how bad is it? what can i do about it? its just forming on the top of the rockwool cubes. The green cube is just turning a darker green. Should i be worried?
yes because its just the top that is dark green. And it is more dark then the rest of the cube even when completely saturated. When i touch my finger to the rockwool a green color comes off and stays on my finger. The plants are in 4" containers with hydrotron. here is my grow journal. You can see some pics there. i dont have any close ups of the growth yet but you can see my set up. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/670416-imalittleteapots-first-grow-now-pics.html
Then I get algae growth on to of my Sure-2-Grow media I dose it with some 1% Hydrogen Peroxide .... cleans it right up.
I would try completely burying your rockwool in the hydroton to reduce the direct exposure to light. Fill the pots with a base layer, put your rockwool down, then fill up the rest of the space with a thin layer of hydroton covering the rockwool. I use 1.5" cubes for seedlings then transplant into a DWC system (6" net pots) with this method and never had any issues with stuff growing on my rockwool. Before you do all that, if possible, I'd recommend taking a clean razor blade and VERY CAREFULLY cut away the infected rockwool tops. I don't know how far the algae has spread down into the cubes, but if you can do this, it might help reduce the growth. Also might want to consider running a hydrogen peroxide flush in your res as well, search the forums for the right dosage, I can't remember off the top of my head. Good luck! Algae blows, but don't get too discouraged, if kept under control your plants will be fine.
I always got algae on rockwool cubes (one reason I stopped using them). Like ^ said, peroxide works, but I just leave it now. As long as it doesn't get out of control it's not a big deal.
damn that was quick. thanks for the responses guys. Im going to spray a light H2o2/H2o solution on the effected cubes then add more hydrotron and see if that helps. worst case scenario i can run some in my res and cover the tops of the pots with something. I cant really cut the rockwool away because there are roots coming out everywhere. I dont want to cut any roots. again, thanks for the help guys.
I've also seen people use round pieces of cardboard to cover their pots. Just wrap them in aluminum tape, and cut a slit and a hole (sounds dirty haha) and slip them around the stems of your plants. I've never personally ran into any problems that would resort to that, but it's a pretty easy solution to completely blocking light.
yeah i just realized im out of hydrogen peroxide so ill have to go to the store and get some. I will have to do something like that if it gets any worse.
ok so i had a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide in the bottle. Probably 1/4 teaspoon. I mixed it with 500ml of water in a spray bottle and sprayed directly on the top of the rockwool. Then covered it all up with more hydrotron. I hope this helps. thanks for all the help guys. I appreciate it. Check out my Journal for Pics of the hydro set up now. -Teapot
You should see results in 24h. dont over-amp - keep it at 1% You can also burn leaves real easy with this stuff
thanks...what is a good mixture for this kind of thing? also i heard of running it in your hydro res. would it be the same strength?
once you start that you have to continue use.... i believe i read that somewhere.... using hydrogen proxide kills the valuable bacteria in your res... so really only use this if you have to
ok heres a question... when you say 1% what exactly are you meaning? my hydrogen peroxide says 3%. So should i mix 1% of that into water... example 1ml of h2o2 with 100ml water. OR.... are you saying 1% hydrogen peroxide so mix with water to dilute from 3% down to 1%?
For 3%.. 1 part Peroxide with 1 part water = 1.5% (divide by 2 parts) 1 part Peroxide with 2 parts water = 1% (divide by 3 parts) Yea? Also - watch spraying the leaves - they really, really dont like it.