Thank you for the advice Tim!
Done, done, done and done. All clean, sanitized and refreshed.
I'm using my tap for this rez change. I've had 4 gallons sitting out for 48 hours, I put 2 in the fridge to chill to around 55 degrees. I paired them together 1 cooled, 1 not and got a temp of 63, since I didn't want to shock the plants. PHed to 5-5.2, PPM at 270. Tap is 130ppm added 3/4tsp FNB, brought it to 270ppm.
My waterfarm rez are actually wrapped with reflectix which works for light reflection and insulation. Rez temps should hold as I have another piece of reflectix at the top below the plant to block heat from light and contain any salt buildup at the top. Working so far.
I'm going to let it all settle and check at my pm reading and adjust if necessary.
Old pic from early in the grow, but wanted to show you more of the setup.
Couple questions I have.
Should I grab a small bottle of hydroguard just in case?
No idea what to look for in microbes, any recs?
Mike,
Sweet, you hit it all on the head right away.
I'd try to keep your nutrient ratio, and concentration exactly the same, as it has been for a couple days. But keep the ph just a tad below 6 too. But remember to always keep the ph above 5.5. (5-5.2, is too low. Higher is better than lower). If your reservoir temps get too hot, you can do things like add frozen bottles of water to the reservoir, as a cheap alternative to cooling.
Its the hardest, and most important thing with pure hydroponics. Adjusting, and maintaining a healthy reservoir. PH, temperature, and adequate air supply, are at the top of your list.
Dont make any other drastic changes for a day or two. Because if something all of a sudden starts getting worse, it'll be much, much harder to identity the cause if several things have changed. Fix one problem at a time.
For my own plants roots always, always, always come first. The roots are the engine room of a plant. You've found a potential root problem, so personally i'd give the engine a bit of a tune up. Worry about adding more nutrient, humidity etc, etc in a couple days. No major changes until your engine is running smoothly.
Also i'll add to be very wary of algae. With those clear plastic tubes, be aware its light that encourages algae to grow. So if light is leaking into your reservoir, its possible algae can grow. If those tubes on the side of your buckets, are gauges for your water level, then algae could start there. I know its being nit picky, but the little things matter with environment, and you have a potential root problem. It might be worth wrapping dark tape around them, and putting a cap of sorts on top of the tube. Even a piece of pvc piping with a screw on cap. With a slightly larger diameter that the tubing on the buckets, so you can slip them over the tubing like a sock, and easily check your water level. So you can use still effectively use the gauges, and block any light as well. Just brain-storming but its an idea.
Personally i would buy a bottle of beneficial microbes. Even a silica product if you can fit it into your budget as well as microbes..
I havn't used hydroguard before. But reading Botanicare's info, it honestly looks like a good product. Just be wary when you make your purchase though. It seems to say there's a 2yr shelf life, from date of manufacturing, and 6 months after opening. So if you can help it, ideally check the manufacture date on the bottle to see how long its been on the shelf. More than 1.5yrs and i'd stay clear. Also bare in mind, once you open the bottle you have 6 months to use it. So you probably only need a small bottle.
I've used "Rhizotonic", and "Cannazyme" by CANNA before, and was generally satisfied. Only downside is the price of them. Also the Cannazyme has a 0.1.1. NPK value. So it has to be added to your total NPK. Also Rhizotonic raises the ph. Good effective products, but they have their downsides. Mainly the price.
There are many silica products too. But silica needs potassium to break down into an available for for your plants. So most silica products contain a little K. Examples of a silica product is "Rhino Skin" by advanced nutrients. But advanced nutrients usually dilute their products a lot, so do a little digging. Ive heard "Dutchmaster" sells a silica product, that is potassium free, and already in its available form. Expensive though, and sounds a little synthetic for my liking. But its honestly probably fine. Silica is very beneficial, especially for water culture. Water doesn't contain much silica at all...
I'm not really the best at hydro builds, others could definitely help more than i can here. But at first glance your setup looks pretty neat, and tidy. Id work on any light leakes myself.
I like the kitty on the front of the bucket too, haha
Anything else just shout dude. Happy to give advice where i believe i can.
Best of luck, keep us all updated.
Cheers mate,
Tim.
