I run the lucas forumula with 5 gal buckets, only additive is hygrozyme and still I have a dieing root problem.. getting brown and mushy. Could it be from sliding the lid over to check the water ph ?no idea where the problem is coming from. Res is changed every 1.5 - 2 weeks.
I wrote this in another members thread: Mostly the lack of oxygen (to the root) is the main cause of root rot. Is your air-pump pumping enough oxygen into your solution? The more oxygen you pump into the water/solution the better, there is no such thing as too much oxygen getting pumped into a DWC system, your only concern is noise. Make sure your rez/bucket is light proof. Light will kill roots and cause algae to grow. If it's not that, check the temperture in your water/solution. It is best kept between 60 and 70 degrees. Lower tempertures will cause slow growth, and higher will cause root rot as the heat in the solution will disolve the oxygen out of the water. And as mentioned before, check for algae or pathogens. To deal with that, apply H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) to your water/solution. H2O2 kill organic matter. And on that note, H2O2 will harm organic nutrients. I use Canna Aqua nutrients (inorganic) with H2O2, Best thing since sliced bread! Hope that helps.
Thanks for the info! Its usually about 70-78 degrees in there, I have one monster 70 liter per minute pump powering through 4 buckets so I think its more than enough air, speaking of that I plan to can the thing for something smaller becuase its wayyy to loud. I got black lids with black buckets from hydro supply so dont think light would be coming in that way. I heard you need certain kind of h202 and that regular shit from walgreens/etc is the wrong concentration? Since im running lucas which is synethetic h202 shold be no problem for me either *edit* also figured the hygrozyme would be doing the job of h202?
I've grown other plants in a DWC system made from an aquarium with all the sides exposed. I never got any root rot from the roots being exposed to light. There was algae growth but its wasn't as bad as people said it would be. I'll see if I can dig up the photos. If you are getting root rot then either the roots are absorbing the DO faster then your pump can replenish it, the water is too warm it your strain itself is susceptible to root rot. For exmaple PK seems to be more likely to get root rot in full water garden then other strain but its fine in dirt. Should also add that the algae itself wont kill the roots but the algae does grow and die so any dead plant matter will eventually be used as food by the root rot fungi. Hydrogen Peroxide is a double edged sword. It can help but it can also destroy your roots, kill beneficial bacteria and react with chemical in your water. If you are going to used poeroxide I'd flush with it and then the next day once its all broken down load up your bucket with a zyme product and benefical microbes to rebuild the root zone.
Where exactly are you getting the rot? I had a similar problem, in the thickest part of the rootball just above the waterline. Turns out the mass of roots wasn't getting enough oxygen, just too much water. It helped to lower the water level a couple of inches, so the root tips were still in the water, but the rootball could dry out a little. I lowered it just to the point where the bubbles wouldn't reach the top of the rootball when they popped.
thats funny you say that becuase my water level was running a little high and since its been lower I dont seem to have the same problems anymore... I got that rootrot about a week or two into flowering and now ima bout to harvest at the end of the month and everythign is golden.. plant was just severely stunted for a bit
