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Need HELP! Hydro seedlings turning yellow and spotted

G

glitterpig

Member


Beginner Alert!!!

Need some advice. Currently on day 17 of indoor hydroponic grow. Started germinated seeds ( 1 moz poison, 2 fem north lights x big bud, 3 quadjacks) in 5 gallon top feed drip system, using rock wool and hydroton (rock wool completely covered by hydroton and net pots were also covered) as mediums. We use 4 four-foot T5 fluorescent bulbs sitting approximately 16 inches above plants, and plants were watered twice a day for 30 mins. Seedlings sprouted and began putting down roots. All plants seemed to be doing fine.

We were also using Technaflora Root 66 and Sugar Daddy at 1/4 to promote root growth. pH was maintained between 5.9 & 6.2. Room temp was kept between 79 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity kept around 60%.

Around day 9 noticed water seemed a little slimy, and we started to notice the leaves were becoming slightly yellow and had a few brown spots on them; so we flushed the system and cleaned our reservoir and turned air pumps up. Everything I had found lead me to believe we were having issues with some sort of fungus/bacteria in the water. So we added H2O2 into the rez along with the same nutes we had been using at 1/4 strength. Hoping the plants would bounce back.

On day 14 however, upon checking the pH in the rez, we noticed that the water was again slimy, but also has pinkish goo floating in it. Our problem had progressed. Our plants were also continuing to turn yellow and more brown spot began to appear on the leaves.

That is when we decided to go ahead and transplant the seedlings into our flood/drain system but keep the top feeding drip. (It is not the prettiest set up, but we knew we could no longer use the top feeding DWC system that they were currently in.) We also replaced the hydroton we were using as well. Feeding the plant once a day for 30 mins since our rock wool was staying pretty wet.

Now we are at day 17 and the plants are looking worse than ever!

Does anyone have any ideas as to what is going on?

Pictures taken this morning attached https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#below

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001#
 
I

I wood

Well-known member
Being a dirt grower this is a little out of my realm.
Memories from a former life have me guessing reservoir temperature is to high to hold enough oxygen.
 
stihgnobevoli

stihgnobevoli

Active member
Veteran
slimy water...sounds like root rot. also what are you feeding them? i dunno whats in root 66 sorry. from the pictures they look hungry, from the story they sound like roots are damaged. a picture of the rootzone would be very helpful since this is hydro.

root rot happens when the water is either too dirty or too warm. i found the res doesn't need to be super cooled in dwc. but nothing above 76 or so. that's when the rot sets in.
 
G

glitterpig

Member
I thought about them needing to be fed. Should I start the Veg nutes now?

As far as the roots go, they are still white, I thought root rot as well but since they were still white and growing rapidly, I was not convinced. I guess we caught it before before it progressed. There were dark algae spots on the rock wool, but we made sure to cover them better with the hydroton.

What is the best way to cool the res?
 
stihgnobevoli

stihgnobevoli

Active member
Veteran
have no idea the best way to cool res, i heard people mention something called a chiller? some people were experimenting with refreezable icepacks. seemed like too much hassle and $$$ so i gave up dwc. if you haven't been feeding em yet then start with a dose at half strength and see what happens in a week. if they respond then you know they were just hungry. if the roots are white, not slimy to the touch and don't easily rub off when you brush em with your fingertips its prolly not rot then. but if you find the water is getting slimy like that often its most likely too warm and just keep changing the water often (every few days- once a week) till you can cool it down some more.
 
G

glitterpig

Member
Okay i just went to check the root system and there is algae all over the rockwool. I am confused because the rockwool is not exposed to any light its under hydroton. i gave them a half strength set of nutes and i am guessing that feed the algae ? The roots are still very white but the plants are doing bad. I will post some more pics soon
 
BudBongJovi

BudBongJovi

Member
That's probably your best bet to bring in fresh air out of one and another to circulate out the old air. Will keep the temps a lot more regulated. Aim for 60-65 deg F. Anything above 70 will encourage root rot and algae growth. Good Luck

Cheers,

BBJ
 
stihgnobevoli

stihgnobevoli

Active member
Veteran
that's weird. what's the pH at after adding food? ppms?
are you doing the drip only now or are you still doing dwc also? if you're still doing the dwc whats your water level at?
 
G

glitterpig

Member
The ph was 4.8 after the nutes. Raised it to 5.6. The next day the ph was at 5.7. The res temp is 72 f. It is only a drip system now. All tho the water is not draining well after it drips. I will fix that soon. Ppm I will check when I get home.
 
BudBongJovi

BudBongJovi

Member
Your best bet is to let your medium dry out. Let your roots air out for 15-20 minutes, drain and clean your reservoir. Add some fresh nutes and wait it out. Repeat this every day until new root growth has begun, the algae slime should be gone within a couple days. The withering leaves will go, but the new roots will promote new growth and if anything, the recovery will make your plats stronger than before and you'll get a great crop :)

Just remember: the colder the water, the more oxygen it can hold. try investing in an airstone for the rest of your grow to add oxygen and prevent stagnant water.
 
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