mould.

[gilly]

yet another question. but i have just noticed that on top of my growool cubes there is mould , it's not alot just a layer on top . is this normal in these type of systems ( turbo tank) or is it from over watering . do u have any other suggestion on how to fix this problem.

 

 

cheers again..

Edited June 3, 2004 by gilly

[Luke Skywalker]

Firstly, it may not be mould, you may be looking at algae... it's often a green film that forms on watered surfaces like growool and the top of medias. It's able to grow because light gets to the surface, the nutrient rich environment is ideal for their growth. Their spores are all through the atmosphere and in water, it's just a matter of time before they germinate and start to grow.

 

Blocking out light from the surface in question is usually the best bet, but that's only appropriate for algae.

 

If it is mould, you have a serious problem. Mould is caused by excessive moisture and still, dark conditions. If the growool blocks are really infested with mould, then you may have to start again, and keep everything as clean as possible. Mould is something that can only be prevented, rarely cured. There are some products like fongarid and so on which could help keep mould out of a system, but honestly, if mould is a problem, there's a problem with the system.

 

My advice would be totally clean out the system, sterilise the whole thing if you can, and get something like hydrogen peroxide or pythoff and use these in there if you're determined to use a turbo tank. Make sure you have good airflow in your growing space, and review all of the basic factors of the environment around the plants to see if you can improve on their needs. (Light, air, water, temps, nutrients, media )

 

Hope that helps, a pic or two would be the best way to get a diagnosis of your particular problem though, if you can manage that it'd probably be a lot easier to tell ya what you should or could be doing.

 

Good luck.