I have a question on a certain product called Bio Balancer by CX Hydroponics.
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"Bio Balancer is the Perfect Food for Beneficial Bacteria in Hydroponic Gardens"
"Bio Balancer is a synthetic compound that was developed to mimic the composition of the exudates of plants. As such, it is the ultimate food forbeneficial bacteria. In using Bio Balancer, it is important to closely follow the dosage instructions because too much Bio Balancer can lead to an oversupply of bacteria that may over load the hydroponic reservoir and root zone. Clogged pipes are common in these cases."
http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2012/04/14/healthy-roots-with-bio-balancer-by-cx-hydroponics/
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From their website, "It took a long time but the answer has recently been found. It eventually became evident that all the organisms had an effect on each other. It seems that the available food supply is the key to the success or otherwise of each of the micro-organisms. When the carbohydrates and other substances exuded by the plant roots favoured the ‘bad’ bugs then these bugs multiplied. When it favoured the ‘good’ bugs they were the ones that thrived."
http://www.cxhydroponics.net/products/bio-balancer
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"What Can Go Wrong?"
"While many root exudate compounds create beneficial conditions in the rhizosphere by encouraging certain microbes or changing the physical or chemical conditions surrounding the roots, occasionally this process can go wrong. Plant stressors, such as unfavorable growing conditions, high EC, low moisture levels, nutrient deficiency, lack of oxygen in the root zone and overcrowding, place pressure on the root system and promote the release of an increased amount of different types of root exudates. The carbon compounds in these secretions can act as a food source for pathogens, tipping the balance in the rhizosphere from beneficial microbe populations to disease-causing fungi and bacteria. Some plants, such as cucumbers, which produce large amounts of mucilage (polysaccharides and proteins) secreted from the rapidly growing outer layers of the root cap cells, may be particularly prone to this type of problem in systems that promote the buildup of organic compounds. Studies found that root mucilage supports rapid growth of pythium root rot and serves as a food base from which the pathogen invaded the roots of cucumber plants. This was prevented when there were a sufficient number of other microbes present to break down the mucilage and prevent it from accumulating around the roots."
"Researchers have determined that certain root exudates have the potential to be used in crop production as a defence against soil-borne disease pathogens, and that they also have the potential to boost growth and development by promoting relationships with beneficial microbes in the rhizosphere. In the future we may see a much different approach to root exudates: harnessing them for disease suppression as a way of boosting growth specific to hydroponic systems."
http://www.maximumyield.com/index.php/features/articles/item/1639-revealing-root-exudates
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What I've gathered from reading all this is that there are many different types of root exudates..some of them good things feed from and some of them bad things feed from. Unless this information is bullshit is it not possible to use this tea and this product together and instead of brewing all the time just adding it once and then using this product in the res so that only the good microbes are favored and they outgrow the bad ones?
From what I know the only reason we add food (molasses) to the brew bucket and not the res is because both bad microbes and good microbes can feed on it. This makes sense because we only want the good microbes to grow. However, if this product is a type of exudate or food or whatever that only good microbes can feed off of and not bad ones can I not use this in my
res? Someone experienced chime in maybe? Man I hope this works.
Also, these guys have two other interesting products, Wilt Guard, and Regen-A-Root. Any input on these?
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***"CX Hydroponics Bio Balancer has a supply of the food favoured by these ‘good’ bugs."***
http://www.cxhydroponics.net/products/bio-balancer