Hey there fellow growmies and ILGM enthusiasts. I am in dire need of some help/advise/ guidance etc.
Gonna write out the gist of the story here.
So little over a year ago I started a hydroponics grow in my new place inside some DWC bubble buckets. Grow came out perfect no issues.
I was pleased with the results but not the amount of work in DWC, so I built a full RDWC system. Chiller and all.
Not long into the grow I noticed I was getting crazy bacteria from (source still unknown). Scrapped the grow, cleaned the holy hell out of everything possible. I’m talking H2o2, Bleach, Physan20, UVC germicidal light.
Started a new grow, shortly after same thing. Before scrapping the grow I decided to throw them back in my DWC buckets. They were solid for about a week then all hell broke loose again.
Out of pure frustration I scrapped the grow again. Dismantled my entire RDWC and scrapped it to.
Just a couple weeks ago, I started another grow. After going so overboard on cleaning and sterilizing everything under the sun. Even using 35% H2o2.
Things were smooth for the first 2 weeks. Then, today, after I finished building a brand new RDWC system I went to check the buckets water.
Lo and behold infested again.
Now, whatever this bacteria is, is super obvious. Key signs are PH sky rockets within 24 hours, water turns very cloudy, and even puts off a funky smell.
None of the grows have had any nutes added, as the plants never even made it that far. I add Hydroguard to each water change, but it doesn’t seem to be strong enough to take on whatever the hell this is.
I’m at a complete and total loss here.
Below are some pictures from the 3 difference grows waters. Any thoughts comments questions advise would be appreciated!
(I run a very clean and constant sterile grow room, wiping everything down with bleach or h2o2 inbetween water changes and whatnot.
Hey @Chrisr36 it can really hard to keep a completely sanitary system. I found a product called HYDROGUARD that can colonize your system and prevent the bad microbes a chance to compete.
We are going through the exact same thing. I’ve been fighting this crap for at least a month. I even ran my system for a few days with a bleach solution of 2 gallons bleach to 50 gallons water. Bleach does not kill this crap and neither does h2o2.
What I’ve found that seems to be really working right now is a microbial tea.
Take a look at my grow journal, towards the last 25% is really talking about the slime. There are links in there to the original poster of the tea.
My bad, I missed that. Just to make sure check the date on your Hydroguard as it can go bad if not stored properly.
According to Botanicare , the manufacturer of Hydroguard, the product is good for two years after the date on the bottle. [However, once opened, it should be used within six months to ensure its effectiveness.
@Bamarayne hey man sorry to hear your dealing with it to. Are you getting slime? Or is your water just turning nasty real quick?
And I’ve thought about trying to make a tea, but how much different or better is it then hydroguard?
@LateNightGardner thanks for the info! But Yepyep my HG checks out, it’s only a few months old.
Yes, slime was the enemy and the tea is kicking its ass.
I started out using hydroguard and it was laughed at and bullied by the slime. I found the AG southern to be much more concentrated and a better buy for the money.
The tea is in a totally different class than the hydroguard.
Think of the hydroguard like a beat up 1973 vw beetle left in a field since 1986. The tea is a brand new Bently. There really is no comparison.
My plants are thriving now and growth is exploding.
Dude wow, that’s absolutely incredible! I had no idea it was that effective. Ok so no doubt I am hopping on the tea train.
Do you have an exact recipe for the tea? I would like to get a batch going ASAP. If I have to scrap another grow I’m gonna loose it
30 ml molasses
15 ml dynomyco
30 ml AG Southern
3 gallons fresh water
If using tap water let it set with bubble for 24 hours to outgas chlorine.
Add 30 ml molasses
Add 15 ml dynomyco, stir until dissolved
Add 30 ml AG Southern
Stir and add lots of bubbles.
Use after 24 hours.
Day one. Clean water in reservoir. Mine is 55 gallons so i start with 53 gallons of fresh water and 2 gallons of tea. Top feed plants to get bio to the roots fast. Maybe 1/4 cup each depending on plant size. Mine are 15 days old.
Add one cup of tea each day and to feed once each day for 6 to 10 days. My first time i drained and refilled my reservoir on day 6.
After the outbreak is gone and you want maintenance start with clean reservoir and add 1 gallon of tea. Add one cup of tea every other day.
If the problem persist, adds more tea.
I had an outbreak again on day 8, but it was good stuff, not bad stuff.
I’ve also seen that adding worm castings helps a lot also. I just haven’t gotten around to adding them yet.
Yeah it is. I’m still fighting it but I’m winning now. My roots have exploded with growth and I’m planning a refresh of the system tomorrow.
I’ve plumbed everything so i just torn some valves and it empties the system and then refills it. Takes about 1.5 hours start to finish and i never pick up a bucket.
I hope you win the battle and war bro! This struggle is real.
I’m about to head down to my local hydro store for some myco.
Is there any certain type of molasses I should be looking to get?
I wanna get this tea brewed up asap
