Hello, I'm currently growing 2 White Widows using DWC buckets I made. I read about mycorrhizae and wanted to try it out because I've heard that you don't need it for hydro but I want to see if it makes a difference. I'm using Plant success and following the instructions on the label. So far, the roots with the fungi have some black build up and turned the roots slightly brown. There also seems to be more growth going on. The roots without the fungi are white but not as spiky looking as the other one. I'm using GH nutes at 1/2 strength, 2ml of calmag, and 5ml of h2o2 in the solution. Will update with pics as I go along. grind now, shine later
It's been a day and the mycorrhizae clogged my air pump which caused my roots to rot due to the lack of oxygen. I will not be using plant success again unless It's even more diluted than the recommended amount. Changed out my res and the plant looks like its growing New roots.
It's completely unnecessary to use fungi in a hydroponic grow.. The purpose of mycorrhizae are to "extend" the root system and enable the "plants" to search out P in a soil situation. They do aid in protecting from other fungi but again, not effectively in a hydroponic grow.. With the high levels of P in a hydroponic solution the plants won't even support the fungi with the exudates they need.. Don't waste your time, nice thought though!
Not nearly worth the price, I have a bucket full of roots with plain old nutrients. I can't see any benefits of inoculating a bucket that doesn't have another inch of root space available, and is yielding me 7-12 oz's per plant.. The majority of additives are just a come on for our cash.. While yes Orca contains a lot of beneficials, they're surely not needed .. To each their own of course, and if you feel you "need" them than more power to ya =).. Just to show that I'm not blowing smoke (well I am most of the time lol) here's a few pics ... Edit: (deleted) (deleted) (deleted) (deleted) (deleted)
Also, it is completely necessary (for me) to use fungi and bacteria in my hydroponic grow, unless one is trying a sterile run. Fungi and bacteria protect against pathogens, and break unusable nutrients down into a usable form. Rhizosphere, man... dig it.
There are no "unusable nutrients" in synthetic fertilizers my brotha.. Are you using an "organic" line?
Sure there are. Some nutrients have to be chelated in order for a plant to uptake them. They are "unusable" to a plant until they are broken down. Bacteria are vital in natural soil for this reason.
There are chelated an unchelated (or underchelated, I should say) nutrients in synthetics. Over time, unchelated nutes will breakdown an become more available, but the symbiotic relationship between the microbes and the roots makes it possible for these to breakdown much quicker and in a form/quantity most beneficial to the plant.
Check out Recharge (realgrowers.com) and The Dude Grows Show (dudegrows.com). We grow some trees out here in CO. in hydro and I can assure you, beneficial bacteria and fungi can definitely be used in a hydro system. Trichoderma reesei and Trichodera harianum in particular.
Haven't checked the links yet but have you tried using bottled organics in hydro? Like general organics or foxfarm. Ive been curious but all my online research shows they end up deficient usually
I hear what you're saying, but the synthetic nutrients that I use(d) (AN, GH & Ionic) are mostly packaged in chelated forms.. I would expect better results from the addition of fulvic acid (a natural chelating agent) in comparison to bacteria/fungi. The majority of bacteria cannot survive the hydroponic environment due to salt concentration and osmotic shock (to my knowledge), but I'll surely look into the species you mentioned! Interesting, thanks..
I hear you as well, bro. Most Hydro nutes are chelated, true. I got pythium in a grow I was trying to keep sterile. Started using Recharge and Mammoth P, and Damn! Not only did it out compete the anaerobics. but it gave my plants a major health boost. New roots and everything. Mammoth P guarantees a 16% overall increase in bud production. Like, the money back kind. They actually encourage you to do side-by-sides and send them your soil samples.
Very cool! I'll definitely take a look and even give it a try in the future.. I love playing with microbes during the summer (organic tomatoes in the outdoor garden) - making bacterial and/or fungal dominant compost, tea brewing, mycorrhizae inoculations etc.. It's interesting brewing teas and analyzing them under the microscope.. It'd be great to incorporate similar things into the winter grows lol . . Just from what I've read it wouldn't be beneficial, but I can see that isn't completely true!
