Roots in pump... plants in peril, advice?

[AeroGardenPro420]

I have the AG200.

I noticed today that the drip/pump wasn't working.
Opened the top and roots were everywhere... got 4, 35-day old female Lowryders in there.

I tried getting all the roots out of the pump... I assume the white part with the "teeth" is the intake (clogged with roots). I tried to clear the roots out as best I could, but not sure how to "get in there".

I cut all the roots back (1st grow, no idea if this was a bad idea.... just panicked because I have no idea how long they've been without waterflow. I hear the pump working now, but see no water dripping from the empty pods.

Ideas? I assume other AG pros have been through this. What's the procedure?

UPDATE: the 4 pods on the right side are dripping... but the 3 on the left are not. I put all four plants on the right side.

It's very cramped... and I had to cut the some more roots (tangled together) to move the plants to working pods.

How do I get the left 3 back online?

 

["SICC"]

go to the AG web site, and they have a video that walks your thru on how to clean the pum

 

[AEROGROWER76]

when the roots clog the pump i say when because they damn sure will in flowering i pay no attention to the pump and drop 2 airstones in there hook em up to a dual outlet pump make sure the stones are spaced on either side of the res cut da pump on and there ya go pump problems solved till harvest then as sicc said go to the ag site and read up on how to gut your pump and clean it well

 

[AkMoe]

Well from everything i have read your best bet is to grow 3 at a time ... it seems to me that everyone growing more than that has had root /pump probs ... but thats just what i have noticed

 

[HomeGrownHairy]

I have the AG200.

I noticed today that the drip/pump wasn't working.
Opened the top and roots were everywhere... got 4, 35-day old female Lowryders in there.

I tried getting all the roots out of the pump... I assume the white part with the "teeth" is the intake (clogged with roots). I tried to clear the roots out as best I could, but not sure how to "get in there".

I cut all the roots back (1st grow, no idea if this was a bad idea.... just panicked because I have no idea how long they've been without waterflow. I hear the pump working now, but see no water dripping from the empty pods.

Ideas? I assume other AG pros have been through this. What's the procedure?

UPDATE: the 4 pods on the right side are dripping... but the 3 on the left are not. I put all four plants on the right side.

It's very cramped... and I had to cut the some more roots (tangled together) to move the plants to working pods.

How do I get the left 3 back online?

Vary bad idea to cut back the roots. that really stunts growth.

I had to pull roots out of my pump housing several days ago as the water was running very slowly. The AG site had a link on cleaning it. I found the link on CLEANING THE PUMP so I'll post it here:
http://tinyurl.com/76h5gl

 

[Hand Banana]

Gotta agree with Hairy, you don't ever want to cut your roots up, they're the engine of the plant! You don't need to worry about the pump getting clogged that this point, the sponge will stay moist because of all the water traveling through the roots. As others have mentioned, if you have an airstone, then the water will be getting oxygenated, and you don't need the stock pump anymore. Good luck, hope your plants bounce back soon!

 

[HomeGrownHairy]

Gotta agree with Hairy, you don't ever want to cut your roots up, they're the engine of the plant! You don't need to worry about the pump getting clogged that this point, the sponge will stay moist because of all the water traveling through the roots. As others have mentioned, if you have an airstone, then the water will be getting oxygenated, and you don't need the stock pump anymore. Good luck, hope your plants bounce back soon!

I keep the pump running & clean AND use an airstone as well. I figure it couldn't hurt giving it more air and circulating the water faster!

 

[HomeGrownHairy]

Well from everything i have read your best bet is to grow 3 at a time ... it seems to me that everyone growing more than that has had root /pump probs ... but thats just what i have noticed

I have 6 flowering with a couple weeks to go until they finish. The roots can grow into the pump if you only have one plant. These little things need some general maintenance on a regular basis to keep them running smooth, just like your vehicle.
The main problem that I see is the more plants you have, the more they drink. At this stage of my grow, I have to top my tank morning and nite to keep it from running dry.