Dwc brown foam with smell

I Appreciate the help!

I am attempting the impossible and got myself 3/4 to where I'm headed. But falling short and need help.

Organic OMRI CERTIFIED DWC Grow.

now I know your 1st thought... IMPOSSIBLE!
Thinking about general soil organics and trying to use those amendments in hydro. Not going to happen.

I agree..

Now they do have a couple OMRI CERTIFIED Nutrients available for use in hydroponics. But nobody is really doing it yet.

I choose a OMRI certified organic full nutrient line. OG Organics And when I tried it i got brown foam with a smell within 24hrs.

I just need to figure out what generally causes brown foam (not white foam) in bucket and how to fight it

Like what am I looking for? Good bacteria, microbes? And do they sell a OMRI CERTIFIED version of it somewhere?

Q1 So starting with the basics what causes brown foam in synthetic(normal) dwc....

Q2 I know white foam is ok and unharmful. But how do synthetic dwc growers deal with brown foam? If they do.

Q3 Is there a organic OMRI CERTIFIED version of what is needed to combat brown foam?

algae most likely, make sure res is completely dark

juschiln19 said:

I just need to figure out what generally causes brown foam

Click to expand...

juschiln19 said:

I choose a OMRI certified organic full nutrient line

Click to expand...

you answered your own question

not impossable, just very impractical and time consuming. you have to use stuff like comfrey juice, borage juice, nettle tea, seaweed solution. and change it out very frequantly or you will get problems.
organic nutrients are designed for use in soil, no go for hydro.
you want to couver the medium very well in order to stop any light from getting a chance to cause aslge to grow.
in theory any way, ive grown plants with a combination of the nettle,comfrey and seaweed, but never taken it to flowering, but growing weed is a so easy, its duroing the flowering process that problems occure

i think the smell is something you have to get used too, mine smelt bad, but thats comfrey/nettle/borage and seaweed solution for you, there organic, so will smell by nature

rkymtnman said:

you answered your own question

Click to expand...

This specific organic nutrient line is made for hydroponics.

This is the response I got about foam in buckets from the manufacturer Advanced Nutrients.

"With organics in hydro you may need to change the reservoir more frequently, the foam itself isn't going to harm the plants and is a byproduct of running organics in such a bubbly system with an air stone and such.

In general, organics are not as reservoir friendly over time as mineral based nutrients, this is due to the biological activity and lack of preservatives.

It is doable however as long as your are prepared for the challenge.

Some tips for longevity are inline filters and air bleed valves, etc."

The detail I'm trying to iron out is everyone says "white" foam in dwc is ok. Unharmful to plants. And that as long as the foam is NOT "brown with a smell" then you are alright.

Well mine is brown with a smell.

But everyone runs synthetic so looking for someone with experience with organic nutrients in dwc. Or with brown foam in general. And what normally causes it in a synthetic dwc grow and how its normally handled. People know of the brown foam so someone has experience with it. Lol

I appreciate your help

terpedup83 said:

algae most likely, make sure res is completely dark

Click to expand...

Ok Thank You

go go kid said:

not impossable, just very impractical and time consuming. you have to use stuff like comfrey juice, borage juice, nettle tea, seaweed solution. and change it out very frequantly or you will get problems.
organic nutrients are designed for use in soil, no go for hydro.
you want to couver the medium very well in order to stop any light from getting a chance to cause aslge to grow.
in theory any way, ive grown plants with a combination of the nettle,comfrey and seaweed, but never taken it to flowering, but growing weed is a so easy, its duroing the flowering process that problems occure

Click to expand...

Ok thanks man. Yeah I found a whole nutrient line made specifically for hydro and lists dwc. Just no one has experience with brown foam. Maybe its just from the organics in general. And is unharmful like the white foam. Wondering if something like hydroguard would help.

go go kid said:

i think the smell is something you have to get used too, mine smelt bad, but thats comfrey/nettle/borage and seaweed solution for you, there organic, so will smell by nature

Click to expand...

I was wondering if there would be a smell in general growing with organics. Might just roll the dice and try again. I attempted to use the nutrients this grow but since roots have not popped out of the basket when I was experiencing all these foam issues I decided to switch to general hydroponic tro and start fresh next grow. Or im germinating seed now for smaller tent. Thinking about trying again justvtryinh to gather as much information as I can before I attempt again. Thanks for the help man

Organics don’t come in delightful fragrances last time I checked. I have a fear of leaks, so I haven’t run dwc. I run SWCAIIDID. Short for.. (shallow water culture and if it dies it dies)
But I haven’t read any success stories running organics in DWC.

juschiln19 said:

People know of the brown foam so someone has experience with it

Click to expand...

try bubbling molasses or worm shit in a bucket and you'll get brown foam too.

HydroKid239 said:

Organics don’t come in delightful fragrances last time I checked. I have a fear of leaks, so I haven’t run dwc. I run SWCAIIDID. Short for.. (shallow water culture and if it dies it dies)
But I haven’t read any success stories running organics in DWC.

Click to expand...

True, organics in general normally have a smell. The only reason I even worried about the smell was I didn't really notice a smell before i noticed the brown foam but that was also the first 24hrs the nutrients were in tent. So could have just been normal organic nutrients smell.

Everyone that said brown foam was bad asked if there was a smell too. So I linked them together but in reality your right.

I'm hoping to be the 1st success story! I mean the nutrients are actually made for true organics in hydro.

Never heard of that kind of growing. Happy growing man thanks

rkymtnman said:

try bubbling molasses or worm shit in a bucket and you'll get brown foam too.

Click to expand...

True. I guess I didn't think of it like that. I was just trying to reach out to some community's and ask and see what I come up with. As to if its normal or If its not normal. Hoping to run into someone that has experience with hydro and organic nutrients made for hydro.

Are you in colorado? Ever been to Fox Cannabis (Formally Fox Street Cannabis) dispensary?

I appreciate the help

juschiln19 said:

True. I guess I didn't think of it like that. I was just trying to reach out to some community's and ask and see what I come up with. As to if its normal or If its not normal. Hoping to run into someone that has experience with hydro and organic nutrients made for hydro.

Are you in colorado? Ever been to Fox Cannabis (Formally Fox Street Cannabis) dispensary?

I appreciate the help

Click to expand...

i'm guessing you'll need some type of organic "good" bacteria to help with root issues. not sure if southern ag is certified organic or not?

i've had luck with kelp and humics/fulvics in rdwc if that counts.

oh and no, never heard of fox st. is it in denver?

rkymtnman said:

i'm guessing you'll need some type of organic "good" bacteria to help with root issues. not sure if southern ag is certified organic or not?

i've had luck with kelp and humics/fulvics in rdwc if that counts.

Click to expand...

I'll look into it. Thanks man

rkymtnman said:

oh and no, never heard of fox st. is it in denver?

Click to expand...

Yes its off 44th and I-25.

Fox Cannabis Marijuana Dispensary
(720) 881-7460

I've been going there for 6 or 7 yrs now the 1st and last place I signed to be my caregiver. The bud is organically grown and it shows! No Chemical from seed to jar.. its true organics and the smell and taste and high are always top-notch. And they give u a glove and let you inspect the bud. Only place I know of that does that. Knowing the density is very important to me. Fluffy don't last and in general bud tenders don't always convey the density. Here not a issue u see for yourself.

This was the 1st dispensary I've been too that had bud that was too dense. And density is huge for me. Fluffy don't last lol. Best dispensary in colorado. I think! Just looking at bud quality. I haven't even looked at another dispensary in years. And I live in longmont. Make the drive every 2 weeks.

The only reason I'm growing is for a hobby lol. Plus I'd love to get into breeding my own strain. That is a big goal of mine... eventually lol

But I have to go with hydro but stay organic.
Its the best of both worlds

Organic = completely natural (zero chemicals seed to jar)

Hydroponics(any kind) Grows Faster, Bigger, Better(no dealing with the mess of soil lol)

juschiln19 said:

Yes its off 44th and I-25

Click to expand...

i don't go up that way ever

rkymtnman said:

i don't go up that way ever

Click to expand...

Cool, Just was wondering if you've had the pleasure?

juschiln19 said:

Cool, Just was wondering if you've had the pleasure?

Click to expand...

only thing i go to dispensaries for is vape carts. can't afford supercritical CO2 extraction yet