DWC Root Slime Cure aka How to Breed Beneficial Microbes

Dustybowlz said:

Now that im thinking, does adding ph up/down, in concentrated form, to my rez, kill my bennes? Even if it were only a few drops? OR does it only kill bennes, when its still concentrated and stops being deadly once its mixed well. If this were the case, how many bennes die while we wait for dilution?

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Yes from what I've read concentrated ph up/down will kill the bennies. Diluting it makes it tolerable to the bennies. I am not sure how many die, but its not too hard to dilute the ph up/down so why not?

I have GH ph up/down and an up/down.

The GH is weak and the AN is supper concentrated.

My RO doesn't have a buffer. Should I buffer it with cal/mag, then ph it? Otherwise, with no buffer, it isn't effective for me.

How much ph are u guys adding to say a gallon of water to make this "ph adjustment solution"?

IMHO, I don't feel just RO+ a few drops of ph up or down would effectively adjust my ph. For example, I have tried to add just my RO water (with high ph) to my rez to raise the ph. It did nothing but dilute my ppms.

I just can't picture it.

If I need to adjust, I normally add about a cap full of the GH to about a quart of water. Then pour it in in stages and measure the pH as I pour.

Although on a fresh rez, I usually mix up the nutes then pH the rez, THEN add the tea.

I also use GH pH Down--I've never had to use pH Up since using the tea . I add the pH Down directly to my 5 gallon DWC reservoir in 5 or 10 ml/cc increments, stir, and measure the pH. I'm just one person so this is anecdotal, but my roots have remained brilliantly white. I LOVE the tea!

I always dilute my GH ph adjusters. Using an empty bottle I fill it up maybe 20% with adjuster and the rest water.

I like it really dilute because I can just reach over and "glug glug" some in. Was that enough? Nope. Glug glug. How about that? Ok close, a half a glug will do it now. No nutrients flockulating, no overshooting and NO MEASURING.

I do have a 75 gallon Rez though..

legallyflying said:

because I can just reach over and "glug glug" some in. Was that enough? Nope. Glug glug. How about that?

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Makes sence. THanks for sharing!

thanks for everyones help. got to say im loving the bene tea mix. How far into flower do you guys use your teas for??? i read somewhere that you are not supposed to use the tea late into flower because the bene's dont like high P or something.

Two questions.

-are there any notable side effects of using too much tea?

-in everyones vast research does anyone remember any good links for TMV?

I finally got around to picking up some molasses today.
I added two gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket, added 2 tsp's Mycogrow soluble along with 2 tsp's molasses.
I added my airstone & it's now bubbling away.
In 48 hours I'll add 8 ounces per 10 gallons every three days to my mother totes which have no water chiller.
I should note I'm using chem nutes and haven't had a problem with slime yet, this is more of a preventative measure and an attempt to keep the roots as healthy as possible, I do run my water through a dechlorinator before use.

Thanks Heis!
Thanks Mr.bond
Thanks legallyflying

Plants are looking good mate!!! Still in veg? Nice roots, they'll explode with some myco....

cheers

Not sure what happen but I had to make a new batch since I ran out so I clean my rez and added fresh nutes and PH'd tap water I also started a new brew to add as soon as it was finished. After a day I added a cup because I didn't want to run nothing at all then after 48 hrs I added another 2 cups. I check on them this morning and the brown slime blew up over night even with the tea.

Only thing I can think...maybe the tap water contains chloramine which will not evaporate out if I let water sit so the brew did bread any bennies. What do you all think....also maybe the brew temp was a little too cold mid 60's i I had to guess. Any ideas...anyway I had to completely clean the rez again and my roots are back to looking pathetic. How do you do rez maintenance with bennies. Do you clean and completely change the water every 7 days or do you do keep some of the water and top of with fresh?

This brown slime sure is a pain in the ass!!!

dp sux said:

All you need for any type of slime in DWC is H and G ROOTS EXCEL. Thats it.. nothing else its alot of doe $80 bucks for 250 ml but its the shit. Belive me me and that pink clear slimy shit went toe to toe 20 somethin rounds bout 3 yrs back. you will see it drawn to slime instantly covers it like with an oil. DONT PUT DM ZONE << OR ANY h202 it will kill the microbes in it... Also best shit in world for root rot..I thought it could slide I use ebbz now and dude at store through free 250 ml of gh new rapid root start.
WORST BROWN ROOTS when I cleaned the hydroton and pots that i eva saw..I wouldnt
use that ever if I were any of you. DONT put super thrive in with any slime it feeds it.
Great White supposed to be good but with Home and garden roots excel you dont need it.

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Ummm I don't think your advice is correct. Roots excellerator in dwc will wreak havoc. You will have MORE slime. Those root products have anaerobic bacteria in them and are not to be used with airstones. Hell, it even says don't use it with airstones right on the bottle.

Thank you for this post. I was running a 22 gallon DWC with The Zone and H2O2...both failed miserably to control the clear algae that was taking over, killing off any new root growth. I went to the store and bought 1/2 gallon of pre-brewed worm compost and used some of this with Great White to brew up a batch of tea. The rest I used as a pre-cursor when I put new R/O water in my reservoir. I didn't clean the tank, lines or anything, just put it all back with the new water and tea.

After 48 hours of brewing 2 gallons of fresh tea, I added 1 gallon to the DWC reservoir, and then add a few cups every 3 days. Within the first week the tea had kicked ALL the algae a$$. Yes, it was all gone, completely......that was 2 months ago and now I'm in the 4th week of flower with ZERO problems. No rez changes either.

Again, thank you to everyone who posted on this thread, my friends and family are appreciative, believe me

dp sux said:

All you need for any type of slime in DWC is H and G ROOTS EXCEL. Thats it.. nothing else its alot of doe $80 bucks for 250 ml but its the shit. Belive me me and that pink clear slimy shit went toe to toe 20 somethin rounds bout 3 yrs back. you will see it drawn to slime instantly covers it like with an oil. DONT PUT DM ZONE << OR ANY h202 it will kill the microbes in it... Also best shit in world for root rot..I thought it could slide I use ebbz now and dude at store through free 250 ml of gh new rapid root start.
WORST BROWN ROOTS when I cleaned the hydroton and pots that i eva saw..I wouldnt
use that ever if I were any of you. DONT put super thrive in with any slime it feeds it.
Great White supposed to be good but with Home and garden roots excel you dont need it.

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seriously dude, if you think you are gods gift to marijuana growing, then just move on. i understand though. its hard to admit you are wrong when you dont even know what you're talking about. if you had actually taken the time to read ANY of this thread, you would know there is not ONE single product you can buy that will resolve slime or root rot. and you spouting your mouth telling people otherwise is just misleading all the people who came here for a legitimate solution -- which is much cheaper than $80. you should go back to being a lurker. more respect that way.

mr.bond

dp sux said:

Mr Bond your a close minded idiot (Im pretty sure i have more yrs experience with this plant than you have yrs on earth) Sooooooooooooo rock on with your bad self................ Wheelman PLEASE take my advice and then tell Mr Bond what DICK he is when your slime or your root rot is all gone..i knew some DICK would argue with me.. Again Mr Bond and legalyflying your both close minded ignoramces. Ive dropped major gem on you folks and you shit on it. Good luck with your slime...............

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Doing a little math you must be fairly old like quite a few of us judging from you 30+ years of proclaimed growing experience. But I don't know any of the old timers that are spastic and off putting like your posts are. No offense and I could be wrong but you sound more like a teenaged troll more than anything. That said I will search around for success stories of the so called miracle ROOTS EXCELERATOR.

dp sux said:

And just so you know (most nute companys now say to use recirculators instead of stones) Its been proven to cause iron to persipitate...Just believe me it works way better then anything thing else (I would bet my life on it) THATS HOW SURE I AM . But of course you can think you have it under control with what your using
(but I know for a fact that you just have in check,, ( ive even soaked all my shit in Zone 48 hrs ) it came back!!! (50% bleach solution 72 hrs in bath tub) it came back it gets all in the crevices of hydroton and shit like that.Roots excel 1 ml per gal that slime get covered with the excel and it turns brown and fall to bottom in like 3 days tops and then eats it gone.(P.S. Ive noticed since its been distributed by Humbolt now and it does seem diluted) And believe me I wish there was a less expensive alternative when there finaly is I will buy it. GET THE ROOTS EXCELERATOR today and you and your plants will be thankin me by thursday I promise............

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Root excel will exasperate a slime problem, every time! I know this from experience and from the caution given by the company. Please take the time to read a thread before you comment on it. Your horrible and abrasive advice has been removed.

dp sux said:

God forbid a stranger had better advice then the great Hiesenberg has had for whole year of posts.. Grow up dude .. Just cause you dont write like a child does not mean your not passive aggressivley acting like a child..Il be back with House and Garden Email..(your pretty funny guy)..........

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I wont be engaging in mud-slinging with you. I feel this thread is defense enough against your accusations, and also contains the answers to your other questions. RE does include proprietary microbes which are kept secret, however RE is not intended for hydro setups which aerate the water. It will make a slime problem worse if used directly in the res, but will give the roots a slight boost if it's added to the tea brew. That's because it contains a little stimulant in it to jump start the microbes, and the slime tends to feed on this booster first. The slime then easily outgrows the RE before it can take hold. If brewed in the tea first, the microbes have a chance to process the food before it goes into the res. This has been confirmed by myself and many others. If you have had a different experience then we welcome your input, but not your self righteous attitude or inflammatory conduct. Refrain from ad hominem attacks and keep your information pertinent.

To come in and say RE worked for you and you suggest it to others is fine. To say it is the ONLY cure and works every time is contradictory to everyone else's experience. To personally attack others when they point out this contradiction is unacceptable.

wheeelman said:

Not sure what happen but I had to make a new batch since I ran out so I clean my rez and added fresh nutes and PH'd tap water I also started a new brew to add as soon as it was finished. After a day I added a cup because I didn't want to run nothing at all then after 48 hrs I added another 2 cups. I check on them this morning and the brown slime blew up over night even with the tea.

Only thing I can think...maybe the tap water contains chloramine which will not evaporate out if I let water sit so the brew did bread any bennies. What do you all think....also maybe the brew temp was a little too cold mid 60's i I had to guess. Any ideas...anyway I had to completely clean the rez again and my roots are back to looking pathetic. How do you do rez maintenance with bennies. Do you clean and completely change the water every 7 days or do you do keep some of the water and top of with fresh?

This brown slime sure is a pain in the ass!!!

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Mid 60's is pretty cold to brew a tea, but shouldn't make it completely ineffective. We have seen several reports of the tea being retarded when used with chillers and brewed in the cold. Afterall, the whole idea of chillers is to discourage micro life. I suggest trying to brew the tea at room temp and try again. Typical level of chloramine will not have a serious effect on your microlife if you use it to top off your res, however it is a good idea to brew the initial tea with pure water, especially if you are making small amounts. Get a couple gallons of from the store for the initial brew.

When I change my buckets I just throw in a hydro pump and empty all but about an inch. I then add a could more gallons to flush things out, pump that out, and then just refill. I inoculate the new water with tea after a few hours.


Someone also asked about the effects of adding too much tea. It is really hard to overdo it with this tea. If your tea is brewed correctly then all the molasses and other food should already be consumed. It is likely though that in our brews there are still some sugars left to consume at 48 hours. So if you add too much of these unconsumed sugars you could get a biofilm buildup as it gets consumed. Early on several people reported getting a slime like covering from using too much fungi, particularly sub-m from GH, but this slime seemed to have no negative effect at all and eventually cleared up. I have never had this happen to me. In short, you should have very little fear of adding too much tea, but don't over due it on purpose.

The funniest part of that annoying fly in the room... Roots Excel was mentioned and talked about quite a bit about ~100 pages back. Thanks for dropping "major gem" on us though... LOL. Even if we didn't learn anything, at least we all 'feel' smarter in your presence. And I will rock on with my bad self, thank you for the recommendation!

Sigh.... some people's kids.

Love,
mr.bond, everyone's favorite ignoramus!

Thanks for the input...I'm currently at 24 hours with the new tea...I just put a cup or so in the rez because the roots are pretty bad not with slime anymore but the slime I cleaned off yesterday took a heavy toll on them. I'm going to add another at 36 hours and then a few more at the 48 hour mark to complete the suggested amount. The slime sure is a pain in the ass!

I can't find the post but didn't you say you stop using the tea in flower? What was your reason if so?