This is my third try and I am at the end of my wits. First time it took 3 weeks for the plants to start showing the sides of stalk rot. I purchased another set from the same grower. This time it took 4 days. Plants went from being healthy to rolled inward, ill and starting to show signs of the same rot (the area where stalk touch the cube would start showing roting areas) I purchased third set from a different person. I planted them Monday night. Last night they were beautiful. I did some preventive action by drip a few drops of hydrogen peroxide right where the stalk touch the cube. This morning they show first sign of illness. See pic. I grow in grodan cubes. Used Flora nova half straight with CalMag at 5.5 ph to soak cubes. Oh and I washed the room with bleach, replaced fans, changed water filters (I use RO). What can it be? What can I use? Please help. P.S. my ac broke before all those problems started happening. I fixed it and also washed the filter with some sort of industry liquid that comes in cans. Since I use runoff water I water about a month for it to run through and then started collecting and using it.
Temp ranges between 77-79 Humidity 53 I have 4 400 hps lights about 6 feet away Last thing I forgot to mentioned. To do preventive maintenance I mixed 32 percent hydrogen with ro water (1 part HP 10 parts water). Didn’t check PH and dripped about 2 ml on lower stalk where it touches the cube. This morning they are sick.
Why so much light? Anyhow... rot comes from the fact that your cubes are to moist. To prepare grodan cubes, take 1 gallon of distilled water pH'ed to 5.5, soak cubes in that solution for at least 4 hours, making sure all the cubes are under the water. This is to leech the excess lime that gets embedded into the cubes during production. Then drain that solution and then hold each cube in your hand and then snap your arm just once to wring the cube out. Then take another 1 gallon of distilled water pH'ed to 7.0 and pour 1/2 of that gallon into a clean dry bucket. Then place your cubes into that bucket. Then using the other 1/2 gallon of pH'ed 7.0 water mix 200ppm cal/mag into that 1/2 gallon of pH'ed 7.0, then mix 200ppm of FNG, into that same 1/2 gallon of pH'ed 7.0. Mix that up good and then pH that solution to pH 5.5. Then pour that into the bucket that has the cubes in pH'ed 7.0 distilled water. Mix it good and then let it sit for at least 1/2 hour. you should end up with a cube solution pH'ed to 5.7-5.8. Then grab a cube and hold it in your hand and snap your arm just once to wring the excess water out of the cube. Then place that cube into a tray after you have placed your cutting 3/4 down into that cube. Then place them under a single 400w mh lamp using a 24/7 lighting schedule until they root at a distance of 36 inches. Then to feed / water them, make a 1 gallon mix using distilled water that has a mixture of 100ppm(s) cal / mag, and 100ppm(s) of FNG pH'ed to 5.7-5.8. Then (3) times a day, but only after 24 hours, take a spray bottle and spray just (3) full pumps of that solution over the top of each cube. Then lift each cube up and turn it over and spray just (3) full pumps of that solution into the bottom of each cube. Then your cuttings should root in just 5-7 days, but sometimes the stubborn ones take 10-12 days.
Stop growing in rockwool. I tried growing in it once, and because of pH problems, all my plants died. There are way easier methods to start from seed without having to worry about pH so much. What is your growing method? Are you going to be growing hydroponic or something? “Tyranny anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.” — someone awesome