nxsov180db
Well-Known Member
The fan leaves crisped up and died, fans are usually the first to show root problem symptoms in my experience anyway, so I am guessing the high peroxide level caused it since I didn't do anything else.
Chlorine Friendly Nutrients In Canada
- Thread starter The Older Guy
- Start date
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I guess the only reason I entertain that idea at all is because for the life of me I can't find a reason for the rot to start. It always starts shortly after the roots are long enough to get out of the pot and into the nut solution. Each bucket has plenty of air and temperatures between 64F and 66F. This time I am using bleach from the start and plan on changing the res every 5 to 7 days. Going to run 3ppm bleach and probably after 3 days add another 3ppm. no matter how the rot was getting a foot hold it should not happen this time.I'm pretty sure the bacteria that causes root rot does not enter the circulatory system of the plant to infect all it's tissues so cuttings that don't come into contact with the infected roots aren't going to grow and develop root rot or why would clones I had with rot not die after being planted into pots of promix where they would have if put in a hydro system.
If you're running sterile from the start with clean clones and low nute temps then rot from outside should never begin in the system. That's why my DWC were always done in separate tubs so if rot started in one it couldn't spread to another tub as there was no connection like with RDWC. Sterilizing a linked system is a real PITA and I've seen so many instances of people never getting them clean enough to not get rot the next cycle.
Rarely do I see systems like flood and drain have problems with rot and you have to be a chronic overwaterer to get rot in pots of soil/soilless grows.
I think RDWC is probably the hardest system to keep out of trouble, but once you get it running smoothly the rewards are great. From all the info I have gone through it looks like this can be accomplished properly using bleach. That is, as long as everything else keeps working properly and if something does happen you catch it pretty quick. This is definitely not a system for someone that don't want to spend the time it requires. If you don't want to spend the time you might get by for awhile, but sooner or later it will catch up to you. That's just my thoughts anyway.
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
Thanks for dropping in. Yes, you are right. I increased to... I forget now, but I think it was 6ml/L of 29% H2O2 and each day thereafter added 25% make up until the res was changes, and if I remember right there was a couple days I did 35% as a make up percentage. I think I put all the info somewhere through the thread,
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
When I was adding 6ml/L of H2O2, I didn't see any affect on the plant and I also didn't get the results I was Looking for, so I would say it should have been stronger.I don't know how fan leaves would be affected unless you sprayed them but there was root damage a bit at 8ml/L but like chemo there is some collateral damage as the bad cells are killed off. When I did have rot I would cut off all the roots leaving about an inch out of the net pots. Tehy grow back real fast. I would do the same to reveg a tub of plants and got 3 crops off one tub doing that.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
A few years back on another pot forum I advised a guy to chop all the roots off like I mentioned and use 8ml/L 35% BUT I also told him to mix some into RO water at that level and pour it through the net pots before topping up the rez and adding the main dose at the same level to the rez.
That could be your problem if you haven't treated the net pots. I can't believe I forgot that little piece of info. I think I also told him to let that sit after treatment for 15 min then add water to his system by pouring it thru the net pots to rinse the peroxide out. When the plants are well established the roots in the net pots are basically just pipelines so are tough and unlikely to be harmed by peroxide or bleach treatments but better safe than sorry.
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
Ok, I see what you are saying. Thinking maybe I should mix up RO water with... say 15ppm bleach and pour, lets say 3L through each pot and 15 minutes later pour another 3L of plain RO water to flush it out. It should help...A few years back on another pot forum I advised a guy to chop all the roots off like I mentioned and use 8ml/L 35% BUT I also told him to mix some into RO water at that level and pour it through the net pots before topping up the rez and adding the main dose at the same level to the rez.
That could be your problem if you haven't treated the net pots. I can't believe I forgot that little piece of info. I think I also told him to let that sit after treatment for 15 min then add water to his system by pouring it thru the net pots to rinse the peroxide out. When the plants are well established the roots in the net pots are basically just pipelines so are tough and unlikely to be harmed by peroxide or bleach treatments but better safe than sorry.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
That should help. If you've had root rot in the system you can bet the pots are contaminated so will be a reservoir of infection. I saved all the hydroton balls from my DWC grows but as I had lots I never did reuse them. I'd be soaking them in a strong bleach sol'n if I ever did tho. You could even bake those in a hot oven to make sure there was nothing left to infect a grow. When they're made it's at temps much higher than any home oven can attain.
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
I read somewhere, maybe on this site, that a half hour at 225F would kill anything on the hydroten. I haven't researched it any farther though. I've been soaking the balls in Star San. That's the sanitizer that brewing companies pump through their lines between batches. It kills everything real quick and I guess it must or the brewing companies would have problems.That should help. If you've had root rot in the system you can bet the pots are contaminated so will be a reservoir of infection. I saved all the hydroton balls from my DWC grows but as I had lots I never did reuse them. I'd be soaking them in a strong bleach sol'n if I ever did tho. You could even bake those in a hot oven to make sure there was nothing left to infect a grow. When they're made it's at temps much higher than any home oven can attain.
I'm now using 10ppm bleach, but in only a few hours you can't smell anything when you walk into the res room. no problem to smell it in the first couple hours or so, Wondering with all the rot, bubbles, and circulation if it's dissipating real fast. I'm considering adding it twice a day. It might sound silly lol, but the way the res room is.... I can hold my breath, walk in, and dip a liter out of the res and stick it right under my nose lol. If there's no smell it should b ok to add more... what do you think...
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
You go nose blind real quick with bleach. Put some in a cup and take a good whiff then go back a half hour later and you can barely smell it. Chlorine does evaporate very quickly so twice a day may be what you need to try. The air bubbles and rotting stuff to react with will use up the chlorine a lot faster too.
A half hour at 225 might not be enough if you have a deep layer of balls to cook. I'd go 300 for a good hour then leave them in there until the oven cooled. They could take 500 for a day with no damage to them so no need to half-ass the treatment. Soaking them overnight in a fairly strong bleach sol'n will do the trick too. Just spread them out for a couple days to let all the chlorine evaporate before use tho as they are porous and liquids can penetrate pretty deep into them. Could soak them in bleach then bake them dry but would probably stink you out of the house and not be very healthy.
I'm sticking to pots of promix and then I never have to worry about that stuff any more. Might just start soaking some seeds tonight to get going again. 4 or 5 each of two strains as both are regulars so will be some boys.
A half hour at 225 might not be enough if you have a deep layer of balls to cook. I'd go 300 for a good hour then leave them in there until the oven cooled. They could take 500 for a day with no damage to them so no need to half-ass the treatment. Soaking them overnight in a fairly strong bleach sol'n will do the trick too. Just spread them out for a couple days to let all the chlorine evaporate before use tho as they are porous and liquids can penetrate pretty deep into them. Could soak them in bleach then bake them dry but would probably stink you out of the house and not be very healthy.
I'm sticking to pots of promix and then I never have to worry about that stuff any more. Might just start soaking some seeds tonight to get going again. 4 or 5 each of two strains as both are regulars so will be some boys.
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
I was thinking the same thing. With all the bubble action and circulating along with the rot I expect it don't last long. Probably, even plants with no rot, just the bubbles and circulating, I expect the bleach evaporates pretty quick.You go nose blind real quick with bleach. Put some in a cup and take a good whiff then go back a half hour later and you can barely smell it. Chlorine does evaporate very quickly so twice a day may be what you need to try. The air bubbles and rotting stuff to react with will use up the chlorine a lot faster too.
A half hour at 225 might not be enough if you have a deep layer of balls to cook. I'd go 300 for a good hour then leave them in there until the oven cooled. They could take 500 for a day with no damage to them so no need to half-ass the treatment. Soaking them overnight in a fairly strong bleach sol'n will do the trick too. Just spread them out for a couple days to let all the chlorine evaporate before use tho as they are porous and liquids can penetrate pretty deep into them. Could soak them in bleach then bake them dry but would probably stink you out of the house and not be very healthy.
I'm sticking to pots of promix and then I never have to worry about that stuff any more. Might just start soaking some seeds tonight to get going again. 4 or 5 each of two strains as both are regulars so will be some boys.
Yes, you can get nose blind pretty easy. I generally add the bleach in the morning. I'm in there several times a day, but the last time would be about four hours from the last visit. I think I should be able to smell it on the last visit. Something I don't know... If you can't smell the bleach (legit lol) does that mean it's completely gone or is there still some left in there? So far I haven't been able to find any info as to what anyone thinks as far as it normally degrades per 24 hours. I don't know how accurate it is, but everything I have read says that H2O2 degrades at about 25% per 24 hours.
I think with the heat to sterilize the hydroten, I totally agree with you and I would use 300 degrees F for an hour. I would have to take them out because I would only do enough for one pot at a time. Any more than that I think they would be too far through them and it would take quiet awhile for the bottom ones to get hot. From what I have read anything from 600 ppm of bleach up will sterilize, so for 30L of water you would use
255.4 ml of Chlorox Original bleach (7.4% bleach) I'm thinking using heat would be just as good.
I liked using coco and had good results. The issue with coco is that you feed every time you water and when the plants are big they should be feed twice a day wile lights on with a 20% run off. This adds up to a lot of food and water, but that's what it takes to get good results, not to mention the dam fungus gnats lol. I had the saucers hooked together with a hose that went to a drain so I didn't have to take the run off out manually.
The Older Guy
Well-Known Member
Fan leaves are the first to go with rot also. How bad was the rot when you added the peroxide?
nxsov180db
Well-Known Member
I don’t remember, but yes I agree about the fan leaves behind bf the first to go with rot..