DWC Root Slime Cure aka How to Breed Beneficial Microbes

Doer

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I hear you. The first time, I must have gotten lucky, I grew in 4 cups in a 75 quart cooler. But, when I moved to buckets and re-circulating, root rot is big problem. It never really even gets to slime. This seems to be working so far.

Good luck!
 

tyler.durden

Well-Known Member
Hey, Heis! Lots of problems lately: ph meter was WAY off like .8 off so major lockout, then I battled thrips after a late diagnosis costing me a 30% loss in yield, and now I strongly believe I have LSF or Leaf Spot Fungus - https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=70465. This article shows leaf symptoms almost identical to mine, and recommends treating young plants with mycorrhizae to ward off the LSF spores. I was thinking of using a STRONG tea solution mixed with a little DM Gold Saturator as a wetting agent for a foliar spray. Do you think this may be effective?
 

Hemlock

Well-Known Member
Heisberg,

I have a problem I hope you can help me with.

At our local golf course we have a slime on top of the greens. We use affluent water. Its almost like a fungus.

Just wondering if I can brew a tea to stop this fungi???
Thanks in advance
 

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Hey, Heis! Lots of problems lately: ph meter was WAY off like .8 off so major lockout, then I battled thrips after a late diagnosis costing me a 30% loss in yield, and now I strongly believe I have LSF or Leaf Spot Fungus - https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=70465. This article shows leaf symptoms almost identical to mine, and recommends treating young plants with mycorrhizae to ward off the LSF spores. I was thinking of using a STRONG tea solution mixed with a little DM Gold Saturator as a wetting agent for a foliar spray. Do you think this may be effective?
You can use a strong solution but I wouldn't recommend using saturator. Surfactants are not good for microbes. You want to spray twice a week and be sure you are using some trichoderma as mycos will not germinate on leaf surfaces. It will probably be effective but you'll also want to examine your humidity and air flow.

Heisberg,

I have a problem I hope you can help me with.

At our local golf course we have a slime on top of the greens. We use affluent water. Its almost like a fungus.

Just wondering if I can brew a tea to stop this fungi???
Thanks in advance
It's hard to say without knowing the type of fungus but it's certainly worth a shot. Many people use mycos on their lawns by making a tea and dispersing it through a garden hose assembly. Please let us know if you try it.
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
That's a good one....been a long time since I thought about lawn care beyond mowing. I chased Bermuda grass out of my dwarf fescus until I gave up. At one point I remember...nematodes. Folks were buying nematodes from mail order.

It is an interesting idea to see if there is a consortium to dis-favor Bermuda? :)
 

REALSTYLES

Well-Known Member
Heisberg,

I have a problem I hope you can help me with.

At our local golf course we have a slime on top of the greens. We use affluent water. Its almost like a fungus.

Just wondering if I can brew a tea to stop this fungi???
Thanks in advance
Try Z7 the stuff works check my previous post on this thread
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
You can use a strong solution but I wouldn't recommend using saturator.
I remember Heis made a comment about Rhizotonic. I was not familiar with it, so I got a bottle. I had a couple of plants that stalled and would not maintain tugor pressure, I cut another one back, and it's recovering, but I used the tonic on the other 2. Good results. The first indication to me was a flat affect (depressed) big fan leaves droopy a bit and tying to hang limply along the edges. And, of course, the top leaves not flattening.

So, what the heck. I made up a 2 ml per gal solution and used 2 ml of DM Satuator in the 500 ml spray. I went Foliar on them. 6 times a day. And it is working. Those that were about to die, salute you, Heis. :)
 

tyler.durden

Well-Known Member
You can use a strong solution but I wouldn't recommend using saturator. Surfactants are not good for microbes. You want to spray twice a week and be sure you are using some trichoderma as mycos will not germinate on leaf surfaces. It will probably be effective but you'll also want to examine your humidity and air flow...
Thanks for the quick response, +rep. I made this tea with AF and Aquashield, would this brew contain the required trichoderma to succeed, or should I pick up Rhizotonic like Doer did? My humidity and airflow are good, I just installed a six inch vortex fan with a HEPA filter for my air intake to keep out bugs and spores. Even before that my room's ventilation was hooked up to a temperature on/off device: the air comes on every few minutes and keeps the room at about 75f and humidity stays between 35 - 60% max at night..
 

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the quick response, +rep. I made this tea with AF and Aquashield, would this brew contain the required trichoderma to succeed, or should I pick up Rhizotonic like Doer did? My humidity and airflow are good, I just installed a six inch vortex fan with a HEPA filter for my air intake to keep out bugs and spores. Even before that my room's ventilation was hooked up to a temperature on/off device: the air comes on every few minutes and keeps the room at about 75f and humidity stays between 35 - 60% max at night..
Yes you will get some trichoderma from the AF. If you want to add more use mycogrow, ZHO, or great white. Rhizotonic is not what you want to fight leaf fungus, it's more for plants stressed from root issues. Also, you told me you have good airflow but then explained your ventilation. Good air flow means air moving above, below and among your plants in addition to good ventilation. Fungus prefers to germinate in still air so it needs to be constantly moving, especially at night.

Hope you have some good luck soon, sounds like you are due for it.
 

hellraizer30

Rebel From The North
Or I just got a bottle of Orca Brand Liquid Mycorrhizae. I can brew with that, I bet. Very pricey, however.

BTW, I'm brewing a batch today, very stinky for the first time and even some yellowish foam.

I think my Aquashield was bad, it was 6 months expired. This is much more of what I expected and will probably work a lot better.
Not pricey when its 5mil for 10gals = 2.5 mil per tea run :)
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
Not pricey when its 5mil for 10gals = 2.5 mil per tea run :)
Woops...so that was the stench. :) I just gushed a bit too much in I think. And I had some ZHO in there already. I just over dosed that one I think. I had to dump the water is was so smelly.
 

tyler.durden

Well-Known Member

tyler.durden

Well-Known Member
Yes you will get some trichoderma from the AF. If you want to add more use mycogrow, ZHO, or great white. Rhizotonic is not what you want to fight leaf fungus, it's more for plants stressed from root issues. Also, you told me you have good airflow but then explained your ventilation. Good air flow means air moving above, below and among your plants in addition to good ventilation. Fungus prefers to germinate in still air so it needs to be constantly moving, especially at night.

Hope you have some good luck soon, sounds like you are due for it.
Thanks for the well-wishes, I am due for things to get easier. My airflow is decent, but I could use a bigger main oscillating fan. I just bought a large wall-mounted one and I'll be putting it up tomorrow. I keep my oscillating fans going 24/7, thanks so much for all of your assistance and knowledge. We're all very lucky to have you...
 
Hey 'Berg, everyone.
Just wondering; my local H-store has a liquid earth worm castings product and I was just wondering if I could substitute it for real earth worm castings in a bag for a tea brew?

Thanks.
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
I think earthworm castings are mentioned previously. Try the thread search? It substitutes for one of the items I think.

For those that like the idea of a lava rock Ben housing, what to put the rocks in? I tried a pump bag, but it gets too slimy, too many layer of material, etc.

I looked for a metal mesh craft box, and ended up at the hardware store. I got 1 foot width of 1/4 inch mesh galvanized wire mesh. It was a 2 foot wide roll, so I have enough for another one, even.

I used a 4 x 4 lumber piece as a form,
bent it in all the places,
clamped the bent lip overlapped to hold it square
and used shears
to cut 12 little mesh squares in, all around
to fold it in and
sort of wrap it like a gift wrapped package.

I did make a little lip before I started and that became tangs to pinch together. And all the little snip ends, it holds well. I didn't have to lace it closed with anything.

photo(7).jpgphoto(6).jpg
 
I think earthworm castings are mentioned previously. Try the thread search? It substitutes for one of the items I think.

For those that like the idea of a lava rock Ben housing, what to put the rocks in? I tried a pump bag, but it gets too slimy, too many layer of material, etc.

I looked for a metal mesh craft box, and ended up at the hardware store. I got 1 foot width of 1/4 inch mesh galvanized wire mesh. It was a 2 foot wide roll, so I have enough for another one, even.

I used a 4 x 4 lumber piece as a form,
bent it in all the places,
clamped the bent lip overlapped to hold it square
and used shears
to cut 12 little mesh squares in, all around
to fold it in and
sort of wrap it like a gift wrapped package.

I'm asking about LIQUID earth worm castings product. To be substituted for the ACTUAL, DRY castings. I know the recipe; castings, and mykos michorrizae (however ya spell it), and molasses to feed bennies. I'm only asking if I can substitute liquid castings for dry ones.
 

turkeybaser

Member
I'm asking about LIQUID earth worm castings product. To be substituted for the ACTUAL, DRY castings. I know the recipe; castings, and mykos michorrizae (however ya spell it), and molasses to feed bennies. I'm only asking if I can substitute liquid castings for dry ones.
@ inspired333
I asked the very same question here and got no response. The most frustrating thing is I found a supplier of "concentrated liquid earthworm castings" that was reasonable but then couldn't find the link again(and I AM tech-savvy). It is out there though,...
http://www.organicgardengrower.com/liquidwormcastings
http://www.earthwormsoilfactory.com/products6.htm
 
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