What is your fav product(s) for root zone health in your RDWC system?

[AdvancedBioHydroponics]

My bad, did not mean to spawn a argument about one part powders, or the origin of word meanings.

Apparently DS has a crush on me and is analyzing my every post and word...ROFL!!! So I apologize for that as well. He follows me everywhere on the forum. LOL!!

I just made the comment that if one likes Jack, that Veg+Bloom had worked better as we tried them both. The "inputs" are the ingredients in the formula.

Thats all it was meant to mean, nothing more. I thought maybe the person had never knew or heard of it and just wanted to let them know that there was another powder out there like Jacks.

I am very sorry for the off topic but I am just a shoe salesman that has lost his way.

Bye DS!! Gotta go for now but dont worry as I will be back soon! LOL!!

 

[Capulator]

jacks also has a 1 part now.. not sure what any of this has to do with root zone health though.

 

[Capulator]

I am further inclined to think that using beneficial bacteria, fungi, and protozoa in the water to suppress harmful pathogens is the way to go. The roots in my MPB are of perfect health, and the plants look perfect (this is my third rodeo now). Besides, it is impossible to keep something completely sterile, especially a growing environment. They make mouthwash for your mouth. It doesn't kill all the bacteria. There are bacteria that will survive and recolonize EVERY time.

How does nature do it?

PS chiller should be in the poll. I would vote for that.

 

[ttystikk]

I am further inclined to think that using beneficial bacteria, fungi, and protozoa in the water to suppress harmful pathogens is the way to go. The roots in my MPB are of perfect health, and the plants look perfect (this is my third rodeo now). Besides, it is impossible to keep something completely sterile, especially a growing environment. They make mouthwash for your mouth. It doesn't kill all the bacteria. There are bacteria that will survive and recolonize EVERY time.

How does nature do it?

PS chiller should be in the poll. I would vote for that.

I agree with every word you wrote here, and it squares perfectly with my own experience; no root zone product saved my grow until I brought my temps down to 62. Once I did, I didn't need any of them.

I've been reading around a bit and many suggest that having some sort of dedicated 'spot' for the bennies to live in the system might be helpful by making them more effective and last longer between reinoculations. I've seen designs varying from a biofilter to a relatively simple stack of open cell foam that sits near constant water movement. What are your thoughts on this, Cap?

 

[Capulator]

I think either is fine.

My danner 1800's came with a biofilter attached. I added a net bag full of bio material (little chopped up buts of plastic straws basically), and that is kind of wrapped around my intake... I also recently bought a biological filter that I plan on hooking up sometime within the next couple of weeks, and I was going to line the bottom of each of my buckets with bio filter material. http://www.pondandgardenwholesalers.com/servlet/the-14/pond-filter-mat-foam/Detail

I read here a while back there was this guy who was all about the live res, and he used this matting... he said when the roots hit the innoculated filter mat, they went berserk. I believe he never washed it as well... I would rinse after each cycle myself, and fully disinfect. I take apart my buckets in between runs and soak all the fittings in bleach solution overnight. I change out all my drain hose, and I fill up the whole system with physan solution and let it run for a day. then I triple rinse and add plants. All in all it takes me about 5 days to harvest, take down my bucket, clean, and put it all back together again. I have it timed so by the end of that I have plants ready for transplant, giving me about a 65 day turnaround, plus 10 day veg in the MPB. Total 75 days, Almost 5 runs a year if I stay focused.

 

[hogan400]

Cap, love the fine art work man! +1

Holy hell have you looked at a price of tarantula? Might as well start a fire and start throwing hundred dollar bills in.

Wait, I just saw how many people listed great white, RE, etc... I never plug my bennies because honestly they plug themselves, but I gotta just chime in and tell people to stop paying so much for so little. Look at how much of what you are paying for is inert ingredient, and you will be as blown away as I was. Thats when I started to look for my alternative "real spores without the fluff".

Cap, love the fine art work. You been copying my stick man freestyle!

 

[PButter]

Vote cast for EWC.
Throw one for CHILLER as well.

I had no success with root health until the tea- of course I dropped temps down to 64 (from 68) at same time so who knows.

PB