Internal Stem rot? Day 28 wilting and death :(

[Hydrolized]

I have some plants in a RDWC system I've been using for over a year without issues, and suddenly I've had a few plants just shrivel up and die over the course of 2 days, while others in the same system stay perfectly healthy.

Using GH Duo nutes with Zone as a dead rez additive...solution is usually around 1.2 EC, pH 5.5-6.3, more than enough air going into it. The first plant that did it, I pulled it out and noticed that the stem/rootball had been twisting, I guess due to the way the airstones were placed, and twisted so tightly that it actually splintered the stem where it met the root ball, so I guess it strangled itself...anyone ever have this happen? Luckily that happened at day 2 flower so I was able to replace it...now I have a whole new run of 6 on day 28 and one of them started to wilt and I feared the worst so I looked under the lid, and saw the stem wasn't twisted at all, but looked black and rotted. The stem above, and roots below are all bone white so I really can't figure out why the heck just this little part of the stem rotted...if it's indeed rot. I pulled that plant out and saw the stem had split just like the first ones, but wasn't twisted by the root ball.....I pulled on the stem lightly and the outer skin just came right off showing the white inner part.....I pulled on that and it split right in two, and the inner hollow area of the main stem was black! What the hell is this? I can't have my 28 day plants just dying on me! I've never had any rot problems and the roots are always bone white so this is perplexing me.

 

[BpbbyZero]

These plants from cuttings or seed?

Show us some pics of the pots and watering setup. Rot is water related, think ur issues might be to do with your setup.

 

[ozzieAI]

I feared the worst so I looked under the lid, and saw the stem wasn't twisted at all, but looked black and rotted.

if that part of the stem is in a constant wet or very humid environment it can rot. seen this before in a mates grow when he buried the stem and it couldn't dry and the same result happened...

 

[BasementGrower]

another thing for noobs to watch out for also. is wen transplant put some rooting gel on the stem that ull have under soil.. and let ur soil dry out before watering again give it chance to root before u rot out ur stem...

this could be because of the temps of the water.. like some1 else said from the stem being too moist all the time.... ive heard of this happening when having rot during the cloning process.. then growing out the plants and having issues like this.

but if ur growing from healthy clones.. and its happening to all your plants maybe its environment.. .. or rez temps.. or not enough air for the roots..

good luck .

 

[kiwi_growa]

I have planted a few plants with about 15-20 cm of the stem burried in the soil, i didn't give rooting hormone or let the soil dry out before watering. I haven't had any trouble its been a month since transplant. Thanks basementGrower for the tip, I never knew that could happen. I hope my plants are o.k, they seem alright. But after what you said i am a bit worried.

Sorry about your loss hydrolised.

 

[Hydrolized]

thanks for the replies....these are netpot-less in DWC..the roots just hang into the water, no netpots or hydroton...they are under a screen in a SCroG setup so no support is really needed and I found that the roots would be choked as they grew larger in diameter and actually took the square form of the holes in the bottom of the net pots....after harvest I would cut the netpots off to find the roots engulfed the netpot plastic totally as a tree would do to a chain wrapped around it....figured that couldn't be good so just did away with it. I know it has to be some kind of rot since its black and smells but it makes no sense because only some plants did it, and the roots themselves are bone white and there is no indication of a bacterial problem.