Dissolved oxygen content in soil grow

SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
First off- as is noted in the title I'm looking into dissolved oxygen in water for a SOIL GROW not hydro ;-)

Peeps- do you all run an air stone in your water reservoir/do you work on making sure your water has high dissolved oxygen content?

Putting an air stone in the reservoir for my drip so I can brew my nutes/tea and simplify my life a bit. Debating on keeping the air stone going 24/7- what do you all do?

Alternately- I have an extra pump and could totally just make a waterfall in the bucket (or both) ... I've seen mixed reviews on the actual increase in dissolved oxygen from an air stone.
 
bk78

bk78

Well-Known Member
Maybe try not posting in grow room design section and you may gain some traction?

Just a thought.
 
NukaKola

NukaKola

Well-Known Member
I run DTW Coco and keep an air stone in my res.

For brewing teas you absolutely want an air stone 24/7. Lack of oxygen will allow anaerobic bacteria to take over and ruin your tea.
 
SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
NukaKola said:
I run DTW Coco and keep an air stone in my res.

For brewing teas you absolutely want an air stone 24/7. Lack of oxygen will allow anaerobic bacteria to take over and ruin your tea.
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I know plenty about brewing the teas, I’m asking about the value of keeping it running 24/7 even when I’m not brewing teas. Sorry if it was phrased odd.
 
NukaKola

NukaKola

Well-Known Member
SpawnOfVader said:
I know plenty about brewing the teas, I’m asking about the value of keeping it running 24/7 even when I’m not brewing teas. Sorry if it was phrased odd.
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It keeps nutrient water from going stagnant and more oxygen to the plants rootzone is always a plus.

Can you get away without using one? Absolutely, but using an air stone has its benefits.
 
MajorCoco

MajorCoco

Well-Known Member
I get what you mean, and I am partial to shaking up my water before watering my plants.

Whether it actually makes a difference is debatable. If your soil is left to dry properly between watering then you can actually hear air getting sucked down as the water percolates through. But...as I said, I tend to shake a bit of extra air in just before watering anyway, because it certainly can't do any harm.

Ditto running an air-stone non-stop.

BTW, do you never just use water? Is is tea every time? If it's always tea then...yeah, you definitely need to run the air through it constantly. Tea goes nasty quickly...especially if there's molasses n shit in it!
 
SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
MajorCoco said:
I get what you mean, and I am partial to shaking up my water before watering my plants.

Whether it actually makes a difference is debatable. If your soil is left to dry properly between watering then you can actually hear air getting sucked down as the water percolates through. But...as I said, I tend to shake a bit of extra air in just before watering anyway, because it certainly can't do any harm.

Ditto running an air-stone non-stop.

BTW, do you never just use water? Is is tea every time? If it's always tea then...yeah, you definitely need to run the air through it constantly. Tea goes nasty quickly...especially if there's molasses n shit in it!
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Nah, I end up adding nutes/tea once per week max. Depending on the plant size/pot/etc. I get 2-3 waterings per week so plenty of plain water.

I already have the air pump for my tea and it cost all of ~$20 for the setup so worst case I burn it out sooner and get a new one. I can't think of a downside.
 
SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
MajorCoco said:
I get what you mean, and I am partial to shaking up my water before watering my plants.

Whether it actually makes a difference is debatable. If your soil is left to dry properly between watering then you can actually hear air getting sucked down as the water percolates through. But...as I said, I tend to shake a bit of extra air in just before watering anyway, because it certainly can't do any harm.

Ditto running an air-stone non-stop.

BTW, do you never just use water? Is is tea every time? If it's always tea then...yeah, you definitely need to run the air through it constantly. Tea goes nasty quickly...especially if there's molasses n shit in it!
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Also- I keep a separate reservoir for my tea- I just move the pump to a different bucket and then rinse it off/flush my lines before going back to plain water so I can keep the reservoir sanitized.
 
MajorCoco

MajorCoco

Well-Known Member
LOL. I did some random drunk shopping on amazon the other day and ended up with my first air-pump and a water pump...I wasn't really sure what the hell I was going to do with them though really (I think I was thinking about doing a diy DWC and aero shootout when I bought them!) but...air-stone in soil you say...hmmmm.

Now you've got me wondering if pumping air directly into the soil at strategic spots might be worth trying....I love organic grows, but they are a bit slow going when you compare to all the hydro guys...

I'm only half-joking right now too. :bigjoint:
 
SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
MajorCoco said:
LOL. I did some random drunk shopping on amazon the other day and ended up with my first air-pump and a water pump...I wasn't really sure what the hell I was going to do with them though really (I think I was thinking about doing a diy DWC and aero shootout when I bought them!) but...air-stone in soil you say...hmmmm.

Now you've got me wondering if pumping air directly into the soil at strategic spots might be worth trying....I love organic grows, but they are a bit slow going when you compare to all the hydro guys...

I'm only half-joking right now too. :bigjoint:
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Lol the air stone isn't in the soil, it's in my reservoir with a recirculating pump and then the pump for my drip irrigation (long story- accidentally overordered pumps and it sat in the box too long to be returned because I got high and forgot about it)...

However I wonder if the amount of dissolved oxygen it adds is actually going to help the plants or if it's just going to help prevent stinky stagnant water/dechlorination.
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
The key to oxygen at the roots in soil grows is simply letting the soil dry enough between waterings. Over watering is not about how much water but how often. Failure to allow the soil to dry enough before watering again will cause root rot. It's that simple. There is no reason to worry about DO levels with soil IMO, doesn't hurt to water with high DO water, it won't stay saturated with DO for very long and the soil being wet constantly would cause root rot regardless of the DO content of the water when it's poured into the soil.
 
SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
Renfro said:
The key to oxygen at the roots in soil grows is simply letting the soil dry enough between waterings. Over watering is not about how much water but how often. Failure to allow the soil to dry enough before watering again will cause root rot. It's that simple. There is no reason to worry about DO levels with soil IMO, doesn't hurt to water with high DO water, it won't stay saturated with DO for very long and the soil being wet constantly would cause root rot regardless of the DO content of the water when it's poured into the soil.
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Most definitely. They get nice and dry between waterings, I learned early on that fungal gnats are a PITA
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
A pump flowing up from the bottom of the reservoir will oxygenate better than an airstone. The process of circulating the surface will give more water contact with air than a bunch of tiny bubbles.
 
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