algae growth in aerocloner

SWIM has a self made 40 site aerocloner with good res temps (62-66 degrees F), uses very weak nonorganic powdered nutrients, puts nothing organic in the res, and adds beneficial organisms (Great White and hydroguard) in mild doses but the entire res needs cleaned after only 3 days! In addition to use the aero pump sprayer there's even an 8" air-stone in there too. My oh my what a pain...

Algae is a plant and needs light to photosynthesis-get rid of its source of energy and it'll go away.

GBAUTO said:

Algae is a plant and needs light to photosynthesis-get rid of its source of energy and it'll go away.

Click to expand...

Will do. Also cleaned everything with bleach water.

Can clones develop stem rot from this? I'm noticing some brown discoloration at the bottom of the stems. Roots are all still very white though. SWIM has switched everything from beneficial organisms to sterile res with calcium hypochlorite. What do you think? SWIM has some stubborn strains that have been in the aerocloner for 13 days now. Is it worth culling and starting over? Wait and see? These came from mothers so they can all be recloned. Grrr...

Quick update:

I took the advice that I read here and elsewhere on RIU...



Added an extra light timer on hand to utilize as a 15 min on and 15 off control for the sprayers in the aerocloner. SWIM utilized a wooden board to lift the aerocloner off the ground to help increase temps slightly, and as you can see with the IR-Thermometer it did indeed bring temps up to a more ideal range. "Pool shock" calcium hypochlorite still being utilized and unchanged. Used several applications of anti-wilt spray as shown. And thanks to @pop22 went to wallie-world and bought a cheap tote to utilize as a dome!

Take a look:



for temps:

Yes, they can develop stem rot, especially in slow to root strains, though its not always an issue. Organics of any kind in your solution is probably not a good idea in a cloner. Good tap water or an RO solution with 100-125 ppms of a bloom nutrient works, you want as little N as possible while cloning and it is a major fuel for less than desirable microlife. I buy filtered water to use for cloning as my tap water kills cannabis! I add no nutrients.

As soon they have root 1" or more long, I transplant then.

pop22 said:

Yes, they can develop stem rot, especially in slow to root strains, though its not always an issue. Organics of any kind in your solution is probably not a good idea in a cloner. Good tap water or an RO solution with 100-125 ppms of a bloom nutrient works, you want as little N as possible while cloning and it is a major fuel for less than desirable microlife. I buy filtered water to use for cloning as my tap water kills cannabis! I add no nutrients.

As soon they have root 1" or more long, I transplant then.

Click to expand...

Sir I have been growing in tap water for years it depends on medium , mine is pro-mix but your water may have a high alkalinity
For the record I use R/O water in my cloner
To OP the algae I suspect is you have too much light or light leaks
If I use a 4 foot double t-5 i get the same problem but switching a small 27 watt led does the trick
Get rid of the dome you don't need it with aerocloners and i hit mine with a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide once week, no other additives
good luck
13 days isn't too long to wait some take 21 days

Herb & Suds said:

Sir I have been growing in tap water for years it depends on medium , mine is pro-mix but your water may have a high alkalinity
For the record I use R/O water in my cloner
To OP the algae I suspect is you have too much light or light leaks
If I use a 4 foot double t-5 i get the same problem but switching a small 27 watt led does the trick
Get rid of the dome you don't need it with aerocloners and i hit mine with a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide once week, no other additives
good luck
13 days isn't too long to wait some take 21 days

Click to expand...

Thanks -- No significant light leaks. I even coated the top of the tote with krylon plastics paint to ensure nothing was getting thru.

Re: hydrogen peroxide, calicum hypochlorite is being used instead (which I find often works better against pathogens). Redose every 2-3 days.

Regardless, I think I'm going to switch to Bubbleponics and get it a try. I got this tote the other day at walmart.



More neoprene 2" collars on the way...

I beg to differ on the humidity dome. some strain respond better and faster when using a dome for the first 5-10 days. Not all strains just pop out roots in 7 days. I would love for them to be like a tomato cutting, drop it in a glass of water and 5-7 days later it has roots. For easy rooting clones, a dome may be moot, or not. but using a dome beats the hell out of anti-wilt chemicals.

And yes, preventing light leaks is critical also. In my DIY cloner I cut the basket off 2" net pots and use neoprene plugs. I make sure the holes for the basket rims are as snug as possible

Herb & Suds said:

Sir I have been growing in tap water for years it depends on medium , mine is pro-mix but your water may have a high alkalinity
For the record I use R/O water in my cloner
To OP the algae I suspect is you have too much light or light leaks
If I use a 4 foot double t-5 i get the same problem but switching a small 27 watt led does the trick
Get rid of the dome you don't need it with aerocloners and i hit mine with a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide once week, no other additives
good luck
13 days isn't too long to wait some take 21 days

Click to expand...

pop22 said:

In my DIY cloner I cut the basket off 2" net pots and use neoprene plugs. I make sure the holes for the basket rims are as snug as possible

Click to expand...

Definitely do this-it'll be impossible to get the plant out of the cups without damage if you don't.

jjng5 said:

SWIM has a self made 40 site aerocloner with good res temps (62-66 degrees F),

Click to expand...

Sounds way to low for me. Roots develop faster with higher temperature. And the moment roots will pop up at the stem, the chance of getting stemrot goes down.
Even 69 degrees is on the low side imo.

jjng5 said:

n addition to use the aero pump sprayer there's even an 8" air-stone in there too.

Click to expand...

No need for the airstone. How much more oxygen can you get then with a sprayer. Airstone ads nothing.

pop22 said:

I beg to differ on the humidity dome. some strain respond better and faster when using a dome for the first 5-10 days. Not all strains just pop out roots in 7 days. I would love for them to be like a tomato cutting, drop it in a glass of water and 5-7 days later it has roots. For easy rooting clones, a dome may be moot, or not. but using a dome beats the hell out of anti-wilt chemicals.

And yes, preventing light leaks is critical also. In my DIY cloner I cut the basket off 2" net pots and use neoprene plugs. I make sure the holes for the basket rims are as snug as possible

Click to expand...

How do you "cut the basket off" your 2" net pots? I'm confused. Are these those special net pot / neopreme sets on e-bay? As you can see from SWIM photo's there are 2" neoprene plugs -- do you need special net pots?

At a certain moment your plants will be so heavy that the neoprene plug will just fall into your tray.
They will slip through the cover.
When you put the neoprene collars in a basket (also with a diameter of 5 cm) then it can not fall through. The basket has a rim of about 5 mm and this will prevent the basket from slipping through.
Many people cut of the net part of the basket. Then just a neoprene holder with a rim will stay.

no just regular netpots. i cut the baskets off with scissors. I bought the plugs separate and yes all were from ebay. the netpot rims hold the plugs nicely and helps make a light proof seal.

jjng5 said:

How do you "cut the basket off" your 2" net pots? I'm confused. Are these those special net pot / neopreme sets on e-bay? As you can see from SWIM photo's there are 2" neoprene plugs -- do you need special net pots?

Click to expand...

I like these net pots a lot, much sturdier than a regular one, wider lip and will stand up to very heavy plants.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I1OCZLY?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

“Ponicsfarm” brand.

Tell your friend that usually if you get stem rot in an aerocloner it’s because your water is too hot. Stem will swell up from the bottom and turn brown if it’s from hot water.

If it’s globs of brown that’s bacteria or algae probably.

Good luck, hope you get it sorted.

I also bought netpots, but on AliExpress.
Prices are changing all the time, but I payed around $ 1.00 to $ 1.30 for 10 pcs with a diameter of around 5 cm.
Sometimes they even go to $ 0.80 for 10.
Can be a big deal if you want to buy several hundreds. I noticed that if the roots get really strong, they can destroy them. So throwing them away after harvest doesn't hurt that much when they are only 8 cents per piece.
Shipping to Europe was free.
Downside is that it can take a while before you get them.

Herb & Suds said:

Sir I have been growing in tap water for years it depends on medium , mine is pro-mix but your water may have a high alkalinity
For the record I use R/O water in my cloner
To OP the algae I suspect is you have too much light or light leaks
If I use a 4 foot double t-5 i get the same problem but switching a small 27 watt led does the trick
Get rid of the dome you don't need it with aerocloners and i hit mine with a teaspoon of Hydrogen Peroxide once week, no other additives
good luck
13 days isn't too long to wait some take 21 days

Click to expand...

I have a ez clover and I have no issues I have shit rooted in less then 7 days when you are cutting your clones are you making sure that the cutting is totally submerged when cutting 45 so no oxygen gets in the plant

Cut out the organics and add 0.5 ppm diluted chlorine to your aerocloner. There's a lot of Chlorine dilution calculators on the net. "Myco" products is for dirt. Hydroponics is supposed to be run sterile. Focus on surface tension and keeping the rootzone clean instead. All nutrients is readily available to the plant in solution, that's how hydroponics work.

Try not to create problems for yourself by using organics in hydro. You will get ph fluctuations and a hell a lot more work between runs with cleaning. Beneficials has no place in hydro. You can try to convince me all day.