Is slime / cyanobacteria in aero-cloner doom?

[lalstalls]

I've got my first slime / cyanobacteria on some clones in an aeroponic bucket. I've seen some threads, but am not sure:

• Is this group of clones doomed (throw them in compost and start over)?
• Or is there effective treatment?

I don't want to risk contamination, but don't want to overreact either.

I cleaned out the cloner, soaked the clone stems/roots in H2O2, and popped them back in the cleaned cloner; then I added a 1/4 - 1/4 cup of compost tea, which I've read can help...

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[lalstalls]

Bu-da-bump.

 

[lalstalls]

Here's a picture. The sliminess is gone. But the roots look grey or something, and the leaves are yellowing.

 

[heady blunts]

this worked for me, the pool shock cleared up the slime.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=219683

but i eventually just gave up on the ez-cloner. plugs and domes work better for me.

 

[D3pthCharg3]

I second that Heady...pool shock will do the trick, you need something to kill that bacteria. I add a couple grains to my aero cloner every couple days

 

[lalstalls]

Thanks for the replies!

Funny, you guys are pointing to the use of a chlorinating agent... and I've been de-chlorinating my water, LOL! (Actually, I've been de-chloraminating with ascorbic acid. My municipality uses chloramine.) Anyway, maybe I'm "one of those lucky bastards" Herborizer's talking about, whose water is properly chlorinated. If so, I've been dodging my luck. Thanks for pointing to that thread.

HEADY, you're a ROLS grower, right? Do you use chlorinated water in your compost teas? I am under the impression that it's best to avoid it, as it inhibits the growth of the good organisms there... Anyway, I've been dechloraminating there, too.

About my clones: I'll probably plant my struggling rootsy clone in a trial container, add the others to the compost, and start fresh with new clones in my chlorinated water. Then I'll watch closely and get ready to use the calcium hypochlorite regimen. Or maybe I'll just use it preventatively.

Thanks!

 

[heady blunts]

ya try with some unaltered tap. the ez-cloner is the one time those horrible chloramines might work for us! you may not need to go the pool-shock route if your tap is anti-microbial enough (yikes!).

ya i'm an all crunchy hippy no-chemicals type, so after resorting to adding calcium hypoclorite and a bunch of skulls and crossbones to my otherwise fully edible garden materials line up, i had to ditch the whole thing. not only was i intensely frustrated with losing some of my best keeprs from the previous year or two, i was also feeling ethically conflicted using toxins and poisons in the garden.

i switched back to plugs and humidity domes. i've had near perfect success with those since. i use a nice hippy rooting formula (aloe, fulvic, and potassium silicate) and rockwool (spun basalt) or rapid rooter (composted tree bark) plugs.

i hope you're one of the lucky ones and you can just load the cloner up with tap and get great roots! if not, it might be a good idea to get a tray and dome while you troubleshoot that demon aero cloner.

good luck!

 

[lalstalls]

Thanks for the strategizing help. I will use it!

1. Using my chloraminated water would be easiest, and I will see if it works.
2. But having a share of hippie-ethos myself, I noticed this thread, which says: as in aquariums, get rid of slime bacteria not by chlorination but by adding media (like hydroton) that provide good "places" in the cloner where good bacteria can live. I might give that a try, as well.
3. If I'm not satisfied, I'll follow your root (pun intended): I didn't have as high a success rate with dome + rapid rooters; but I never got slime! I can give it a go again.

Thanks for the feedback here and all of your great posts elsewhere!