Help with aero overwatering..

ok so ive been reasearching some issues im having with my leaves and it seems to be overwatering. i run my sprayers for 15min on and 45min off. it seems like the roots are sitting in a pool of water in the drainage res. is this ok?

1. Is my watering schedule ok?
2. Since im using aeroponics should i be concerned about some roots sitting in small puddles of water?

PLEASE HELP!

aero usually feeds more often I thought, that is if there is no medium which in aero there isn't, I thinking one minute on and a few minutes off(3-4) or so, the puddles are probably more like a buffer in case you're spray isn't enough.

my timer only works in 15min intervals so im hoping i can find a suitable schedule in those regards

are u using airstones??

u need an air pump flowing through ur res so ur water doesnt get stale an ur plants dont drown.... and i really dont think they should be off 45 min....thats quite a while and with no medium in aero the roots can dry out easily

gophernutz said:

my timer only works in 15min intervals so im hoping i can find a suitable schedule in those regards

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constantly on is better than killing your shit due to it dries out. the only thing about always on is if the pump is submersible its gonna heat the water, you can get a cycle timer, I recommend titan controls apollo....can't remember the number but I have two. 80 bux or so.I'm assuming you're doing true (or almost true since true aero requires high pressure) aero not some hybrid dwc/aero , meaning all your water drains from the grow chamber and back into the res which is seperate.

yes it true aero. i u/l some pics showing the roots sitting in the drainage res. and also the problems with the leaves(which is the reason im posting) ive narrowed it down to either overwatering or a K defeciency. 45 min does seem like a long time to have the sprayers off, but 15min seems like a long time to have them on. maybe ill cut down to 30min off... in any case, im hoping some more experienced growers can identify the problems being shown on the leaves. HELP!

Jakabok Botch said:

u need an air pump flowing through ur res so ur water doesnt get stale an ur plants dont drown.... and i really dont think they should be off 45 min....thats quite a while and with no medium in aero the roots can dry out easily

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i didnt think i needed an airstone since i was using aero.. now that the roots are kinda sittin in puddles i may consider it. however, would an airstone oxygenate the water thats sitting in the res above it? in other words does the water remain oxygenated for awhile?

gophernutz said:

i didnt think i needed an airstone since i was using aero.. now that the roots are kinda sittin in puddles i may consider it. however, would an airstone oxygenate the water thats sitting in the res above it? in other words does the water remain oxygenated for awhile?

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u need an airstone in ur main res, the water on the roots will be fine because in a few min ur sprayin them with freshly oxygenated water....and u can never have too many airstones....

just the spraying will oxygenate the water to a point, temperature determines just how much DO your water can retain but yes a air stone or even two or more depending on how large the res is. another thing about constantly running the sprayers, you're nutrients don't really have a chance to puddle , well they do but since the puddle are constantly refreshed with new water that isn't stagnant its probably actually good for them. you haven't mentioned mainly details or posted photos btw. .

gophernutz said:

yes it true aero. i u/l some pics showing the roots sitting in the drainage res. and also the problems with the leaves(which is the reason im posting) ive narrowed it down to either overwatering or a K defeciency. 45 min does seem like a long time to have the sprayers off, but 15min seems like a long time to have them on. maybe ill cut down to 30min off... in any case, im hoping some more experienced growers can identify the problems being shown on the leaves. HELP!

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True aero requires a very very fine droplets, a fog more or less, if you're using a low pressure pump it can't possibly be true aero and most certainlty you wouldn't get away with hitting them with high pressure for 15 minutes at a time without some kind of root damage unless you design for a living. pardon me I'm xanned again tonite and gotta review.....

list temps and all that shit, lets see some more photos too, what pump are you using? what misters?

I would imagine it is low pressure aero from the scant look at it. I've run 30 min off and 15 but shorter times are going to be more benificial. Each system seems to have its own specific water times but you can start with the broad guildlines and adjust from there.

gophernutz said:

i didnt think i needed an airstone since i was using aero.. now that the roots are kinda sittin in puddles i may consider it. however, would an airstone oxygenate the water thats sitting in the res above it? in other words does the water remain oxygenated for awhile?

Click to expand...

the airstones go in the res not the grow chamber. water temperature is gonna determine just how much and how long your water will retain DO.

ok here are more pics and environmental details:

• im using AN 3-part nutes. grow,micro,bloom
• the ppm is now at 380 after taking it down due to leaf darkening
• i keep my pH at 5.2-5.8
• im supplementing with hygrozyme and liquid karma
• the plants are 2 weeks into veg
• im using t5 HO lighting at about 1ft away
• THE AEROPONIC UNIT IS BOTANICARE MICROGARDEN.
• the back 2 plants are dp blueberry; the front is dinafem cheese
• i have a ceiling intake vent and an oscilating fan.
• temp = 82 on avg. humidity= 35% on avg.

please note that the most affected leaves are the bottom older ones. please view images carefully to diagnose correctly. i have a picture of one of the sprayers but the unit is botanicare microgarden; that info should give details of the type of sprayers it has. all experienced growers help!

and also, the taproot on the dinafem cheese has started growing down the drainage hole and into the res. can/should i cut this root back? or should i just get an airstone as soon as possible and let it grow?

so your ph drifts down? 5.8-6.1 is the sweet spot I thought, thats what I shoot for anyway, I'm certainly not familiar with the system you're using but then again I'm not familiar with the one I'm TRYING to use (setup is a bitch).I can answer that though, ph 5.8 and if all is right it SHOULD drift up and then you add the ph down to set it back to 5.8. air is always good though.especially with high water temps

I have grown hydro (sprayers) a bunch of times and tried different things. I have a cycle timer but Ill tell ya, that 15 min timer will work fine. Set it 15 on and 15 off.
Don't worry about the puddles as long as its draining and no, you don't need an air stone the roots get plenty of oxygen. I don't think its over watering, looks like pH is off.

I check the ph daily. When I say I keep it at 5.8-5.2 I mean that everyday I add ph down and try to keep it around those levels. Everyday by the time I check the ph its usually around 6.5 then I drop it. I don't know yet how long it takes to reach that high point but im obviously keeping close tabs so I don't think ph is the problem. The pics don't do justice to how the leaves ACTUALLY look. Their very dark and crinkley, the leaves droop downwards and the tips get stale and roll under. They're growing; but much slower than they were at first. I hope someone can give good advice as of what to do. I appreciate everyones input and hope to keep hearing feedback from you all

Oh, excuse me.
You just said you need to bring the pH down every day.
I think you need a bigger res so you can stabilize the ph.

Thats all, I'm out of here.