Pond Scum?

[kat]

I've noticed that after I've watered, with nutrients added to my water, the water that drains into the overflow buckets has a green film on the top of it. I always clean the buckets with hot water before re-use, can anyone tell me what this is, and if it may be harmful. thanks

[Luke Skywalker]

If you have floating green stuff it's likely algae. Have you made sure that no light can get to the water or into the buckets? This can encourage algal growth.

 

It takes nutrients, and can encourage pests to accumulate and eat it, but it's not directly harmful.

 

Try cleaning out your growing apparatus that need to with a 10% bleach too, with a good rinse afterwards. And you can also get various products which will sterilise crops whilst growing, like monochloramine and hydrogen peroxide, which makes life hard for algae.

 

But the key thing is to block out the light from it. That will control it.

[kat]

ah, thanks for that luke, I've spent a couple of days light proofing the room and hey presto....no more algae on my buckets....

thanks again, much appreciated.