Root rot

[racingsnake]

Hey

 

I think while I was away with the system running slower than usual, the water was a little too still for a little too long in the bottoms of the pots... The roots obviously hang in this remaining solution...

 

When I first noticed the discolouration of the roots, about a week and a bit ago, because it was all evenly coloured and not patchy... I didn't think too much and dismissed the possibility of problems...

 

Being only my second crop and first attempt at revegging, I knew FKL about root rot etc... I'm growing in clay,recy,using canna nutes- PH 5.8+ EC +- 2 feeding half an hour every 3 hours.

 

I've gone through the forums and found ref to Hydrogen peroxide, oxyplus and similar additives that will not necessarily get rid of root problems but really assist in managing them...

I'm still vegging these plants. The size of the leaves seem smaller than they used to be too and a little paler and sort of patchy. They are about 1/2 metre across and the same height.

 

Could yous name some of the easiest and effective means of controlling this problem IF you have actually used the method?

 

Also, I took clones 2 days ago off the same 'ill' plants, expecting the worst... I have them in jiffy pellets which I soaked in a week rhizotonic solution over night.

Tonight I noticed the ends of some of the older leaves on the little buggers almost looked 'bruised' ond sort of like boiled spinnach if I could use that discription. Some of them also had fluid coming of them?

 

What do yous reckon?

Thanks heaps

[F420]

A product by Canna called cannazym to eat the old dead roots,

and rhizotonic for helping to prevent anymore problems.

 

I usually use oxyplus which is just a brand name foe hydroponic hydrogen peroxide. to prevent it in the first place.

 

[BentBuddha]

Oxyplus is excellent if you use it correctly, devistating if you don't. I havn't hada problem with it but I know too many examples of friends using it wrong and losing their crops.

 

If I were in ur situation, I would buy a packet of Fungarid to treat immediately. That shit is awesome. And then I'd put Microbial in with ur weekly nutrient program. I've been using it for about 6+ months. Excellent product.

[F420]

I havent used the microbial, but many peeps swear by it. So it must be pretty good.

 

 

Oxyplus is excellent if you use it correctly, devistating if you don't. I havn't hada problem with it but I know too many examples of friends using it wrong and losing their crops.

 

Really? how would using h202 wrongly cause the plants any harm? Too much does harm the roots, by bleeching them. That why people get all excited over white roots, its cause they have used too much h202 and bleeched the roots. HEALTHY roots should be off white, not bleeched white.

Too little, yea you get root rot and this will kill the plants pretty damn quickly. So i assume your meaning they didnt use enough, or not often enough????

 

Chlorine type products help too, like for eg- Pythoff which contain chloromine, which breaks down to chlorine. Thats why Ive always used tap water, as it contains chlorine, and prevents minor problems. Well it helps more than it hurts them anyways.

 

[Taipan]

Old thread I know, just thought I'd add. Best product I have found to fix root disease is Fongarid. Also reduce the watering as much as possible till the plant starts to recover. Don't stop watering to the point of them wilting but make them need to grow more roots to find water.

 

As far as preventatives go, I haven't found any that are an absolute guarantee. I have seen people still get root disease when using these products. Once you start using products like Oxyplus or Pythoff you need to keep using them. Oxyplus will need to be dosed every 2-3 days. Pythoff is different and it is best to use the test kit they have available that tells you how much Pythoff is still active and how much has been used. Problem with these methods is that they strip the roots of all bacteria, good and bad. This can leave them even more prone to attack.

 

I like the more natural approach, promoting the growth of the good bacteria that can help fight the bad. Something like BioBugs in your nutrient solution will kick off the good bacteria. Cannazym will help promote these good bacteria as well.

 

Good luck with it.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Taipan

[Roadblock]

The NSW department of Agriculture has recomended for commercial hydroponic growers to add into their nutrient tanks the product called Agral during the summer mths as a preventative for pythium .

 

Carnt get hold of the product Agral ,,, no problems , go down to Bunnings and get the product SpredMax made by Searles ,,, Same stuff

Ive been using all this summer and its great , I use 1ml in 200ltr , dont worry it bubbles up

 

From another Article

http://www.hydroponics.com.au/back_issues/issue13.html

 

Another pythium preventative measure at Pacific Hydroponics is the addition of Agral, a non-ionic wetting agent, to the nutrient tank. Agral was originally developed in the UK to con trol Big Vein virus in lettuce and has a special registration for use in hydroponic nutrient solutions. It works by dissolving away the tail of the pythi urn spores, where the virus is alive, and also dissolving the vessicle from which the pythium spores are released. Agral was recommended to Phil by the NSW Department of Agriculture and is now run in the nutrient all summer.

 

From this page

http://www.gro-lite.co.uk/pythium.htm

 

There are various wetting agents on the market under a variety of trade names. Some, but not all, of them are based on a specific active ingredient called Alkyl phenol ethylene oxide condensate at 60 g/L. It has been proven to have a limiting effect on fungal zoospores in their motile state. This means that it can slow down the reproduction of Pythium within the nutrient matrix but it will not eliminate the fungus. It is used extensively by lettuce growers in Australia where the warm environment has made Pythium species the number one enemy. Wetting Agent is non- toxic to plant roots and can be added to the tank on a weekly basis without any problems. It should not be added at the same time as Hypochlorite but it can be used as a routine prophylactic after the initial infection has been treated with Chlorine. If the two agents were alternated it might be possible to keep the fungal organisms under control without any significant risk of long-term root damage.

 

A wetting agent under trade name of Agral is registered in New South Wales as a tank additive for food crops, which makes it a member of a very exclusive club.

 

Recommended dosage is 5 mls per 1,000 litres of tank volume, however many growers have reported using it at much higher concentrations. It is unlikely to be phyto-toxic until very high levels are reached. This product would seem to be the ideal prophylactic and the careful grower might consider it as a routine additive to be used throughout the life of the crop, regardless of whether Pythium was actually in evidence.

[bufo marinus]

Thanks for the info in this thread everyone,

[loylty gets u nothing]

i prefer to stay away from the oxyplus and similar beneficial killing treatments...

i for 1 still love the rhizotonic and even the cheaper AU 60

combined with some cannazym im happy

ofc if i have it bad ill introduce some fongarid..

i find not feeding any superthrive or similar also helps to startve the rot

or at least slow down it multiplyin..rootzone temps and res temps will also contribute greately and keepin the res under 20 deg c will help prevent it imo

all the best its a bastard once its taken hold

bil

[Roadblock]

Another thing to keep in mind is that Root Rot is a result of a problem , its not a cause of a problem , it really only happens when the environment is right for it ,, if you have poor air circulation and exchange within your growroom Root problems is one of the first things to show up , and people look to everything else for the answer , you need good air exchange within the root zone , so if your room is on the edge as far as Air exchange and movement goes and the temperature rises a little boom you got Root Rot or root problems , dont underestimate Air , it is the sole cause of so many problems with in a growroom , you cannot have too much of it but you have not enough real easy , if you have the slightest smell of dank or stale air in your room you need to fix it , it should be as fresh as standing out side .