First AG Grow - Help appreciated

E

Enig

Well-Known Member
Hello,

I read both of the AG guides and couldn't seem to find anything about my current situation. I am using General Hydroponics pH up/down. Current pH is at 5.7-5.9. Right now I am using no nutrients and the plants are about 6 days old. Since I've turned the pump off and turned the airstones on (2 6" ceramic) it started to foam and it has a strange odor. The light schedule I am on is 20/4. I am also using 4 cfl's + the AG hood. I hope I gave enough info on my setup.

bagseed.jpg

pineapple.jpg

foam.jpg
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
Hello,

I read both of the AG guides and couldn't seem to find anything about my current situation. I am using General Hydroponics pH up/down. Current pH is at 5.7-5.9. Right now I am using no nutrients and the plants are about 6 days old. Since I've turned the pump off and turned the airstones on (2 6" ceramic) it started to foam and it has a strange odor. The light schedule I am on is 20/4. I am also using 4 cfl's + the AG hood. I hope I gave enough info on my setup.
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Does it smell kind of like plastic? It might just be the air from the pump. I'm not really sure on this one. Maybe change your res so we can narrow it down a bit farther.
 
BeavTek

BeavTek

Well-Known Member
I had some res problems when i first started up. First it started to foam, then an orange/brownish slime appeared in my res. I picked up some 35% H2O2 and added some to my water during res change (2ml H2O2 for 4L res) and I never had a problem after that. Hope this helps.
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
BeavTek said:
I had some res problems when i first started up. First it started to foam, then an orange/brownish slime appeared in my res. I picked up some 35% H2O2 and added some to my water during res change (2ml H2O2 for 4L res) and I never had a problem after that. Hope this helps.
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Sounds like a good idea. Prevention is the best route.
 
E

Enig

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the help! I changed my res with distilled water. I was using brita filtered water that sat for 24 hours. Maybe this was the problem? We'll see... fresh out of the gallon the distilled water pH was 5.6- BeavTek did you order your h2o2 online?
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
Thanks for the help! I changed my res with distilled water. I was using brita filtered water that sat for 24 hours. Maybe this was the problem? We'll see... fresh out of the gallon the distilled water pH was 5.6- BeavTek did you order your h2o2 online?
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H202 is Hydrogen Peroxide. It's less than a dollar for a decent size bottle at any department store.

Have you ever actually cleaned (e.g. scrubbed) the res before? Maybe there was buildup of some sort in there when you got it.
 
E

Enig

Well-Known Member
I know it's just he mentioned 35% (food grade) and I'm not sure where to buy that. Would regular 3% work? If so how much would I add? I scrubbed it and also bleached it going off of the manual on the aerogarden website. I didn't have a choice but to clean it heavily because the person I bought it from off ebay sent it to me absolutely filthy.
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
I know it's just he mentioned 35% (food grade) and I'm not sure where to buy that. Would regular 3% work? If so how much would I add? I scrubbed it and also bleached it going off of the manual on the aerogarden website. I didn't have a choice but to clean it heavily because the person I bought it from off ebay sent it to me absolutely filthy.
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I used the 3% pretty effectively. Just a couple cap fulls in your res will be sufficient.

I still don't know about the foam. Had you used the airstones before?
 
E

Enig

Well-Known Member
FoxCompany426 said:
I used the 3% pretty effectively. Just a couple cap fulls in your res will be sufficient.

I still don't know about the foam. Had you used the airstones before?
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Nope. I had the pump on without the airstones for the first few days until the roots hit the water. Once they hit the water I changed the res and added the airstones.
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
Nope. I had the pump on without the airstones for the first few days until the roots hit the water. Once they hit the water I changed the res and added the airstones.
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[SIZE=+1]Here's a little more information about H2O2 and plants...(if you want the source, I got it, lol)

H2O2
[/SIZE]
If any substance is interesting, it's hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide should really be called hydrogen dioxide. Its chemical formula is H2O2. It contains one more atom of oxygen that does water (H20). By now everyone's aware of the ozone layer that surrounds the earth. Ozone consists of three atoms of oxygen (03). This protective layer of ozone is created when ultraviolet light from the sun splits an atmospheric oxygen molecule (02) into two single, unstable oxygen atoms. These single molecules combine with others to form ozone (03). Ozone isn't very stable. In fact, it will quickly give up that extra atom of oxygen to falling rainwater to form hydrogen peroxide (H202). (Bear with me: all this chemistry mumbo jumbo I'm going through actually will help you understand the importance of hydrogen peroxide.)
[SIZE=+1]
H2O2 Helps Plants[/SIZE]
It is this hydrogen peroxide in rainwater that makes it so much more effective than tap water when given to plants. With the increased levels of atmospheric pollution, however, greater amounts of H202 react with air-borne toxins and never reach the ground. To compensate for this, many farmers have been increasing crop yields by spraying them with diluted hydrogen peroxide (5 to 16 ounces of 35% mixed with 20 gallons of water per acre). You can achieve the same beneficial effect with your house plants by adding 1 ounce of 3% hydrogen peroxide (or 16 drops of 35% solution) to every quart of water you give your plants. (It can also be made into an excellent safe insecticide. Simply spray your plants with 8 ounces of 3% peroxide mixed with 8 ounces of white sugar and one gallon of water.)

About the airstones, you may want to take them out and rinse them down and let them soak in some tap water for a few hours or so to make sure that wasn't where the foam was coming from.
 
E

Enig

Well-Known Member
FoxCompany426 said:
[SIZE=+1]Here's a little more information about H2O2 and plants...(if you want the source, I got it, lol)

H2O2
[/SIZE]
If any substance is interesting, it's hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide should really be called hydrogen dioxide. Its chemical formula is H2O2. It contains one more atom of oxygen that does water (H20). By now everyone's aware of the ozone layer that surrounds the earth. Ozone consists of three atoms of oxygen (03). This protective layer of ozone is created when ultraviolet light from the sun splits an atmospheric oxygen molecule (02) into two single, unstable oxygen atoms. These single molecules combine with others to form ozone (03). Ozone isn't very stable. In fact, it will quickly give up that extra atom of oxygen to falling rainwater to form hydrogen peroxide (H202). (Bear with me: all this chemistry mumbo jumbo I'm going through actually will help you understand the importance of hydrogen peroxide.)
[SIZE=+1]
H2O2 Helps Plants[/SIZE]
It is this hydrogen peroxide in rainwater that makes it so much more effective than tap water when given to plants. With the increased levels of atmospheric pollution, however, greater amounts of H202 react with air-borne toxins and never reach the ground. To compensate for this, many farmers have been increasing crop yields by spraying them with diluted hydrogen peroxide (5 to 16 ounces of 35% mixed with 20 gallons of water per acre). You can achieve the same beneficial effect with your house plants by adding 1 ounce of 3% hydrogen peroxide (or 16 drops of 35% solution) to every quart of water you give your plants. (It can also be made into an excellent safe insecticide. Simply spray your plants with 8 ounces of 3% peroxide mixed with 8 ounces of white sugar and one gallon of water.)

About the airstones, you may want to take them out and rinse them down and let them soak in some tap water for a few hours or so to make sure that wasn't where the foam was coming from.
Click to expand...
Cool thanks man. When I changed the res I rinsed them under water for a few minutes and since then no foam in the res yet. I scrubbed the hell out of the res again. That may have been the source because I didn't soak them before I put them in since it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the package and since it was ceramic I didn't think about it. If it happens again I'll definitely soak them. How are the little plants looking?The one in the purple basil cup is pineapple express from attitude and the other is just a bagseed.
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
Cool thanks man. When I changed the res I rinsed them under water for a few minutes and since then no foam in the res yet. I scrubbed the hell out of the res again. That may have been the source because I didn't soak them before I put them in since it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the package and since it was ceramic I didn't think about it. If it happens again I'll definitely soak them. How are the little plants looking?The one in the purple basil cup is pineapple express from attitude and the other is just a bagseed.
Click to expand...
They're looking good man! Moving right along. Keep it up.

:joint::peace:
 
E

Enig

Well-Known Member
FoxCompany426 said:
They're looking good man! Moving right along. Keep it up.

:joint::peace:
Click to expand...
Thanks man! I wish I could fast forward time I want to pick them and eat them haha bongsmilie Thanks again been a really huge help. On a side note I picked up a temperature gauge with humidity and it's around 87 with 45% humidity. That's with 2 26w and 2 23w daylight bulbs plus the hood.
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
Thanks man! I wish I could fast forward time I want to pick them and eat them haha bongsmilie Thanks again been a really huge help. On a side note I picked up a temperature gauge with humidity and it's around 87 with 45% humidity. That's with 2 26w and 2 23w daylight bulbs plus the hood.
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You might wanna get a fan in there (if you haven't already, if so, then another one, haha). Try and keep those temps at about 75-80 for smooth sailing. Humidity is fine, try and keep it about 60 and below.

The numbers that I just stated are based on research and limited experience. Remember to always do your own research before taking anyone's word for it.
 
E

Enig

Well-Known Member
FoxCompany426 said:
You might wanna get a fan in there (if you haven't already, if so, then another one, haha). Try and keep those temps at about 75-80 for smooth sailing. Humidity is fine, try and keep it about 60 and below.

The numbers that I just stated are based on research and limited experience. Remember to always do your own research before taking anyone's word for it.
Click to expand...
I'm actually picking another fan up today. Just trying to figure out where I'm going to mount it lol... I have a fan outside pointing into the closet blowing air in and a fan blowing onto the plants. I'm assuming the next fan should point out to expel the heat?
 
BeavTek

BeavTek

Well-Known Member
Sorry for the late reply dude, I got the 35% at my local hydrostore. It was 4 bucks for 500ml but that will last for about 250 res changes.
 
FoxCompany426

FoxCompany426

Well-Known Member
Enig said:
I'm actually picking another fan up today. Just trying to figure out where I'm going to mount it lol... I have a fan outside pointing into the closet blowing air in and a fan blowing onto the plants. I'm assuming the next fan should point out to expel the heat?
Click to expand...
That would probably be a good idea. Have the inlet fan down low blowing up and in and the exhaust a little higher blowing up and out.
 
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