white russian ebb and flow problems. root rot?

ok i am attempting to grow some white russian using and ebb and flow system with rockwool cubes in hydrotron clay pebbles. i am using 2 400w lamps my temps are around 80. about a week ago the plants were accidentally flooded for 15 hours and i think this is my prob but am not sure. Ive posted some pics please ask if u need any more info to give an opinion.

a few things i suspect are

1. the salt on top of the cubes. is this a prob?

2. are (can) the cubes (be) too deep in the pebbled?

3. there is a slight amount of water left over in my trays will this small amount cause root rot?

4.my Ph and EC are going up even though the EC is a .3 in the flowering room.

it looks like a nut prob to me but why is the EC going up?

the roots are a slight tan color is this bad?

i noticed this prob in the older fan leaves first

First off, the flooding should not have adversely affected your plants. The water should have been well oxygenated and would not have caused rot. If your pumps run at a regular cycle (day and night) the pooled water at the bottom of your tray will be beneficial to your plants, not be a source for rot. Stagnant water is the enemy, fresh flowing water is not. Stagnant water is easiest to detect by its horrific odour, usually combined with a filmy skin.

Now, rockwool cubes. These things are a perfect breeding ground for mold and algae. The should never be exposed to light and should be completely submerged during the flood cycle (or conversely, never submerged in the first place) to wash out nutrients and such.

Roots, in my experience should be a bright white colour. Darkening of the roots is usually indicative of death or illness. However, tan roots may be a genetic trait. Perhaps, someone else could clear that up.

As for you leaves, the plant pics look like the starting stages of nute deficiency, but the pic of the single leaf looks like nute burn. One of the Plant Doctors on duty would most certainly give you a better opinion.

Good luck.

ya it definitely seems like a nute deficiency but at the same time my ec and ph are going up and my ec is only a .3. my Ph goes from a 5.5 to a 6.2 every day!

i gave them a good foliar feeding so maybe this will help.

they are flooded three times per day.

also i gave them .25 strength Root juice about a week ago.

do you think i should adjust the overflow so that the water goes over the cubes.

how deep should the hydrotron be?

should i put mylar over the cubes? can i cover the pebbles in mylar too or will that stop oxygen from getting to the roots or something?

i have noticed quite a bit of algae is this bad?

is the salt build up bad?

Don't go nuts on the nutrients, kindness kills. Also, a warning about foliars, if someone hasn't already, don't spray it on the buds under any circumstance.

The hydroton should be deep enough that the weight of the balls is just enough that it doesn't float in your table. So I guess your outtake pipe decides how much you actually need.

Algae is extremely bad, it will cause you endless grief. It is a pain to clean up, it jams pumps and hoses, steals precious nutes. It can be easily countered by cutting off the light, I cover my table with a piece of black and white poly held down with velcro (for easy access). Mylar would work, but it isn't as durable and keep in mind you will have to throw it out eventually (trust me on this) so cost is a factor.

I would wash the salts out of the cubes, and change the whole reservoir. This should eliminate nutrient lock that is usually associated with reconstituting salts in water, get rid of a lot of loose algae and fix your climbing ph problem. I would not put this off longer than you have too.

Good luck, er, again.

is the algae causing the high ph?

my out take is about 2". when it floods some pebbles float but most stay on the bottom.

if i just took a bunch of pics would you tell me what you would do with my set up?

thanks for all the help

Geez, you're practically my part time job.

I doubt the algae is having a serious affect on the ph.

As long as the pebbles don't shift and disturb your root systems it's all good.

Yeah, I don't mind offering a few suggestions. Pics would definably help with the diagnosis.

Keep at it, just think of that sweet, sweet bud you will be smoking a few weeks from now.

thanks for all the help i really really appreciate it!

what do you think might be causing the rise in ph? and i transplanted them from one tray to another and some roots broke off in the pebbles could this be the issue?

should i add root juice?

im going to rinse the cubes really well, put mylar over them take a ton of pics and will post later on.

thanks again for the help

I figure what is causing the rise in ph is your nutrients, but don't get to hooked up on it. There is a large spectrum of ph levels that a plant will grow perfectly healthy. The "ideal ph" that everyone aims for is actually to prevent disease not yield bigger plants.

Don't worry about losing a few roots, it will cause a little stress on the plant and nothing more. Actually, I find the plants I abuse the most give me the best weed (don't start torturing your plants though). As for root juice, I don't know what that is exactly, but I would not add it until your plants are back to their perky selves. I find a little fresh water will do wonders, then go to work feeding them.

is it safe to keep them in just ph balanced water with no nutes for a couple days even if its a nute deficiency?

how often would you flood a set up like mine?

pics coming soon

Is That a galvanized screw in your RWcube? Might account for weird ec readings

ya that plant is a male so i put it there to mark it

ok here are some more pics.

i covered my trays with mylar but didnt want to disturb the roots so i didnt pull them out and soak them.

a couple pics show a little curling around the edges of the leaves i suspect heat for this. does anyone think it could be something else?

the pic of the juv plant with the apparent nute def seems to be getting worse after a slight ec increase. most of the other veg plants are doing great is there anything i can do to help this plant without having to slow my good plants?

my budding plants are just dropping fan leaves left and right. ive flushed the rez twice with no improvement, should i just put ph bal water in it and flood with that? if so how long?

i have a few male plants that i can experiment on so i can try a few drastic measures if anyone has any ideas for me to try.