Week 1

[pcduck]

Are you switching over to organics?

 

[sopappy]

nope, I'm reading that the TEA is okay in hydro if I stop using H2O2
(it doesn't seem to be doing much anyhow, the roots still look like snot)

 

[Jasmine]

How come all the pictures show the net cup, but not in a reservoir? the issues you see could be from light getting to the roots

 

[sopappy]

How come all the pictures show the net cup, but not in a reservoir? the issues you see could be from light getting to the roots

I use rapid rooters and don't like them sitting in the water. The pots are all sitting on a bed of pellets that fills and empties every 4 hours. If necessary, I'll top feed but they can stay a few weeks in there, the transplant is just gently lifting the pot and dropping it in the tub.

I improved the light blockage with panda paper and sleeves for the pots. The roots were nice in those trays but when I moved them to the tubs, I noticed the slime within 2 days. Tough nut, I've been reading. It's not Pythium, it's way worse; something called brown slime algae. Okay with lots of bubbles, not bothered by cooler temps and is pretty much unfazed by H2O2. My pH went through the roof overnight when it took hold, that was the clue. Most root troubles cause pH to drop, slime causes it to rise. 5.3-7.3 in 8 hours, it's noticeable

I'm brewing up some tea but it's another crop written off as far as I'm concerned. Plants don't recover from this, well, mine don't. I'm tempted to dip one of them in pure bleach and see if the slime sloughs off, gawd, never knew farming could be this gross.

You can see the slime on the roots up there in the pictures. But you don't want to really.

 

[pcduck]

I would not mix organics and synthetics, no microbes and an active tea will make mess.

4 hours between waterings may not let the raid rooter dry enough.

 

[sopappy]

"If you have slime attacking plants with very small roots, adding housing to your res like a lava rock or koi pond mat will make a big difference. Place the housing in your tea brew for the duration and then move it to your res"

What the heck is a "housing" ?

 

[sopappy]

I would not mix organics and synthetics, no microbes and an active tea will make mess.

I know, I know, I'm reading lots of conflicting stuff. This crop is dying, I might as well try to learn something. Are nutes synthetics? If so, damn, but I'm trying it anyways. I'm told if no H2O2 left, I can have at it. I'm nervous about the molasses but like I said, the walking dead.
Huh. The tea IS the microbes??? Is this a test?
Besides, I already have a mess

4 hours between waterings may not let the raid rooter dry enough.

The level stops just shy of the rooter's bottom, or in the tub, I can leave a 1" air gap under the pot, lick the bottom of the pot (bottom of the plug) or cover most of the plug... I like the air gap when all is well.
With the domes on the trays, it mists up nicely and I'm finding the plugs stay darn close to right out of the package in colour with me doing nothing (a good thing)
When I see roots peek out the bottom, I add 30 secs to the timer and go a quarter inch up the plug to start ebb and flowing the roots coming out the sides in to the rocks.

Your comment begs the picture of a perfectly wet plug, goldilocks zone, not too wet, not too dry

 

[pcduck]

I would suggest researching organics before you try it and ruin your grow.

 

[sopappy]

It's more like read and filtre.
Ruin my grow. Well, it won't be the first time.
Even if this works, the Thripps are waiting in the wings.

 

[Alasgun]

Ironically, based on the photos ive seen id say you could move them over to a soil medium and theyd do just fine. Mollassas alone would be enough for now to, nothing too complicated.

 

[sopappy]

I started in soil and it was like a walk in the park. I tried hydro because discarding earth was becoming awkward to say the least. First few were okay and then I just hit a wall. Cognitive dissonance I guess but if I can't turn this around, it won't be hard unloading the hydro equipment after Oct

Funny you mention molassas. It's in the brewing tea as we speak but it's feeding the army I thought. What does it do for dirt?

I did spray the roots, stones and plug with the tea after 24 hours brewing yesterday and the difference this morning surprised me, no big snot drips!
So I'm pressing on and doing a reset with the tea and RO water after 48

 

[Alasgun]

You are correct, mollassas is feeding the micro herd. Us dirt people think differently than the rest of you. You must provide every necessary element for proper growth and in the right propotions or is goes south. You have a narrow window of acceptability in this type of system.
Dirt people understand the importance of “feeding the soil” and the relationship that exist between the microbes and the plant roots. Some pretty scientific stuff going on in whats called the risosphere sp. but the important thing to remember is how good the microbes are at what they do!! Big take away for you, their doing a good job so you dont have to.
Tell me about your tea process, how your brewing, ingredients etc. it might be easier than you think to turn this around.
Once ive got a healthy thing going on in the soil i maintain that by using good tea once a month. In between ill add a tablespoon of mollassas to a gallon of water for the regular waterings.

A while back Mrs. Rosebud commented about you throwing the used dirt away, she asked that question because she knows how valuable the soil is and understands how to maintain AND improve that soil from grow to grow to grow.

 

[sopappy]

I probably could have re-used the earth instead of dumping it but at the time I did all my research in internet cafes. I truly miss it, nothing quite as enjoyable as watering plants. I also miss the feel of dirt in my hands. My plants never went into shock after a transplant. They loved it haha

I bought a bag of worm castings, some MycoGrow Soluble and had molasses in the cupboard
(uncultured wtf?)
1 gal RO, handful in cheesecloth, teaspoon myco, teaspoon molasses
bubbled for 24 hours, sprayed snotty roots aggressively
after 48, reset rez (but ****** up pH, used UP *and* DOWN but what else could I do, overshot the runway dammit and didn't want to let the army die)
Anyways, moving plants to "rinse" tub, I saw new roots and far less slime!!!!

New tub is RO water now at 5.5 40ppm, is that the herd?
... waiting 12 hours before nutes again
I'm thinking 500ppm or so isn't too high now if they keep bouncing back like this.

 

[Alasgun]

Looks to me like your still riding the fence! All that ppm and ph crap goes out the window in a soil grow. Remember the part about the microbes doing a good job so you dont have to? Trust me, they know far more about getting that plant fed than we ever will.
Simple is better, simple is better. Yea many growers excell at yield, speed of growth etc using hydro methods but dirt people arent in a foot race! I would suspect if your adding ph chemicals, your doing harm to the microbes. In fact unless your looking at that tea with a microscope to be sure, you may not have much of a herd. Typically you generate and maintain microbial activity a little at a time.
Jeff lowenfells , teaming with microbes is a good read if your trying to wrap your head around how it all works. The net is awash with this stuff too.

 

[sopappy]

Infuriating. It was low in the tub 3.9 Why I rushed that part, I'll never figure out, stoned I guess, I was anxious to get the cavalry in there. 48 hours wasted. Another batch is on the go.

 

[sopappy]

sopappy, please consider going into dirt. Organic soil is so easy. no ph. Ya can't really mess it up too much.

Yup, I think it's time. I'm listening, alusgun, duck, I just hate to giving up is all but frankly,
I had better results with miracle grow and tomato fertilizer 5 years ago. Enough.

I tried hydro because the discarding dirt was a total pain. I'll be changing my research from algae and slime to reusable dirt. I also have a bag of worm casting and gobs of myco..
I'm also intrigued with the airpots... if anybody knows of any good threads on any of this, i find there's far less bs here than most places.

I can't grow in hydro but I can germinate haha, 8 out of 8, only 1 didn't come up last time either, I finally master that **** and then come the water problems, F it, I should have listened to THG years ago.

These 8 are going in to dirt. Who makes the best dirt around here?
Can i compost indoors or is that asking for trouble?

 

[pcduck]

I used Fox Farm Ocean Forest for a base years ago. Since then I have been re-using the same soil.

Two 55 gallon trash cans works for cooking and storage. I just add local compost to the soil and some soil additives from kelp4less.com.

 

[Alasgun]

Glad to see your determination, you'll get there!
The basic concept "feed the soil not the plant" almost sounds to easy so read a little and dont make any large or fast moves?
Your gonna get advice on here one spoon full at a time, which is the way you'll grow them starts. Don't just dump a bunch of of this or that into a bag of dirt or you'll be trading one problem for another.
My experience is much less than most on here but im happy to share what worked and what didnt work too well.

Ffof is a good place to start, personally id add 1/3 promix just to weaken it some for them baby's. Unless your adding fish carcasses to the dirt, it will keep just fine in them trash cans and wont stink. If you have a garage floor, thats a great place to mix up a batch of soil.

Lots of good folks have followed your adventure, hopefully those same folks will come along directly with a spoon full of this or that. Go slow, its not a foot race!

 

[sopappy]

View attachment 250259 Glad to see your determination, you'll get there!
The basic concept "feed the soil not the plant" almost sounds to easy so read a little and dont make any large or fast moves?

+++> I'm always putting out fires, I have 8 sickos w root issues and I just sprouted 8 healthy ones in rapid rooters, last thing i want to do is put them back in those cesspools.


Your gonna get advice on here one spoon full at a time, which is the way you'll grow them starts. Don't just dump a bunch of of this or that into a bag of dirt or you'll be trading one problem for another.

+++> almost did that already... was all hot to replace my hydroton re-circ with rockwool ebbin and flowin

My experience is much less than most on here but im happy to share what worked and what didnt work too well.

Ffof is a good place to start, personally id add 1/3 promix just to weaken it some for them baby's. Unless your adding fish carcasses to the dirt, it will keep just fine in them trash cans and wont stink. If you have a garage floor, thats a great place to mix up a batch of soil.

+++> haha, my garage isn't that big

Lots of good folks have followed your adventure, those same folks will come along directly with a spoon full of this or that. Go slow, its not a foot race!

+++>I betchya I can't get that dirt in Canada

 

[sopappy]

I used Fox Farm Ocean Forest for a base years ago. Since then I have been re-using the same soil.

Two 55 gallon trash cans works for cooking and storage. I just add local compost to the soil and some soil additives from kelp4less.com.

I'm wondering if I'll just be hiding the pythium problem doing this but I've had it with the tubs, maybe I'll use them for the compost bins.

Switching gears from hydro, days of reading hydro, hydro, hydro now I'm doing a 360
reading up on composting and re-using dirt. should be fun.