DWC GROWERs how bad is algae

That 5hit · Jul 12, 2009

DWC GROWERs how bad is algae
i need to know everyone always says cover your res, so there want be any algae but why
is there a sign of algae damage other then the coor green

i have a plant that the rockwool is covered algae and its one of my best grower
then i have a plant growing out of the same res. that the rockwool is clean no algae in sight but it looks like its going to die what gives

NoDrama · Jul 12, 2009

If the algae is just on top of the RockWool you will probably be ok, of course a piece of tin foil over the rockwool would easily cure the problem too.

That 5hit · Jul 12, 2009

i know that much whats the worse they can do

peteman990 · Jul 12, 2009

That 5hit said:
i know that much whats the worse they can do

Mess with your pH, and if it gets real bad eventually kill your plants unless you get it under control. Plants like nice, fresh water with no algae but haven't ever seen anyones plants die from algae I don't think. Ideally, you wouldn't want it in your res.

That 5hit · Jul 13, 2009

peteman990 said:
Mess with your pH, and if it gets real bad eventually kill your plants unless you get it under control. Plants like nice, fresh water with no algae but haven't ever seen anyones plants die from algae I don't think. Ideally, you wouldn't want it in your res.

but how do we know that algae is bad it does have some microbal effect to underwater life
just like soil has a life of its own how do we not know that algae is not surpose to be there

all we really know is that algae look nasty so we say make it go away but algae is i life form that lives in the water and eats up nutes but what do they shit out
if you could keep the ph in check could algae be helpfull

OregonMeds · Jul 13, 2009

I've grown some kick ass algae but really the nutrients are kinda better put towrds leafs and then bud.

That 5hit · Jul 13, 2009

OregonMeds said:
I've grown some kick ass algae but really the nutrients are kinda better put towrds leafs and then bud.

what i am asking is could the algae be releasing ssomething useful that hydro farmer are overlooking

NoDrama · Jul 13, 2009

That 5hit said:
what i am asking is could the algae be releasing ssomething useful that hydro farmer are overlooking

After thousands of years of farming, if algae helped grow crops, it would have already been used.

The short answer is NO algae will not help your plants grow. It will only steal your plants food and eventually take over and kill everything.

vh13 · Jul 13, 2009

If algae is allowed to grow really large when the nutes run low it'll go through a kind of crash and large amounts of it will die off. The dead algae will then decompose and cause a bacteria bloom as the bacteria break it down and eat it. This bacteria bloom can ultimately cause problems for your plants, not the least of which is root rot.

Dystopia · Jul 13, 2009

Good answers all. Algae, by itself, is neither good nor bad in my opinion; its just another plant growing in your hydroponic system. However,

NoDrama said:
If the algae is just on top of the RockWool you will probably be ok, of course a piece of tin foil over the rockwool would easily cure the problem too.

True, algae on top of the rockwool is generally not a problem, it may attract fungus gnats, though.

peteman990 said:
Mess with your pH, and if it gets real bad eventually kill your plants unless you get it under control.

Yesalgae consumes CO2 (an acid) during the day, causing ph to rise, and oxygen during the night, causing ph to drop. With small amounts of algae this is not much of a problem as most nutrient solutions are buffered enough to minimize the effect. Large amounts of algae can cause hard to control ph swings.

NoDrama said:
The short answer is NO algae will not help your plants grow. It will only steal your plants food and eventually take over and kill everything.

True, algae will compete with your plants for food, will upset the balance of nutrients, and will deplete your nutrients faster. I remember reading somewhere that algae may emit harmful enzymes that kill off competitors, but I have no proof of this.

vh13 said:
If algae is allowed to grow really large when the nutes run low it'll go through a kind of crash and large amounts of it will die off. The dead algae will then decompose and cause a bacteria bloom as the bacteria break it down and eat it. This bacteria bloom can ultimately cause problems for your plants, not the least of which is root rot.

True, algae is an organic material in your reservoir. As it dies off it allows anaerobic bacteria and fungi to thrive. Couple this with other environmental factors, such as reservoir temperature or aeration, that often arent well controlled and you risk a rapid and uncontrollable demise of your plants from harmful bacteria and fungi.

That 5hit · Jul 13, 2009

.......................................ty

ripple123 · Jan 16, 2013

I was thinking the same thing 'That 5hit'

If algae is so bad, why does BioBizz sell Alg-a-mix as a plant stimulant?

http://www.biobizz.com/products/organic-stimulants/alg-a-mic

DWC GROWERs how bad is algae

That 5hit

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NoDrama

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That 5hit

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peteman990

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That 5hit

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OregonMeds

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That 5hit

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NoDrama

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vh13

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Dystopia

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That 5hit

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ripple123

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