Hydroponic Systems - Root Rot Could Ruin Your Hydroponic Garden

Ok, so you have bought or built your Hydroponic System and you have started the process of growing your plants, veggies, flowers etc. They are all starting to bloom or grow beautifully. What could possibly go wrong now?!!

Sorry to break this to you, but you could at some stage suffer from something so bad it could kill all your hard work in the blink of an eye...Root Rot!!  The good news is that it can be avoided, so read on to find out what you should or shouldn't be doing to ensure the health and well being of your Hydroponic garden.

If the water to your hydroponic plants is chlorinated, then you may never have to deal with Root Rot. But, if like many other people, you notice that your plants are suffering from one of the following:

• Stunted growth
• Have turned yellow and then died
• Wilt at mid-day and then recover at night
• Have root tips that are brown

Then, brace yourself, you may have plants suffering from the dreaded Root Rot. One thing you need to know right now is that treating the disease is harder than preventing it, as Pythium Root Rot is difficult to control once the rot has begun, so pay attention to what follows.

So let´s begin with what exactly is Root Rot? Pythium or as it is better known, Root Rot is a fungus like organism, that is a commonly encountered problem in Hydroponic gardens or Hydroponic systems and has many different variations.

The three most common, that you should be aware of, are Pythium Irregulare, Pythium Aphanidermatum, and Pythium Ultimum. These variations of Pythium can be found in water sources as well as in soil.

Pythium Aphanidermatum and Pythium Irregulare can cause the most damage in ebb and flow systems. This is because the organisms form a swimming spore stage that can move in water and attack your plants very quickly.

Pythium Ultimum is most closely associated with soil and sand and as growers switch to soilless mixes, this species has became less important and is therefore not as prevalent as the other species of this organism.

The Pythium organism is often found in field soil, sand, pond and stream water and their sediments, and dead roots of previous crops as well as the sediment from these sources.

It can easily be introduced to your plants through dirty gardening tools, dirty pots, carried by pets walking into your growing room and also by the fungus gnat and the shorefly.

How can you prevent your precious hydroponic garden from this potentially fatal problem?

• Treat pond or other untreated water by slow sand filtration before you use it to irrigate your plants.  Other effective water treatment plans include heating the water, the use of ultraviolet light, ozonation or chlorination, all of which can stop the organism before it attacks your plants.
• For ebb and flow systems cover the reservoirs to prevent contaminated debris from entering the system.
• Pass return water over a coarse screen to remove potting soil and plant debris in order to help keep Pythium out of the reservoir.
• Disinfect all bench surfaces, potting benches, tools, and equipment that will contact the potting mix. Periodically, thoroughly clean and disinfect ebb and flow reservoirs, benches, and flood and drain floors.
• If you collect water from other sources or have untreated well water, you should have it checked or treat it as described above before using it to irrigate the plants.
• Make sure to keep pets out of the growing room to prevent contamination. They can track the organism in on their paws and leave it on your floor sand benches where it can be transferred to other important items in your grow room.

So, if the worse case happens and your system becomes infected with Pythium, what can you do? Well, apart from implementing everything described above, once you are all clear of Root Rot, you can use Biological agents and chemicals to help treat the problem.

Biological agents that can help control this organism include Gliocladium, Trichoderma, Bacillus and Streptomyces.

Common chemicals that can help treat this organism include etridiazole, etridiazole + thiophanate methyl, fosetyl-Al, mefenoxam, metalaxyl and propamocarb.

Remember, after a greenhouse or grow room has been infected all plants will need to be destroyed.  The affected plants cannot be composted because the organism also lives within the roots of the dead plants.

Once this is done, greenhouses and grow rooms will have to be treated chemically to remove any traces of the organism, especially in the areas that any contaminated water has come into contact with.

Dependent on the cause of the problem, you may also want to consider Biological pest control. This is one of the most exciting developments in modern horticulture and it offers a pesticide free future using nature's own weapons to grow his food in an uncontaminated atmosphere and a cleaner, greener world.

Biological pest control involves the introduction of friendly creatures to combat the ones that do the damage. These creatures are known as predators because they feed on the pest at some stage in its life cycle.

But let´s get a bit more in depth about the subject, so you don´t miss out on any details. Darrell explains in more depth how you should go about setting up your Hydroponic Systems and what you must not miss doing or you could end up with a disaster on your hands.

Check out how to be successful with your Hydroponic Systems

Or read about

Hydroponic Growing Systems That Are Great For Beginners