Clogged Hubs

ptg701

ptg701

New Member
My distribution hubs clog up after a week or so preventing nutrient from reaching the plants.

When I take off the cover, I find that the screen is clogged with a fine slime which also gets into, and blocks, the outlets.

I am using GH nutes and my solution is clean and clear and my roots are white and healthy.

I don't know where this slime is coming from.

Anyone else have this problem?
 
Are your roots in the water yet ? If so take out the pump and water lines to the net pots you won't need them anymore. Is your water warmer than 60 something it shouldn't be above 70. If your getting a little slimy in there add a 1/2 oz of H202 (hydrogen peroxide) to your res.
 
The roots have formed a mass in the tubs so I am no longer using the pumps, but I noticed the slime in the early stages when the pumps were running and I had to clean the hubs several times.

Temperature of the solution is about 65F.

There was no slime anywhere else except inside the hubs.
 
I don't even run a distribution hub. Makes things more complicated than they need to be IMO. I just raise my water an inch into the basket until the roots come out the bottom (about a week) then maintain a level of one inch below the basket for the remainder of the grow.
 
MostlyCrazy said:
Did you have the netpots covered. Could be algae from too much light.
Click to expand...

I think that's probably it.

I didn't cover the pots.

A couple of the plants were not buried deep enough in the Hydroton and I could see the top of the rockwool.

It was green.
 
Yep, Algae need it moist. a small dose of nutes and a little light to thrive. I use the sunleaves netpot covers but you can also cut a styrofoam plates to block the light. Cut them to size, cut a 1" hole in the middle and cut from the edge to the hole and slip them on early. They need to be covered by the time you add nutes.

I've done the raise the water level trick but I kept lowering the water level as they grow until I'm about 2" below the bottom of the netpot to encourage the roots to get longer. It did not work as well as the distributor. Roots kind of bunched up just under the netpot. Plants stayed healthy the whole grow though. Just no massive root ball.
 
Roseman said:
He is using a plain DWC system, and this is a Deep Water Culture thread.
Click to expand...

Back in the 80's when I first started growing hydroponically, there was not the plethora of information and resources that we have now.
I built my systems by experimenting.

What I found worked the best for me was a top drip system where the roots grew down into the reservoir which was oxygenated by air stones.

Except for the top feed as opposed to the tubes going into the side of the pot, I think what I used was pretty much a Deep Water Culture system.

So, maybe like AbeFroman, I feel at ease marching in the Deep Water Culture parade, even though I am not officially a member of the club.
 
PTG701, This is your official invitation to join the Deep Water Culture!

How to Become a Bubble head

Many on this site have asked me to gather our group of growers called the Deep Water Culture together and state the reason we band together for the good of all. We Grow Hydro in all of it's forms and specialize in Deep Water Culture and DWC (deep water culture). Let me introduce some of the...
www.420magazine.com
 
MostlyCrazy said:
Yeah, it's sort of a directed drip and the roots follow the water flow. Reminds me of the difference between a buffet (DWC) and table service (Deep Water Culture).
Click to expand...

MC,Thats an interesting way to put it !! :yahoo:
 

Similar threads

newbiegrow420
Having some trouble with getting parts for irrigation hub
Replies
13
Views
2K
BloodShotEyes
BloodShotEyes
newbiegrow420
What else do I need to be ready to bubble
Replies
14
Views
2K
Roseman
R
SmokzAlot
Tea Bag your DWC
2
Replies
26
Views
51K
Rexer
Rexer
N
DWC without airstones
Replies
16
Views
22K
Aroxol
A
J
Nutrient stain on roots?
Replies
6
Views
5K
Paint
P
Back
Top Bottom