What causes droopy plants in hydro?

I am trying my first hydro system, dwc.
I got 4 clones a few days ago, the one with the biggest root system so far is now looking a little droopy.
So I was wondering what causes droopy plants with hydro.
I'm thinking since it has the biggest root system, maybe it sucked up the most nutes and its drooping because its a little low.
Right now I don't have a tds meter or anything like that.

Also the top hydroton balls have white rings around the tops, I'm guessing from the chemicals and water not completely keeping the very top wet, is this normal and ok?

Pics of are my Shiva Skunk day one, and now, which is the one having the problems, and of my WW day one, and now.

I think that is pretty normal during the first couple weeks until they get stronger...I would have lots of air blowing on the stalks to make them stronger...imo

Usually that means a nutrient lock of some sort.

Can I test my ph even if my water is kinda pink from nutes?

sure............

LOL, I mean, because my pH test kit is the kind with a dropper and you shake it up and match the color, haha its not a digital.

ya, thats the same as what I have. My water is different colors depending on what stage it is at. Some times it is a little hard to tell. But it doesn't sound like your pink is very dark, I'm sure you'll be fine. Go give it a shot and see what happens....

They are either not getting enough water or too much. If your biggest plant is drooping, its not getting enough water relative to the others (its absorbing and transpiring too quilckly). If your smallest plant is dropping its getting too much (the opposite). If they are all drooping its one or the other.

looks like your overnuting them. I can see the beginning of burn and slight curling up of leaves. Keep your nutes low (150-250) until they are about 12 inches high.

I used to use the dropper kit but mine only went down to 6.0 Make sure your kit goes down to 5.5, as your going to try to keep it between 5.5 and 6. They may be drooping because the humidity is too high, most likely though because the roots are not established well enough to supply the plant.

it's gotta be nutes...i dont know alot about hydros but im pretty sure it's damn hard to over/under water in a ebb cause ur on a timer. what's ur timer set at?

DWC is deep water culture, the roots are always in water, the water is oxygenated with air stones to keep the roots from drowning, so the air stones are on all day 24 hours.
I am thinking it could be pH because I didn't test it, I used distilled water so that would be 7.0 and my nutes would lower pH because I think they make 6.02 or something, I will test it in the morning.
As far as over nuting, according to the manufacturers dosage of 300 ppm, I used about half of that, so I imagine they would only be getting 150ish.

opps sorry matman i dont know what i was reading...i thought u were using an Ebb and flow. u might want to cut back to 30% of the recommended ppm and see if that helps.

Ive had these problems, and i asked the same questions.

It happens to be either your PH is too high due to the water getting warm, or not enough oxygen for your plants, meaning the roots are too soaked with water.

From what you describe ,it looks like you took care of the oxygen part. Now its the pH you must take care of.. i bet you anything its at like 7.0+... that water gets hot, and from the heat the pH WILL change.

If your having a drooping problem with your largest plant that has the most developed root system then it tells me it is being under watered. As my plants got larger root systems the more they need watered. I would typically have my timer set to flood every 4 to 6 hours depending on their size.

I say lack of oxygen. Water will hold more dissolved o2 at lower temps, so if you're res is too warm, even though you're bubbling, you can still be depriving them of o2. How's the roots look? Brown & slimy or white & hairy?

im having problems similiar to this... anybody have any answers?

bump............

matman4444 said:

LOL, I mean, because my pH test kit is the kind with a dropper and you shake it up and match the color, haha its not a digital.

Click to expand...

No you can't be using the dropper PH tester for your nute mix... thats for phing your water not your nute mix. Its a water ph test kit for the love of weed people. You just get yourself a ph tester for your res. That dumb little testing kit is just for testing plain jane water not your mixs.

Aeroking is onto it. It's a lack of O2. No matter how much your supplying the roots of you have any!!! I mean any!!! Fusarium,pythium,cyanobacteria (blue green algae) all very common in tap water. Then your roots are under attack I just spent a year battling this. Check your roots aren't slimy. Or brown. If not. Check again in 6 hours. They probably will be. Honestly. If it's hit already. There's three options.
1. Dose with a sterilising agent. Easiest accessible is bleach. Convert your available bleach online to work out how much you need for 2-4ppm.
2. Take them out. Spray the roots down with clean water. Let them air dry for a hour or two. Then repot into perlite/verm or whatever is handy.
3.sit it out. Even after seeing first signs of buildup on roots. Whole plant wilts. Locks up. Burns. Turns red on the stems. All the good stuff that will throw you in a spin.

Whichever option you choose. If this is your first grow I would sit it out and see what develops. Black roots. Root rot like pythium .
Brown roots covered in snot. Cyanobacteria.
To fight these. Is a whole 10 page post. But let me tell you now. It won't be a easy road. And actually lends to more work in the tent then you would of you had to water daily. And you will eventually fight it back with chlorine or h202 of it's not to bad a bacteria. But it will always be there. And play havoc doubling or tripping veg times. Until the plant builds its own tolerance and large root system

Some sound advice, but a decade late.