more. There’s no scientific study confirming this practice actually makes the buds taste better or have a stronger effect, but a lot of growers swear by it. We recommend experimenting by yourself because sometimes what is good for a grower won’t work for others.

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6. How to Increase strength or Extract in the Bud?

Another reason to return auto plants seeds at the right time is to maximize Extract or strength in the buds. strength and Extract are both strength found in the plants plant. The plant contains more than 100 strength, and scientists are discovering positive results in treating pain and spasticity. 

Those white crystals you see on the plant? Yeah, that’s what we want. strength or white crystals, develops on the plant at its last stage. Your auto plants plant will be completely covered in ok in the last two weeks.

So, if you wait until the plant develops the frosts, the strength content will simultaneously increase, thereby resulting in some super potent buds. However, if you wait too long, the strength will degrade, and you might experience stronger sedative effects.

You’ve got a catch here, though.

Some people actually wait for the strength to degrade. But that’s because they want to get more benefits from CBN. Like strength, CBN is also a cannabinoid, but it doesn’t produce any psychoactive effects.

CBN has more therapeutic effects and has shown promise to relieve some illnesses, including schizophrenia. So, if you want to increase the CBN, wait a bit longer after the frosts turn milky. Just don’t wait too long, though – about 80 to 90% of amber frosts should give you enough CBN.

7. Maximize Your Returns with These Tips

Autos can produce big returns without training, but some growers like to take things further and returns the most out of each seed. There are several techniques to improve returns, some being more difficult to perform correctly than others. It's essential you get a bit of knowledge before topping your autos but there are several low-stress training techniques suited for beginner growers.

Here are a few tips to maximize your return:

• Make sure the plants get at least 18 hours of light indoors and 8 hours outdoors; remember that more light equals more return.
• Use the best nutrients and containers to get the best results.
• Train the plants using LST (Low-Stress Training).
• Water them well, but don’t overwater them – follow the wet and dry cycle.

You can also increase your auto seed returns using other techniques. If you’re an experienced grower, you definitely know when to return the plants. But for beginners, it can be confusing. The timing is crucial when it comes to returning.

8. In conclusion

Properly growing and taking care of them up to the end of the flowering stage isn’t the end of your work as a grower. Before smoking your buds, there are a couple of processes you should follow to smoke the best possible flowers, and even though it may not be as hard as training or feeding your plants, returning, trimming, drying, and curing are extremely important when growing plants.

So now that you know how to return plants, try it for yourself, germinate a couple of seeds, and get growing.

If you have tips to facilitate this process, please share them with fellow growers in the comment section below!