How to maintain a sterile reservoir

A

Aero Grow

Member
Sharing my personal experience trial/lots of error regarding maintaining a sterile res. Previously ran multiple hydroponic systems and currently flowering in aeroponics. I've tried pretty much everything from bennies to bleach and learned what to do and not to do when it comes to keeping your plants healthy. This has worked for me and if done correctly, will work for you as well. I have not had any root rot issues since dialing in the concentrations.


Bleach: Clorox Concentrate (sodium hypochlorite)
2-4 drops per gallon or approximately 3 PPM
*DO NOT USE* I learned the hard way that cannabis plants do not like sodium hypochlorite. This will kill your root system, highly recommend steering clear.


Pool Shock: 52% calcium hypochlorite (Original powder version)
Mix 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) with 1 gallon water
Add 5-10 ml of mixture per gallon of water to your res (5 for prevention, up to 10 for severe treatment)

Pool Shock is great once you dial in the strength. Using the above formula will keep your water nice and clean for about 3-4 days. After that, you will want to add 5ml per gallon of remaining water. This is cheap, easy, and one bag will last you years for a cost of around $5. Note, I have only used the original powder version and have not tried super shock or any alternatives.


Hydrogen Peroxide (H202): 12% Food Grade *no stabilizers* #1 choice
Dilute the solution to 3%. For my situation that is 1 part concentrated peroxide with 3 parts water
Add 5-10 ml of mixture per gallon of water to your res

I am currently using h2o2 in my aeroponics system and the plants love it. This is a bit more pricey than pool shock (especially now during COVID) but it is cleaner and does not leave any chemical residue. This is a great option since it adds oxygen to the reservoir and kills harmful bacteria. Be sure to use food grade, the standard 3% at stores contains stabilizers that are supposedly bad for plants (I have no research to back that up). Add an additional 5-10 ml every three days. Diluted solution can be sprayed directly on the roots to remove any root rot issues. Apply daily until cleared up.
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
Aero Grow said:
Sharing my personal experience trial/lots of error regarding maintaining a sterile res. Previously ran multiple hydroponic systems and currently flowering in aeroponics. I've tried pretty much everything from bennies to bleach and learned what to do and not to do when it comes to keeping your plants healthy. This has worked for me and if done correctly, will work for you as well. I have not had any root rot issues since dialing in the concentrations.


Bleach: Clorox Concentrate (sodium hypochlorite)
2-4 drops per gallon or approximately 3 PPM
*DO NOT USE* I learned the hard way that cannabis plants do not like sodium hypochlorite. This will kill your root system, highly recommend steering clear.


Pool Shock: 52% calcium hypochlorite (Original powder version)
Mix 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) with 1 gallon water
Add 5-10 ml of mixture per gallon of water to your res (5 for prevention, up to 10 for severe treatment)

Pool Shock is great once you dial in the strength. Using the above formula will keep your water nice and clean for about 3-4 days. After that, you will want to add 5ml per gallon of remaining water. This is cheap, easy, and one bag will last you years for a cost of around $5. Note, I have only used the original powder version and have not tried super shock or any alternatives.


Hydrogen Peroxide (H202): 12% Food Grade *no stabilizers* #1 choice
Dilute the solution to 3%. For my situation that is 1 part concentrated peroxide with 3 parts water
Add 5-10 ml of mixture per gallon of water to your res

I am currently using h2o2 in my aeroponics system and the plants love it. This is a bit more pricey than pool shock (especially now during COVID) but it is cleaner and does not leave any chemical residue. This is a great option since it adds oxygen to the reservoir and kills harmful bacteria. Be sure to use food grade, the standard 3% at stores contains stabilizers that are supposedly bad for plants (I have no research to back that up). Add an additional 5-10 ml every three days. Diluted solution can be sprayed directly on the roots to remove any root rot issues. Apply daily until cleared up.
Click to expand...
try a farmers feed store. i get 4 ltr for 20 bucks
 
ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
You ever run UC root?
Not bad at $165 for 5g
Using 5ml/g that treats 3,785 gallons of nutrients water.
About $0.87 per rez change for me (20g)
Being one of the best preforming products out there, that price isn't as bad as some people make it sound.
 
A

Aero Grow

Member
ÒÒlegilizeitÒÒ said:
You ever run UC root?
Not bad at $165 for 5g
Using 5ml/g that treats 3,785 gallons of nutrients water.
About $0.87 per rez change for me (20g)
Being one of the best preforming products out there, that price isn't as bad as some people make it sound.
Click to expand...
I have not but just looked it up and sounds like something that I would be interested in trying. What is your experience with it?
 
ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
Aero Grow said:
I have not but just looked it up and sounds like something that I would be interested in trying. What is your experience with it?
Click to expand...
I started practicing hydro with vegtables kratky style.
I kept getting terrible root rot, added air pumps and sterilized with H202, but the rot came back.
Then I started adding hydroguard and things were better. But still had some issues when the roots were small in big dwc buckets (still vegatbles)
Finally got my first hydro run going, started with UC root off the bat and haven't had an issue yet.
I also have switched my vegtables to UC root and so far, anything I use it on only has very white roots. No signs of rot or brown anywhere
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
Towards the end of my nutrient batch (rtw canna ab pk13/14) I sometimes get a slight sulphur smell, typically my storage reservoir is 14/17c over the year its well within acceptable for storage.
Whatever is causing it has never caused any issues but I'd like to know what the cause is, it's only ever when it's small amounts left in the tank?
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I was using a blue 30 gallon barrel with a white lid as a res, and it started getting algae. So I jacketed the barrel and the lid with panda film and the algae hasn't been back since. It also helped with keeping the water cool. I know this isn't what's being discussed, but just for anyone who is having a similar issue.
 
Last edited:
A

Aero Grow

Member
ÒÒlegilizeitÒÒ said:
I started practicing hydro with vegtables kratky style.
I kept getting terrible root rot, added air pumps and sterilized with H202, but the rot came back.
Then I started adding hydroguard and things were better. But still had some issues when the roots were small in big dwc buckets (still vegatbles)
Finally got my first hydro run going, started with UC root off the bat and haven't had an issue yet.
I also have switched my vegtables to UC root and so far, anything I use it on only has very white roots. No signs of rot or brown anywhere
Click to expand...
Nice I found a liter on Amazon for $20 so I'll give it a go and see how I like it. Simplicity is a huge factor so I'm always down to try new things. I appreciate the recommendation
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I used bleach for years. It does not kill the root system. Bleach has been used in hydroponics for decades. There is nothing special about cannabis roots. Cannabis will grow just fine in hydroponics when sodium hypochlorite is used for a sterile reservoir. If you had issues when using bleach it was from something else.

There are other options than sodium hypochlorite but bleach can be used and many people use it.
 
A

Aero Grow

Member
Star Dog said:
Towards the end of my nutrient batch (rtw canna ab pk13/14) I sometimes get a slight sulphur smell, typically my storage reservoir is 14/17c over the year its well within acceptable for storage.
Whatever is causing it has never caused any issues but I'd like to know what the cause is, it's only ever when it's small amounts left in the tank?
Click to expand...
I've never used canna personally but heard it's amazing. What material is your res? A lot of non- food grade plastics can retain unused chemicals from nutrient solutions so that may be the cause of the smell? I'd recommend cleaning your res with a bleach solution and letting it dry completely before adding any nutrients. Bleach is great for removing smells
 
A

Aero Grow

Member
xtsho said:
I used bleach for years. It does not kill the root system. Bleach has been used in hydroponics for decades. There is nothing special about cannabis roots. Cannabis will grow just fine in hydroponics when sodium hypochlorite is used for a sterile reservoir. If you had issues when using bleach it was from something else.

There are other options than sodium hypochlorite but bleach can be used and many people use it.
Click to expand...
This is just my personal experience and what I've found works for me. Have you tried calcium hypochlorite as opposed to sodium? Plants can use the excess calcium whereas high levels of sodium tends to do more damage than good
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Aero Grow said:
This is just my personal experience and what I've found works for me. Have you tried calcium hypochlorite as opposed to sodium? Plants can use the excess calcium whereas high levels of sodium tends to do more damage than good
Click to expand...
No just the bleach. I used H202 for awhile but I found that it wasn't as effective as the bleach.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Aero Grow said:
This is just my personal experience and what I've found works for me. Have you tried calcium hypochlorite as opposed to sodium? Plants can use the excess calcium whereas high levels of sodium tends to do more damage than good
Click to expand...
I should state that I'd dump and refill my reservoirs every two weeks so there was never any excess sodium building up in the nutrient solution. One of the main reasons I went away from bottled nutrients to a dry blend and calcium nitrate. It was costing too much dumping money down the drain. But it worked out really good because the inexpensive dry fertilizer I started using was much better than any of the expensive cannabis specific bottled nutrients I wasted my money on.
 
hydroScript.js

hydroScript.js

Well-Known Member
Aero Grow said:
Sharing my personal experience trial/lots of error regarding maintaining a sterile res. Previously ran multiple hydroponic systems and currently flowering in aeroponics. I've tried pretty much everything from bennies to bleach and learned what to do and not to do when it comes to keeping your plants healthy. This has worked for me and if done correctly, will work for you as well. I have not had any root rot issues since dialing in the concentrations.


Bleach: Clorox Concentrate (sodium hypochlorite)
2-4 drops per gallon or approximately 3 PPM
*DO NOT USE* I learned the hard way that cannabis plants do not like sodium hypochlorite. This will kill your root system, highly recommend steering clear.


Pool Shock: 52% calcium hypochlorite (Original powder version)
Mix 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) with 1 gallon water
Add 5-10 ml of mixture per gallon of water to your res (5 for prevention, up to 10 for severe treatment)

Pool Shock is great once you dial in the strength. Using the above formula will keep your water nice and clean for about 3-4 days. After that, you will want to add 5ml per gallon of remaining water. This is cheap, easy, and one bag will last you years for a cost of around $5. Note, I have only used the original powder version and have not tried super shock or any alternatives.


Hydrogen Peroxide (H202): 12% Food Grade *no stabilizers* #1 choice
Dilute the solution to 3%. For my situation that is 1 part concentrated peroxide with 3 parts water
Add 5-10 ml of mixture per gallon of water to your res

I am currently using h2o2 in my aeroponics system and the plants love it. This is a bit more pricey than pool shock (especially now during COVID) but it is cleaner and does not leave any chemical residue. This is a great option since it adds oxygen to the reservoir and kills harmful bacteria. Be sure to use food grade, the standard 3% at stores contains stabilizers that are supposedly bad for plants (I have no research to back that up). Add an additional 5-10 ml every three days. Diluted solution can be sprayed directly on the roots to remove any root rot issues. Apply daily until cleared up.
Click to expand...
Why do people add beneficial bacteria in the first place if being sterile is the way to go?? Likewise I wonder why people grow n soil as opposed to hydro if it's better or vice-versa. I'm just curious has anybody done a side by side comparison....im doing hydro and soil with the same strain and growing conditions on my first grow just too see which taste better, ect.
Check out my first grow in my signature walk thru my mistake with me!
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
hydroScript.js said:
Why do people add beneficial bacteria in the first place if being sterile is the way to go?? Likewise I wonder why people grow n soil as opposed to hydro if it's better or vice-versa. I'm just curious has anybody done a side by side comparison....im doing hydro and soil with the same strain and growing conditions on my first grow just too see which taste better, ect.
Check out my first grow in my signature walk thru my mistake with me!
Click to expand...
This is how it always starts, but in two years you'll be running a large clandestine outdoor op using Miracle Grow and screaming at migrant workers to hurry up with the light dep tarps if they want their passports back at the end of the season.
 
hydroScript.js

hydroScript.js

Well-Known Member
lusidghost said:
This is how it always starts, but in two years you'll be running a large clandestine outdoor op using Miracle Grow and screaming at migrant workers to hurry up with the light dep tarps if they want their passports back at the end of the season.
Click to expand...
I'll be doing aquaponics out the Great Lakes...holla at a playa
 
hydroScript.js

hydroScript.js

Well-Known Member
ÒÒlegilizeitÒÒ said:
I started practicing hydro with vegtables kratky style.
I kept getting terrible root rot, added air pumps and sterilized with H202, but the rot came back.
Then I started adding hydroguard and things were better. But still had some issues when the roots were small in big dwc buckets (still vegatbles)
Finally got my first hydro run going, started with UC root off the bat and haven't had an issue yet.
I also have switched my vegtables to UC root and so far, anything I use it on only has very white roots. No signs of rot or brown anywhere
Click to expand...
Probably a stupid questin but what is UC? And yea my roots look lovely.....despite having little balls on what I can only assume are bennies on them. They basically double every 10 hours and the roots got more hair then a Brizilnalian Wax Clinic inside a Senior Citizen Hospital (after covid of course)
 
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