Sick of Root Rot can I convert my RDWC to some other system?

[fartoblue]

Hello lads, I have a diy RDWC system with airstones, just like the current culture ones. I had root rot in my firts grow and have had it ever since to some extent, just getting a bit fed up now. Lost full grow after full grow with a few decent grows in between. I now have 10 plants with the rot again due to the 3 day hot UK weather spell, came on in 2 days and crippled them. I can't really afford to buy or run a water chiller but res temps are not to bad 22 max in summer. I am running live with Hydroguard, tried sterile first grow and it was disastrous.

The advice I am asking is there any way I could convert this system to another type of hydro. I have been thinking flood and drain or aeroponics, anything really. If I can't I am going back to coco DTW. Can't take anymore losses.

 

[DaFreak]

If you can get pro-mix where you live I find it a lot easier than coco. There was also a thread here that where somebody mentioned adding a different bacteria that lasts forever and competes with root rot to prevent it. Wish I remembers the name but should be easy to find.

 

[New Age United]

Ya I'm with DaFreak peat moss is so much easier only have to water ever 4-7 days always had nice healthy roots in smart pots

 

[Logan Burke]

Not that your system could be converted to Coco, but perhaps that would be worth a try? From what I've heard, its sort of a middle ground between straight soil and full blown hydroponics like DWC and Ebb'n'Grow. Could be wrong though, I've not grown coco before.

 

[zypheruk]

Top drip system with fabric pots and hydroton. My res temps are 26c during the heat wave and all was fine, I run a pond uv sterlizer in the res seems to be doing a good job.

 

[Renfro]

Maybe you can use one of those ebb and grow controllers and make it into a flood and drain bucket setup.

 

[fartoblue]

Thanks for your replies lads. Would this work? Normal pots suspended where net pots would be filled with Rockwool Cubes,these would be irrigated twice daily from main reservoir which in itself could be fed from a larger reservoir to keep it topped up. The system would be recirculating and changed weekly with fresh nutrients.

The only adjustment I would need to make is a larger hole for the pots to go where the net pots are and a simple irrigation line from the main reservoir. My tubs are quite tall so a good gap between the pots and the nutrient level would be achievable. Sorry about the crappy drawing. This would be a 10 pot system in 2 rows.

 

[Keesje]

I think you have to find the reason why you get root rot.
There must be one.
It can (just an example) also occur when you change your nutes, take out all the good bacteria and give your roots some kind of shock because of a huge temperature difference.
22 degrees is great for roots, so you don't need a chiller.
Hydroguard or Pond Saver or Heisenberg Tea are also ok.
Do you use H202 as well? Because if you do, stop it when you do use Hydroguard.

 

[fartoblue]

I've tried everything Keesje mate. Hydroguard, tea the lot.
I just want out of this roots in water setup.
Looking at the above system it is a cross between flood and drain and top feed. I think a guy called Capt'n grows in a similar system. He (Capt'n) irrigates from the top for 15 minutes twice each day so no salt build up and the nutrients are reused for a week.

 

[zypheruk]

Your diagram looks fine, but use hydroton in the pots as it will stay a lot more aerated than rockwool and lets you top feed 24/7 or on a timer which ever suits you better. Just have loads a holes in the arse of the pots or use airpots.

 

[Keesje]

Many systems will work.
I think what you want as well.

What you also could do, but it would cost also a bit extra:
Get a second reservoir (B). Totally separate from your current reservoir (A)
Every 3 hours or so you pump all the water from B into A, leave it there for 15 minutes and then out again.
Then you have some kind of eb&flow.
Plenty of nutes, plenty of oxygen. Your roots are not in the water the whole time anymore.
A tote and 2 pumps and those cheap ass timers

You can also get rid of those airstones (they could also be a reason for the disease perhaps. Not sure, but never trusted those suckers with their tiny holes & gaps, heat - compressed air - and plenty of oxygen

There are a few things you have to look into:
- Make sure your stem does not stay wet the whole time. Rockwool is great stuff, but when it stays wet the whole time (with 2 feedings a day) it can lead to 2 things: Your stem being wet the whole time and lack of oxygen near the roots. DO in your res does not help.
I would never use rockwool in a hydro-system.It just stays wet.
- As long as your roots get plenty of nutes and plenty of oxygen, it is ok.
- When you change your nutes, and you totally re-new your res, the fresh water in the reservoir can give a shock to the roots. Then they are more vulnerable to diseases. Perhaps you could try taking out 1/3 and adding a new 1/3rd every couple of days.

In your drawing I see that the water level is low. No problem, but that can mean that there are not many liters of water in the whole system. The smaller the amount of water is, the faster that there will be an imbalance in the nutes.

 

[Budzbuddha]

You can look into hempy buckets ( full perlite or 3:1 perlie / vermiculite mix ) ..... ridiculously simple . A little Hydroguard now and then and its off to the races.

I prefer these over my old waterfarm setup. Even coco ...
And never looked back.

 

[Logan Burke]

Your diagram looks fine, but use hydroton in the pots as it will stay a lot more aerated than rockwool and lets you top feed 24/7 or on a timer which ever suits you better. Just have loads a holes in the arse of the pots or use airpots.

I agree with Zyph here...or, as BudzBuddah mentioned, just doing Hempys. BudzBuddah, how does that setup for Hempy's work outdoors? It's too late for me this year, but next year I'd like to put me a couple outside and obviously I can't quite pull that off with DWC lol...or not easily anyways.

 

[fartoblue]

Your diagram looks fine, but use hydroton in the pots as it will stay a lot more aerated than rockwool and lets you top feed 24/7 or on a timer which ever suits you better. Just have loads a holes in the arse of the pots or use airpots.

Would this be as bad if Rockwool cubes/chunks (Cellmax) were used

https://onestopgrowshop.co.uk/products/grodan-rockwool-mini-grow-cubes-cellmax-20-litre-bag?taxon_id=128

They can be mixed with Hydrothon and I hear that the cubes themselves drain quite well.

 

[fartoblue]

There are a few things you have to look into:
- Make sure your stem does not stay wet the whole time. Rockwool is great stuff, but when it stays wet the whole time (with 2 feedings a day) it can lead to 2 things: Your stem being wet the whole time and lack of oxygen near the roots. DO in your res does not help.


In your drawing I see that the water level is low. No problem, but that can mean that there are not many liters of water in the whole system. The smaller the amount of water is, the faster that there will be an imbalance in the nutes.

I can see where you are coming from Kee, I also dislike Rockwool due to the wetness but I have been looking at the Rockwool cubes/chunks (Cellmax) that you can mix with Clay pebbles.

I am thinking about the smaller amount of nutrient solution mainly keeping it cool and as you say fresh. Maybe I could lower my main reservoir lower than the tubs to increase the total amount of fluid. I need 10 litres in each of the 10 tubs before the pump will recirculate the total amount back to the reservoir and another 10 in the reservoir so it would be around 110 litres of nutrients. At the moment doing the RDWC the system holds 380 litres.

 

[zypheruk]

@fartoblue yeah they work but will hold water a lot longer so require less feeding, so I would say more chance of rot. But maybe some one will be along that actually uses them and can give some info.

 

[fartoblue]

@fartoblue yeah they work but will hold water a lot longer so require less feeding, so I would say more chance of rot. But maybe some one will be along that actually uses them and can give some info.

Thanks Zyp, From my limited experience with rockwool blocks, I din't like them. My concern with pebbles is transplanting potting up I presume all the pebbles would just fall off?

 

[Peyote alexia]

I was just in the same boat with dwc. Never lost any to my present pathogen. But slowed everything. And made it a chore.
I ended up going perlite and Coco 70/30 hempys.with clay balls in the bottom to just above the drain hole.
I've only tested them with a 1gal. With good results. So I'll be swapping to 5 gal buckets using my old dwc buckets. As mentioned here. A bit of bacteria. I use power active. And a powder myco/bacteria mix like commonly seen.
Bacteria allows the water to sit without air

 

[yummy fur]

Hello lads, I have a diy RDWC system with airstones, just like the current culture ones. I had root rot in my firts grow and have had it ever since to some extent, just getting a bit fed up now. Lost full grow after full grow with a few decent grows in between. I now have 10 plants with the rot again due to the 3 day hot UK weather spell, came on in 2 days and crippled them. I can't really afford to buy or run a water chiller but res temps are not to bad 22 max in summer. I am running live with Hydroguard, tried sterile first grow and it was disastrous.

The advice I am asking is there any way I could convert this system to another type of hydro. I have been thinking flood and drain or aeroponics, anything really. If I can't I am going back to coco DTW. Can't take anymore losses.

Why not move over to a shallow water culture, as I have set it up full instructions in my sig, including sample grow.

 

[fartoblue]

Thanks Yummy. I have already bought the gear for Capn Style with mini rock wool cubes (croutons).

I have removed the plants (in veg) from the net pots but had to cut all of the roots off to get them out, they had bad root rot anyhow. Out of the 8 plants 5 may pull through, the problem is there was so little roots left they can't take up enough nutrients/water to sustain them and they are wilting, all of the clay balls fell off so they are just bare root, the larger plants seemed to take it worse than the smaller plants even though the smaller ones had worse rot. Time will tell.

First time I have used the mini rock wool and so far I am really liking it, so easy to work with and looks like it will be great for roots.