GK:can I switch from aeroponics to soil during same grow

I had a problem where my plants got root rot in my aerojet aeroponic setup(i think because the roots just sat in the water and it was warm, eventhough I changed the water every 3 to four days).
My solution:
A) elevate the trays on one side to increase drainage
B) When the roots grow out of the 4inch net cups tansfer to a 80% perlite/20% peet moss

My question is do you think this is a good idea, also if it is what extra precations should I take regarding ph of soil and ph of water. currently my aeroponic is ph5.5-6.5. Should I gradually increase my ph to 7 or what?
thanks

I think if you ran a pump in your water. It would help.
Get some air to those roots.

ok.thank you....but if i switch to the pots? what then, as far as transplanting and ph are concerned?

Set up your dirt with proper drainage and proper Ph level for the dirt. Make sure the dirt is moist when you plant them.

Don't water for about 3 day's the feed them at dirt Ph and feed schedule and they should be fine. They will adapt with a little stress so keep the temperature under control and they should be fine in about 7-10 days.

hi intoxia,
you will be taking a significant risk.. there should be no need tochange the water in your reservoir so often... water movement like jdogg said is KEY...

add as many air stones as possible...

it is very difficult to overcome root rot in an aeroponic set up once you get it...

have. you considered cloning your plants now... this is what I wuld do...

the roots that a plant grows to absorb nutrients in an aeroponic grow are different than the roots that a plant grows in soil ... meaning.. your plant will struggle when you change the medium and it could very well die...

although the 80% perlite mixture that you suggested sounds possible....

regarding the ph... I agree with zandor... you may want to start with a bit lower ph than a normal soil grow to avoid any chance of ph shock...

have you added hydrogen peroxide to your reservoir?

you prediciment is tough and will be a tremendous learning experience for you...

how old are your plants?

smiles

as you mentioned reservoir tem is crucial and is probably the most important factor regarding root rot ..

it is also very important that there is ZERO dead matter in yur reservoir... dead matter consumes oxygen in the water and exaserbates the problem... a fishnet works well to FISH out dead matter....

how many plants?

iloveyou

hello all
do you use h202? that controlls alot of my problems..
thats my:twocents:

wish you luck

thanks guys. no id o not use h2o2. I have ten beautiful new seedlings about 8 days old and getting their second and third set of "real" leaves. Most of my others with root rot either died or stunted...I did manage to save four of the more resiliant ones however and they are in soil and "seem" to be doing ok.

So what ur saying GK is that if possible I should stick to a hydro set up of somekind...?

Also, stupid but I realized that my aeroponic pumps were running 24/7 and i looked at some other grower's setup and they were running only 15 minutes an hour. Perhaps I wont have root rot if they get a mintue to breathe!?!

maybe the pump is creating too much heat?

Hi Inoxia

if your plants are that young you may be safe with a soil transfer... I imagined older plants... 20+ days old.. my bad...

8 days should be more than ok for a soil transfer...

It is actually bizarre to me that a baby plant of only 8 days can get root rot..

It's like getting a cavity when you only have one tooth.. LOL

iloveyou

keep us posted I am curious how this turns out regardless of what choices you make... GOOD LUCK

iloveyou

Switching back to dirt after going hydro? I never heard of that. I don't suggest it except maybe just for these plants. Yes you can. Just make sure the soil is moist, then let it dry out completely aftery transplanting before watering. They should be fine. I've done it with small plants.

If you want to avoid root rot keep your resevior moving with a submersable pump that has an adjustable power head. You can move it around where you want, it sucks in air and spits out bubbles with the water. If your res is too deep though it won't suck air and you'll need to inject it with a small air pump. And don't let your nutes get too hot.

I think I am getting a migraine.:D Y'all are better at cryptic dechipering than I am.




b0nger

Does anyone else sometimes open these posts and some of the letters are scrambled ? And no, I have not smoked one yet today. Any Mod feel free to delete my previous post. It makes no sense now that I see it must have been a glitch with site and not everyone typing in hyroglyphics.


b0nger

No problems like that here.