Container lid broke and roots are tied together!! HELP!

I have a very basic DWC setup, its my first time with this method. I used one of those Walmart plastic shoe boxes and drilled 4 holes on the lid for 4 plants. I didn't know the plants would grow so large but anyway, the area that seperates each hole from the next are broken!

I would love to transplant them into seperate containers but its too late, the roots of all 4 are tied together and I'm maybe a month away from harvest. If i lift the lid, the grow nets will drop deeper and possibly tear apart the roots.

My problem: I can't change the reservoir water without lifting the lid. I temporarily just mixed some PHed water + nutrients and poured it in through the holes.

Concern: will this affect the harvest/plants? Will things are growing inside?


Thanks in advance

I'd tape it up as best I could or just add your nuted water as best you can. The plants will be less than they would have been had you been able to change the res weekly. Your fan leaves will also yellow up as the plant gets the nutes it's needs from the leaves if not the fully nuted water or off what they require. That's ok though. I've heard of some people that flush with plain water the last two weeks of the grow and I've even heard some who empty the res and run it without water the last week in an effort to dry out the plant before harvest. Just chalk it off to lessons learned.

Also, If you decide to put in other containers you can whack off about half the roots with little or no effect on the plant. Just make sure you rinse them well and remove any dead root material you find as dead things tend to raise you PH very high in a short period of time.

thanks for the reply. but i dont get it, why would my plants yield less if i dont change the reservoir? i still pour nuted water in, what difference does it make? also, what is the role of flushing? why not nute it all the way to harvest? thanks in advance

It's really hard to maintain a certain nute level by adding just nuted water. You are adding a fraction back and even though you know the total ppm you don't know what it is made up of. For instance, a plant may take more K at some point and want a little more N at another. I res change sets the whole system back to a balances start point. Watch your plants and if you see major leaf drop add a little extra grow nutes to you add water. Just a little.

Flushing is a contraversial subject. Some say you don't need it and some say you do. The purpose of flushing is to get the chemical salt taste out of your final product. You make the plant use itself up and limit the amount of nutrient chemicals in the bud. This is only a big deal it you use a high nute level in your grow. I always flush the last week ( last res change before I plant to cut) and my buds are smokable after they dry. Not great or smooth or extra powerful like a good cure provides but smokable without hacking a lung. Are you using high nute levels or do you use a lot of additives?

Just put some wooden rods or plastic rods across the lid and use plastic wire ties to pull the lid and pots up tight against the rods. Even PVC pipe would work well enough. If the plants are really heavy use PVC pipe and stick a metal rod through the inside of the PVC pipe. Just as long as you get everything pulled up tight you can leave the plants in the same pots and leave the roots alone, and you should be able to lift the lid. pipes and pots up as one tied together unit.

Great Idea!