Persistent pythium (hydroponics)

[RivetGrrl]

Looks like I can get Blue Sky Organics Myco-Grow, Plantacillin by Future Harvest (apparently compares to Hydroguard) and some other products that I can use to brew the Heisenberg tea recipe. I'm going to try that as it's cost effective to brew and if it works (lots of great feedback that it does) all the more money saved to do a little more work making it up myself. Botanicare ZHO powder is out of stock in the one place I found it online, but I'll see if there are any other root inoculation powders in store. If I have to order Great White, it should go a lot further used in the tea so that justifies the cost.
The Plantacillin isn't used in it but I can run it in between. I want to avoid having to use H2O2 as it just kills everything. Great to run through the systems in between after bleaching though, and as an emergency plant dip.

 

[Waira]

excellent indeed! Thanks for helping out on this @Boradan

RG, way to grind it out girlfriend!

 

[Boradan]

excellent indeed! Thanks for helping out on this @Boradan

RG, way to grind it out girlfriend!

Cheers
This is why I come to AFN.
If you have questions, someone will have answers.
If you have answers to someone's questions, you should share them.
Provided, of course, that you give good, relevant answers and not something you thought of while baked

 

[RivetGrrl]

Yes thank you Boradan, Waira, and everyone for helping out.
I just got some stuff to try, not cheap at all but I hope it produces strong, healthy roots from here on out.
No Great White yet, I'll try the Myco and Planticillin first. I forgot to buy worm poop so I'll have to get that still but may start my witches brew now

 

[Boradan]

I have been checking out using a tea with hydro and am running something I hadn't picked up on before.
General DWC guides are giving 66f (18.89C) for water temperature as the perfect temp for Dissolved Oxygen saturation - the range is 62F-68F (high enough that the water is not too cold for the plant, and low enough that Pythium cannot gain a good foothold)
However, DWC Tea guides are stating that 72F - 75F(22.22 C - 23.89C) is necessary when running beneficials, even in Hydro.

This is something I had not come across when reading about Great White and other beneficials additives although they perform the same function as Teas...


***EDIT***
OK. I found a table with DO saturation to Temperature. Seems that increasing from 19C to 23C drops the Dissolved Oxygen saturation by about 7.5%, so it's no biggie.
BUT non-sterile DWC grows should be ran at 23C reservoir temperature rather than 19C

 

[RivetGrrl]

I have been checking out using a tea with hydro and am running something I hadn't picked up on before.
General DWC guides are giving 66f (18.89C) for water temperature as the perfect temp for Dissolved Oxygen saturation - the range is 62F-68F (high enough that the water is not too cold for the plant, and low enough that Pythium cannot gain a good foothold)
However, DWC Tea guides are stating that 72F - 75F(22.22 C - 23.89C) is necessary when running beneficials, even in Hydro.

This is something I had not come across when reading about Great White and other beneficials additives although they perform the same function as Teas...


***EDIT***
OK. I found a table with DO saturation to Temperature. Seems that increasing from 19C to 23C drops the Dissolved Oxygen saturation by about 7.5%, so it's no biggie.
BUT non-sterile DWC grows should be ran at 23C reservoir temperature rather than 19C

Well this works in my favor if I'm understanding correctly. I am swapping out frozen water bottles often to keep the temps below 70F, I'm seeing now if a slightly higher res temp with more air (bigger air stones and pumps) will be OK to keep roots healthy while building up beneficial organisms.
Which makes me wonder, if I dump the res and refill it doesn't that destroy the balance created in the first place?
I am wondering too, because right after I sterilized my smaller reservoirs, washed the roots and reset everything that's when the pythium exploded again and I made this post..
So, I'm thinking dump the res and clean it but don't disturb the roots, or leave a portion of the old solution to reinoculate the new? Normally I wouldn't touch the roots, but I read to clean them up, cut off the dead ones and give them a good rinse.

 

[Boradan]

Well this works in my favor if I'm understanding correctly. I am swapping out frozen water bottles often to keep the temps below 70F, I'm seeing now if a slightly higher res temp with more air (bigger air stones and pumps) will be OK to keep roots healthy while building up beneficial organisms.
Which makes me wonder, if I dump the res and refill it doesn't that destroy the balance created in the first place?
I am wondering too, because right after I sterilized my smaller reservoirs, washed the roots and reset everything that's when the pythium exploded again and I made this post..
So, I'm thinking dump the res and clean it but don't disturb the roots, or leave a portion of the old solution to reinoculate the new? Normally I wouldn't touch the roots, but I read to clean them up, cut off the dead ones and give them a good rinse.

I think your issue was that you weren't adding any beneficials/Mycos after the sterilization (or something like sm-90 to keep it sterile instead).
You wouldn't have got rid of 100% of the pythium, so it still had a source and just took off unopposed. You will have more luck by adding beneficials as soon as you replace the reservoir.
Whatever route you go down with beneficials just add more when you change the reservoir.
When I am renewing my reservoir, most of the Great white is simply thrown into the reservoir, but I mix some of the Great white with some of the nutrient water and pour it through the hydroton. That allows the bene's to quickly gain a foothold.
I am ordering some worm castings and will try out making tea.

 

[RivetGrrl]

I think your issue was that you weren't adding any beneficials/Mycos after the sterilization (or something like sm-90 to keep it sterile instead).
You wouldn't have got rid of 100% of the pythium, so it still had a source and just took off unopposed. You will have more luck by adding beneficials as soon as you replace the reservoir.
Whatever route you go down with beneficials just add more when you change the reservoir.
When I am renewing my reservoir, most of the Great white is simply thrown into the reservoir, but I mix some of the Great white with some of the nutrient water and pour it through the hydroton. That allows the bene's to quickly gain a foothold.
I am ordering some worm castings and will try out making tea.

Awesome info Boradan, thank you
I will be brewing the tea Sunday, so it will be a couple days before it is ready. I did add just the Myco-Grow last night to the reservoirs to get it going and putting the drip system back into the smaller reservoirs so it runs it through constantly. I'll see how it does in the next few days.

 

[Boradan]

Awesome info Boradan, thank you
I will be brewing the tea Sunday, so it will be a couple days before it is ready. I did add just the Myco-Grow last night to the reservoirs to get it going and putting the drip system back into the smaller reservoirs so it runs it through constantly. I'll see how it does in the next few days.

 

[RivetGrrl]

Quick update for anyone following this, I did not make the tea yet but I did add the Myco-Grow to the reservoirs, and this one in particular shows astounding results. No before picture, I should have taken one. The roots are healthy and have also exploded in growth. I’ll be brewing tea for sure as soon as I’m over a nasty cold and will be adding it to every nutrient change!!