Please Help. 2nd Hydro Run

This clone is giving me some trouble. Has a decent root system started but has not been growing much for the past 4-5 days and has been yellowing more each day.

been keeping ppm around 350-500. pH has ranged from 5.5-7.2 during the last week. I have been being more strict the past few days and trying to get it as close to 6 as I can.
I have played around with the ppm, i couldn’t tell if it was being overfed or underfed. Lights are dimmed to about 35%. Using jacks nutrients tap formula. Idk what’s wrong

Something going on with the roots there. Should be lots of very fine hair-like strands and I'm not seeing any when I blow up the pic of them. If there's no feeder roots it can still get water but won't be able to absorb nutrients and it sure shows in the plant. Your temp looks good at 68. 65 - 68 is generally considered prime and helps prevent root rot.

PPM is a good range for that stage. I aimed for 300 for starting clones off in the tubs and went to 500 once they started showing good growth up top and had lots of roots hanging out of the pots. I'd raise the ppm as the plants got bigger and never changed nutes until after the stretch if at all using RO water and AN's pH Perfect nutes in the last few years of DWC.

Try keeping the pH in the 5.4 - 5.8 range but not if you have to use too much pH down. I can't tell for sure but it looks like a couple of white bugs or something in that root pic so check carefully for root aphids tho I never had those. They love eating fine feeder roots. Doesn't look like root rot but there are many varieties of that. The ones I've dealt with either start turning the roots black in spots first or the roots are covered with a clear slime. Peroxide saved me both times it happened and twice isn't bad for about 50 DWC grows since '01. Growing semi-organic in pots based on ProMix HP these days but may do more DWC in the future.

It's possibly your tap water so do you know what's in it beside just the ppm and pH? You should be able to contact your supplier and get a detailed water analysis report emailed to you for free. We have shit tap water from a dugout on my property so I stick with RO or distilled and just add a little CalMag once in a while.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot! Tons of info but I’m not sure where to even start. Maybe I’ll tighten up on the pH and see what that does. But i feel like I have tried everything. For the past 2weeks I come back to check on it everyday and it’s not dead. But it’s also not thriving. Just kinda there, no new roots and very few new leaves

maybe try some peroxide?

Also not exactly sure what’s in my tap water but I’ll look into it

Yeah root issues. What do you have on hand for root rot?

I’m using southern ag. I’ve been adding 1ml/gal everytime water is added or changed

DrHill said:

I’m using southern ag. I’ve been adding 1ml/gal everytime water is added or changed

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Hmm no exp with that. Have they improved last 2 days?

Are you pouring solutions through the net pot? The rot could be right at the base of the plant.

myke said:

Hmm no exp with that. Have they improved last 2 days?

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No they haven’t. No change within last 7-12 days. Roots have gotten longer but no new growth or length in like 5 days.

And no have never poured over the hydroton. just change out the water in the reservoir or top up and let the recirculsystem do its thing.

Should i take make a 1 gallon solution with the southern ag and pour about 1/4 over the hydroton?

From what i have read on here southern ag is dosed similar to hydroguard. I have some hydroguard too but i felt like it wasn’t doing much except making water slimy

Those roots are telling you either your water temps are too high or your system is contaminated
I would address both

Herb & Suds said:

Those roots are telling you either your water temps are too high or your system is contaminated
I would address both

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Water temps have been around 68-71 F consistently. And if it’s contaminated what should I do? Do I completely change out and just replace with water and anti-fungal? No nutes? Or what?

DrHill said:

Water temps have been around 68-71 F consistently. And if it’s contaminated what should I do? Do I completely change out and just replace with water and anti-fungal? No nutes? Or what?

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Seems like it’s fungal
Not sure
I was anticipating higher temps tbh

Damn. Idk what to do

DrHill said:

I’m using southern ag. I’ve been adding 1ml/gal everytime water is added or changed

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Why the heck you using that in your water? Get some 35% food grade peroxide from a grow store or health food store and use that a bit. Before I made a DIY chiller for my tubs I used 0.5ml/L twice a week for maintenance and 4ml/L daily if I saw the start of root rot.

Maybe that's the cause of this but I've never used an anti-fungal for anything other than toenails so don't know for sure.

I never tried using any 'zyme products in DWC either preferring to run sterile. The two times I got root rot I'd rooted the clones in real dirt instead of a soilless media so pretty sure my rot issues stemmed from that.

You can raise the water level up so net pot gets submerged.Maybe 3-4 hours then drop down,keep air pumping.Pour a shit ton through the net pot.

H202 or bleach will work faster,do you have any?

myke said:

You can raise the water level up so net pot gets submerged.Maybe 3-4 hours then drop down,keep air pumping.Pour a shit ton through the net pot.

H202 or bleach will work faster,do you have any?

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I have bleach, no peroxide but i can grab some

DrHill said:

I have bleach, no peroxide but i can grab some

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http://www.foodsafe.ca/dilution-calculator.html
so I think regular clorox bleach is around 7%. dont quote me.go for 4-6 ppm to start.Will go higher if 6ppm doesn't work.

@rkymtnman can help maybe.

DrHill said:

I have bleach, no peroxide but i can grab some

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I'd get the peroxide. Lot of guys use pool shock instead but chlorine is nasty stuff where peroxide is just water with an extra oxygen molecule attached. It's that extra O that oxidizes anaerobic molecules like rot and will hit that before it attacks living tissue like roots. Chlorine is more indiscriminate and tries to kill everything. Some of those radical O atoms attach to other ones to make good old O2 like we breathe and the plants like around their roots so it's all good.

If you get any strong peroxide on your skin just wash it off right away and only the dead skin cells will be harmed turning that patch white for a short time. Wear eye protection! And don't use the 3% the drug store sells if you can get the food grade stuff. It has preservatives in it that may or may not be detrimental to the roots. Highly diluted peroxide breaks down quickly without them but the strong stuff stays good for ages.