Root Rot???? HEEEELP new with pics

[philmcchillum]

hi everyone, [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT] please ignore the first post the pics didn't come through, but good pics here
I'm new here so please bear with me folks. Hope the pics are ok.
I have had the same on going problem for months now and can't get past it, so i really hope someone can help. I can't get any seedlings to grow and take root-see pics, pic 3 is as far as they get.
I think its root rot but I'm not sure. Please look at the pics and tell me what you think it is and how to get rid of it. Pic 1 is usually what happens.
Ive tried other seeds (veg) and the same thing happens, as soon as the tap rot appears the tip goes brown and the root dies. It's like there is something in the atmosphere and as soon as the root comes through the "root-it" sponge starter cube it gets attacked.
I am full nft hydro and have never used soil.
I usually add a very mild mix of root excellurator to start the seeds, I've also tried super thrive and sometimes just water. ph is usually 6.0-6.2
Ive washed down the grow room 4-5 times now with bleach then i tried steam then spirit vinegar then a fungicide then h2o2 then pythoff, then i re-painted i even tried 99% isopropynol but none of these has made any difference at all.
Help please I haven't been able to get anything started now for months.
The man in the grow shop said he'd heard of people having to move house.
There must be something out there to kill pathogens. What do commercial growers do in these circumstances.
Thanks for any help

 

[willyweed]

from the looks of the picture , this is normal,the root is air pruning itself simple answer is put it in a bigger pot problem solved .light is very bad for roots, that's why they grow underground .goodluck and stress no more .willyweed

 

[philmcchillum]

Hi mate
I understand what your saying about light and air pruning. I have had many, many successes over quite a bit of time so have seen many crops from start to finish. I know light damages roots amd have thought this myself, but i think this is different, even when i move them up into the grolan cubes nothing happens, no new roots form from the sponge cubes into the grolans whereas before the bottom of the grolan was a thick white matt of roots and its always the same thing that's happening - the tap root comes out about 10mm then the tiip browns and dies, i must have dried 70 seeds in the past few months and every single one has done that.

 

[farmdalefurr]

it may not be a root rot problem

maybe your keeping the plugs a little too wet?

kinda what it looks like to me

usually if you "over water" a young root system its stifles the roots, then when you transplant and keep the next medium too wet, the root system really never progress as it should

im sure you knkew that already though, just my 2 cents

 

[philmcchillum]

Thanks farmdalefurr
Yeh, thanks man, I've deliberately done the opposite (way to dry) and the same thing happens.

 

[MynameStitch]

roots are staying to wet, also the browing on the outside is normal when exposed to air, root rot starts inwards and works outwards in this situation. the roots are pearly white on the inside no brown coming out, those roots are being exposed to too much air and are drying out. are you putting them into cups after they show roots or you just keeing them out like this once the roots grow out?

 

[philmcchillum]

Hi Stitch
No i keep them covered in small black pots. I'm only using an 18watt fluorescent to get them started. Ive seen air pruning before but never saw any dark brown rotting on the root tips (pic one). The air pruning i saw was on the bottom of grolan cubes but the roots only turned a fawn brown colour and the air pruning only affected the roots that popped out from under the edges of the cubes, the root mass actually under the cube was unaffected and was brilliant white and healthy.
As u can c from pics 3-4 the root appears to shrivel, change consistency and disappear altogether. What ever it is, it is killing the roots quicker than they can grow.
I start new different varieties of seeds every other day and exactly the same thing is happening every time, pic 1-2. The little seedlings are definately trying to grow and over the next few days send out their feeder roots but they just shrivel pic 3-4 and as i said above, i've deliberatly kept them too dry and the same thing happened

 

[MynameStitch]

u got apicture of one with them in these black pots...... that is why I said the roots look brown fro too much air...why are you air pruning such a small plant? how often do you water this plant? when in soil the soil has to stay moist but not saturated, even though your growing in soil your still using your hydro knowledge for soil......