It is one thing to do something because a guide said so, it is another to understand why you are doing it and what's it's purpose. Last person I told possibly had a nitrogen toxicity sent me threats he was triggered so bad. So take this however you want to. This is my understanding of why.
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?
Natural part of plant senescence which can be triggered once you know the switches. 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 100%. 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 different depending on its form during the dry.
Ammoniacal will oxidize into 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 dawn nitrogen afterwards. Feed p,k and micronutrients for trichomes. Don't leave medium empty for 2 weeks that does nothing but reduce yield 10ish%
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 antoxidants in the last weeks this is what makes them cloudy. Alot of the processing of antoxidants requires energy and nutrient (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 antoxidants 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, this opens up oxidative capacity for the production of antoxidants.
Thc is mostly processed at night when the plant's oxidative capacity is generally "free and available" for work.
Best luck old buddy old chum.