Strange Slime buildup on roots

[robertmarley]

another thing.. i bleach the fuck out of my cloner because it wasnt working...

NO ADDITIVES! the resaon my cloner wouldnt work is because i added zone... same symptoms as describes above, slimey shit and then boom they grow a little and die off..

just a couple drops of superthrive and ph'd RO water and you have clones in a week..

just an fyi went out of town for 3 weeks and they stayed white with this setup and continued to grow huge and white


*edit*, the reason zone wont work in cloners because it does have some food in it, NO food during cloning process.. will cause tips to rot off

 

[richyrich]

damn .. i jjust read this entire thread...

thinking about leaing towards uv sterile for the next run.. i've tried zone, hygrozyme, roots always turn brown 3-4 weeks in but dont look slimey as those.. hopefully it works

It's good you read the whole thing. It's approaching novel status, lol. You will have a better understanding on this whole issue now. Good luck.

 

[robertmarley]

richh tell us more about that uv sterilizer you got..

still great success? no slime nothing going on? hows the crops and growth etc? details details my friend

 

[D.I.trY]

well richyrich has said that it is working and since he hasnt updated us to say otherwise we can assume it works.

He and I will agree however that BBs are a better and more elegant solution and benefit plant health in more ways than we even presently understand. I been experimenting and have found that i dont even need to replace nutrient mix to maintain the correct fertilizer balance - the BBs help the plant select what it needs. i wrote more about this in my pc grow thread.

 

[robertmarley]

so your saying you get better growth/vigor and overall yield from bb's..?

i feel that the uv sanitizer would be the more optimum solution because its a gaurantee..

 

[richyrich]

Yes, no slime at all with the UV sterlizer in the reservoir. I few pages back in this thread a poster brought up the Sunleaves brand unit and I bought it to try. I was thinking why not, I had tried most things in the past. So far, still good. I would of been slimed long ago.

As far as which is better, I can't make that call yet until I am done. Growth is just as rigorous as can be expected in hydro, though. So far, both ways are working great and I have to say it's about time.

 

[robertmarley]

sounds amazing... how much air are you running and to how many buckets? no grow journals? I have a 70liter air pump running 8 buckets and i think it might be a little short.. hard to say. Also running 4 inch air stones, what about you? stilll no chiller also?

 

[richyrich]

I'm not running buckets. I have a single reservoir with a flood and drain tray. No chiller. I've done DWC in the past. It seems you have plenty of air pumping. 4" stones are just fine.

 

[richyrich]

UPDATE:

On the UV sterilization route.

I gave myself a case of root rot (pythium) by accidently leaving my water pump power cord unplugged. Some of the roots dried out and died. That is where the root rot took hold. I knew the dead roots would rot and was expecting something. A few days later the pH was dropping way too fast. Attack of the root rot. I dosed with H2O2 and the pH stabilized, root rot dead. Plants are healthy. The problem is getting rid of the old dead roots or it will come back. I am using Cannazyme to eat away all the old roots. This would usually be a no-no, because it is jet fuel for brown algae slime. No slime at all. Pretty good proof that the UV works great.

Here is the difference, and it was talked about earlier by DItrY and agreed upon. If using beneficial microbes the root rot probably would of never got a foot hold. I mentioned previously that I was surprised that I had a dead piece of root floating in my EZ cloner innoculated with bene microbes and it was still pear white after 5 days. Root rot should of been all over that, but it wasn’t. Same thing applies here.

Brown slime algae starts in the reservoir and the UV keeps it away. I have a flood and drain tray where the roots are and they are not innoculated. Very inviting for other problems such as the current root rot. Maybe using SM-90 from the get go would of prevented the root rot from starting on the complete sterile route, but it’s too late for me to tell now.

So, with beneficial microbe innoculation, both the reservoir and the roots in the tray above would of been innoculated. Following the EZ cloner method previously posted may be the best all around ticket. Secondly, if the UV method fails you can always dump the reservoir and make another and innoculate it with bene microbes. Use the simple EWC tea recipe above.

My plants look great right now. I don’t know if the root rot is going to pop back up. Compared to the slime it’s a piece of cake to get rid of or manage. If it keeps coming back, I will switch over to bene microbes on this same run.

There you have it. Some more food for thought on choosing which way you may want to go.

 

[robertmarley]

UV sounds way more stable and predictable and alot less work..

your using gh lucas right?

 

[richyrich]

UV sounds way more stable and predictable and alot less work..

your using gh lucas right?

Yes, it is easier. Kind a set it and forget it. With a beneficial microbe population I would feel inclined to re-populate often like my advice for the EZ Cloner. A little more work, but not exactly set and forget. I wanted to try both ways, anyhow.

Yes, using FloraNova. Basically, the same as the Lucas formula.

I probably would of never had a problem if I didn't leave the pump power cord unplugged for half the day, darn!

 

[robertmarley]

Same thing that happend to me, i have a retard for a roomate and somehow he managed to pop my breakers and my air pump was down for at least 2 days... bye bye roots, even with recirc and a water cooler

 

[robertmarley]

richy how do you have it hooked up?

I have a 264gph pump going to my water chiller and back to the res, was wondering if i should mount it on the end of that..

 

[richyrich]

The Sunleaves UV sterilizer hooks up to an air pump. The units sold for aquariums do hook up to water pumps, though.

 

[ApacheBreakz]

Hey RichyRich,
great work on this thread, I've read from start to finish and back again and you conclusions r spot on.

Your research skills and dedication r what growers should b all about.
I've got a few things's I'll PM you about soon that r cool like this:http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3384

aNYWAYS, QUICK QUESTION:

If I have da Slime, will transplanting to coco in a pot eliminate slime without major treatments of pysan etc or do you think because the root zone is already infected it will still need major treatments.

Sorry if you have answered this but I couldn't remeber seeing a transplant to solve the slime.

 

[robertmarley]

The Sunleaves UV sterilizer hooks up to an air pump. The units sold for aquariums do hook up to water pumps, though.

Air pump? whats the point of that? I thought it needed a water pump to cycle water over the lights or something of that sort.. the light just shines throughout the entire res? more pics if youcan.. im ordering mine when i get back from a long trip

 

[richyrich]

Hey RichyRich,
great work on this thread, I've read from start to finish and back again and you conclusions r spot on.

Your research skills and dedication r what growers should b all about.
I've got a few things's I'll PM you about soon that r cool like this:http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3384

aNYWAYS, QUICK QUESTION:

If I have da Slime, will transplanting to coco in a pot eliminate slime without major treatments of pysan etc or do you think because the root zone is already infected it will still need major treatments.

Sorry if you have answered this but I couldn't remeber seeing a transplant to solve the slime.

That link to the product is a really good idea but it costs wayyy too much. Its a water chiller with a UV built in.

If you need to ever transplant to coco, wash off the roots of the slime and better yet wash them in water and H2O2. You don't always have to use Physan20. Then transplant to coco. The slime needs water to live in. It will not live in the coco medium. I find Physan20 best for washing sterilizing all equipment in between crops.

 

[richyrich]

Air pump? whats the point of that? I thought it needed a water pump to cycle water over the lights or something of that sort.. the light just shines throughout the entire res? more pics if youcan.. im ordering mine when i get back from a long trip

Same thing I thought when I got it. With a big air pump it moves plenty of air and draws water through the unit. A few pages back there are pictures of it. If you want the ones that move water through, then you need to purchase one from an aquarium retailer. Mine works just fine, though, with the air pump.

 

[ApacheBreakz]

That link to the product is a really good idea but it costs wayyy too much. Its a water chiller with a UV built in.

If you need to ever transplant to coco, wash off the roots of the slime and better yet wash them in water and H2O2. You don't always have to use Physan20. Then transplant to coco. The slime needs water to live in. It will not live in the coco medium. I find Physan20 best for washing sterilizing all equipment in between crops.

How long after the transplant do you think I should wait before hittin' em with some cannazyme to breakdown the old roots?

 

[richyrich]

You could use an enzyme product right-a-way and I would use a root promoter, also; root excelurator from house and garden. It's expensive but worth it.