roots in the driptray

its not too much of a problem, as im into the final 2 weeks of flower, but i examined my driptray under the container last week and discoved that 2-4 roots had come out bottom holes in the pot and turned into a massive slimy thing sitting in the tray and covered in little white flies (same ones that are pissing me off cuz theyre irritating the fan leaves)

i just snipped the roots and made mental note to start using bigger containers, but would it have been ok to let that root skum mass grow in there if there were no bugs? its like 95% lightproof.

and also, how to kill/get rid of those pests? im not even sure how they got to the tray, since its an almost watertight seal with the pot.

Unless you start using incredibly large pots, you will probably still have roots growing out of the bottom. Depending on why they started to rot, it may or may not be a problem in the future; however, I would have to say that if you had no negative effects this time, the same will be true next time.

As far as the 'little white flies', I'm assuming they're probably white flies :D It's hard to say without a picture, they could also be thrips. Either way, if they are more of a passive problem, get some of the yellow sticky traps and hang them about plant level in your room. If the problem persists much past the sticky traps, you can try a topical pesticide or neem oil.

i figured white flies. they live on the bottom of my fan leaves and all fly away when i shake the plant. as for root rot...im not sure if there was any. the roots were white, they just had a white slime all over them (flies or mold maybe?)

ill get the traps though. my last grow had a spider mite issue that i cleared with soapy water in a spray bottle. unfortuanately, the flies seem immune to that method....

I like the sticky traps very much as they get rid of pest problems quick. If you don't even have a problem, you can use them to make sure one doesn't develop.