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HYDRO Ever tangle with a pathogen in hydro you just can't shake?

UndergroundFarmer

UndergroundFarmer

New member
My two RDWC projects, Murcott and Deuxberry may be converted to coco grows soon if I can't fix this.

Long story short, I've done everything virtually the same as other grows in hydro except forgetting to bleach and rinse out the hydroton pellets. I keep finding big "rafts" of red-brown algae which I noticed smells just like fish tank water. I find it growing on the airstones mostly. The bits get loose and cling to the roots, causing them to rot. I keep cleaning this crap out yet it still comes back. I went crazy cleaning the hell out of both RDWC systems yesterday before feeding and adding Hydroguard. Today, I had to wash off slimed roots and add more Hydroguard. None of the Blueberries in hydro look like they will make it another week. I installed an A/C unit in the grow room over the weekend to bring temps and RH down and it is doing the job. Water temps are hanging around 72-73 F. I've piled on hydroton pellets in the net pots to try to cut down light leaks. I've washed out the "dirty" hydroton I used enough times to get all the garbage out but this pestilence is persistent. :mad:
 
What are you using to 'clean' your system?
I'd say that if I had that situation, I would use pool shock after a system dump to sterilize the system as well as the roots.
The chlorine should get you back to zero on pathogens, and then you can work on what created the issue in the first place.
 
Howdy undergroundFarmer, The water temperature should be between 62° F and 70° F, whether it is RWC, DWC , or coco. Light leaks (at any temperature) are bad, I use aluminum foil to block out the leaks around the hydroton pebbles. If one wishes to re-use the hydroton, do not use bleach to clean them as they are porous and can leach the bleach back into the system. I wash them in plain water (no soap!) or in H2O2, let them air dry for a couple of hours then bake them in the over at 350° F for an hour. There will be some breakage (dust and chips) from trapped water, but this can be minimal when they are air dried longer and placed into the cold over and allowed to heat up gradually. The air stones can not be baked (due to the plastic tube fitting) so I just soak them over night , first in vinegar and then another night in H2O2. I'm getting ready for my 11th grow now and I only used Hydro Guard on the first two and never got rid of the root rot (brown algae), but now, keeping the water temperature below 70° F with ice bottles and insulating the reservoirs and blocking the light leaks, I have been having some success in keeping the root rot down.
 
The temps surely aren't helping but they've never been a problem until this grow. I'll take your advice on decontamination and until I can do that to both RDWC systems and add water chillers, I think I will just attempt to transplant to coco until all that can be done. Part of both grows are in coco anyway - the "spares".
 
IMG_0233.jpg

This is one of the airstones from Project Deuxberry. All the Blueberries were moved to coco this evening in hopes of saving at least half of them. The Tangies in Project Murcott will be moved after I can get another block of coco.
 
You'll need to use a sterilizing agent to KILL whatever funk is present throughout the system.
Spraying off the roots isn't enough.
Look at running a sterile system.
 
Underground, I've seen that stuff in the reservoir clinging to the air stones, but it hasn't ever caused a problem. I assumed it was beneficial and came from the Great White mycorrhizae that I use. I have used reservoir chillers since the one time I got root rot, keeping water temp around 68 F.

I use hydrogen peroxide 35% to clean and sterilize all my equipment, including hydroton. I like H2O2 the best because it won't cling like bleach might. It sterlizes everything without harsh chemicals (I hate the smell of bleach).
 
Cheers Alltatup !! I always enjoy following your grows. I would be interested in your experience with chillers. Personally I don't do anything about the heat but I want to. Thank you for sharing your knowledge !!
 
Underground. I have been growing dwc in just single bucket set ups and I can see where it might be a big problem in multi-bucket setups but in my experience the plant still thrives. Good growing to you !!
 
UndergroundFarmer, I have been using ice bottles to keep the water temperatures down within the safe range. I use a o.7 L bottle with smooth straight sides (allows the ice expansion without splitting the bottle) in a six gallon Bubble Phonic style reservoir. Early in the grow, the bottles need to be changed out approximately every three to four hours (while the lights are on), but after the canopy fills out, the changes become less frequent.
 
I bought and used some food grade peroxide today in Murcott. I also bought more coco. This Saturday I will decide what to do with them. If I can kill off all that algae with the peroxide, I might just leave them in hydro. All the Blueberries were moved to coco and are doing well.
 
I'll probably have to look into a chiller for Murcott if I leave them in hydro. The Tangies aren't nearly as bad off as the Blueberries. I may also just plan on going coco only during the summer months. And yes, usually at this stage of the grow, light has little chance of finding the floor of the tent through the dense canopy, let alone the nute solution through the hydroton pellets. I did turn off the white LED boost to see if it helps.
 
Also, this algae can thrive without light in an oxygen-rich environment. I replaced the old air pump with a stronger one lately. The bubbles are awesome now, I wish the algae didn't think so.
 
UndergroundFarmer You may already know this: using H2O2 in the reservoir will keep it sterile for 1-2 days, so you have to keep replenishing it if you want to go for a sterile reservoir. I never tried that route, because I invested in the water chillers, which have worked fine for 4 years.

When I had the root rot, I rinsed my plants' roots under the fauced and used my fingers to dislodge the stuff clinging to the outside of the roots. It came off easily because I started quickly. Root rot: https://forum.growweedeasy.com/foru...-400w-mh-hps-multiple-cannabis-strains/page10

Then, what I used after making sure there were no light leaks into the reservoir was Grapefruit Seed Extract, frequently used in fishponds and such like to kill all the nasty stuff. It worked like a charm. https://luv2garden.com/hydroponics_algae.html
 
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