RDWC - don't want root rot ! Can I just use DNF Sparkle or should I make Tea?

Manofculture

Active Member
My Hydroponic store said sparkle will prevent root rot but I keep on reading that the tea is the best solution.
my store also said it runs very hot and can burn plants, please advise Pros?
 

Manofculture

Active Member
This is from there site:

FORMERLY HYDROFUNGICIDE, SAME GREAT PRODUCT, NEW NAME The product of the 21st Century Water Based Biological Root Zone Therapy Use weekly to keep reservoir sparkling and promote a healthy root zone and daily to clean up a problem reservoir. Ensure DNF Hydro Sparkle is in contact with the whole root zone.
Do not use in conjunction with other root zone treatments, stimulants or preventatives.
DNF Hydro Sparkle has proven to be one of the most amazing products available to hydroponic growers. It enhances the growth and general well-being of hydroponic plants by destroying micro-organisms in the root-zone, without harming the plants or having a toxic effect. It’s the perfect solution to clear the pesky grunge that forms in reservoirs. DNF Hydro Sparkle is safe to use in all stages of growth so go ahead and apply to give the roots some extra attention! Use it to clean up a problem reservoir and regularly to prevent future problems. DNF Hydro Sparkle is bio-degradable and completely non-toxic to any other forms of life. It was developed by an Australian Chemist who has developed a number of products for the purpose of destroying fungi, yeast and bacteria. Growths of fungi may be caused by low oxygen levels or a slight shift in the pH level. You will find after use that you now have far more healthy plants. This means, your fruit yield will be greater and plants like lettuces and spinach will flourish. Some farmers have had nearly 80% more fruit on their tomatoes and chilies grown in their hydroponic gardens after using DNF Hydro Sparkle.
 

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
Why do people keep saying that? Zone dude. Use zone and you will never have any problems. That is bullshit and anyone that has been doing DWC long enough knows it.

That product sounds like your basic fungicide. Will it kill Cyanobacteria? Don't know but of it "runs hot" I say why bother. EWC just doesn't fend off the bad bugs, it actually has LOTS of benefits to the plant. From increased uptake, better disease resistance, better draught resistance, there are all kind of studies on it. It's cheap, easy and works fucking fantastic.
 

Manofculture

Active Member
I was gonna make the tea (Aquashield + Zho + ancient Forrest)
i was told that sparkle is all I need. I think this would save a lot of time and stress if the product does what it says.
Has anyone used Sparkle by DNF?

thanks for the input Platinum and Mr.Ganja
 

mjjbabel

Well-Known Member
I personally use aquashield + pondzyme. No problems with root rot or any other water/root issues. My wife would kill me if I put a big batch of tea in her fridge.
 

Manofculture

Active Member
Legallyflying - please take a puff and relax. This is a forum to ask questions right? One of the most detrimental issues in DWC is root rot, so this is an important topic and question. You said no one knew about Hydro Sparkle so I referenced its old name Hydro Fungicide.
 

superstoner1

Well-Known Member
legally, i had rot one time in my first dwc years ago i battled with h2o2. and one time when i had the bright idea i needed a heater in my cloner during winter my cloner got slimed. the closest hydro store is over a hundred miles so i went to a local nursery and the guy showed me the pondzyme, i added it and slime was gone. i had ordered greatwhite and started using it until one day i was cleaning up and found the pz and compared labels. stopped ordering gw then and there.
 

GreenThumbSucker

Well-Known Member
The best cure is prevention. Hyper circulation is the best thing you can do to prevent root rot. What exactly is your setup? What are you growing in?
 

Manofculture

Active Member
I'm doing 36 x 5 Gallon buckets with one main rez, feed line 1/2" with a 300gph pump, return line 3/4"
I keep the Rez at 65 with water chiller. Is the pump sufficient or should it be increased.
 

GreenThumbSucker

Well-Known Member
I'm doing 36 x 5 Gallon buckets with one main rez, feed line 1/2" with a 300gph pump, return line 3/4"
I keep the Rez at 65 with water chiller. Is the pump sufficient or should it be increased.
With that many buckets and that little circulation, you will have issues. I would do them in lines. 6 lines of 6 buckets per line, each with its own feed. Get one of these plastic manifolds and run one water feed line to the last bucket on each line, and let it back flow to the reservoir.

You can buy them at any hydro store for a few bucks.

132878-250-1.jpg

connect your water pump to it and run 6 - 1/4 inch lines (the hard plastic kind), one to the last bucket on each line. The solution flows by gravity back to the reservoir. You will have fewer problems due to sluggish circulation. THe more intense your circulation, the safer you are. You will also need to figure out a way to keep the roots from clogging your lines. You can get some fine screen, like the kind used for screen doors and line the bottoms of your buckets with it. Finally you need intense aeration in each bucket. One small airstone per will work fine. The little cylinder type work best.

ASCS.jpg

and of course you will need a few air pumps. DO NOT GET THIS KIND!

AApump4.jpg

Get THIS kind instead!

cgairpump7-500x500.jpg
You will need at least 2 or 3 of them for that many buckets.

I have built many, many systems of this design for medical marijuana patients, and they can be run problem free as long as you address these basic issues.

Hope that helps.

GTS
 

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
What your proposing is not a RWDC system. I think what you should think about doing is just use a control bucket that your rez fills and drains. Its an ebb and grow controller bucket.. but you just reverse the cycle so that it is mostly flooded and the buckets get drained the rez where you can adjust levels, get chilled, etc several times a day.

I am running a 8 bucket set up like that in one place and an 16 bucket setup like that in another. Each row of 4-8 buckets has its own line that feed the control bucket. 3/4 lines really help things flood and drain faster. You must have a massive rez dude!! what is it 200 gallons?

My only other suggestion.. and shame on you green thumb for posting THE WORST fucking airpump in the world!!! :) Those things really truely suck balls. If your still using one than I would highly highly highly suggest that you check out the pondmaster pumps... http://www.ebay.com/itm/PONDMASTER-AP-100-DEEP-WATER-AIR-PUMP-9150-CU-IN-MIN-/330665713828?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfd3660a4

that thing will pump out 150liters/min and it is completely silent. seriously, I can't hear it with the oscillating fans running, it doesn't operate at 120 degrees like those compressors do, and it has a much better design with replacement parts when and if you need them. I just bought one a couple months ago and was blown away by the difference. I immediately bough another. I have three of those 110 LPM "commercial" pumps that i'll sell you for $20 plus shipping.

ok rant over, but seriously green thumb, you should check them out.
 

GreenThumbSucker

Well-Known Member
What your proposing is not a RWDC system. I think what you should think about doing is just use a control bucket that your rez fills and drains. Its an ebb and grow controller bucket.. but you just reverse the cycle so that it is mostly flooded and the buckets get drained the rez where you can adjust levels, get chilled, etc several times a day.

I am running a 8 bucket set up like that in one place and an 16 bucket setup like that in another. Each row of 4-8 buckets has its own line that feed the control bucket. 3/4 lines really help things flood and drain faster. You must have a massive rez dude!! what is it 200 gallons?

My only other suggestion.. and shame on you green thumb for posting THE WORST fucking airpump in the world!!! :) Those things really truely suck balls. If your still using one than I would highly highly highly suggest that you check out the pondmaster pumps... http://www.ebay.com/itm/PONDMASTER-AP-100-DEEP-WATER-AIR-PUMP-9150-CU-IN-MIN-/330665713828?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfd3660a4

that thing will pump out 150liters/min and it is completely silent. seriously, I can't hear it with the oscillating fans running, it doesn't operate at 120 degrees like those compressors do, and it has a much better design with replacement parts when and if you need them. I just bought one a couple months ago and was blown away by the difference. I immediately bough another. I have three of those 110 LPM "commercial" pumps that i'll sell you for $20 plus shipping.

ok rant over, but seriously green thumb, you should check them out.
Thanks for heads up on the pump legallyflying. 150 liters per minute holy shit! I will get one asap. I have loud ass 110 lpm air pumps all over the place. :p Love this place, learn something new every day.
 

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
green thumb, your going to LOVE that pump. I was actually pretty fucking pissed at myself for wasting money on those hydrofarm pieces of shit. I don't use them for anything now, I simply can't stand to hear them. VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

fuck that. and those pumps in my link have more PSI as well. Dude, they are money
 

esthree04

Member
I can say first hand that this product does indeed work as advertised. I was very skeptical myself as i had a long term root zone issue i could not do away with. I had done months of research on forums to no avail, tried everything under the sun, light lock issues, more air, hydrogen peroxide treatments, dutch master zone, which eventually too failed. Whatever this mystery root zone problem was, im no biologist i don't pretend to know, it was ruthless. I could remove all roots and clean the root zone with dutch master, peroxide and soap treaments only to find in the next 24 hrs snot all over my roots zone. I was about to move onto tea's and benes to solve this problem perhaps even switch to soil, but before i did i was given a sample of DNF hydro sparkle from the grow store and to my absolute surprise it worked. I don't believe in 'silver bullet' remedies, where one this is going to be your magic solution, but this stuff proved me wrong. An issue that had plagued me for literally months was gone,before I could not get out of veg stage and in instant it was solved by DNF hydro sparkle.
 
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