Ebb&Flow overwatering or something else?

[Mr.Goodtimes]

Whats up guys,

I am running a 2x4 ebb and flow under a 400w MH air cooled hood.

I was flooding for 15min every hour since they sprouted and they were doing great, no problems, then I decided to lay a 1" coco pad for the roots to grow through. Within 24 hours they all began wilting. I cut back the watering to 4x in a light period (on 18/6) and today they looked more wilted.

I removed the coco mats (which the roots haven't even began to grow into) and left the flood @ 4x per day and the roots began to dry up and die off, so I switched it back to watering every hour. Still wilted.

My PPM is at 400, ph I keep between 5.5-5.8, temps are 68-69F during lights off and 75-78F lights on. Res temp is right at 68-70F. Humidity ranges from 40-55%. Aside from overwatering I cannot think of what would be making them wilt, the only thing I changed from previous grows was the coco mat (which I have removed now). The plants are 2 weeks old from the time they first sprouted.

Also there is a weird foam I got in the res. Never seen it before.

I just changed the res, mixed nutes for 300ppm and a 5.3ph. Still no improvement in the plants as of yet...

Any suggestions?

 

[Red1966]

Whats up guys, I am running a 2x4 ebb and flow under a 400w MH air cooled hood. I was flooding for 15min every hour since they sprouted and they were doing great, no problems, then I decided to lay a 1" coco pad for the roots to grow through. Within 24 hours they all began wilting. I cut back the watering to 4x in a light period (on 18/6) and today they looked more wilted. I removed the coco mats (which the roots haven't even began to grow into) and left the flood @ 4x per day and the roots began to dry up and die off, so I switched it back to watering every hour. Still wilted. My PPM is at 400, ph I keep between 5.5-5.8, temps are 68-69F during lights off and 75-78F lights on. Res temp is right at 68-70F. Humidity ranges from 40-55%. Aside from overwatering I cannot think of what would be making them wilt, the only thing I changed from previous grows was the coco mat (which I have removed now). The plants are 2 weeks old from the time they first sprouted. Also there is a weird foam I got in the res. Never seen it before. I just changed the res, mixed nutes for 300ppm and a 5.3ph. Still no improvement in the plants as of yet... Any suggestions?

Is there soap or something you didn't rinse out well in the res?

 

[SnapsProvolone]

Flood 15 minutes every 4 - 5 hours. More often and it's over watering in clay pebbles.

Foam? Are you using any benificial bacteria or carbs?

 

[Red1966]

That white foam looks like soap to me, tho it could be something else. I have no idea how soap would effect the plants. A local radio show gardening expert recommends it for insect control on lawns, so???????

 

[Mr.Goodtimes]

Ya I thought about soap, but I have never used soap to clean the res. H202 or rubbing alc only. Have no idea how soap would have gotten in the reservoir.

I'm using the 3 part GH nutes along with CalMg and Aquashield. Never had a problem with anything like that before, and it didn't start until I put the coco mat in. It was supposed to be prewashed so I didn't bother soaking it or anything, and it's the only thing I've done different on this grow, so I'm thinking it might have come from that...? I did notice that my ppms rose from 350 to just over 450 after adding the mats, so maybe there were some salts or something in those mats that my plants didn't like. I did clean and change the res so hopefully I see some turn around in the next few days.

@SnapsProvolone; When I flood every four hours my little tap roots that are just starting to grow out of the nets turn brown and die off, that's why I flood every hour until they develop a decent root system, then I cut back the floods. Never had a wilting problem before. I'm almost positive it has something to do with those mats since it's the only thing I have changed since problems started.

 

[kmog33]

Flood 15 minutes every 4 - 5 hours. More often and it's over watering in clay pebbles.

Foam? Are you using any benificial bacteria or carbs?

I use this schedule for flood and drain also.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Rollitup mobile app

 

[Mr.Goodtimes]

Well it looks like taking the coco mat out and cleaning everything worked.

No more foam and my girls are looking great. Makes me wonder if something got spilled on those mats or what. Getting rid of them cleared everything up tho!

 

[Dr. Who]

"It was supposed to be prewashed"
LMFAO There was something in that mat!!!
Your in Rockwool aren't you? SOG? 4-5 times a light cycle should be fine in veg. If you need more rooting area use rockwool slabs and just cut access holes for the roots the size of your cube bottom.

 

[Mr.Goodtimes]

lol, ya that was my dumbass mistake I guess. I've been doing this long enough I should have known better.

I'm not doing SOG or in rockwool. Started seeds out in rapid rooters and have em in net pots with hydrotron. It's kind of a test run to work out the kinks in my new grow area. Honestly it has been a few years since I have grown in a ebb&flow system, I've been stuck DWC for the past year or two.

What I'm aiming to do is just let the roots grow out of the net pots and create a root mat in the bottom of the tray, and get good coverage from the leaves to prevent too much light from getting to the roots.

Honestly wish I had room for a mother plant somewhere so I could just clone and go SOG with shorter plants, instead of waiting for the plant to mature from seed before flowering.

Tried to upload a pic to show how they were coming along, but it keeps saying there's an error...? oh well...

 

[waterdawg]

Not sure if leaving the tray open like that is a great ideal but I am a complete newb. I did try that at first and my tray was filled with green slime. I finally put a lid on tray (panda film works great) and havent looked back.

 

[Mr.Goodtimes]

Ya I have a lid but it sets the net pots above the water line, which is fine if I already have an established root system, just have to flood more often. It keeps the root zone dark and the algae from growing though.

It would be perfect for turning the system into an aero garden, which I am seriously considering.

I do have algae in the tray now with it open, but I'm trying something new this time around. It gets old growing them until they have a big enough root system to use my lid, and having to flood more often... Could use panda film but then I feel like I wasted money on the lid, lol.