Root rot in low pressure aeroponics

[girlwondergrows]

So, experiencing root rot in my low pressure aero/coco system for the third time in a row, it's a real drag. I've tried using excel LG without success. I'm running canna coco until roots really start to pop out of net pots then switch to aquaflores. Additives are silica blast, kelp, and canna boost. Keeping pH at 6 until I switch to aquaflores (about 14 days into 12/12) then I go to 5.6


Please ask any relevant questions, I'll do my best to answer promptly. Any help greatly appreciated.
-GWG

 

[dankworth]

Spade bit or hole saw?

 

[girlwondergrows]

I'll be cutting the cannazyme out and adding dutch master zone, we'll see if that makes a difference.

C:

 

[dankworth]

I had thought those edges looked beveled.

 

[Capulator]

water temps?

I may be dead wrong, but my gut feeling tells me that coco mats and aero dont mix.

I would switch the coco to lava rock or hydroton, or perlite. something that drains very well. Is there top feed as well as nozzles? keep it simple with a well draining media, and lower your water temps to 62/63 degrees.

Are you running a live res or a sterile one?

 

[click80]

I'll be cutting the cannazyme out and adding dutch master zone, we'll see if that makes a difference.

C:

I was following DS's thread Root Rot prevention in the UC and got some good tips. Maybe look at a product called UC Roots. DS also has application rates for Bleach in the thread.

I have added in H2O2 to my rez accidentally at 12ml/gallon with no ill effects because I misread the directions on the 29% stuff as 3ml/liter when it's really 3ml/gallon. I wouldn't recommend it though without hardening them off to about half that first.

I also just got rid of some in a flood table.

Changed out rez, but right before changing I added in H2O2 at 5ml/gallon and flooded.

After changing put in nutes at .5 ec, added Zone in at the Aggessive use rate which is about 2ml/gallon and flooded.

24 hours later, I added the H2O2 in the new rez which also had the Zone in it at 2ml/gallon and added the H2O2 in at 5ml/gallon and let it bubble around for about three hours and then flooded.

Every two days I am chunking H2O2 back in at 2ml/gallon. Oh, this is the 29% peroxide.

Roots are back to pure white.

 

[girlwondergrows]

Temps have been running 60-68, mostly hovering 64-66. I've got a real nice chiller on there, I'll lower it down to 62.

These pots are exactly as per Jalisco Kid's instructions for the gm1000's, except I subbed "coco planting chips" (chunks of coco husk) for the hydroton in the chow mix. My veg process requires a chow mix since I do a drain to waste for the veg. The pots don't go into the gm1000's until the flower room, I do a top feed through out the flower process.

This is one thing that worries me a bit because the canna coco can't keep the aero roots happy, and I wonder if the aqua can keep the coco part happy. I may switch to a really low flow to the top root balls on a separate res so I can feed the top coco nutes and the bottom aquaflores. Not sure how much of a difference it makes, I've never heard of anyone else having to do that.

One interesting thing is that on the last run I also had a lot of rot on the lower section but when I harvested and dissected the root balls I couldn't find any rot inside the coco root ball.

As for live res, I haven't been adding bennies with every mix but I do add them periodically and at every transplant. Adding phc biopak and mycorrhizae with every tank mix didn't seem to help much last time. I won't be adding any live stuff from here on in since I'll be running the zone, but I'd love to be able to avoid that on my next run so please give advice and I'll start that from day one next time. Also if zone fails I want a fallback....

Thanks for the help, more info would be lovely!

 

[click80]

Good luck, I am interested in seeing you resolve this and how. I have taken an interest in seeing the diff ways people use to abate root rot. It seems that even with all we know now Pythium remains very hard to control once established in hydro. Prevention seems to be key. Once it has any foothold strong measures are needed to get rid of it and prevent it's return. I have been lucky up until now because I am in a very dry area for most of the year and I think spore counts are naturally lower than other parts of the US.

good luck...

Oh, I mentioned that UC thread because those folks have a lot of experience, as I am sure you know. Lots of info on different methods, live and sterile to get rid of, or control, root rot. Seems that I remember reading something about one of the Canna nutes in that thread somewhere.

 

[budseyeveiw]

water temps?

I may be dead wrong, but my gut feeling tells me that coco mats and aero dont mix.

I would switch the coco to lava rock or hydroton, or perlite. something that drains very well. Is there top feed as well as nozzles? keep it simple with a well draining media, and lower your water temps to 62/63 degrees.

Are you running a live res or a sterile one?

yup i dont see the benefit of mixing the two, it seems pointless if anything aero is much more efficient than coco altho im a coco man myself