Weak roots

Hi guys.
Last couple of grows for whatever reason (and it's really getting to me now) when I've moved my plants into the clay pebbles its like the roots give up trying.
Peat blocks or peat pots with 1 seed in each, germinate lovely, nice strong little plants come up and the roots coming through the sides of the pot.
Move them into clay pebbles and start the hydro off (Atami Wilma 8 pot system)
Then it's like they don't want to know. I mean they grow but nothing like they should and after the grow there's hardly ant root mass in the pot.
I've been growing for a few years so I know its not beginners mistake.
Ph is right, food is right. Grow room is right.
I've grown stonking weed in the past and now it's all turned to shit.
Any ideas?
Cheers

Wiz

show me some pics and nutrient line show me step by step ill help you out i know pythium very well and i battle it from tyme to time lets see give it to the line up and the temp in water and lets see it ill help you out..

Wizard Of Id said:

Hi guys.
Last couple of grows for whatever reason (and it's really getting to me now) when I've moved my plants into the clay pebbles its like the roots give up trying.
Peat blocks or peat pots with 1 seed in each, germinate lovely, nice strong little plants come up and the roots coming through the sides of the pot.
Move them into clay pebbles and start the hydro off (Atami Wilma 8 pot system)
Then it's like they don't want to know. I mean they grow but nothing like they should and after the grow there's hardly ant root mass in the pot.
I've been growing for a few years so I know its not beginners mistake.
Ph is right, food is right. Grow room is right.
I've grown stonking weed in the past and now it's all turned to shit.
Any ideas?
Cheers

Wiz

Click to expand...

i always look at what has changed..if it turns out to be nothing on your end, could it possibly be the peat blocks/pots?..maybe something has changed with the way the company makes them?

How long since the transplant ? Could just be the roots getting ready to veg and do their stretch.

Big ass baskets of rocks slow down roots.... use 2" netpots with neoprene collars or just like a 3.5" cup with a little clay pebbles. You will have to support the plants with string ot a scrog or something but the roots will immediately hit the solution.

As a trial look to using neoprene collars, either way you really got to sterilize those balls, and ensure those roots are not half air pruned before transplanting ....pics please!

I completely agree on both the rocks and the collars. Rocks are a total pain in the ass. Netpots and collars is all I do and I use 2" from clone to harvest without ever having to worry about transplant stress.

Also, consider using a beneficial bacteria, like pondzyme, it makes great roots.

Right guys, here's a couple of images.
These are now 6 weeks old and as you can see in 11 litre pots.
System is an Atami Wilma 8 pot.
Ph 5.2 to 5.9
Temp when lights on 28 degrees. Temp when lights off 20 degrees.
Feed Canna vega (and flora). Rhizotonic, cannazym and normally boost but I don't want to waste boost if this isn't going to do anything.
PK at flowering stage.
Water temp 19 degrees (aquarium heater) rising to 21 degrees max.
2 400 HID with Flexfoil canopies.
2 5 inch fans 9 1 inlet, 1 exhaust)
Primair control unit.

As I said they looked fine and dandy until moving them into big pots.
The one in front of the fan is in soil. It doesn't look any better does it? maybe a bit stronger but it sure isn't going to break any records.
Seeds are critical kush.
Pebbles are on their 3rd use. After cropping all the pebbles go into a bath and get a good clean and then left to soak in a strong bleach solution for an hour before getting a good rinse and then stored in a plastic dustbin.

Any more info needed ask away.

Sorry Ph should read 5.5 to 5.9. Spelling mistake

Just asking for problems using a heater in your res. Total breeding ground for bad stuff

Yeah I've had this problem before.

Until started taking my own cuttings in a Propagator with just collars. I'd say your feeding to much an medium getting to wet.

Try miss a feed or two each day until the roots explode out of it.

Then up it again. U will have lost a good week of growth time thou when this happens

Also back off on the nutrients too. Want those roots come out and search for it!

superstoner1 said:

Just asking for problems using a heater in your res. Total breeding ground for bad stuff

Click to expand...

It's winter. if you don't use a water tank heater the temp drops well down.
Water temp is water temp whether it's a sunny climate or a cold country.

machead said:

Yeah I've had this problem before.

Until started taking my own cuttings in a Propagator with just collars. I'd say your feeding to much an medium getting to wet.

Try miss a feed or two each day until the roots explode out of it.

Then up it again. U will have lost a good week of growth time thou when this happens

Also back off on the nutrients too. Want those roots come out and search for it!

Click to expand...

Thanks but I always err on the side of underfeeding rather than over. You do far more damage overfeeding. You can always add more food.

Wizard Of Id said:

It's winter. if you don't use a water tank heater the temp drops well down.
Water temp is water temp whether it's a sunny climate or a cold country.

Click to expand...

At least you know the seasons. And I put 46 degree water straight to my cloner just a few hours ago with 25 cuttings from 7 different strains and all will be rooted with 5-12" roots in less than 12 days.my cloner sits on a concrete floor in a garage and rarely gets above 65 this time of year, its the warmer areas where you get problems

I pulled one out last night and this is what the roots look like.
Roots? what roots! Looks like they never even made it out of the pot.

Now in the soil there are little white critters maybe 2mm long. They head straight for the dark and when i did manage to separate one of the little buggers it jumped into the damp soil again. Did a search and the only thing that came close was called a springtail but they seemed larger than these and didn't look the same.
I thought they might be fly larvae or midges or similar.
Odd times when I've lifted the pots there's been like loads of these little white things in the water under the pots, but they never seemed to affect anything and I've seen them outside before in water butts etc so didn't worry too much.



Apart from the little bugs I'm thinking more and more that this is Pythium. If any of you guys agree shout up please.
Maybe re-using them clay balls was a mistake and in hindsight and for what they cost in the great scheme of things it would have been better to just use fresh everytime.

Views and opinions please lads.

superstoner1 said:

At least you know the seasons. And I put 46 degree water straight to my cloner just a few hours ago with 25 cuttings from 7 different strains and all will be rooted with 5-12" roots in less than 12 days.my cloner sits on a concrete floor in a garage and rarely gets above 65 this time of year, its the warmer areas where you get problems

Click to expand...

Sorry man, i didn't mean it to sound like I was dissing your post.
What works for you, works and that's good.
Temperatures here have been proper cold and the aquarium heater doesn't click on until the water gets down to 18 degrees which i've always understood to be a minimum.
Water naturally heats up when the lights are on and in summer it never even gets to click on.
Room heater defo needed. the flow from the inlet fan circulates radiator air so there are no hot or cold spots so no probs there.
Cheers

you got your advice on what to do... the answer was not 'try more peat blocks and an aquarium heater'... take it or leave it.

Hydroburn said:

you got your advice on what to do... the answer was not 'try more peat blocks and an aquarium heater'... take it or leave it.

Click to expand...

What you on about? I didn't get advice. I got an opinion.
There's a big difference.
Don't butt in just to prove you can type.