Any Fungicide Suggestions For Root Rot in Hydroponics?

[moose eater]

Quick additional note: when I whipped fusarium wilt, I also scrubbed down ALL of my boxes, shop, etc., in its entirety, everywhere I could get to, whether via spray, or with cloth and bucket, with a bleach and Borax solution. It can be a nasty beast to beat.

They're tiny little critters, and there's a lot more of them than there is of you. ;^>)

 

[Rabbi]

You're quite welcome.

Pre-Stop is the better item, and is approved by the feds, but each state runs their own certification program for local distribution (in Alaska it's the Department of Environmental Conservation who 'sells' the certification to permit commercial distribution of the stuff).

I think it's Viva Grow who sells it (Pre-Stop) in a variety of volumes/weights. And I've found them to be fair and prompt, as well as (back then) offering free shipping.


You can find Viva Grow on-line.

I, however, was not in an approved state for distribution, so contacted an old acquaintance in a state that WAS approved, and had it shipped to him, after which he shipped it to me.

When I spoke with Alaska DEC about this, tipping my hand to find out where I stood with the whole ordeal, they informed me that as long as it wasn't being used commercially, and only on my own property, then it was fine to have my acquaintance in Pennsylvania send the stuff to me.

It's a bio-fungicide, as stated earlier. If I had a complaint with Pre-Stop, I'd add that, while it's very effective, and has even been compared to some chemical fungicides, in terms of effectiveness, the amount mixed per gallon of H2O is substantially greater than with Actinovate or Myco-Stop.

Also, nearly any bio-fungicide I've used has a shelf life, and is best stored in a refrigerator.

Most places selling Pre-Stop, by the way, will have a list of those states approved for commercial distribution. If your state's not on that list, and you know someone in a state that -is- on that list of approved states, then you still can probably gain access; just an extra shipping charge for what is a fairly thin (but over-sized otherwise) packet.

I went for the 100 gram packet of Per-Stop.

The Myco-Stop is nearly as good, and uses a lot less in the ratio of Myco-Stop to H2O in dilution.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the info moose. I actually live in Canada so will have to look into it.

 

[f-e]

Fusarium solani is associated with root rot. There are many types of Fusarium though. I had Fusarium balls with pasta, in a tomato sauce yesterday. Most soil samples will show some, and they're beneficial. So you need to know which you have. Then you can be sure of the culprit.

Presuming it is that, then it's worth knowing that it thrives in wet environments, with no competitors. It's often found in soils where beans once grew, and can half a crops yield. Stunting them and yellowing them out like root failures do. Wilting being a term this thread can't avoid.

In coco you could breed combatants. Your plants is essentially in hydro still, so you can load up on sugar byproducts, fish waste and anything known to combat the problem. Turning your root zone into a dryer and unfriendly place for the problem Fusarium.

Fusarium was a buzz word a few years ago. People everywhere seemed to be suffering. Most of which moved out of pure hydro like systems. Perhaps it's what you must do. I doubt they all had Fusarium, but a key factor in recovery, was getting away from all that water. I know some soldiered on with coco/pebble mixes in flood drain. But it just prolonged the misery. You should probably forget any sort of recirculating system, unless sterilisation units are used. And who does that on our scale?

 

[Lester Beans]

I can't believe no one mentioned Hygrozyme. In my experience with hydro I never had a problem as long as I had Hygrozyme in the res. I use 6ml/gallon. Maybe a good idea to look into it if you are going to continue hydro.



What is your water temp?

 

[Rabbi]

Fusarium solani is associated with root rot. There are many types of Fusarium though. I had Fusarium balls with pasta, in a tomato sauce yesterday. Most soil samples will show some, and they're beneficial. So you need to know which you have. Then you can be sure of the culprit.

Presuming it is that, then it's worth knowing that it thrives in wet environments, with no competitors. It's often found in soils where beans once grew, and can half a crops yield. Stunting them and yellowing them out like root failures do. Wilting being a term this thread can't avoid.

In coco you could breed combatants. Your plants is essentially in hydro still, so you can load up on sugar byproducts, fish waste and anything known to combat the problem. Turning your root zone into a dryer and unfriendly place for the problem Fusarium.

Fusarium was a buzz word a few years ago. People everywhere seemed to be suffering. Most of which moved out of pure hydro like systems. Perhaps it's what you must do. I doubt they all had Fusarium, but a key factor in recovery, was getting away from all that water. I know some soldiered on with coco/pebble mixes in flood drain. But it just prolonged the misery. You should probably forget any sort of recirculating system, unless sterilisation units are used. And who does that on our scale?

The lab guy said he was guessing it was oxysporum. But he said he was guessing that because i guess oxysporum is cannabis related. He said the test only produced Fusarium and he couldn't be sure what species it was.

Has anyone here ever seen white cottony mold growing on their roots before? Or even little hard black pebble like structures growing in their roots(rotted)? After researching on google it sure looks an awful like Sclerotinia. But the lab guy says Fusarium so I don't know really. I assume he must be right.

This place that I moved to(where all the problems started) is an acreage and I'm surrounded by farmers fields for miles and miles. Can't help but questioning if one or more of them is responsible for the issues. Either way it doesn't matter I suppose. I just need to figure out a way to co-exist with whatever is going on here.
it's not gonna go away.

 

[Rabbi]

I can't believe no one mentioned Hygrozyme. In my experience with hydro I never had a problem as long as I had Hygrozyme in the res. I use 6ml/gallon. Maybe a good idea to look into it if you are going to continue hydro.



What is your water temp?

Tried Hygrozyme. Didn't help.

Water temp is usually in the 65-68 range.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Tried Hygrozyme. Didn't help.

Water temp is usually in the 65-68 range.

This is ALWAYS the first place I look when dealing with "roots-in" hydro systems. Roots-in, meaning the roots are constantly in contact with nutrient solution, absolutely depends on you for temperature control. (edit: 15+ years running roots-in hydro in multiple states/locations. I use zero products for controlling root rot)

When you say 'usually,' do you mean 98-99% of the time? How often do you check temps, and have you noticed the rot happening/increasing when you go over 68F?

My first suggestion when nute temps are not controllable (easily/inexpensively) is to move to a roots-out system. One where the media dries out between waterings. This type of system will allow much higher nute temps, without any detrimental side effects. In fact, your results will be better with 72F-75F root zone temps in your media.

 

[Drewsif]

Why stick with the most rot prone systems, and chase down fungicide. We don't even know that it's fungus related. You need a biological system of your own, to stop this problem one running riot unhindered. It could be coming in on the breeze, or be minging away under your floor coverings. You know you can't control it though. Use compost or coco, you will probably be fine, without poisoning yourself.

Pretty sure this topic is a repost, and you ignored me before.

Hydro growers are helpless arrogant ignorant dipshits. Any products that help them all smell like dirt microbes, yet they can't figure out that hydro is a scam?

 

[Lester Beans]

That is just an ignorant post.

 

[Rabbi]

This is ALWAYS the first place I look when dealing with "roots-in" hydro systems. Roots-in, meaning the roots are constantly in contact with nutrient solution, absolutely depends on you for temperature control. (edit: 15+ years running roots-in hydro in multiple states/locations. I use zero products for controlling root rot)

When you say 'usually,' do you mean 98-99% of the time? How often do you check temps, and have you noticed the rot happening/increasing when you go over 68F?

My first suggestion when nute temps are not controllable (easily/inexpensively) is to move to a roots-out system. One where the media dries out between waterings. This type of system will allow much higher nute temps, without any detrimental side effects. In fact, your results will be better with 72F-75F root zone temps in your media.

I've actually tried flood and drain and low pressure aero on a timer, giving the roots time to breathe. It didn't help. In fact that's when I develop white mold on the roots.

At this stage I've just accepted that I've moved to a place that's environmentally prone to root rot.

 

[moose eater]

I've actually tried flood and drain and low pressure aero, giving the roots time to breathe. It didn't help. In fact that's when I develop white mold on the roots.

At this stage I've just accepted that I've moved to a place that's environmentally prone to root rot.

Maybe I missed it, and you posted it already.

What's your relative humidity running in your room/area?

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

I've actually tried flood and drain and low pressure aero, giving the roots time to breathe. It didn't help. In fact that's when I develop white mold on the roots.

Most *beneficial* molds are white. Was it harming anything?

Moose Eater also has a good point about RH. Personally, I flower around 20RH, use hepa filtered air, and never have mold issues.

 

[Rabbi]

Maybe I missed it, and you posted it already.

What's your relative humidity running in your room/area?

I keep it around 50%.

 

[Rabbi]

Most *beneficial* molds are white. Was it harming anything?

Moose Eater also has a good point about RH. Personally, I flower around 20RH, use hepa filtered air, and never have mold issues.

This definitely was not a beneficial mold lol. It only appears when the roots are super rotten.

20% r/h, really? I've never tried that low but perhaps I should.

What kind of hepa filter do you use? My set up is in a 1500sqft quonset so I imagine I would need a fairly decent sized one to make any difference.

 

[moose eater]

I recall 50% RH being ideal for whole life-span. I'm a victim of my environment, and haven't changed out my existing 8" ~460 cfm fan (that [pulls through my carbon filtration box), for the newer one with a rheostat, so in the winter, I'm 22% to 28% usually, in the shop, with the rest of the house around 21% when the whole-house HRV is more clean than not, & functioning properly.

if I've left clones in the trays too long, and the roots have gone astray, wandering here and there to find nutes, etc., there've been a time or 2 I saw white-ish mold on them, but it would rapidly turn to brown, and once they received a decent medium to thrive in, they would repair themselves, along with help from one or more of the anti-fungal prophylactic additions I mak3e to my mixes.

But as I said earlier in different words, if you reach an imbalance in your environment where these critters have thrived, it can be a nail-biting hand-to-hand effort to get them gone into the future.

Healthy room and environment, healthy mix/medium and balances of all sorts, contribute to fewer hassles. That's my hard-won lessons, whether deemed accurate or not..

edit: In the summers, I run MERV8 pre-filters in front either side of my HRV core, inside the cabinet it's in, thus, in the Summer, I run about 45-58% RH in the shop..

 

[Rabbi]

I recall 50% RH being ideal for whole life-span. I'm a victim of my environment, and haven't changed out my existing 8" ~460 cfm fan (that [pulls through my carbon filtration box), for the newer one with a rheostat, so in the winter, I'm 22% to 28% usually, in the shop, with the rest of the house around 21% when the whole-house HRV is more clean than not, & functioning properly.

if I've left clones in the trays too long, and the roots have gone astray, wandering here and there to find nutes, etc., there've been a time or 2 I saw white-ish mold on them, but it would rapidly turn to brown, and once they received a decent medium to thrive in, they would repair themselves, along with help from one or more of the anti-fungal prophylactic additions I mak3e to my mixes.

But as I said earlier in different words, if you reach an imbalance in your environment where these critters have thrived, it can be a nail-biting hand-to-hand effort to get them gone into the future.

Healthy room and environment, healthy mix/medium and balances of all sorts, contribute to fewer hassles. That's my hard-won lessons, whether deemed accurate or not..

I'm definitely gonna try those fungicides you suggested. Like I mentioned I'm sure it's the environment out here. I even tried growing in the house here instead of the shop and results were the same. I also tried growing in my old location(house hasn't sold yet) recently and everything was fine. It's for sure just something out here at this location that i'll never get rid of. Need to figure out a way to live with it.

 

[moose eater]

I'm definitely gonna try those fungicides you suggested. Like I mentioned I'm sure it's the environment out here. I even tried growing in the house here instead of the shop and results were the same. I also tried growing in my old location(house hasn't sold yet) recently and everything was fine. It's for sure just something out here at this location that i'll never get rid of. Need to figure out a way to live with it.

Emphasis, however: PLEASE contact the sources, and make sure they're suited to hydro.

And in my past cases of infestation with seriously bad-ass fungi, the combination of a stout bleach and Borax solution in H2O, though, warning in advance that Borax in such a solution can lave a granular residue when dry, and can clog up fine tubing/screens in a sprayer.

Things that make recreational pursuits seem like work..

 

[Rabbi]

Emphasis, however: PLEASE contact the sources, and make sure they're suited to hydro.

And in my past cases of infestation with seriously bad-ass fungi, the combination of a stout bleach and Borax solution in H2O, though, warning in advance that Borax in such a solution can lave a granular residue when dry, and can clog up fine tubing/screens in a sprayer.

Things that make recreational pursuits seem like work..

At this point I have nothing to lose by just trying them. If they don't work then they don't work and I try something else. I believe their is something out there that will work and it's a matter of me finding it now.

I haven't tried Borax but I do use bleach to clean and disinfect.

 

[moose eater]

Cool. Don't let the Borax or bleach remain in any way in your res. etc. Just used as cleansers. Then rinse away with CLEAN HOT H20.

Have you had the water tested where you're at?

City/community water or well?

Does your place use forced air or other ducting that can conceal hidden molds, etc?

The bio-fungicides I listed are not totally inexpensive. That said, how many gallons are in your reservoir or total system?? You can get a mixing ratio on-line from the manufacturer or distributor(s).

Good luck.

 

[Rabbi]

Cool. Don't let the Borax or bleach remain in any way in your res. etc. Just used as cleansers. Then rinse away with CLEAN HOT H20.

Have you had the water tested where you're at?

City/community water or well?

Does your place use forced air or other ducting that can conceal hidden molds, etc?

The bio-fungicides I listed are not totally inexpensive. That said, how many gallons are in your reservoir or total system?? You can get a mixing ratio on-line from the manufacturer or distributor(s).

Good luck.

I've used multiple water sources. But yes I've had it tested as well. And I even tried using my old water source(which I never seen root rot in the 16 years I used it, until moving out here.) It's definitely not the water.