Beginnings of Root Rot? Please Help DWC

Highwayim

Active Member
Hi, I have a 4 pot re-circulating dwc setup under a scrog setup and 2 400w HPS Lights. I am currently 3 weeks into flowering, and am getting the a faint smell of vegetable from my buckets, also it seems as though the roots are browning but i've read that this can be attributed to the dark nutrient solution. I am at my wits end, trolling forums and my gut feeling is that i'm just being paranoid. :joint: lol. Just wondering if anyone could shed some light.

Also I have H2o2 but I also have Pirahna, Tarantula, Voodoo Juice and Sensizym. I know I cant use H2o2 with these products but which would do a better job at keeping things healthy?

Thanks. Peace Out.:peace:DSCF1489.jpgDSCF1490.jpgDSCF1488.jpg
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Watch that res temp. DOesnt look llike root rot. If it is it will smell like rotten eggs. I use a lot of addatives that make my nute soup dark and stains my upper roots where the air gap is but as long as everything submerged is nice and white and doesnt stink then you should be fine. Watch the res temp.
 

Highwayim

Active Member
Watch that res temp. DOesnt look llike root rot. If it is it will smell like rotten eggs. I use a lot of addatives that make my nute soup dark and stains my upper roots where the air gap is but as long as everything submerged is nice and white and doesnt stink then you should be fine. Watch the res temp.
Oops forgot about temps lol. They sit aroung 66F but now and again it creeps up the way, I'll defo pay more attention to that ;) thanks. Love the name btw :P:hump:
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Oops forgot about temps lol. They sit aroung 66F but now and again it creeps up the way, I'll defo pay more attention to that ;) thanks. Love the name btw :P:hump:
LOL thanks the name and I go way back!. Yeah keep your temps between 62-68 degrees and you should be fine! Thats why I use the 5 gallon sport coolers. Your roots and nute soup should smell like lettuce as long as it doesnt stink like rotten eggs then you should be fine. I tripped out the first time I went hydro and had staining due to the nutrients.
 

BendBrewer

Well-Known Member
I have fought the root slime problem and it doesn't look like you have that to me. I use the Microbe Tea mentioned on this site in my rdwc and it works wonders.
 

Highwayim

Active Member
Thanks guys, I had been getting really worried. Was even contemploating using the liquid oxygen (17.5% Peroxide), but didn't want to lose out on nearly £100 worth of additives like the voodoo juice. This is only my second hydro grow, and man is it alot of work. Another question i had is, when i was in veg ph rose steadily over a day or two, now that i'm in flowering however the p.h seems to rise back up withing 5 hours. Could this be attributed to any kind of infection? Thanks alot guys:joint::peace:
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys, I had been getting really worried. Was even contemploating using the liquid oxygen (17.5% Peroxide), but didn't want to lose out on nearly £100 worth of additives like the voodoo juice. This is only my second hydro grow, and man is it alot of work. Another question i had is, when i was in veg ph rose steadily over a day or two, now that i'm in flowering however the p.h seems to rise back up withing 5 hours. Could this be attributed to any kind of infection? Thanks alot guys:joint::peace:
PH should always rise. I like to sett mine 5.5 and then let it get to 6.0 to absorb all nutrients. The problem you have could be from over feeding. The plants will take in more water leaving more nutes which will cause your PH to lower.

This is one reason that PH will lower during a grow:

If at any point the plant stops eating due to over-fertilization, PH will begin to drop. Since the plant has taken in too much nutrients, it starts up-taking water only. This in turn causes the PPM to rise and the PH to lower, due to the over concentrate of nutrient solution. Solution is to back off your nutes by around 1-200 PPM or flush with plain PH water if necessary.

Once you hit the sweet spot the PPM should drop and you should have a slight rise in PH over 24 hours. That means the plants are happy and eating a steady diet.
 

Highwayim

Active Member
PH should always rise. I like to sett mine 5.5 and then let it get to 6.0 to absorb all nutrients. The problem you have could be from over feeding. The plants will take in more water leaving more nutes which will cause your PH to lower.

This is one reason that PH will lower during a grow:

If at any point the plant stops eating due to over-fertilization, PH will begin to drop. Since the plant has taken in too much nutrients, it starts up-taking water only. This in turn causes the PPM to rise and the PH to lower, due to the over concentrate of nutrient solution. Solution is to back off your nutes by around 1-200 PPM or flush with plain PH water if necessary.

Once you hit the sweet spot the PPM should drop and you should have a slight rise in PH over 24 hours. That means the plants are happy and eating a steady diet.
Sorry Beaver, think you misread, P.h has never dropped, it still rises just what seems very quickly, its as if the ph down isn't working because i used to add just a little to bring it to 5.6 now i use maybe three times as much and it levels back out to 6.0-6.2 withing maybe four or five hours. :S:???:
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Sorry Beaver, think you misread, P.h has never dropped, it still rises just what seems very quickly, its as if the ph down isn't working because i used to add just a little to bring it to 5.6 now i use maybe three times as much and it levels back out to 6.0-6.2 withing maybe four or five hours. :S:???:
PH will naturally rise over the course of 24 hours, when the plants are healthy and eating a steady diet. I adjust my PH to 5.8 and see a natural drift to 6.2 in 24-48 hours. As the plants eat away at the nutrients they leave behind the salts and waste that naturally raises PH over time. This sway in PH is also good for the uptake of different nutrients that become more readily available, at different PH levels(between 5.5-6.5).
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
One reason for an abnormally high fluctuation in PH, is due to hard water. extremely hard water(400+ppm at times) . Not only did I have to use ludicrous amounts of PH down, but my PH would always spike to 7.5 overnight. I switched to distilled and the problem stopped.
Ph will rise when topping off res with only water, as nutrient solution becomes less saturated with nutes. Using ph'd water helps keep ph stable.



 

BendBrewer

Well-Known Member
Everyone I have seen with the slime noticed pH spikes too. I combed the internet looking for solutions when I had it. Control the slime and I bet you're pH will stabilize. Mine did.

Wait, you don't have the slime. Ok, I'm just going to go back to reading now.
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
probably needs to do a res change and clean his res. Your plants eat and shit in the same water. So cleaning your res every now and then is a good idea.
 

Highwayim

Active Member
Well I just done a res change, only problem is that i cant wash the buckets as its a scrog and plants are fixed in place. So i just pump fresh water in, drain, fill again then add nutes. Hopefully the ph isn't spiking because of any rotting :(. but in saying that the highest it gets is about 6.3/6.4. Is this out of range for hydro i know that it should be kept at adjusted to 5.6 but its as if it just wants to be up at 6.3. I was seriously begining to think my ph down wasn't working lol but thats just ridiculous. Its lights off now, but will be sure to check again in morning.
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Well I just done a res change, only problem is that i cant wash the buckets as its a scrog and plants are fixed in place. So i just pump fresh water in, drain, fill again then add nutes. Hopefully the ph isn't spiking because of any rotting :(. but in saying that the highest it gets is about 6.3/6.4. Is this out of range for hydro i know that it should be kept at adjusted to 5.6 but its as if it just wants to be up at 6.3. I was seriously begining to think my ph down wasn't working lol but thats just ridiculous. Its lights off now, but will be sure to check again in morning.
Its not root rot its just a spike in PH because you have dead plant matter in the res. Thats what I think.
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
why not run a clean rez with just peroxide?
then drain and replace with ritzy hydro nutes.
yeah you should flush for a day or two with a flushing agent or just PH water. refill your res with just PH water for 24 hours .. check PH and see how it does. The thing about hydro and DWC is it is more time consuming but in the event you have a problem its alot easier to fix than soil.
 

Coals

Active Member
Chlorine is your answer. Your roots look fairly brown and I imagine they smell. Change the water with chlorinated tap water and/or add 15-20 ml per 50gal of unscented bleach every three days. Chlorine works. Forget about anything else. The plants can handle a significant amount of chlorine. It is a required micro nutrient. Not only does it kill pythium but it is required for proper, vigorous root growth.

Chlorine is how large scale commercial hydro growers control pyth.
 

hellraizer30

Rebel From The North
Those roots dont look like root rot but nute dyed roots, if it smells then bleach or h202 is in order, with 68f you shouldnt
Have pythium.
 

BeaverHuntr

Well-Known Member
Those roots dont look like root rot but nute dyed roots, if it smells then bleach or h202 is in order, with 68f you shouldnt
Have pythium.
Its not root rot he would have smelled it. Its staining from the nutrients I guarantee his submerged roots are white and clean. He doesnt clean his res so all of that plant matter is floating around causing his PH to spike.
 
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