DWC leaves dropping with otherwise good conditions

[pdxgrows]

I'm growing a rainbow belts 2.0 plant and it was doing well until this last water change. I bought a clone with 10-12 nodes and after a week of letting it acclimate to DWC I topped it to 7 nodes. I let it veg another 2 weeks before starting to train. All I did was use bonsai wire to help bend all the arms down gently. She picked back up and the suckers were growing well. Around 3-4 nodes on them.

But after the last water change she is drooping like I was acclimating her all over again. She drooped exactly like this when I moved her to DWC from a soil clone.

The nutrient solution is the same at 1.1 EC. The pH is right at 5.8. The water temp is 19C. The air temps are 19-24C. The roots are mostly white and vigorous but there is a bit of brown like they're stained. I've seen that from Botanicare PureBlend but I'm using MaxiGrow this round. The tank smells fine and is light proof. I have enough aeration if not too much. Rolling boil in the bucket.

I use HydroGuard at 2mL per gallon. Also some ProTekt but nothing else.
I just don't get what's going on. I fear it could be fusarium but I just don't know.

 

[pdxgrows]

I forgot to mention I'm running Mars Hydro TSW2000 (300 watts) at around 500 ppfd. Or close to 25k lumens. I don't think that's too much but I could lower it.

 

[pdxgrows]

Another 24 hours and she's still frozen in this position. She hasn't taken up much water for 2 days. I'm about ready to chop, sterilize everything, and start over. Has to be dying from the inside out because all the environmental factors are good.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

How much of an air gap do you have going?

 

[pdxgrows]

How much of an air gap do you have going?

About 1 inch. It's an 8 gallon bucket filled to 4 gallons. Before the roots are in the water I use a top feed pump. After the second week I got rid of the top feed but she went real droopy even though some roots were in the water. I added it back and it got better until this last water change. Actually when I pulled out the pump I raised the water to the bottom of the basket for about 3 days before adding back the pump and returning the air gap. I have went through several plants without issues. Only been using dwc 7 years but I thought I had a good rhythm going.

 

[futurebanjo]

What light are you using and how close to the plants is it?
Also what is your humidity?

 

[pdxgrows]

I don't know the exact distance but the par meter had the ppfd around 400-500 umol. Maybe 20 inches away. Humidity was a n the 60-70% range.

I cut her yesterday and could see brown going up the inside of the stalk. Definitely infected with something. I've sterilized the whole room and starting over. Northern Skunk just sprouted

 

[pdxgrows]

Might have been a bad clone but Archive is always top notch.

 

[futurebanjo]

one ting I have noticed is they tend to 'stand tall' and 'droop', depending on where they are in the 24hr light/dark cycle. Are they on 18/6?

All other things being equal, have you observed them just before 'lights on' and also just before 'lights off'?

 

[pdxgrows]

I took a backup clipping and clones it a week or so before I noticed this wilting. Do you think I should toss it, or maybe it would be healthy? It's doing fine.

Before lights out they usually start folding in on themselves. During flower I notice heavy chlorophyll just after the lights go out. Pretty sure that's all normal. I don't always pay attention to early morning. Lights on before I wake. 18:6 in veg.

I think a mold like fusarium got in there.

 

[pdxgrows]

I'm getting rid of my Levoit smart humidifier. It was gross. Hard to keep clean. Got a honeywell swamp cooler style with UV. And a NIWA to control it. Hopefully that keeps bacteria and molds down.

 

[michojay]

Was the rez temp consistent or possibly fluctuating?

 

[Greengrouch]

Try a sterile res next time, regular unscented Clorox bleach (sodium hypochlorite) .25ml/gal
Probably want to fill your bucket a bit higher too, you don’t need more than an inch or 2 gap from the netpot

 

[pdxgrows]

Was the rez temp consistent or possibly fluctuating?

I guess it does fluctuate a bit. 18-22C something like that. Maybe this strain didn't like it.

 

[pdxgrows]

Try a sterile res next time, regular unscented Clorox bleach (sodium hypochlorite) .25ml/gal
Probably want to fill your bucket a bit higher too, you don’t need more than an inch or 2 gap from the netpot

I gave everything a good bleach scrubbing yesterday. And moved the sprouting seedling into the closet. It's on I think 200 umol right now. Room is 65-70% RH and 19-20C.

 

[Boatguy]

Is your ec dropping over the course of the day? 1.1 seems alittle low

edit: just saw that you started over

 

[pdxgrows]

No I started her around 1.2 EC with the intention to have increased by now. I'm totally open to suggestions on EC in the first 3 weeks of moving a clone to hydrr even a whole schedule if anyone has a MaxiGro suggestion.
The last grow I tested 3 EC for the whole grow. She didn't really burn. Got 14 oz dry. This time I thought I'd try lower to compare.