ROOT ROT PREVENTION

I am a noob starting my first ever indoor hydroponic tent grow but have had real difficulty getting my ladies past seedling stage before they suffer from damping off or root rot. I am using rockwool starter cubes and intend to transfer them to larger cubes and then use a recycled drip system reservoir. I still haven’t even managed to get them past starter cube stage and its really haunting me. I have tried diluted H2O2 to try and salvage them to no avail. After some research I understand that ‘beneficial bacteria’ alongside nutrients (I am using tripart GH nutes) can help in preventing and fighting off root rot. The brand I keep coming across is Botanicare Hydroguard. I have also heard about SnakeOil and Great White. The problem is I am in Europe and none of these products seem available unless for an extortionate price. I have also heard that using some sort of pond bacteria could work. What are peoples opinions on these products? Can anybody suggest any affordable alternatives?

Really would be so appreciative of any advice!

Toss the cubes. They are killing your plants. People are able to use the cubes and have success. Just it is more work than required imo. Easier less fuck uppable ways to go about it. They hold to much water. You need to have a wet and dry cycle. If everything is soaking wet all the time it will die.

Put the seeds directly into the hydroton.

Need more info on your setup. Lights. Nutes. What is your watering schedule?

You can either go sterile or bennies. Bennies may take a lot of work. Sterile is easy.

I use pool shock to sterilize my res. It is bleach in powder form. Highly recommend it. I tried hydroguard in the past and ended with rot because I don't have a chiller. With bleach I don't need a chiller.

Got some pics of how you do it?



I'm starting my next grow. Putting seeds in the rocks today if they are ready. This is how I run my hydro setup. There is a bucket outside the tent that I pump from. Water returns to bucket.

Go sterile.

Bleach work well. Add 3 ppm to everything you add to the reservoir like top off and rez changes. Here's a dilution calculator probably already posted: Chlorine dilution calculator

The local brand I use is very pure and almost totally clear. Pool Shock still contains sodium, I would argue the amount of sodium is more or less the same if its a good quality bleach(sodium hypochlorite). I believe our local brand is 98% pure.

Lye(sodium hydroxide) is used in both of the manufacturing processes. If the pool shock is only 65% pure the other 35% contains mostly chlorides and carbonates, that include sodium chloride (table salt).

I thought the advantage of using pool shock was the lack of sodium compared to household bleach (calcium hypochlorite vs. sodium hypochlorite).
My bag of pool shock states 50% calcium hypochlorite and 50% inert ingredients

Wastei said:

Bleach work well. Add 3 ppm to everything you add to the reservoir like top off and rez changes. Here's a dilution calculator probably already posted: Chlorine dilution calculator

The local brand I use is very pure and almost totally clear. Pool Shock still contains sodium, I would argue the amount of sodium is more or less the same if its a good quality bleach(sodium hypochlorite). I believe our local brand is 98% pure.

Lye(sodium hydroxide) is used in both of the manufacturing processes. If the pool shock is only 65% pure the other 35% contains mostly chlorides and carbonates, that include sodium chloride (table salt).

Click to expand...

People are hesitant to use something as simple as Clorox bleach. But if used properly it's perfectly fine to use. I used it for years and never had an issue with root rot. Well I did one time but then I started adding bleach and never had an incident again.

Billy the Mountain said:

I thought the advantage of using pool shock was the lack of sodium compared to household bleach (calcium hypochlorite vs. sodium hypochlorite).
My bag of pool shock states 50% calcium hypochlorite and 50% inert ingredients

Click to expand...

The amount of sodium in the small amounts of bleach you use will have no effect on the plants.

Thank you all for your replies, and apologies for my late one.

xtsho said:

Go sterile.

Click to expand...

So what I gather is that a sterile grow is better suited and easier for me as a beginner, by using bleach or pool shock in the res. I just wonder if there are any adverse affects to a sterile grow that kills everything, compared to one using bennies to fight off any bad bacteria/fungus/pathogens? What are the pros and cons? does a sterile grow have an affect on taste, time until harvest or yield? (I’m growing autos)

And if I go ahead with a sterile grow I don’t still need to be concerned about using an air pump to oxygenate or keep the res chilled using iced bottles? Would it be wise to do this anyway as a precaution?
Would a sterile grow make something like hydroguard redundant? Also, has anyone heard about a product called ‘Dutch Master Zone’ - would that also be useless if sterile?

Failmore said:

Need more info on your setup. Lights. Nutes. What is your watering schedule?

Click to expand...

My setup is a 4x4 grow tent, Mars Hydro TS1000 LED, nutes are three part GH micro, grow, bloom - and the res is a black drip feed system by a European company called Platinium - 80x80cm Hydrostone. light schedule I’ve gone with so far is a full 24 and I am currently only hand feeding the seedlings in starter rockwool cubes once in that period or until the cubes go dry.

And rockwool is a no good medium and I should go with hydroton?

Thank you all again for your help

You can grow perfectly tasty nugs in sterile. It has no effect on that.

You absolutely still need to oxygenated your water by air stone and pump or by waterfall.

Hydrogaurd is good bacteria. If you put bleach in water that has hydrygaurd the bleach just murders all the bacteria. Then you have some nice shit floating around in the res.

From what I have seen new growers struggle with the wet dry cycle for rockwool. The blocks are to dense and do not allow proper oxygen to get into that area of the root zone.

It is my personal opinions, people go start to finish in rockwool, but I killed plants with rockwool being to damp. Hydroton much easier to control wet dry cycles.

Most of those products from the companies are just a form of bleach sold for more money with a fancy label.

Failmore said:

You can grow perfectly tasty nugs in sterile. It has no effect on that.

You absolutely still need to oxygenated your water by air stone and pump or by waterfall.

Hydrogaurd is good bacteria. If you put bleach in water that has hydrygaurd the bleach just murders all the bacteria. Then you have some nice shit floating around in the res.

From what I have seen new growers struggle with the wet dry cycle for rockwool. The blocks are to dense and do not allow proper oxygen to get into that area of the root zone.

It is my personal opinions, people go start to finish in rockwool, but I killed plants with rockwool being to damp. Hydroton much easier to control wet dry cycles.

Most of those products from the companies are just a form of bleach sold for more money with a fancy label.

Click to expand...

Cheers dude. Yeah I’ll defo swap out rockwool to hydroton. I’m going to throw out the whole crop and start from scratch. Will let you know how it goes

theoe90 said:

Cheers dude. Yeah I’ll defo swap out rockwool to hydroton. I’m going to throw out the whole crop and start from scratch. Will let you know how it goes

Click to expand...

Ill be starting mine today of the roots are long enough.

I put my seeds in paper towels in zip lock bags. Lil water. 2 or 3 days later when I have an inch long tap root they go directly into the hydroton.

Failmore said:

You can grow perfectly tasty nugs in sterile. It has no effect on that.

You absolutely still need to oxygenated your water by air stone and pump or by waterfall.

Hydrogaurd is good bacteria. If you put bleach in water that has hydrygaurd the bleach just murders all the bacteria. Then you have some nice shit floating around in the res.

From what I have seen new growers struggle with the wet dry cycle for rockwool. The blocks are to dense and do not allow proper oxygen to get into that area of the root zone.

It is my personal opinions, people go start to finish in rockwool, but I killed plants with rockwool being to damp. Hydroton much easier to control wet dry cycles.

Most of those products from the companies are just a form of bleach sold for more money with a fancy label.

Click to expand...

Failmore said:

Ill be starting mine today of the roots are long enough.

I put my seeds in paper towels in zip lock bags. Lil water. 2 or 3 days later when I have an inch long tap root they go directly into the hydroton.

Click to expand...

yeah I had no issues with germination. Same method as you. Had like inch long gorgeous ivory tap roots but they were a real pain to get into those little rockwool bastards. Hydroton now for sure!

Failmore said:

Ill be starting mine today of the roots are long enough.

I put my seeds in paper towels in zip lock bags. Lil water. 2 or 3 days later when I have an inch long tap root they go directly into the hydroton.

Click to expand...

Hope your grow goes well Gromie

last question. how do you like posts on this forum?

theoe90 said:

last question. how do you like posts on this forum?

Click to expand...

On the right side of the post there is a like button. May need to make a few posts before you can like as a new member

theoe90 said:

I am a noob starting my first ever indoor hydroponic tent grow but have had real difficulty getting my ladies past seedling stage before they suffer from damping off or root rot. I am using rockwool starter cubes and intend to transfer them to larger cubes and then use a recycled drip system reservoir. I still haven’t even managed to get them past starter cube stage and its really haunting me. I have tried diluted H2O2 to try and salvage them to no avail. After some research I understand that ‘beneficial bacteria’ alongside nutrients (I am using tripart GH nutes) can help in preventing and fighting off root rot. The brand I keep coming across is Botanicare Hydroguard. I have also heard about SnakeOil and Great White. The problem is I am in Europe and none of these products seem available unless for an extortionate price. I have also heard that using some sort of pond bacteria could work. What are peoples opinions on these products? Can anybody suggest any affordable alternatives?

Really would be so appreciative of any advice!

Click to expand...

I like rockwool, but it's pricey. Too bad Great White isn't available. Worm Castings should be readily available and you can brew a tea with that for your beneficial. Here's a good thread on how to fight root rot/slime with beneficals.


You can also try a chiller or ice in the rez to keep temps in the ~65*F range.

Wastei said:

Bleach work well. Add 3 ppm to everything you add to the reservoir like top off and rez changes. Here's a dilution calculator probably already posted: Chlorine dilution calculator

The local brand I use is very pure and almost totally clear. Pool Shock still contains sodium, I would argue the amount of sodium is more or less the same if its a good quality bleach(sodium hypochlorite). I believe our local brand is 98% pure.

Lye(sodium hydroxide) is used in both of the manufacturing processes. If the pool shock is only 65% pure the other 35% contains mostly chlorides and carbonates, that include sodium chloride (table salt).

Click to expand...

Hi
3ppm of bleach for 20 liters is ok or is low ?

vchavez said:

Hi
3ppm of bleach for 20 liters is ok or is low ?

Click to expand...

What do you mean? Concentration is always the same regardless of volume. You use the calculator and check concentration % on the label for bleach and dilute accordingly, our local brand is 5%.

Here's the calculator:
Chlorine dilution calculator