First time Hydro. Brown roots! Help!

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
I've got clear air lines too, gonna do the same thing and use black duct tape to cover about a foot of the lines before they enter the tank.
I figure that will be enough, as the light wont realisticaly be able to travel down the inside of the tubes for any significant length?

The lid of the tank is also designed where any tubes go in, the edge of lid sits lower than the top of the tank, so the line has to do like a 45 degree bend.

I've also made some cardboard guards for the tops of the baskets that I can asjudt as they grow, or just make new ones:

That cardboard might get damp and grow fuzzies.
 
You are more than welcome. Again, they are only guesses on my part. I am a long time flood and drain guy with limited DWC/SWC experience. Happy to help

Cheers!
I’m back. I think I ve sorted the problem with my slimy roots. I cleaned them up, some of them just melted away. Fresh nutrient solution 50/50 destilled and tap water. Started with 0.13 EC. Added 2 drops of bleach, a product similar to Hydroguard. That brought my EC to 0.5 and then I added nutrients to bring it to 1.0.

I bought black airlines and covered netpots in mylar. I hope no more light leaks.
Plants definitely look happier and the roots are growing faster. However, after the last reservoir change, I noticed some other type of brown buildup on the roots. It’s not slimey and the roots can easily be cleaned with fresh water and they look crisp and healthy to me. What could that be?
73A6A8F4-ABE9-498F-9342-18AE62B0C2D8.jpeg
 

MrFlatbush

Well-Known Member
Great news on the improvements!

The new brown seems to be right at the water line. Maybe that color is just stain from your nutes?
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
I’m back. I think I ve sorted the problem with my slimy roots. I cleaned them up, some of them just melted away. Fresh nutrient solution 50/50 destilled and tap water. Started with 0.13 EC. Added 2 drops of bleach, a product similar to Hydroguard. That brought my EC to 0.5 and then I added nutrients to bring it to 1.0.

I bought black airlines and covered netpots in mylar. I hope no more light leaks.
Plants definitely look happier and the roots are growing faster. However, after the last reservoir change, I noticed some other type of brown buildup on the roots. It’s not slimey and the roots can easily be cleaned with fresh water and they look crisp and healthy to me. What could that be?
View attachment 5208432
You added bleach, AND a product similar to hydroguard, or are you saying you have a product similar to hydroguard that's bleach? If you added bleach and the product, the bleach will kill the product similar to hydroguard.
 

futurebanjo

Well-Known Member
"N:0 | P:12 | K:14 "

That worries me a bit, why not just use something like silver bullet? expensive but doesn't mess with the nute balance?

 

Bucsfan80

Well-Known Member
Hydroguard is beneficial microbes. It colonizes and is supposed to over power bad stuff like pythium and shit. If you put bleach in with something living it kills it. I've not heard of that stuff your using but if it has living organisms bleach isn't what you want to add with it. If it don't then it might work I'm not sure.
 

BeastGrow

Well-Known Member
Keep your temps down in your grow room below 70. 65 is best imo. clean and change out the nutrient solution in your buckets weekly or more if you have the slime. You might look into giving a diluted hydrogen peroxide root flush and then reservoir change.
 
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