Browning roots

[FastForward]

Whilst checking pH and EC I noticed the roots of a number of my plants are getting brown and aren't shiny white anymore. They're in an x-stream 'aero' prop and have been for about 2 weeks. Up top everything looks fine but I'm worried that the browning is being caused by light leaks (whenever I open to check nutes, plus it's not very lightsafe with a white correx top, and my fluoro is about 6" away from the correx...).

What should I do? I can't build my veg/flower room properly until around 20th August (no space until then) and I was planning on leaving them in the prop until then (and then moving them into an amazon).

If they're too old for the x-stream, or the x-stream is leaking too much light into the tank, I have an ebb and flow setup here and could replace the prop in the tent with the ebb and flow tanks. I'd put the plants in 13cm square pots with hydroton in and then have to find money for a proper light. It'll be a major pain in the ass but if I have to, so be it.

Otherwise, is browning roots okay? I know it's not ideal but not much else I can do atm other than radical system overhaul.

 

[rocky]

Im no expert, but i would think just opening up to take a look every once and a while shouldnt really affect them that much. But if lights getting in constantly then thats probably your problem, do what ever you can to make sure light dosent get thru. But thats obvious lol. Im not exactly sure what correx is but maybe you could paint it black, or something so lights not getting through. Im guessing its kinda translucent being so close to the light, if you were to paint it, it would become more opaque.

Oh i just googled correx, yea i know that stuff has to be translucent with a light so close, specially being white.You could try putting cardboard on the bottom of it, or some scrap shit you got laying around and put it under it. Or double it up. I dunno, just some ideas

 

[hazyfontazy]

check the nute temps ,too hot they rot (brown roots ) too low they grow slow
lower temps add liquid oxygen

 

[ProGroWannabe]

FF...hey man, can you tell us the extent of the browning? What I mean is, is it on the last 20% of the roots...40%....etc...? If the browning hasn't taken over "most" of the roots, you can just cut all the browned roots off and change/scrub the rez. to get rid of the rot. Yes your plants will stunt a bit, of course, but it sounds like this would be the preferred route for you to go.

Got a pic?

 

[Midnightgardener]

check the nute temps ,too hot they rot (brown roots ) too low they grow slow
lower temps add liquid oxygen

+1 and no light leaks neither

 

[FastForward]

Ok...here's the photos - my res tank is way too warm :(

Am going to drain the tank, cut off the damaged roots and run the mister instead of the sprayer....not much else I can do atm other than set up the flood and drain.....

Shhhhhhhiiiiite....I can't afford 00s of pounds to get an nute chiller...cheapest I've seen is 500. Can I freeze ice cubes of nute solution and drop them in? Alternatively, would a Hydor Aero pump create less heat? Or is it because my tent is hot that the water is hot??

 

[FastForward]

How toxic/dangerous is nute solution to humans? I'm about to purge the tank by siphoning it out with a piece of hose (suck it out, pour into bucket - just like nicking petrol...allegedly). Ok to do?

 

[hazyfontazy]

How toxic/dangerous is nute solution to humans? I'm about to purge the tank by siphoning it out with a piece of hose (suck it out, pour into bucket - just like nicking petrol...allegedly). Ok to do?

nononononono

 

[hazyfontazy]

,,,,take the lid with the clones in raise it so the roots dont touch anything (upside down propagator lid is good ),then empty tank

 

[hazyfontazy]

just realised them clones look good to go ,they dont need to be in that unit anymore ,its a cloning machine ,time to up the nutes and get them growing

 

[hazyfontazy]

If they're too old for the x-stream, or the x-stream is leaking too much light into the tank, I have an ebb and flow setup here and could replace the prop in the tent with the ebb and flow tanks. I'd put the plants in 13cm square pots with hydroton in and then have to find money for a proper light. It'll be a major pain in the ass but if I have to, so be it.

actually theres the answer

 

[FastForward]

just realised them clones look good to go ,they dont need to be in that unit anymore ,its a cloning machine ,time to up the nutes and get them growing

Thanks man, but I've got nowhere for them to go right now. I've taken out 90% of the nute solution from the tank to drop the water level down (about 3cms, none of the roots are in it now) and turned on the fans again - it was 70% humidity in there and I think that might have contributed to the rot. Now down to 50%, got the aircon going in here, and have switched the lights to 18/6 from 24/0 to give the tank a chance to cool down a bit overnight.

This is all temporary until I can work out how to transplant them tomorrow. Thanks for the upturned prop lid idea - that's one problem solved. Then I gotta setup the flood and drain before the roots dry out or get screwed from the light. Mister will help but won't protect from the light.

My poor girls!! I was hoping they could stay in there for another 2-3 weeks and was willing to risk the root entanglement but I'm gonna have to buy a proper MH/HPS light asap and get the flood and drain going instead. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARSE....

Cheers for the help

p.s. I used a 1ltr jug to get the nute out, not a hosepipe and a mouthful of nutes - thanks for that too ;)

 

[hazyfontazy]

p.s. I used a 1ltr jug to get the nute out, not a hosepipe and a mouthful of nutes - thanks for that too ;)

i learned the stoned hard way thats how i know lol

 

[FastForward]

The temp of the nute is now around 70f/21.8c and the lights are about to go off any minute now for 8 hours. Have kept the sprinkler on and the mister going for 2 mins every 5 overnight to keep the roots from drying out. I think the 24 hour lighting has also been killing my seed germs too - too much heat too close = dry out overnight/death. It's all learning...

One last question: if I choose not to cut off the brown bits will it be fatal? am hoping with a bit of TLC I can bring the roots back to health. The tips all look fine.

Ah yes..one more :) When transplanting these into 13cm pots, how should i put the roots in? Put some hydroton down, then coil the roots down into it, put the plant on, fill in with more hydroton? I can't think of any other way to do it - if I had known I'd be doing it this way I'd have transplanted them sooner before the roots got this long...

EDIT: /me hastily chucks some more lowryders into germ - MOAR INSURANCE \o/ :) This is the FF way of doing things: brute force if necessary ;)

 

[hazyfontazy]

The temp of the nute is now around 70f/21.8c and the lights are about to go off any minute now for 8 hours. Have kept the sprinkler on and the mister going for 2 mins every 5 overnight to keep the roots from drying out. I think the 24 hour lighting has also been killing my seed germs too - too much heat too close = dry out overnight/death. It's all learning...

you can leave the misters on 24 still ,it was your temps doing the damage ,clones/seeds will do better on 18/6

One last question: if I choose not to cut off the brown bits will it be fatal? am hoping with a bit of TLC I can bring the roots back to health. The tips all look fine.

it didnt look like all clones had the root rot ,discard the effected and keep the good , a clean system is a healthy sytem
Ah yes..one more :) When transplanting these into 13cm pots, how should i put the roots in? Put some hydroton down, then coil the roots down into it, put the plant on, fill in with more hydroton? I can't think of any other way to do it - if I had known I'd be doing it this way I'd have transplanted them sooner before the roots got this long...
thats exactly the way to transplant them ,good luck
EDIT: /me hastily chucks some more lowryders into germ - MOAR INSURANCE \o/ :) This is the FF way of doing things: brute force if necessary ;)

any more help just holler

 

[FastForward]

I've been out all day but as soon as I got in I changed the tank, scrubbed it clean (thin layer of algae over everything) and put my 5.8 1:1:1 nute mix back in again. Only thing is the airstone is looking grim and I forgot to clean it....may have to change the tank again in a day or two when I can get another one (when I go to get the 13cm pots for the flood and drain).

Neuts: 23c, ph5.8, ec 0.4 (distilled water)

Roots are hanging in the air, and even the particularly brown root is looking less brown for not sitting in that grotty drink. Think I might have to start changing the tank more frequently if the heat is going to be an ongoing problem. No idea what else I can do to keep the neut temps down.

Also culled my first plant today - one of the WW looked really runty and malformed, so instead of killing it I planted it outside in a massive unplanted ceramic pot that I've been pouring my waste nutes in. Exile!! Survive or die :)

More lowryders germed today - another 3 showing taproots today and are now in RR in my heated prop waiting to break the surface. Lowryder Alpha broke the surface yesterday and is under lights rooting.

Thanks for all the help. I can see why everyone said do soil first, or even hydro first, but aero first might have been a bit bold. Sod it...gonna crack on anyway :)

 

[hazyfontazy]

I've been out all day but as soon as I got in I changed the tank, scrubbed it clean (thin layer of algae over everything) and put my 5.8 1:1:1 nute mix back in again. Only thing is the airstone is looking grim and I forgot to clean it....may have to change the tank again in a day or two when I can get another one (when I go to get the 13cm pots for the flood and drain).

Neuts: 23c, ph5.8, ec 0.4 (distilled water)

Roots are hanging in the air, and even the particularly brown root is looking less brown for not sitting in that grotty drink. Think I might have to start changing the tank more frequently if the heat is going to be an ongoing problem. No idea what else I can do to keep the neut temps down.

Also culled my first plant today - one of the WW looked really runty and malformed, so instead of killing it I planted it outside in a massive unplanted ceramic pot that I've been pouring my waste nutes in. Exile!! Survive or die :)

More lowryders germed today - another 3 showing taproots today and are now in RR in my heated prop waiting to break the surface. Lowryder Alpha broke the surface yesterday and is under lights rooting.

Thanks for all the help. I can see why everyone said do soil first, or even hydro first, but aero first might have been a bit bold. Sod it...gonna crack on anyway :)

if u think your not going to manage in aero then go buy some coco and pot them up, and take it from there ,plenty of coco experts to guide u on here ,it should save everything from going tits up and at least you'll get a harvest in the bag, save u being dry like the rest of the non growing uk are gonna be soon

 

[doubleds]

air

nute temps are huge bro, i have 1 1/2 hp and 2 1/4 hp to combat these problems. Your air pump is heating the water up to much. Freeze some 2l bottles up and change them in the res everyday to cool down nutes.

 

[FastForward]

nute temps are huge bro, i have 1 1/2 hp and 2 1/4 hp to combat these problems. Your air pump is heating the water up to much. Freeze some 2l bottles up and change them in the res everyday to cool down nutes.

What's 1 1/2 hp and 2 1/4 hp? :huh:

I was thinking it was the water pump - should I take out the airstone altogether then, and just go with iced bottles? Or keep the airstone and cool it down with iced bottles?

 

[FastForward]

if u think your not going to manage in aero then go buy some coco and pot them up, and take it from there ,plenty of coco experts to guide u on here ,it should save everything from going tits up and at least you'll get a harvest in the bag, save u being dry like the rest of the non growing uk are gonna be soon

My plan B is hydro, moving them into 13cm pots with hydroton and then flood and drain (got the kit, and it fits in my med budbox perfectly). Plan C is Coco, only because it'll cost money for the medium and neuts.

I got sent Canna's free magazine/propaganda with an order this week and it's all about Coco. It does sound amazing but for me it sounds more complicated that hydro....the flood and drain thing really appealed to me for simplicity and results. I then got greedy and clucking for decent green so much that I wanted it now, and in decent quantities (you get like this when you can't get proper smoke!) and went aero. I still want to go for the amazon but all I care about now is getting some smoke and a mother or two, to ensure that I get some kind of a cycle going so that I never have to buy or smoke shit ever ever again. And this White Russian I'm smoking from a mate is the last of the okay stuff...from here on it's back to whatever I can score...until I can harvest and smoke my own.... HURRY UP YOU LOWRYDERS! :)

And even if I fuck up sexing the lowryders in time (as a nub) the worst case scenario is I end up with a load of seed, which works too...