DWC sudden wilt!

[AzLaker]

Never have used a chiller....just the AC. I always kept the tent open unless I was having someone over. Temps. should never get that high, unless you're using HPS as lighting. Always kept my air pump outside of the tent. Check out piston driven air pumps....a little more expensive, but well worth every penny.
I've never used canna's rhizotonic, so i can't comment on it. Got turned on to Root 66 by a Hydroponic dealer and have been hooked ever since.
When I clone, I use Rapid Rooting cubes. They work great and are easy to transplant into your Hydro clay pellets.
Hope that helps a little bit.

AzLaker

 

[Southerncough]

Thanks! I was cloning in RR cubes under a dome for a long time and loved it until i started getting springtails that loved hanging out in the moist, pourus plugs and eating all the new roots (my clones could only maintain little white knots instead of roots), so i had to stop for a while and wait for them to starve. Meanwhile a few months ago i forgot i left some cuttings in a cup of water behind a potted plant and a few weeks later they rooted. So out of laziness I've been rooting my cuts in a solo cup with decent luck! Not as fast as other methods but the pests have a have a hard time with the water as i can see their little drowned bodies floating on top. Have an old oxy bubble cloner i used in the past with lots of luck but started getting brown slime in it over and over even with scrubbing between runs so gave that a rest as well.
As for my temps, had to shut down my AC because it burned up a power strip and mrs cough got REALLY scared i was gonna burn the house down. Long story short i had to tie the hot air hose into my dryer vent with a wye and some backflow preventer flaps, but it was too long of a run so i had to add a 4" in line fan running full power to keep the air moving enough for the compressor to function. BUT needed to shut it down to run the dryer and hopefully remember to turn it back on after done with laundry. So i had 2 fans and an ac running on a power strip that i could shut down with the rocker switch but after a while it burned out. I just moved the AC to the back of the garage and ported the hot air out of a small vent space in the wall but now need to move everything along that wall 4' so i can slide my bloom cabinet closer to the AC and pipe in some cool air. Meanwhile been running the ac to see how it does in the new spot and it's way more safer, discreet, and QUIETER than having it running next to the washer/dryer. A little worries nosy neighbors would see all the silver ducting and wooshing sounds off all the equipment running and be like "wassap with dat?"

 

[Southerncough]

So the bloom mango is dead and gone but her sister and clone nieces are happy and doing great. Not even a week after transplant I'm seeing little white root tips peaking out of the bottom of her fabric pot. I took the opportunity of an empty bloom room for the first time several years to get in there for a good vacuum and scrub before i flip more in. Tonight I ordered 2000 red wigglers and 100 night crawlers from uncle Jims worm farm (they're having a pretty sweet sale!). The wigglers will be going into a tub to compost kitchen scraps and paper waste into castings and the night crawlers will be divided into several large potted plants and my fabric potted mango for soil aeration. Seems kinda silly that I'm buying bags and bags of castings every month while tossing out my veggie scraps and shredded mail...right? Okay, a few may go diving on a hook LOL!

 

[DukeO]

I used to have issues like that. Now I use z7 water treatment in my DWC and all of those issues went away. It keeps everything clean and breaks down the salts. Been using it for years now.

 

[Southerncough]

Thanks! Will look into it. Do you use a water chiller also? If so, which one?

 

[DukeO]

No I just use tap water,nutes and z7. Before the z7 I had lots of issues.

 

[Southerncough]

No I just use tap water,nutes and z7. Before the z7 I had lots of issues.

Hey!
I was digging through my supplies and came across an old sample of one of their products!

 

[Southerncough]

Today my worms arrived happy and healthy! Very excited to start composting with them! Prepped an old storage tote with some small holes and about 3" of used coco and compost then topped it off with some ripped up packing paper.
Per the instructions gonna let them get over their jet lag a day or two before putting them to work this weekend.

 

[Southerncough]

It's been almost a week since the worms arrived and after several days of figuring out how to keep them from escaping they seen to have settled down a bit and start eating veggie scraps, card board bits, shredded newspaper, and some fan leaves from defoliation. Trick is to leave a lamp on them and they'll chill out. Rrally wish i could leave them in the dark but maybe once they spend more time making the bin home they won't need it. Starting to think the culprit is some old coco from a plant that didn't survive that didn't get a proper flush. I had a tub of used coco that i dump on outdoor plants that i put the worms in and there must be some leftover salts, etc. Meanwhile the surviving mango and clones are doing well. The new seedling mango is vegging into a nice mom, took a few cuttings from her Saturday. Blueberry and northern lights seedlings are looking happy and healthy. Got my bloom cabinet moved closer to the ac and deciding if i should mechanically pipe in cold air to compensate for the heat the 315 puts off or switch to LEDs and passively intake the cold air from the negative pressure the exhaust fan creates....hmmm
The 315 is a badass light but turns my grow into an oven.
I dread the thought of coming home to dead plants in a 130° tent because a fan went down, or some random mechanical/electrical failure, etc etc

 

[Nunyabiz]

Personally I wouldn't put anything into my worm bin that I wouldn't want in my plant.
Paper and cardboard have chemicals and glues.
Seems like most worm bins have a lid on them and high sides to keep escapees to a minimum.
My worms in my pots are fat and happy and perfectly content.
They love the cover crop and the thick mulch layer, they get plenty of food.
The better their food the better the Unicorn Poop.
Also need just the right amount of moisture.

 

[Southerncough]

Cool. Whenever i put the lid on they make a run for it. Freaks out the mrs big time. Worms all over the floor...crawling out the bin...everywhere.
But if I take the lid off and shine a light they stay put. Maybe i can change out the bedding this weekend. Otherwise try to keep them in the box until they can eat up what's in there.

 

[AzLaker]

My first thought was you wife stepping on a few of those happy little fellows. Sorry, I hope that didn't happen. That would be a mess.....squishy worms between the toes.

AzLaker

 

[AzLaker]

You put a new twist on the meaning of "put a lid on it."

AzLaker

 

[Southerncough]

My first thought was you wife stepping on a few of those happy little fellows. Sorry, I hope that didn't happen. That would be a mess.....squishy worms between the toes.

AzLaker

More of a shriek and "Eeeww!! Why are there worms all over the garage?!?! Seriously!?!" Then went on to thank me for all the nightmares she's about to have where her home is crawling with worms

 

[Southerncough]

Greetings all, so after spending the long weekend battling my temps i was finally able to get it down into the 80s. Took two 4" fans running full blast, one pulling hot air out away from the cabinet and another sucking cold air from the ac and pushing it into the cabinet 24" below the light (approx canopy level).
Since i like nice whole numbers i flipped my mango that survived going from hydro to coco on 12/1. I trained her down with pipe cleaners and binder clips a few days ago and she's ready to flower!
Really not thrilled about the temperature situation and having to run gear so hard just to get under 90°...may pull the trigger on some LEDs. Hoping to fill some jars come early February!
Composting worms are settling in and not needing the light to stay put but have kept it on anyway per the Mrs. Request.
Maybe the addition of damp shredded newspaper did the trick? Hmm...either way they're munching on veggie scraps and fan leaves and I've got a tub of carrot peels waiting in the fridge for them. Who knew vermicomposting could be so fun??