Flood & Drain: Plant Roots

[home.grower]

Ok, I'm not going to ramble on too much as you are all welcome to visit my thread, linked in my signature, to find out all the details.

I am working with a flood and drain system and have my plant roots exposed to light during the day cycle. A picture of my plant roots can be seen here:

http://boards.cannabis.com/attachments/hydroponics/143389d1182869365-diary-31-05-07-flood-drain-1st-try-img_0054est.jpg

I add H2 humic Acid to my reservoir on every change. This solution is almost black in colour. Are my plant roots just stained?

Can anyone tell me if this is a major problem?

Can anyone tell me what is actually happening?

Any information is most welcome

Thanks!!

[Chabnoc]

Buddy, I think that is root ROT. Light should never hit your roots.

I would flush those roots out with good PH'd water. what ever looks brown and rotten, cut out. Also change out RES, then add some Hygrozyme to you RES. This is just IMHO. Best to get another Opinion. Make sure to clean your res, pumps, and everything.

[stoneinks]

You do not want your root`s in the sun just get some black plastic and place over you tray
smell your root`s if it smell`s bad (rotten egg`s or dead fish ) you have a problem

[Chabnoc]

I have heard that it is not good to place Plastic over you tray. I was told it makes for not a good enviroment.

Do you have a few pictures of your system?

[home.grower]

You do not want your root`s in the sun just get some black plastic and place over you tray
smell your root`s if it smell`s bad (rotten egg`s or dead fish ) you have a problem

I will do the inspection and proceed to cut a few strips of correx to cover the few light gaps, (I won't cover them totally, but as much as I can)

Thanks stoneinks!!!

[home.grower]

Buddy, I think that is root ROT. Light should never hit your roots.

I would flush those roots out with good PH'd water. what ever looks brown and rotten, cut out. Also change out RES, then add some Hygrozyme to you RES. This is just IMHO. Best to get another Opinion. Make sure to clean your res, pumps, and everything.

How sure are you? To think, is kewl, but I don't want to scrifice any much more than I have to. Choppin back the roots could well slow the current progress, which has been more or less constant so far. My Dr said root development stops 3 weeks in to bloom... I'm beyond 3 weeks and wonder if chopping back the roots will ever be replaced with new growth with relatively little time to spare??

I'm flushing until the end of this week. I will probably scub the reservoir and top trays again before I commence feeding at the weekend.


I have heard that it is not good to place Plastic over you tray. I was told it makes for not a good enviroment.

Do you have a few pictures of your system?

http://boards.cannabis.com/1479389-post38.html

Is a link to to a couple pix of the setup. I'm at such a loose end with regard to the roots. So many slightly different opinions. I brought the doctor round to inspect the ladies and the Dr said I have to cover the top tray. I wanted a few opinions, just incase someone else has completed a grow under the same conditions and noticed that the root colour didn't make a difference to the over all harvest.

Do you have any contributing notes that describe how the environment can be bad when the trays are covered?

Thanks!! :thumbsup:

[home.grower]

On 3/7/07 i decided to start adding nutes because signs of lack deficiency, as oppose to ove fert.

I noticed that the brown roots must be a sign of staining. I conclude this because through the few days of flushing the roots have started to reveal their light colour as the fert is washed away every cycle.

I've since decided to cover the trays as good practice.