What the Hell is this?

[SmokeyZero]

Good afternoon everyone, going through the plants and checking if everything is okay I came across something terrible (I think). Does anyone what this is? This is on a DWC setup and only one pot has it. 

Brown roots are due to AACT

[Ill_Evan]

That looks dangerous 

I'm guessing it's either a type of mold or fungus.. not sure if bad or not

How does the plant look? No slime or any root rot in the res?

[SmokeyZero]

@Ill_Evan plant was looking bad but that was due to root rot but that has gone away since giving teas. Roots are healthy, the top has recovered nicely with green healthy growth. The plant is actually getting better the last 2 weeks, there is no slime on the roots or res, only feeding AACT in the Res. 

I think this plant was in a small container with some soil, then moved to the net pot with some perlite and became a hydro plant.

[Dank]

Could be eggs of some kind man, my first thought.

[SmokeyZero]

@Dank yeah i also think its eggs. Jeez 

[Ill_Evan]

52 minutes ago, SmokeyZero said:

@Dank yeah i also think its eggs. Jeez 

Oh snap yeah that could actually be eggs ew

[Ill_Evan]

Been thinking about this. If it is eggs, maybe some good 'ol H2O2 and a spray bottle aimed just at the eggs and around the net pot might do the job. Depending on the stasis of your reservoir you can decide for yourself if any of the H2O2 can fall into it. 

But I'd need someone to confirm that's a good idea 

[Ill_Evan]

Did even more thinking. I believe this to be fungus gnats. They are harmless to humans, however in high populations the larvae feed on roots so you will have to sort this out. 

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) in a spray bottle diluted with water would be my go-to solution. 

[PsyCLown]

2 hours ago, Ill_Evan said:

Did even more thinking. I believe this to be fungus gnats. They are harmless to humans, however in high populations the larvae feed on roots so you will have to sort this out. 

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) in a spray bottle diluted with water would be my go-to solution. 

Hmm, not too sure.. Unless its just the eggs.

 

"Fungus gnat females lay small, yellowish-white eggs on the surface of moist soil. The larvae that hatch are legless, with white or transparent bodies and shiny black heads. Fully grown, larvae measure approximately 1/4 inch in length. They live within soil and eventually develop into pupae. Pupae are initially white, although they darken as they mature.

Some fungus gnat larvae are known for their propensity to feed on the roots and lower stem tissues of plants. These feeding habits stunt and might kill affected plants."

Source: https://www.orkin.com/flies/gnats/fungus-gnat-larvae

 

 

I agree with some Hydrogen Peroxide, I'd even consider putting some into the rest and then starting with teas again afterwards (if you want). Maybe be a bit more selective of what you put into the teas.

If you are using soil / compost, I'd consider getting a new batch.

[Ill_Evan]

10 minutes ago, PsyCLown said:

Hmm, not too sure.. Unless its just the eggs.

Of course just the eggs 

[PsyCLown]

10 minutes ago, Ill_Evan said:

Of course just the eggs 

He should be able to see the larvae then if he looks closely. I guess if he waits long enough they'll turn into those annoying flies.

[SmokeyZero]

@Ill_Evan @PsyCLown  Thanx for the advice,  I have not done anything to it yet.  I've done some searching on the net and some say its a household plant fungus, if it's good or bad that wasn't clear. The plant is looking healthy and no negative effects yet.  I have isolated some of the "balls" to see if they hatch or what happens to them,  they look more fluffy than slimy. They are multiplying and becoming more. 

I will keep an eye on the leaves and see if there is any negative reaction. 

Only tea in the Reservoir.

[SmokeyZero]

Update:

The plant is doing really good, fresh green growth and going strong.

I have noticed the "balls" are getting less and a few days after that they were all gone. 

The RES never got a bad smell and the plant didn't wilt or look sick at all. Just continued to add AACT into the RES to build up the good guys.

Will update some pictures soon. 

 

[420SA]

Are you feeding hydro nutes to your plant in your DWC setup?

[SmokeyZero]

Hallo, @420SA No hydro Nutes at the moment. I had some issues with this plant during a few hot days a while ago, root rot. The only option was AACT, since then it's only been AACT, with explogrow once. This was the roots that was left after a big lump came off full of slime. 

This is the roots today, only brow because of the tea. 

The leaves started looking better after a few days and kept getting better. 

And below is today

 

[420SA]

Alright, so you haven't been giving the plant any nutrients? Just AACT and explogrow? If not, do you plan on feeding and with what?

[Ill_Evan]

Yikes, nice recovery so far, @SmokeyZero 

[SmokeyZero]

Well I'm not going to give it any nutrients from bottles or salts (I think). I want to try something but not sure if it is considered fully organic. I hope the guys on the forum could help with some input.  

what I'm trying to do is: (build this system already) 

"1. Day one, add worm castings to inoculate the system. Cycle the system for 24 hrs.
2. Day 2. Add a small amount of amendments like fish meal, etc or your dry, organic fertilizer. I'd add about 2 tsps or so (C:N ratio of around 10:1 works best). This goes in the top. Continue cycling or cycle for a few hrs and then just circulate in the lower reservoir.
3. Days 3 and beyond, add amendments at the same rate each day and do as in step 2.
4. Day 5, you can check for nitrate using the API or other such test kit. You should start seeing nitrate within 5-7 days (in theory).
5. Once you are registering some decent nitrate, you can use the leachate directly in your hydro system or add to potted plants as fertilizer.
6. To use, remove half of the nutrient solution (yes, you have to have a drain in the reservoir to remove this easily). Add up to 1 T of new amendments each day and keep the reservoir topped up.
7. You should be able to do this daily or every few days as needed. Just make sure to check for nitrate to make sure all is going well. (credit: Keith) "

 

Will this be considered organic?  From what I understand the microbes will break down whatever you add.

Edited March 19, 2020 by SmokeyZero
More information

[CreX]

Sounds simple enough to do... 

But you will need to reset the system fairly often to avoid incorrect buildup of nutes in the water. 

I wouldn't do this route unless you are convinced of your talents and are able to identify issues in the plants and make adjustments to your feed accordingly. 

Which with the microbes taking time to do the breaking down, might not happen fast enough to rectify the problems 

I think a store bough solution as a backup while you figure it all out will be useful

[SmokeyZero]

@CreX thanx for the advice will keep some Nutes close by. 

 I have the system running for about 3 weeks now and got a positive reading for nitrate. Not sure my knowledge on this subject is nearly enough to be able to determine if it is the right food for the plants. I have a plant that received some of this solution and she seems happy. No Nutes in the Res,only AACT and that "nitrate water". She is going into week 3 of flowering 

 

I topped up with some more clean water and added a few more things to the top. (EWC, dried banana peel, kelp meal, insect frass, blood meal, turbo grow, mycoroot).

Guess I should do some more research, but doing this as I go will give me a better understanding of what's happening and what is needed.

All advice is greatly appreciated.

[CreX]

38 minutes ago, SmokeyZero said:

I topped up with some more clean water and added a few more things to the top. (EWC, dried banana peel, kelp meal, insect frass, blood meal, turbo grow, mycoroot).

Those are some great ammendments!! 

All stuff you can make a sweet tea out of... Do yourself a flavour and get a jar of unsulfated blackstrap mollasses and give them a treat

All those extras though, are best left to cook in a compost pile before you use them, as a little will go a long way haha. 

What are you going to do in flower when you don't need as much nitrogen and need more phosphorus and potassium? 

[SmokeyZero]

1 hour ago, CreX said:

All those extras though, are best left to cook in a compost pile before you use them

All those amendments added up to almost a tablespoon of dry amendments that was added. The aim is to have this system be continuous and recycling, Running for a long while to break down everything that gets added. Hopefully works like wine and only get better with time? 

whenever I take out some "nutes" from the bottom RES I will add the same amount of clean water to the top and have that filter though to the bottom and have all of that recycle through the system again. 

1 hour ago, CreX said:

What are you going to do in flower when you don't need as much nitrogen and need more phosphorus and potassium? 

I finished a second system lastweek and was thinking of doing this one with more phosphorus and potassium inputs, like grind up pumpkin seeds, coffee grounds,  bat guano, lucerne meal, mushroom compost and a few other. 

This is all experimental and going to be a learning curve. If this is possible to do from seed to harvest in hydro with these "nutes" added will it be considered an organic hydro grow? 

 

[CreX]

I guess so... "Organic" growing is widely a Grey area on what is and what isn't "Organic" 

I would say your system leans more toward very organic in your methods. 

Some might contest that the system itself doesn't have its organic origins... But I would say it's more organic than a bottle bought nute solution. 

Although I still recommend it as a backup as you are in an experimental phase

[420SA]

I'm really interested to see what you can achieve with this method. I'm a skeptic, among many,  when it comes to growing bud in "organic" hydro systems. PH can go all over the place and nailing the right amount of nutrients at the right time is much harder to do than with hydro nutes(salts). Plus you end up with issues like you had in this thread. Hydro has it down to a science where as trying it organically is more of a guessing game. When you're growing soilless you don't wanna be guessing too much.  Of course, there is aquaponics(with fish), but that is better suited to vegging plants and herbs. Nothing really flower related

I'm not saying its impossible though! You've chosen a challenge. Good luck, we're watching closely.

How are you aerating the water? With an air stone?

 

[CreX]

If yes... I must try convince you to use an airlift solution rather than a pump system.