DWC issues - Water fouling

[Ganja_Dragon]

I have been growing in a DWC bubbler system for a year, now, with no problems until recently. The past couple of attempts have resulted in catastrophic root rot in every plant without fail. Before and after each attempt, the res and anything touching water was treated with bleach, and the hydroton sterilized with h2o2, but the problem keeps coming back. This is my third attempt, and the water seems to be turning cloudy and foul before anything is even mixed into it.

My res runs with about 6-8 gallons of solution at an average of about 74 degrees Fahrenheit, or 23 Celsius, but this has never been a problem before. I've tried h2o2 treatments, hygrozyme, pro-tekt,pyrosol, dropping pH as far as 4.0 to kill off bacteria and allow it to return to 5.5 after a few days. I've even tried ice ice packs to drop temps as low as 60 F (15 C) and keep them there. Right now, there are two huge aquarium pumps ramming tons of air through two 14" bubble wands. The solution is never left a moment of peace, under the water or om it, but there are still filmy bubbles holding on the surface, there's still slime forming on everything, and the water's still clouding.

Anything I might have missed, Or am I just shit outta luck?

 

[10k]

filmy bubbles and cloudy ?
please describe the makeup of your nute solution...whats all in it ?

imho boiling the heck out of the rocks is always a good idea if you've had pythium in a previous run.

Describe how you h202 processed the rocks ?

 

[Ganja_Dragon]

Right now, the only things in the water are: Whatever came out of the tap, DynaGro grow nutes, Hygrozyme, and necessary amounts of pHdown.

As for the rocks, I simply filled up a container with ~3% H2O2 solution and dumped the rocks in there for about an hour, and then scooped them back out with an aquarium net.

I'm not quite sure what pythium is, either. I've looked around the forums and read of it here and there but I don't remember coming across a detailed description of it.

 

[420guy]

i'd pull the plants out of the system and CLEAN THE SHIT out the everything...hoses,drippers,pumps,airstones...alittle root rot=alotta bad news...clean and stay safe...

 

[VanGrow]

If your gonna grow weed you need to know these............
This is also for all of those overwaterers out there........


Rhizoctonia root rot (Rhizoctonia solani) is a fungal disease which causes damping-off of seedlings and foot rot of cuttings. Infection occurs in warm to hot temperatures and moderate moisture levels. The fungi is found in all natural soils and can survive indefinitely. Infected plants often have slightly sunken lesions on the stem at or below the soil line. Transfer of the fungi to the germination room or greenhouse is easily accomplished by using outdoor gardening tools inside or vice versa. The germination room should not be used for mixing potting soils or transplanting seedlings as a general rule.

Pythium Root Rot (Pythium spp.) is similar to Rhizoctonia in that it causes damping-off of seedlings and foot rot of cuttings. However, infection occurs in cool, wet, poorly-drained soils, and by overwatering. Infection results in wet odorless rots. When severe, the lower portion of the stem can become slimy and black. Usually, the soft to slimy rotted outer portion of the root can be easily separated from the inner core. Species of Pythium can survive for several years in soil and plant refuse.




FUSARIUM WILT

Symptoms: Commonly found throughout the United States, Fusarium wilt is a fungal disease that attacks potato, tomato, eggplant, and pepper. Disease fungi (Fusarium oxysporum) enter through the roots and interfere with the water conducting vessels of the plant. As the infection spreads up into the stems and leaves it restricts water flow, causing the foliage to wilt and turn yellow. Symptoms often appear later in the growing season and are first noticed on the lower (older) leaves. As the disease progresses, the younger leaves will also be affected and the plant eventually dies. In many cases, only one branch or side of the plant show symptoms.

Fusarium wilt can survive for years in the soil and is spread by water, insects and garden equipment. It develops during hot weather and is most destructive when soil temperatures approach 80 degrees F. Dry weather and low soil moisture encourage this plant disease.

Control: Choose resistant varieties when available. Remove stricken growth and sterilize clippers (one part bleach to 4 parts water) between cuts. Control garden insects, such as cucumber beetles, which are known to spread the disease. Remove all weeds from the garden (many weed species host the disease). The biological fungicide Mycostop will control wilt caused by Fusarium. If the disease persists, it is best to remove the entire plant and solarize the soil* before planting again.

* To solarize the soil, you must leave a clear plastic tarp on the soil surface for 4-6 weeks during the hottest part of the year. Soil solarization will reduce or eliminate many soil inhabiting pests, including nematodes, fungi, insects, weeds and weed seeds


Recopied without permission from anyone........


Vangrow

 

[VanGrow]

By the way ....all you growers.....check this out.....News > June 6, 2006

Drug Warriors Push Eye-Eating Fungus

Why are members of Congress advocating the use of a dangerous crop-killer in Colombia?
By Jeremy Bigwood

An infection caused by Fusarium fungus destroys a human cornea.
On April 16, the New York Times ran a full-page ad from contact lens producer Bausch and Lomb, announcing the recall of its “ReNu with MoistureLoc” rewetting solution, and warning the 30 million American wearers of soft contact lenses about Fusarium keratitis. This infection, first detected in Asia, has rapidly spread across the United States. It is caused by a mold-like fungus that can penetrate the cornea of soft contact lens wearers, causing redness and pain that can lead to blindness—requiring a corneal replacement.

That same week, the House of Representatives passed a provision to a bill requiring that the very same fungus be sprayed in “a major drug-producing country,” such as Colombia. The bill’s sponsor was Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) and its most vocal supporter was his colleague Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who has been promoting the fungus for almost a decade as key to winning the drug war.

The Colombian government has come out against it. And those entities of the U.S. government that have studied the use of Fusarium for more than 30 years don’t recommend it either: The Office of National Drug Control Policy, also known as the Drug Czar’s office, CIA, DEA, the State Department and the USDA have all concluded that the fungus is unsafe for humans and the environment.

“Fusarium species are capable of evolving rapidly. … Mutagenicity is by far the most disturbing factor in attempting to use a Fusarium species as a bioherbicide,” wrote David Struhs, then secretary of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, in a 1999 letter rejecting the use of the fungus against Florida’s outdoor marijuana crop. “It is difficult, if not impossible, to control the spread of Fusarium species.”

Mutation of the fungus allows it to attack other “hosts.” The eye-eating Fusarium seems to be a result of such a mutation. After all, the soft-contact lenses that it grows behind are a recent development—having only been commercially available since 1971.

The DEA stopped funding Fusarium research in the United States during the early ’90s after it learned that Fusarium infections can be deadly in “immunocompromised” people—not only AIDS patients and those with other illnesses, but also those who are severely malnourished. The University of the Andes in Bogotá has recently reported that 12 percent of Colombian children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Spraying this fungus on a vulnerable population could be perceived as using a biological weapon.

The CIA has been against the use of Fusarium to kill drug crops since at least 2000. At that time, one official told the Times, “I don’t support using a product on a bunch of Colombian peasants that you wouldn’t use against a bunch of rednecks growing marijuana in Kentucky.”

A top scientist from the USDA, which has studied the fungus the longest, said that his agency “cannot support” its use. And the State Department, whose Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement carries out drug crop eradication all over the world, does not support it, either.

In 2000, when Congress first passed “Plan Colombia,” the Colombian aid package that ordered the use of the fungus in Colombia, President Clinton waived the part of the bill that dealt with the fungus because he thought its use would be perceived as biological warfare. At the same time, the Andean Community of Nations, an organization comprising Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, banned it within their territories.

So, who does support the spraying of the eye-eating fungus over other countries? Only a few adamant drug war jihadists in the House, led by Burton, who are frustrated by the lack of progress in the drug war.

The fungus provision has already passed the House, but the Senate version of the bill contains no similar language. Responsibility for a final decision rests on the conference committee where the House and Senate bills will be reconciled—scheduled to happen before this summer.

They do use it ....they dont.......
Hmmmm bet they do....

 

[420guy]

all your info sounds great IF you're a soil farmer...hydro people can't use the same methods...hydroguard is a great deterent for the root rot issues Vangrow is describing....another good product is hydrozyme...keep water temps down and airate the shit outta any nutrient solution...

 

[Ganja_Dragon]

Hmm... I have to agree with 420guy, here. Your info is great for soil, VanGrow, but it doesn't really help me in a hydro farm.

Well, whatever the hell is going on, it looks like I'm going to have to just bleach, boil and peroxide dip everything and start over from new seeds.

 

[VanGrow]

i cut that out off of a grow site...sorry i didnt edit.....the point is the fungus is the same.......and your shit needs to be cleaned