hellraizer30
Rebel From The North
Drop them all together
Foamy Reservoir? Uncontrollable Ph? Brown Slime? Help!
- Thread starter FlyingOrangeDutchman
- Start date
FlyingOrangeDutchman
Member
So you're saying run a system with beneficial microbes and synthetic ferts?
hellraizer30
Rebel From The North
K no im saying drop all organics go inorganic and NO BENNYS when using h202 or bleach
Heisenberg
Well-Known Member
Hes saying run synthetic nutes with bleach as a sterilizer which is a method that works very well for some.
I'm suggesting synthetic nutes with beneficial microbes which is also a method that works very well.
If you are determined to use organics you might find a better grow method than DWC, and you would of course still need microbes.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
I followed Heisenberg's Microbe Tea tea treatment and I went from this to this in 10 days.
hellraizer30
Rebel From The North
first is with h202 and bleach formula and secound is with bennys
FlyingOrangeDutchman
Member
I don't have the budget to go out and buy a new nute line and I smoke/eat organic so I think I am going to try one more thing before resorting to synthetics. The plant's are thriving in the bleach water and I see no visible growth of mold but the pH is still changing pretty rapidly. However, from the amount of growth I am seeing I have a feeling it could be the size of my reservoir which is ten gal. The system is running two 3gals that have two 3-4ft plants that are all LSTed to hell and back so there's a lot of foliage. My plan is to add an extra 2tsp of molasses to my bene jug and then flush my rez one more time and replace it with 10ml/gal h2o2 24hrs before my final swap to bene water to ensure there is no bleach.
FlyingOrangeDutchman
Member
...and hory shet! I can't wait for my brew to be done! What kind of benis where you using hellraizer?
hellraizer30
Rebel From The North
Um AN nutes with a h202/bleach add back of every three days in a aero setup i also use it the same
In a bucket system
In a bucket system
hellraizer30
Rebel From The North
You can stay with your organics and use bleach the bleach will work the same, just the bennys in the nutes will die. But most of
The npk will still remain, this isnt a long term thing just till you use up. Your organic
asaph
Well-Known Member
I think you should drop the organics if you can't handle them. They also contribute much (in combination with using the air pumps)to your pH problem - they are mostly likely buffering for a higher pH, more suitable for soil than hydro. I would also guess (but not so sure) that they are also contributing to your slime and root rot. At any rate, the latter is a very common problem that should be helped by h2o2. And I think you would benefit much from using synthetic nutes. Get a bottle of hydro nutes and try just that - if it doesn't solve your problem you can always switch back with 25$ less. But I think it's worth the shot. Who cares about taste when you're risking losing your plants completely. I say cure them well afterwards if you're into that.
Heisenberg
Well-Known Member
Although I agree bleach is one option to purge slime, I don't agree that it can be ran with organics for any real amount of time. That would depend on just how organic the nutes are I suppose. Without microbes the organics will not get broken down, and therefore can not be absorbed by roots. Roots only absorb nutrients in chemical form. So yes, organics eventually become chemicals.
If your only option is to continue running organics, then your sterilization followed by re-inoculation plan seems to be your best bet. Simply adding extra molasses to your tea will not boost it's power though, and in fact could result in left over food that the slime will eat. To fight slime, you need diversity, which comes best from great white + ancient forest compost. I think if you overcome the slime problem and are diligent with the tea, you can be successful; I just personally find organics to be an unnecessary factor.
If your only option is to continue running organics, then your sterilization followed by re-inoculation plan seems to be your best bet. Simply adding extra molasses to your tea will not boost it's power though, and in fact could result in left over food that the slime will eat. To fight slime, you need diversity, which comes best from great white + ancient forest compost. I think if you overcome the slime problem and are diligent with the tea, you can be successful; I just personally find organics to be an unnecessary factor.
asaph
Well-Known Member
go mr. white!
FlyingOrangeDutchman
Member
It's the size of my rez which is playing a large part in the pH fluctuations. Filled the rez with plain h2o2 water last night took a reading of the this morning and it had drifted from 5.4 to 6.5. I then tested my 5gal (same size as my res) jug of benes which had a starting pH of 3.8 now has a pH of 6.4. If I combine both of the fluctuations and take into compensation diminishing nutrients, bio-availability, and microbial reproduction that would explain why my pH is moving so rapidly. To try and fix this I am going to put two of my buckets on 2in risers so it sits mainly in the center reservoir (currently empty and covered), thereby allowing me to add more volume. I'm doing the switch out tonight the plants look awesome, thanks for all the advice so far!
I'm also going to try what asaph said and remove the air stones and see if that helps at all with the pH fluctuations. It would reduce microbial reproduction but I don't believe to the point where they would die. I changed my water sched. to 45min on 2 hours 15 min off then at night 20 min on 6 hours 15 min off. Will just the water cycling provide enough oxygen in the water for the plants and microbes?
Update: Going to try and buy a 10drop an hour IV bag setup to fix my pH problem. Going to load it with lemon juice and let it run at a constant rate. I did the math for the daily pH drift and 10drops an hour is nearly perfect at 12ml a day.
I'm also going to try what asaph said and remove the air stones and see if that helps at all with the pH fluctuations. It would reduce microbial reproduction but I don't believe to the point where they would die. I changed my water sched. to 45min on 2 hours 15 min off then at night 20 min on 6 hours 15 min off. Will just the water cycling provide enough oxygen in the water for the plants and microbes?
Update: Going to try and buy a 10drop an hour IV bag setup to fix my pH problem. Going to load it with lemon juice and let it run at a constant rate. I did the math for the daily pH drift and 10drops an hour is nearly perfect at 12ml a day.
asaph
Well-Known Member
Guess we're going to find out soon enough
what I think basically is that you need a good buffer to help you counter the natural rise in pH. That's where hydro nutes come into play. There are other solutions I guess, but I don't know about them. A lot of calcium and magnesium in your water (what we call scale or hard water, very common in tap) will buffer pH upwards, whereas phosphorus is supposed to drive it down. But I don't know so much about the subject, and from what I read now, it maybe that what I said before about hydro nutes buffering it down was wrong. All I do know is when I add about 1.8EC of HESI coco nutes to my res (not DWC), it takes the pH down from 7ish to 5.8 with no pH down needed, and it also stays that way, and goes up only slightly with aeration. But you'll have to figure out a way to buffer it, or you'll have to work very hard on countering fluctuation :\
good luck!