Nutrient stain or beginnings of root rot?

[mtgshmoopy]

Hi all.

These are my first two plants so I'm very paranoid. I can't tell if the main root of this plant is stained from nutrients or if it's starting to show signs of root rot. I included a photo of the seedlings themselves if that helps (the one on the right is the plant whose roots are in the other photo). I use the GH trio and hydroguard schedule defined in the bubbleponics article on here. You can see from the probe the temp gets pretty high in the reservoir (here it almost reaches 85, though I've never seen it above 85). The aluminum tape and mylar aren't helping too much =(.

Thanks!

[DW2]

Howdy mtgshmoopy, and welcome to the forum. That water temperature is way too high, I keep my reservoirs between 62° F and 70° F by using ice bottles, changed out as needed. I also wrap the reservoirs with bubble wrap (large bubbles) and cover the tops with reflective (silver) duct tape. I also would recommend covering up any light leaks with aluminum foil, ever the exposed hydroton pebbles. Light leaks, even very small ones, can cause root rot even at the lower temperatures. Improper pH levels can also cause root and plant problems if the proper levels are not maintained. In my setup, there are six net pot (3.75 inch) locations, I have cut out the bottom of one for the ice bottle. It has a cover on it to block out light and the sides keep the bottle from 'drifting away' as the water level drops, keeping me from having to open up the lid to change them out.

[mtgshmoopy]

Thanks very much! I have a pH pen thing, so I'm pretty sure my pH is fine so it's probably a combination of light and heat. I got the mylar and totally forgot about the bubblewrap. You posted on my previous thread asking about temperature, too! I'll give the frozen bottle in the net pot a try, too. Thanks again for responding. Sorry I was a bit thick and didn't get it all the first time!

[DW2]

mtgshmoopy, no problem, just 'chalk it up' to some good weed! LOL! Oh! I did forget to say that I have never had sparkling white roots (except when they were seedlings) because of the staining of some of the nutrients and supplements, so I keep a close ;nose; on how the reservoir smells and not as much as the roots look, except if they appear slimy.

[mtgshmoopy]

Gonna bump this thread to provide some info if anyone else stumbles upon this. It's been 3 days and all I've done is:

1) Use the frozen water bottle technique described. I found that 20oz Vitamin Water bottles work perfectly with my 4" net cups (which are closer to 3.75")
2) Add a foil "lid" to the unoccupied net cups which you can see in the photo of the bottle/net cup.
3) Trimmed the discolored foliage away. I don't think they're ready to top yet in the photo, but they're close!

Now my water and air temperatures are both holding around 75F and you can see how explosive the root growth has been. They appear to be much happier plants!

The temperature does creep overnight when I'm not awake to change the bottles out, but I haven't seen it above 78 in the last few days. As soon as I get the supplies, I'll be using neoprene collars and putting a layer of bubblewrap under the mylar so I expect it to be more stable in the future.

Thanks again DW2!

[DW2]

Who would have thought that being old (70) and having a weak bladder with midnight calls of nature, could have any benefits like being up and changing out the ice bottles! LOL!