Oxygenate Soiless Reservoir 24/7 or just before fertigation? Pros and Cons?

Overgrowtho

Overgrowtho

Well-Known Member
What might be any pros and cons of oxygenating the resevoir 24/7 vs just an hour or so before fertigation.

Keeping in mind, I am running soiless (vermiculite/peatmoss).

Thanks!
 
For my res in DTW coco I don't run oxygen into it at all. My understanding is oxygen is drawn in as the water penetrates through the growing medium in the pot.

I did run a small aquarium wave maker to keep the res moving, it did create a bit of choppyness on the surface of the water which as I understand is what allows for oxygen to enter the water
 
Are you talking mixing just what you need when you water or keeping a large reservoir that you use over the course of time?

You don't want to leave your reservoir sitting stagnant so you want to oxygenate 24/7. I always keep a small pond pump on the bottom when using a reservoir with blumats. The pump disrupts the surface providing better oxygenation than airstones.
 
I used to run air stones in my reservoirs up until a couple years ago to keep it churning. It messed with my ph too much so I’ve since switched to a pump like xtsho said and my ph stays stable the duration of my reservoir until it’s filled again.

When you feed the plants it adds oxygen to the root zone
 
bk78 said:
I used to run air stones in my reservoirs up until a couple years ago to keep it churning. It messed with my ph too much so I’ve since switched to a pump like xtsho said and my ph stays stable the duration of my reservoir until it’s filled again.

When you feed the plants it adds oxygen to the root zone
Click to expand...

Same here, I used to run air stones in my rez when I was growing in coco with Bluemats. But it would mess with my ph so I switched to a water pump and a little bleach (by the drop!) occasionally.
 
xtsho said:
Are you talking mixing just what you need when you water or keeping a large reservoir that you use over the course of time?

You don't want to leave your reservoir sitting stagnant so you want to oxygenate 24/7. I always keep a small pond pump on the bottom when using a reservoir with blumats. The pump disrupts the surface providing better oxygenation than airstones.
Click to expand...
I’ve done it both ways. I would love to see some research on this. My commen sense tells me the minute water stops being agitated the DO levels are gunna drop right back to normal levels. I guess the only way to test is testing the oxygenated Rez then testing the water as it comes out the blumats.

I tend to think h2o stays the same. It doesn’t become h2o2. Once the bubbling stops it’s still the samewater. I think “blessing” the water might have more impact of molecular makeup than bubbling.

not saying it’s a bad thing to move a Rez around but I just don’t think it adds extra oxygen to roots. I’m pretty sure roots take oxygen in As a gas anyway so what would dissolved oxygen help anyway? Open to debate, I’m bored at work today…
 
xtsho said:
You don't want to leave your reservoir sitting stagnant so you want to oxygenate 24/7.
Click to expand...

Out of interest why not?

when I was in a full hydro system (Wilma) I was oxygenating and again as you all have noticed was dealing with pH daily.

now that I am drip DTW coco from a res I haven’t been mixing it and every time I test it it’s reading where it was set


My “theory” is that the pump is running 3x a day during light hours pulling in the solution so it’s getting a form of mixing 3x a day where the solution is actively moving in the res.

obviously the benefits of a water pump to agitate and get some dissolved O in to the water is a good thing.

but has anyone seen what happens besides the film on top you get when there is zero movement ( there’s no film on the top of mine )?

And this is not a Dickish thing.

Truly interested if there is an actual answer to this rather than speculation?
 
jondamon said:
Out of interest why not?

when I was in a full hydro system (Wilma) I was oxygenating and again as you all have noticed was dealing with pH daily.

now that I am drip DTW coco from a res I haven’t been mixing it and every time I test it it’s reading where it was set


My “theory” is that the pump is running 3x a day during light hours pulling in the solution so it’s getting a form of mixing 3x a day where the solution is actively moving in the res.

obviously the benefits of a water pump to agitate and get some dissolved O in to the water is a good thing.

but has anyone seen what happens besides the film on top you get when there is zero movement ( there’s no film on the top of mine )?

And this is not a Dickish thing.

Truly interested if there is an actual answer to this rather than speculation?
Click to expand...


How is getting mixed when the pump is just sucking from the bottom of your reservoir?
 
bk78 said:
How is getting mixed when the pump is just sucking from the bottom of your reservoir?
Click to expand...

Because it’s pulls into the head. It’s pulling the water in.

which means there is current within The water however small.
 
bk78 said:
I used to run air stones in my reservoirs up until a couple years ago to keep it churning. It messed with my ph too much so I’ve since switched to a pump like xtsho said and my ph stays stable the duration of my reservoir until it’s filled again.

When you feed the plants it adds oxygen to the root zone
Click to expand...
I used to run air stones until one of the hoses got caught on my floater valve and flooded my tent for 24 hours. So then I bought a wave maker.
 
bk78 said:
How is getting mixed when the pump is just sucking from the bottom of your reservoir?
Click to expand...

And if the EC tests the same after being stood only with the pump x3 a day would it not be safe to say that the nutrients are mixed and stay mixed within the water solution and don’t spread out.

phosphorous in the top right, nitrogen in the lower left, potassium in the middle. Lol.
 
jondamon said:
And if the EC tests the same after being stood only with the pump x3 a day would it not be safe to say that the nutrients are mixed and stay mixed within the water solution and don’t spread out.

phosphorous in the top right, nitrogen in the lower left, potassium in the middle. Lol.
Click to expand...


When I mix up a jug of kool aid and leave it in the fridge for a week the kool aid is still purple a week later
 
green_machine_two9er said:
I’ve done it both ways. I would love to see some research on this. My commen sense tells me the minute water stops being agitated the DO levels are gunna drop right back to normal levels. I guess the only way to test is testing the oxygenated Rez then testing the water as it comes out the blumats.

I tend to think h2o stays the same. It doesn’t become h2o2. Once the bubbling stops it’s still the samewater. I think “blessing” the water might have more impact of molecular makeup than bubbling.

not saying it’s a bad thing to move a Rez around but I just don’t think it adds extra oxygen to roots. I’m pretty sure roots take oxygen in As a gas anyway so what would dissolved oxygen help anyway? Open to debate, I’m bored at work today…
Click to expand...

Co2 occurring naturally in the air bubbling in the water can make the water acidic. It would take a while for it to stabilize, not instant. Blessing the water? Do you think people here that have been growing for a long time are that stupid?
 
Flork said:
Co2 occurring naturally in the air bubbling in the water can make the water acidic. It would take a while for it to stabilize, not instant. Blessing the water? Do you think people here that have been growing for a long time are that stupid?
Click to expand...

I don’t know about stupid. But no matter how long anyone “grows”, new things can always be discovered. I’ve grown for a while yet always keep an empty cupattitude. Either way check that link out and you tell me.

and perhaps. Justwonder how long is “a while”. Useing blumat a at least there is no quick flow. It could take hours for a drop of water to work it’s way through those hoses.
 
bk78 said:
When I mix up a jug of kool aid and leave it in the fridge for a week the kool aid is still purple a week later
Click to expand...

No idea wtf kool aid is but ok I guess that’s a great analogy.

Well done @bk78 you win the internet today.

so what have you found to be the issue from prolonged small amounts of water movement, or no water movement at all?

my argument is that the EC remains the same! Even when left not being mixed.

so what happens to cause any issues with your kool aid analogy?

You talking about sediment in the bottom I’m presuming?

assuming you mean yes, but my res is only 60L and gets topped up every couple of days which then full agitates the solution.
 
I use a small air pump (Marina 75) with airstone in my 33 gallon res. But it also get oxygenated by the return pump for 1 min every 10 min with a diaphragm booster pump. You don't need much. If it's just mineral salts without organics I wouldn't even bother to oxygenate.

It will last for days in the shade. I would get a big sturdy water barrel. It makes it easier to store nutrient solutions and then use a pump to fill your watering vessel of choice.
 
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