# Optimum DO (Dissolved Oxygen Saturation) for DWC, RDWC mature root mass and Bennys



## B3henry (Sep 29, 2017)

Many dudes say you got to have plenty oxygen (DO). They say in order to get more oxygen, pump more air, add 2-3 more air bubblers, taller waterfalls, buy a water chiller and chill the res water, use H2O2, and always keep hoping there will be plenty oxygen. 
Many say if your DO is low your roots will get sick, die and decay and you catch the a dose of the root rot like the root rot is some sort of disease. Most growers claim they never have the rot, but I see there are many post about how to cure the root rot with teas, brews, chemicals and most often just total failures and try again.
Its clearly far more popular to catch the root rot and then treat the root rot disease than prevent the rot. Preventing the rot is a problem for many dudes and always lurking in the mind every day. Keep checking those root, always watching and smelling for the rot.
A few forum experts claim that low DO in res rater actually suffocates roots and that root suffocation the primary origin of the root rot disease. 
Its seems logical that if you can insure and maintain optimum DO (Dissolved Oxygen Saturation) for DWC, RDWC and Bennys then the roots will not suffocate. How de-do-dat?
Do any of you dudes have any idea exactly what is the optimum DO Sat (Dissolved Oxygen Saturation) for DWC, RDWC and Bennys require to prevent root mass suffocation?


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## Surfer Joe (Oct 1, 2017)

I tried a bubble bucket hydroponic grow a while back and bought a big air pump designed for 6+ outlets, but I only had two buckets, so each bucket had a whole lot of air bubbles violently agitating the water inside. The plants loved it and had massive white root balls that filled the whole bucket space.
You probably can't give them too much oxygen, unless you just let them dry out in the air.


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## Hushpuppy (Oct 11, 2017)

Yeah I use bubblers in my hydro system, but the key to DO Sat is more about water temperature than anything I think. According to those who know, optimum water temp for plants is 68f. This is because the plants like that temp and because water will hold the most oxygen at that level. As water temp rises, its ability to hold dissolved oxygen goes down. Once you get above 73f, the oxygen levels drop significantly. I personally like to have one air stone in each of my totes that plants sit in, and then one in my rez that is connected to all of the plant totes.

I use a water chiller to keep my rez ~66-69f and my plants are happy for it. During the winter I don't have to use the chiller. Every time I have had issues with root rot, it was after losing the water temp battle. I have also found that using frozen bottles of water can help in very short term warm spells but not for every day heat like we get in the southeast half the year.


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## B3henry (Oct 15, 2017)

There are far more reliable methods to insure any DO you want other than hypothermia if the point of chilling water is to increase the DO. You can increase the DO by increasing the partial pressure of oxygen too - Henry's Law. Actually make the DO Concentration and DO Saturation any thing you like in water temps 75F-83F. 

Aerobic plant and benny microbial metabolism is greater when in warmer res water causing plants and bennies colonies to grow faster, roots and plants also grow faster and get larger according to what I've read in scientific literature about metabolism.

As the plants, roots and microbial colonies grow their oxygen demand increases dramatically over months of the growing period so even more oxygen is required. 

*Again - Do you have any idea at all what is the optimum DO Sat (Dissolved Oxygen Saturation) for DWC, RDWC and Benny&#8217;s require to prevent root mass suffocation? *


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## pcduck (Oct 15, 2017)

How does one increase atmospheric pressure in a garden, to make "Henry Law" a viable option?


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## Hushpuppy (Oct 16, 2017)

Mother nature does things her own way but we have to meet certain requirements when growing in artificial environments. No poetry intended  Sure you can manipulate many variables in the grow environ to achieve certain things but often the "Rules of Thumb" suffice for the average growers. When in hydro, try to maintain 65-70f and use aeration at a strong and steady flow of bubbling action. I don't believe you can over-aerate unless your breaking roots and splashing water out of the system.


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