NFT Problems

[hadley]

Hi All
I and a few others have been having problems with our nft systems which we can not work out.
The problem is this;the first time we use which ever nft range we have a good result.
We totally clean out the system with bleach and sterilization fluid then flush with plain water.
Then for the second time it always goes wrong,the roots always fail and the leaves turn and fall off and die.
Of course we do not get very much of a yield when the plants are ill.
We can not work out why we only have success when the system is brand new.
I have some pics to put up but they are to big,how do i resize them on a site i can trust?
Peace

H

 

[hadley]

 

[hadley]

 

[CovertCrops]

Hey bro sorry to hear of your problems. Based on the info provided, Bleach leaves behind a toxic residue that makes some plants cranky. Is there a whiteish sheen to your trays after you wash them?

 

[hadley]

Hi covertcrops

Not really sure if there is a whitish sheen left behind after i have cleaned the trays but i think you could well be right.

H

 

[Sam the Caveman]

marketing schemes, the company who sells the trays puts a "protective film" over the surface and bleach turns it into a root rotting heaven, muah muah muahhhhaaaahhhaaaaa.

Just kidding, I don't know, I hope you get it figured out though.

 

[hadley]

Starting to think that i should only clean them out with plain hot tap water.
How does anyone else clean there hydro systems?

H

 

[Hazyfontazy]

Starting to think that i should only clean them out with plain hot tap water.
How does anyone else clean there hydro systems?

H

keep cleaning as you were ,,

was there any difference in nute temperaure the 2nd time ?
too warm makes roots brown ,too cold stunts growth
looks like u got root rot which can be caused by numerous things in nft
try adding canna zym or regen a root from canadian express ,keeps the roots nice and white

in nft i highly reccomend canna aqua ,you will get rootys like this and superb results

 

[jm420]

does lite always shine on roots like what you show in pics?

 

[hadley]

Hi Guys

Thanks a lot for your replys.
I keep the water temp at around 22c/72f no matter what the room temp.
I use light proof material on top of the correx so there is no way light can get to the root matt,there is also fresh air coming in to the room.

H

 

[morrisgreenberg]

wow i thought that was a coco mat, do the plants look droopy? how long are your irrigation cycles? could it be the roots getting drowned out and lacking of air?, the roots look like they were drowned and not getting enough air

 

[Hazyfontazy]

wow i thought that was a coco mat, do the plants look droopy? how long are your irrigation cycles? could it be the roots getting drowned out and lacking of air?, the roots look like they were drowned and not getting enough air

its nft ,constantly irrigated (or should be?),the roots sit in air and nutrients ...

get the cannazym or regenaroot

 

[rocket high]

hi there hadley i would cover the trays with correx or hard plastic that stops light penetration i makes for a nice white root mat and keep the res at 20-21 degrees c .. with the pump running constantly heres some pics of mine constructed for rockwool cubes but with the same principles as yours . http://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=8578&pictureid=168452 without cubes http://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=8578&pictureid=169502 root mat ... bad pic i know ..but you get the idea

 

[rocket high]

you can use this as a preventative..http://www.canna-uk.com/aktrivator i do and it works every time with the right temps and aeration... i dip my 1 inch cubes in it and when roots come out of the 3inch cubes i dip them again .it gives the roots a healthy layer of good fungus that fights off plythium . hope this helps

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

I never use Bleach, in case there is any residue, it kills plants. If you use H2O2 Peroxide, the only possible "residue" is H2O2... which quickly turns into O2 and H2O ... or you can use pH- Acid, it eats anything organic and if you leave any in the system accidentally, it will just lower your pH, not kill stuff.

Setting up your system for a few days to check things before adding living plants can be handy too.

 

[John goodman]

Ive run these system many times over and I use normal house hold bleach but rinse for a very long time with hot water...also temps in res must not reach above 21c also I find if i angle the tray higher this will stop any pooling that may occur, I also run the feed all the time using canna aqua and oxyplus! also when start off young clones keep lights up high until they grow a few big fan leaves to shade the root area and then drop the lights in... all the best