DWC Root Slime Cure aka How to Breed Beneficial Microbes

BY the time you are ready to make new tea, your old tea has turned to mostly protozoa. Adding a cup to jump start a new brew would work in a pinch, but you will get no new fungi spores or nematodes. Essentially you lose diversity, which is the key to fighting disease. Ideally, we want the tea to unfold the same way each time and adding in old tea throws off the balance.

PH rising from 5.6 to 6.0 in 24 hours sounds normal depending on your number of plants sharing the res and their stage of growth. There is no such thing as a perfect PH level. There is a perfect PH range. In a DWC, it is desirable to set the PH to around 5.5 and let it drift upwards to 6.3ish before adjusting again.

I use liquid light + saturator + snow storm every third day. When the cuttings are young they get several foliar sprays with tea.

Originally Posted by Heisenberg

BY the time you are ready to make new tea, your old tea has turned to mostly protozoa. Adding a cup to jump start a new brew would work in a pinch, but you will get no new fungi spores or nematodes. Essentially you loose diversity, which is the key to fighting disease. Ideally, we want the tea to unfold the same way each time and adding in old tea throws off the balance.

PH rising from 5.6 to 6.0 in 24 hours sounds normal depending on your number of plants sharing the res and their stage of growth. There is no such thing as a perfect PH level. There is a perfect PH range. In a DWC, it is desirable to set the PH to around 5.5 and let it drift upwards to 6.3ish before adjusting again.

I use liquid light + saturator + snow storm every third day. When the cuttings are young they get several foliar sprays with tea.

Yea i notice they respond real well to foliar sprays. Thanks for the ph info. Got any good resources for general hydro knowledge? I have lots goin on in the table....i feel ive gotten pretty good in soil. Ive also had success with hydro and decided to go full on hydro. One of my main concerns is flavor. I would prefer a better tasting weed over a more potent one. Any suggestions on how to improve taste? I went organic soil last grow and 14 of 16 strains tasted great... I am always disappointed with using synthetics, in both soil and hydro. possible i am not flushing correctly in either....i usually give a week flush for synthetics and have also tried 1 1/2 weeks....any suggestions? I appreciate your input. Let me know if this thread isnt open for any discussion other than breeding bennies.

So with this method, does it mean this is ALL your plants need? Or is it in addition to a nute feeding schedule

Originally Posted by OneHit

So with this method, does it mean this is ALL your plants need? Or is it in addition to a nute feeding schedule

This will not provide much nutrients to the plants, it is an addition to feeding schedule. This helps keep root zone healthy and fights off disease causing pathogens etc. We are adding a bunch of 'soldiers' to our root zone....they fight the bad guys...keeping the plant healthier and swaying from having to deal with a sterile reservoir. Much like what is constantly happening outdoors, the balance of nature.

I know you said early on, that a sock or a micron bag might be to tight for the spores to get out, so I thought about media bags for fish tank filters and ordered a few different styles and think that this one is perfect.

https://www.directpetsupplies.net/di...-232p11456.htm

7.75"x36", so you can cut it into two or three bags and even reuse them. It does not have a micron rating, but if I had to guess I would say 500-700. It keeps 95% of the humus in the bag so I don't have to filter it for use in my ebb and flow system.

I see plenty of thin flakes in my tea every time I brew it, is that the fungus? It also builds up a think layer in my rez and on my air stones. I think you said that was normal, but I just wanted confirm that.

Originally Posted by aeviaanah

Yea i notice they respond real well to foliar sprays. Thanks for the ph info. Got any good resources for general hydro knowledge? I have lots goin on in the table....i feel ive gotten pretty good in soil. Ive also had success with hydro and decided to go full on hydro. One of my main concerns is flavor. I would prefer a better tasting weed over a more potent one. Any suggestions on how to improve taste? I went organic soil last grow and 14 of 16 strains tasted great... I am always disappointed with using synthetics, in both soil and hydro. possible i am not flushing correctly in either....i usually give a week flush for synthetics and have also tried 1 1/2 weeks....any suggestions? I appreciate your input. Let me know if this thread isnt open for any discussion other than breeding bennies.

I really don't mind DWC discussion because it all pertains to getting the best product, and harmony is a worthy goal.

I don't really know of a one stop source for DWC info. I have read many many tutorials and still occasionally read one just in case I glean something I missed. Roseman's thread and site (bubbleponics) laid the foundation for what I have learned.

As for flavor, I believe taste is largely governed by genetics. As you said, growing different strains in the same way produces some that are tasty and some that are not. Even genetics which have a reputation for intense flavor can produce seeds where that trait is absent (or diminished) from the genetic expression. So is there anything we can do to bring out the natural flavor? First we ensure proper growing conditions, and try to avoid a see-saw pattern in our buckets. (meaning, as the water goes down the ppm goes up, as it's diluted the ppm goes down) Be vigilant about topping off and you'll be fine. Next we can try to supply energy to the plants in the form of a food which seems to help produce terpenes. Many people try to do this with sugar additives like molasses. For various reasons, that is a poor and inefficient way to supply extra carbs in a DWC. I find carbs are best supplied to the plant via a foliar spray where they can be absorbed and used right away without unnecessary conversion or transport. I find the best spray is liquid light.

I flush my plants simply for the sake of saving a weeks worth of nutes, because none of us have an ideal growing situation. I have flushed as much as 3 weeks and some buckets got no flush at all, I couldn't tell much difference. I don't put much stalk into flushing for the sake of taste. If my nutrients were causing a chem taste or a snap-n-crackle when I burn, I would switch to better nutes. Using Dutch Master synthetic nutes I get a good tasting bud that burns to a clean white ash. I personally think the thing that effects taste most, after genetics, is proper curing.

Many accomplished dutch breeders claim a certain strain tastes better in soil than hydro. I certainly am inclined to believe someone with their experience, but I don't find this to be the case. I have had one of my strains grown outdoors and it was inferior to my indoor product, but it was far from a controlled experiment. I suppose I am unqualified to say for sure unless I grow an indoor plant in soil. I simply do not see how my strains could get any more tasty. My cheese seems to coat your mouth, nose and throat with a fruity goodness that can still be detected several minutes after smoking. My nightshade has such an intense piney flavor you can almost taste it before the joint even gets to you simply by inhaling the second hand smoke in the air, and it can be smelled from it's baggie outside of a car several feet away.

Of course human smell and taste are closely connected. The more potent your bud smells, the more your brain will taste it.

Originally Posted by Goldowitz

I know you said early on, that a sock or a micron bag might be to tight for the spores to get out, so I thought about media bags for fish tank filters and ordered a few different styles and think that this one is perfect.

I see plenty of thin flakes in my tea every time I brew it, is that the fungus? It also builds up a think layer in my rez and on my air stones. I think you said that was normal, but I just wanted confirm that.

Wow, great find! Thanks for sharing. Certainly gives us more options for brewing tea. However, I have found that not filtering the tea what so ever doesn't cause any real problems except black speckled roots. Currently what I do is simply pour my tea through a cheap fish net from the pet store and it filters out all but the smallest chunks.

The flakes are probably biofilm that is becoming scaley and breaking apart. I do not see this in my tea. I do see it occasionally in my veg buckets if I go a long time between changes. It probably has something to do with your water, and is negligible.

Originally Posted by Heisenberg

I really don't mind DWC discussion because it all pertains to getting the best product, and harmony is a worthy goal.

I don't really know of a one stop source for DWC info. I have read many many tutorials and still occasionally read one just in case I glean something I missed. Roseman's thread and site (bubbleponics) laid the foundation for what I have learned.

As for flavor, I believe taste is largely governed by genetics. As you said, growing different strains in the same way produces some that are tasty and some that are not. Even genetics which have a reputation for intense flavor can produce seeds where that trait is absent from the genetic expression. So is there anything we can do to bring out the natural flavor? First we ensure proper growing conditions, and try to avoid a see-saw pattern in our buckets. (meaning, as the water goes down the ppm goes up, as it's diluted the ppm goes down) Be vigilant about topping off and you'll be fine. Next we can try to supply energy to the plants in the form of a food which seems to help produce terpenes. Many people try to do this with sugar additives like molasses. For various reasons, that is a poor and inefficient way to supply extra carbs in a DWC. I find carbs are best supplied to the plant via a foliar spray where they can be absorbed and used right away without unnecessary conversion or transport. I find the best spray is liquid light.

I flush my plants simply for the sake of saving a weeks worth of nutes, because none of us have an ideal growing situation. I have flushed as much as 3 weeks and some buckets got no flush at all, I couldn't tell much difference. I don't put much stalk into flushing for the sake of taste. If my nutrients were causing a chem taste or a snap-n-crackle when I burn, I would switch to better nutes. Using Dutch Master synthetic nutes I get a good tasting bud that burns to a clean white ash. I personally think the thing that effects taste most, after genetics, is proper curing.

Many accomplished dutch breeders claim a certain strain tastes better in soil than hydro. I certainly am inclined to believe someone with their experience, but I don't find this to be the case. I have had one of my strains grown outdoors and it was inferior to my indoor product, but it was far from a controlled experiment. I suppose I am unqualified to say for sure unless I grow an indoor plant in soil. I simply do not see how my strains could get any more tasty. My cheese seems to coat your mouth, nose and throat with a fruity goodness that can still be detected 10 minutes after smoking. My nightshade has such an intense piney flavor you can sometimes taste it before the joint even gets to you simply by inhaling the second hand smoke in the air, and it can be smelled from it's baggie outside of a car several feet away.

Of course human smell and taste are closely connected. The more potent your bud smells, the more your brain will taste it.



Wow, great find! Thanks for sharing. Certainly gives us more options for brewing tea. However, I have found that not filtering the tea what so ever doesn't cause any real problems except black speckled roots. Currently what I do is simply pour my tea through a cheap fish net from the pet store and it filters out all but the smallest chunks.

The flakes are probably biofilm that is becoming scaley and breaking apart. I do not see this in my tea. I do see it occasionally in my veg buckets if I go a long time between changes. It probably has something to do with your water, and is negligible.

Yea good point, it may not be the organics or synthetics that are determining the tastes of weed but rather the actual nutrient company and what they use in their lineups...

Originally Posted by aeviaanah

Yea good point, it may not be the organics or synthetics that are determining the tastes of weed but rather the actual nutrient company and what they use in their lineups...

And genetics + curing.