Oxine Sterilisation for Hydroponics Resevoirs

[vek618]

hi all. just found an interesting article on Oxine to treat your nute solution in hydroponic reservoir. very very interesting.

 

Oxine

 

Oxine is a multipurpose liquid disinfectant which is many times more powerful in eliminating micro organisms than common chlorine based materials or hydrogen peroxide.

 

The beauty of this product is that it is a very powerful oxidiser yet it leaves no harmful by-products behind.

 

When Oxine (a patented stabilised Sodium Chlorite solution) is activated with citric acid it forms a stock solution liquid which emits Chlorine Dioxide gas (ClO2) – a very powerful Oxidising agent.

 

(Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) derived from Oxine is not to be confused in any way with swimming pool Chlorine, or industrial strength applications of low grade ClO2 – they are totally different)

 

This ClO2 stock solution is then added to the body of water requiring treatment. The ClO2 immediately takes action and begins oxidising any harmful micro organisms it comes in contact with.

 

It is the Oxygen in the molecule ClO2 that is so active. After the oxidation of microorganisms takes place the Chlorine (Cl) in the ClO2 molecule finishes up being combined with Sodium (Na) to form a harmless degradation product – common salt (NaCl).

 

It is the powerful oxidation properties of the ClO2 molecule and the harmless by-product it leaves behind (common salt) plus its gentle action around living plant tissue which makes Oxine an excellent product for hydroponics.

 

The common salt left behind as a by-product of the oxidation process is of low toxicity and can easily be monitored and removed from the system should they ever built up to unwanted levels. In hydroponic systems these levels are usually negligible provided there is not an elevated content of sodium already present int he water supply. .

 

Oxine overcomes the shortcomings of all other Chlorine based products which allow troublesome organochlorines to form when chlorine reacts with organic material.

 

The Oxine product is unique in that the patented method of manufacture and stabilisation produces a product ideally suited for use in horticulture.

 

There are other low grade industrial ClO2 products, used in industry, that have caused problems to plants and these products are not to be confused with Oxine and Oxine should always be asked for by name.

 

The Oxine application rates for hydroponics are as follows:

 

2ppm – The standard dose rate for fully sanitising water supplies used for hydroponic systems or human consumption. Can be directly added to a tank or dam or injected inline via a proportional injector. Targets Pythium, Phytophthora and similar water borne pathogens.

 

2ppm – The standard dose rate for adding to nutrient solutions fed to crops. The 2ppm strength targets pathogens and other harmful microorganisms, controls algae and unblocks drippers while being soft on plant roots and plant tissue. The recirculated residual helps to keep NFT gullies clean and free of organic loading. It has been successfully used for cleaning up fungal infections on root systems.

 

5ppm – The standard dose rate for adding to nutrient solutions which are fed to plants in run to waste (non recirculating systems) when fungal problems are present in the media.

 

10ppm – For the control of bacterial soft rot on Calla foliage/tubers to prevent spread within the crop. Used as a foliar spray. Not compatible with copper sprays which may already be present on the foliage.

 

50ppm – For flushing through drippers, drip tape and other pipework to sterilise them between crops or when disease problems occur. Great for removing biofilm from pipes, gullies and drip systems. (Plants must be disconnected from the gullies or drippers and pipework must be well flushed with fresh water before reconnecting to the crop). When used with a wetter/spreader the level of contact and effectiveness increases.

 

50ppm – For flushing through reusable media to sterilise it before it is used for the next crop e.g coconut coir, pumice, scoria

 

100ppm – For disinfecting processing lines, greenhouse floors or harvesting equipment. As a soak bath additive to sterilise growpots and propagation trays and other equipment. Will loosen stubborn organic matter and biofilm. No rinsing required after application. Can also be applied as a fine mist. Ensure surfaces are wet for at least 1 minute.

[vek618]

Oxine is a brand name i believe is from USA... the same product in australia is called Zydox

[Buds-lightyear]

If I use h2o2 it also kills using oxygen except we are producing h2o instead of NaCl...

[bakedcake]

So this stuff you use at the end to clean it all out of your equipment? Not with plants in right?

[bakedcake]

Or is it when you go over 50ppm of it then you could be hurting your crops? I don’t know personally I would just go h2o2

[vek618]

Or is it when you go over 50ppm of it then you could be hurting your crops? I don’t know personally I would just go h2o2

still learning about this gear myself but from what i understand so far is that it is very gentle on plant roots at 2ppm and does the job very well...

 

how i got onto it was a post in another weed forum by a guy who said he was a licenced commercial grower in the states... he claimed that pro growers using hydro in the states all use oxine or an equivalent and he claimed that h2o2 and typical chlorine based root zone tonics can retard growth... to what degree he didn’t give comment...

 

not sure if we can cut n paste comments from other forums but when i get home can post that link to anyone interested

[bakedcake]

Haha oh yeah, I seen a few “pro” hydro growers in the state and they just use Pool shock I believe never mentioned this. However you can try and test. To measure at 2ppm though not sure how you do that as I believe the ppm meters to go up in 50 allotments.

 

He may just be selling you some bullshit. However guess to try never hurts

[bakedcake]

I read few mixed reviews on it, some people have used it and see no advantage so up to you. I’m not sure if too many commercial systems doing rdwc/Dwc. I thought they more do drippers or flood and drain?

[vek618]

I read few mixed reviews on it, some people have used it and see no advantage so up to you. I’m not sure if too many commercial systems doing rdwc/Dwc. I thought they more do drippers or flood and drain?

you might be right about the “pro” grower! the guy seemed to know his shit and he did mention pool shock i think... but just posted the article out of interest... i bought UC Roots at a suggestion of one of the members here but still up in the air about sterile res or not

[vek618]

here's what ol' mate said about Oxine in hydroponics....

 

"I'm a commercial and LICENSED grower and I'll be happy to offer some advice that has been thoroughly researched with much scientific data to back it up, along with a lot of experience and success to back up my claims.

First, stay away from bleach, pool shock, and the ever common H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide). Simply, these chemicals can stunt your plant and root growth and potentially KILL your plants.

So, what works? If you do want to run a sterile system, the safest and strongest method is CHLORINE DIOXIDE. The formula I buy online is via Amazon is called "Oxine", however several other companies sale this with various names. This is simply an amazing product. If running a sterile system the manufacutere recommends 20 fl.oz of Oxine activated with 60 grams of citric acid. (Remember to wear a chlorine air respirator)

So Why is this the BEST of the best?

-It's OMRI (Organic Materials Research Institute) listed.

-It's safe in it's un-activated formula. It's being used today to treat water. You can actually add it to your drinking water right from the bottle to disinfect and kill any harmful bacteria/etc. in your water or your cattle/dogs/pool water etc. Farms use it to not only deodorize their chicken coops, horse stalls, etc. it's actually used to treat horses with severe infections such as Thrush. Chickens have it sprayed in their faces for several days to rid them of sever respiratory issues that would usually kill them. Some people use it in a diluted formula to spray their shoes to get rid of the stink and athletes foot and other weird oders in their homes. Another bizzare thing I found is that people actually drink the stuff to kill off PARASITES in their bodies, which works too. The things that came out of these people were terrifying.....

-It's stronger than the bleach. Oxine is already a very strong product however between every harvest I throw on a gas mask and a painters suit and completely sanitize my growing areas using an ACTIVATED Oxine/Chlorine Dioxide. spraying the buckets, fans , walls and trellises. Currently this is the only time I ever use Oxine however in the past this was what I used to keep a STERILE system. It has been shown to kill all forms of fungi (Yes it kills powder mildew spores*) bacteria, and even Ecoli. The results are that I haven't had to treat my plants for powder mildew in over a year, however I have also kept lower than 50% humidity levels as well. You don't need to activate Oxine, and when you don't it lasts longer in your reservoir. (Note: To activate Chlorine Dioxide you add Citric Acid)

-It's cheaper than H2O2. A bottle of Oxine is cheaper and will stretch allot further than a bottle of H2O2. After a year of constant use I still have quite a bit of Oxine left and it's quite a big facility.

-It breaks down into table salt. Simply, as it degrades over time it breaks down into harmless table salt.

-It's currently approved and used for spray on leave in commercial agriculture. This simply means that many companies are using this to clean and sanitize your fruits and vegetables because it can kill things such as E coli while breaking down into table salt. I haven't tried it yet on powder mildew since it has been forever since I had any, but it may possibly work.

-It's simply the best and most effective sanitizer. It's what is being used at a commercial scale because it works the BEST."