Root rot?

[urbanfarmer]

From what I have learned while using DWC systems and other people using them, which is the only time I have really heard about hydroponic users complaining about root rot....is if you experience root rot your DO is too low. When I was doing DWC and from other peoples experience we/they used ceramic air stones and strong air pumps, not the cheap kind. Also the pumps moved a lot of GPH which help with water turnover which help with oxygen levels even more.

I have never experience root rot period in DWC, Aero, organic soil, ebb n flow/flood n drain, I have never messed with NFT never heard or seen huge harvest from them and I have never messed with drip systems either so I can comment on those.

I think you are right on the money.

[WAbedroomponics]

How can you tell if you have root rot?

[dgunlock]

I have been experimenting with hydroponic and now aquaponic strawberries – on a relatively large scale – right now about 500 plants. I have tried NFT first because I originally wanted my channels to be as light as possible. I had a pythium problem, and then decided a better way would to be to level the channels and flood them to about an inch deep for 15 minutes or so at a time, then drain them. This method would purge any anaerobic areas and also allow the roots to breath between floods, and it was better, but my plants in gravel media were still always doing much better. After a while I realized that plants that don’t like their “feet wet” such as strawberries have a certain requirement that I think NFT will never provide. In an NFT type system – the roots always bunch together and lay on the floor of the channel. I believe the culprit lies in the surface tension of the nutrient solution. Even when the channel is drained, there is a fair amount of bridging of the solution between roots and to the channel floor that simply will not drain away. This water being held in surface tension does not allow the roots to breath as they need to, and eventually will cause the roots to rot. With a gravel media – the roots can all progress in separate directions so they do not bunch together, and never lay on the channel floor. Plus the porosity of the gravel media draws the water away from each root, and eliminates any water being held in surface tension. I am certain that roots of plants such as strawberries cannot be allowed to lay together, or on a channel floor. The water surface tension around the roots is the enemy. A porous matt on the floor would help this matter – but I think the roots laying together will still never allow the roots to breath as they need. All my strawberries are now in aquaponic gravel media beds and doing fantastic. Dan
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[dgunlock]

to WAbedroomponics

Root rot shows up as brown roots with very little, or no nice clean white roots, the plant will eventually show no growth or productivity. The roots become a bit slimey as well and don't smell very good.

Dan