Cause of moss/mold

[Jdaddyks]

What is causing this moss/mold? It's on the roots too. I just started my first DWC in 4 5 gallon buckets. Two plants are thriving, one died from this and this one is on it's last leg. PH Is 6-7.
Any indeas from the pros for this newbie?
TIA

[Willyd]

What’s you heat and humidity? Do you have fans moving air in your grow space?

[Jdaddyks]

It's 80 deg but not sure of the humidity. It''s pretty humid where I'm at. I don't have a fan, but I have two plants next to it that I did the exact same thing and they are thriving

[alltatup]

One problem I see in the picture is dead rotting material that should be removed. And I don't understand why you have roots exposed to the light.

You need to read up on what you're doing: pH is way to high for DWC...

[Jdaddyks]

I see my ph should be 5.5-6.5, it's prob 6.5 to 7ish. I have a up and down ph kit, but the directions said to add some down/up to water, aerate for 24hrs if poss and add to your system. huh? not sure how to adjust down my ph. Any help would be appreciated

[DW2]

Howdy Jdaddyks, Are You using a 'drip line' to feed the roots? If so, move it lower to help keep the Hydro-ton pebbles drier. Also, cover the top of the net pots and the Hydro-ton with aluminum foil to block out the light. And lastly, as alltatup said ".... the pH is too high..." for hydroponics.

[Jdaddyks]

Ok, what should ph be?

[alltatup]

Dad, this will help you: https://www.growweedeasy.com/how-to-...nnabis-at-home

[Jdaddyks]

Ok, what should ph be?

That is a good site, lots of info and I finally found some info on ph level, now trying to figure out how to drop ph with my ph up/down kit that just says to add to water and aerate then add to your system?

[DW2]

Jdaddyks, the pH range for hydroponics should be between 5.5 and 6.5 after adding all nutriments and supplements, and it should be allowed to vary within that range as different nutriments are taken up by the plants at different pH levels. I adjust the pH of the water to 6.0 using pH down and check with pH test strips (I have had bad problems with the test pens and do not trust them). At the mid week top off, I check the pH of the reservoir and add water , pH ed to 6.0, to top off. I do not adjust the pH as long as it is in the range of 5.5 to 6.5. The pH will change as the nutriments are removed from the water. I use this change as an indicator of how the plants are taking up the nutriments (as just a S.W.A.G). Several grows back, I nearly killed off some of my plants by chasing and adjusting the pH to stay at 6.0, that's one of the benefits of hydroponics, if one gets into trouble, just drain the reservoir and start over.

[Tersky]

First off the suggestions mentioned are spot on. Second, what you are seeing is most likely not mold but root hairs. Root hairs can look like mold because they are so fine and kinda have a moldy look but they are part of the roots of your plant. IF you actually have mold in your res that is killing your plants then you most likely have root rot. Hydro has to be fairly sterile or else bacteria grows and kills the roots. Also res temps need to be between 60-72 deg F to prevent bacteria from thriving and to have the proper amount of diffused oxygen available to the plant.

Tl;DR version, keep hydro system clean from biologic agents, keep res temp below 72 deg F, keep ph between 5.5-6.5, make sure you have enough aeration in water (air stones), dont let light hit your roots.

[alltatup]

Just what I thought, but forgot to say so!!!

[alltatup]

Jdaddyks Here's how my pH works in my reservoirs:

The nutes I use (Future Harvest) drop the pH to around 5.5 after I'm done adding everything to water. I bring it up to 6.2. The next couple of mornings when I test pH, it's back down around 5.4 or so, so I do it again. By the 4th day, it's pretty stable around 6.0, so I leave it alone until it's time for the next reservoir change. Where I live, the water is soft.

I agree with DW2 I like to see the meter fluctuate for those days, but I stay between 5.8 and 6.2. I have definitely discovered that my plants prefer not to hover above 6.2.

I use an Apera pH pen, and I've had good luck with it. I keep it soaking daily in pH 7 calibrating solution. After I check the reservoir, I rinse the pen in distilled water, dry it off and put it back in the pH 7 calibrating solution. It has lasted for over a year, and I consider that a win for a pH pen under $50.