Ground Work Concord

What is the green stuff growing near the base of my plants?

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 he ‘green stuff’ is known as algae.  It is present in almost all water, even tap, and is a relatively non-threatening presence in your system.  If the algae is present in the water in high amounts it can choke off your plants or their root systems.  Algae grows in the presence of sunlight and nitrogen rich water (they are basically microscopic plants).  The presence of algae is a good sign that you have ideal growing conditions for your plants. The way to treat algae is to do one or all of the following things.

1.)        Cover any sources of light that reach into the water reservoir with an opaque substance.  This can mean putting caps on the top of netpots to prevent algae building up on rockwool cubes or other rooted media that is exposed and moist.  Algae only grows in the presence of light and by removing the light, you will choke off the algae.

2.)        Run low levels of Chlorinated water such as from normal tap water for a few days.  The Chlorine will reduce, but not entirely kill off, the algae and should make it manageable.  Never add large quantities of Chlorine to the water from a pool supply store or you risk killing your plants as well.

3.)        Run low levels of Hydrogen Peroxide in your reservoir.  The HYOX will actually kill most of the algae, but will have little overall effect on plant growth.

4.)        If all else fails, remove your plants and rinse the roots in the sink (if possible), and wash the reservoir out with soapy water or bleach.  Then refill the reservoir with tap water and re-run the system.

 

What height should my water level be?

This is a very common question, and the answer is: ½” of the height of your netpot down to well below the bottom of your netpot.  Ultimately, your plant needs oxygen rich water for the roots.  This is the case whether the plant roots are completely submerged, such as in a DWC (Deep Water Culture) system, in a drip system where water is top fed, or whether they are being sprayed from below using an aeroponic or fogging system.  Keep your roots constantly ‘wet’, no matter which way you choose to grow, and you will have great results.

Note: Never trim roots on healthy or you will kill your plants.  The only exception is removing a completely dead plant, in which case you can remove all the dead root material as much as possible.

 

How often should I water my plants?

If using a hydroponics system then only maintaining the same water level is necessary.  This prevents drastic fluctuations in pH and nutrient concentrations.  When it comes to soil usually watering one to two times weekly is the average, however it depends on the soil makeup.  A good test is to let your soil dry out 80% between each watering to prevent over watering. 

 

How often should I fertilizer my plants?

When using a hydroponics system your fertilizer remains in the water solution from start to finish at various concentrations (see TDS chart in earlier responses).  When growing plants in soil it usually a good idea to add fertilizer to your watering can and fertilize from start to finish with your plants in varying concentrations.  Each nutrient will have it’s own feeding chart that will recommend the amount of fertilizer to add, based on the concentration of it’s formula.

At what height should I start flowering?

That really depends on how large you want your plants to get.  I like to refer to flowering as the “Rule of 2/3’s”.  The rule states that whatever height you start flowering at, your plants will be done growing at 2/3’s the size.  F

For example, if you start flowering at 1 foot tall, then at 3 foot, or 2/3’s addition growth, your plant will be done.  You can initiate flowering by adjusting the lighting cycle, nutrients, etc.. This is true for soil or hydroponics systems.

 

My plant leaves are yellow, what do I do?

This is one of the most common technical support questions and can be caused by multiple problems. 

1.)        The most common problem is improper pH or nutrients.  Usually customers let their pH drop too low, which happens naturally as plants are growing well, or they over fertilize.  If your pH is between 6.5-7.0 and your nutrients are at their appropriate level it may be one of several other issues. 

2.)        If the leaves are yellow at the top of your plant it may be too close to the lighting system and it may be heat burns.  Move the lighting system up to prevent continued issues.

3.)        Insects are the next consideration and can be identified by closely looking at leaves.  If insects are found, treat them according to the pest. 

4.)        Another possibility is poor root health, which is usually visible as brown or slimy roots.  This is caused by a bacterial infection or may be caused by poor water oxygenation.  This can be resolved by adding more bubblers to your water or lowering water temperatures.  Note that some beneficial bacteria’s may change the roots to a light brown color, but the plant may be very healthy, so this is not always a 100% sure fire way of identifying the problem.

5.)        The TDS meter your using may need to be recalibrated, so check by testing the reading from a TDS calibration solution.

6.)        The plants have a nutrient deficiency that requires more frequent water changes, such as a nitrogen deficiency.

7.)        If you’re using soil you may have over watered or under watered your plants, which can show up as yellowing.

 

When in doubt, the best thing to do is run straight tap water for two days (the chlorine helps kill off unwanted infections), and then slowly add nutrients until you reach your desired level for your plant height.  This almost always perks things up and solves the issue.  Foliar feeding with Spray-N-Grow usually helps reduce leaf yellowing as well.  Note: Always foliar feed during the dark cycle or you can scorch your leaves.

 

My plant growth is stunted, what do I do?

Plant growth can often be stunted from the following causes:

1.)        Bushmaster product is overused, resulting in reduced overall height and rate of growth. Stop using Bushmaster and flush with water.

2.)        The lighting system is too far away from the growing tips of the plant. Simple move the light as close as possible without burning.

3.)        The plant is severely under fertilized or under extreme distress.  Add fertilizer and be more adamant about checking nutrient levels.

4.)        The genetics of the plant result in slower, squattier growth.  Nothing can be done in this case.

 

My plants are too tall and overgrowing my system, what do I do?

You should have started flowering at a lower height to prevent this, but now that you have that situation there are a few options.  The first is to simply move the plants around the reflector and let them naturally consume the free space in the box.  Never prune the tops of the plant or you will severely damage them overall.  All you can really do is to let them go and try not to break off any branches. You can used products such as Bushmaster, or there are other inhibitors from Advanced Nutrients.

 

I urinated in my reservoir because my friend told me to do so, is this OK?

No, you should not have done this and you should quickly clean out your reservoir.  Don’t listen to your friends, follow our directions.  Urinating on your plants can cause issues in pH due to the uric acid, causes unwanted smells, can cause hormonal imbalances (depending on the urine content), and other very undesirable effects.  Simply put, don’t do it again, PLEASE.