Barneys Farm Blueberry OG RDWC Tent Grow

[Michael Hunt]

Mid week update

Still chasing my tail on sorting out this drooping issue. Did a full res change last night and a good cleaning with h2o2. Also pulled the net pot to clean the roots after finding a couple slimy ones. Ran a few gallons through the whole system to rinse out any h2o2 and decided to give Hydroguard another shot. Also added some floranectar to help feed the bacillus.

Ph is at 5.8
Ppm is around 650
Water temps are 67*

Woke up this morning to a slightly happier plant than last night. I also raised the light a bit last night since it was the only environmental change that was made at the end of last week.

Last night

This morning roughly 7 hours later

She appears to be waking up hopefully the progress continues and we can put this whole droopy mess behind us

 

[Michael Hunt]

Yesterday was a true rollercoaster.

My ph controller showed up. Picked up the Milwaukee MC720 controller and pump kit. In my excitement i got started making the mounting shelf to mount it, the pump, a power strip, and gallon bottle oh ph down to the wall. Before going ahead and installing it, i decided to check the res for slime again. Pulled her net pot just to discover the slime had taken hold AGAIN. I just cleaned her roots the night before. Frustrating but whatever. Carry on.

Decided to just drain the res and start fresh after a good h2o2 scrub on everything. As soon as the level got low enough in the bucket, i could see a creature lurking in the deep. It was the airstone, doing its best impression of a jellyfish. The thing was COVERED in this slime. This little 2” long 1”diameter airstone came out looking like a baseball. Both in size, and shape. Didnt smell at all. Or at least, not as nasty as you would think. Either way, NOT GOOD.

Stuck a snake camera down into the 2” drain like to confirm equal sized lumps of this shit at every bend in the drain line. One more day and the drain would have clogged shut and had a real problem on our hands.

After finding these lumps, i noticed the chiller line was flowing really slowly and not the usual waterfall into the res. And i swear, as soon as i noticed it flowing slowly, it stopped completely. At this point, any hope of salvaging this grow had pretty much died. If the chiller cant circulate, the drains cant drain, and the air stones are putting on costumes, this little lady doesnt stand a chance. Time to tear everything apart, including the pumps and chiller and sanitize Everything im going to save. All the vinyl tubing, pvc feed and drain lines, net pot, bucket, res tank, just about everything aside from some fittings are going in the recycling. Going to start over from scratch.

Below are some pics of the nasty shit we are dealing with. It appears to be brown algea belonging to the cyanobacteria family. Has no smell, can live and clearly grow in the dark, can feed off oxygen hence the clumping on airstones, and is an absolute nightmare to get rid of. H2o2 seems to only feed it in lower doses. And this stuff can line in cold water too, so plunging the chiller temps didnt help at all. Not to mention, i have to get this stuff out of the chiller somehow.

If it rains, it pours. Or in this case, if it clumps, it grows

*Viewer discretion is advised from here*

You can see how close this was to clogging the drain line. That clump is the exact size of the ID of the drain. There were 3 of these clumps in the drain, this was the biggest.

So consider this journal closed.

 

[Rexer]

Yesterday was a true rollercoaster.

My ph controller showed up. Picked up the Milwaukee MC720 controller and pump kit. In my excitement i got started making the mounting shelf to mount it, the pump, a power strip, and gallon bottle oh ph down to the wall. Before going ahead and installing it, i decided to check the res for slime again. Pulled her net pot just to discover the slime had taken hold AGAIN. I just cleaned her roots the night before. Frustrating but whatever. Carry on.

Decided to just drain the res and start fresh after a good h2o2 scrub on everything. As soon as the level got low enough in the bucket, i could see a creature lurking in the deep. It was the airstone, doing its best impression of a jellyfish. The thing was COVERED in this slime. This little 2” long 1”diameter airstone came out looking like a baseball. Both in size, and shape. Didnt smell at all. Or at least, not as nasty as you would think. Either way, NOT GOOD.

Stuck a snake camera down into the 2” drain like to confirm equal sized lumps of this shit at every bend in the drain line. One more day and the drain would have clogged shut and had a real problem on our hands.

After finding these lumps, i noticed the chiller line was flowing really slowly and not the usual waterfall into the res. And i swear, as soon as i noticed it flowing slowly, it stopped completely. At this point, any hope of salvaging this grow had pretty much died. If the chiller cant circulate, the drains cant drain, and the air stones are putting on costumes, this little lady doesnt stand a chance. Time to tear everything apart, including the pumps and chiller and sanitize Everything im going to save. All the vinyl tubing, pvc feed and drain lines, net pot, bucket, res tank, just about everything aside from some fittings are going in the recycling. Going to start over from scratch.

Below are some pics of the nasty shit we are dealing with. It appears to be brown algea belonging to the cyanobacteria family. Has no smell, can live and clearly grow in the dark, can feed off oxygen hence the clumping on airstones, and is an absolute nightmare to get rid of. H2o2 seems to only feed it in lower doses. And this stuff can line in cold water too, so plunging the chiller temps didnt help at all. Not to mention, i have to get this stuff out of the chiller somehow.

If it rains, it pours. Or in this case, if it clumps, it grows

*Viewer discretion is advised from here*

You can see how close this was to clogging the drain line. That clump is the exact size of the ID of the drain. There were 3 of these clumps in the drain, this was the biggest.

So consider this journal closed.

Dude, I'm shocked. And sorry to hear that. That's heartbreaking.

I've never seen anything like that, @West Hippie might be able to offer some insight.

I know you said it's closed, but damn...

 

[Michael Hunt]

Dude, I'm shocked. And sorry to hear that. That's heartbreaking.

I've never seen anything like that, @West Hippie might be able to offer some insight.

I know you said it's closed, but damn...

Thanks @Rexer for hanging in here with us.

It was truly heartbreaking especially with a dwindling stash in the background. Now the chiller is all gunked up. And i’m terrified of using it and infecting our next grow with the same stuff. And with only one use on it, id rather not have to replace it already. May run a “coolcoil” to close it off from the res water entirely. Exploring options.

All that excitement for the ph controller, just to be shutting everything down unexpectedly the same day.

 

[Rexer]

Thanks @Rexer for hanging in here with us.

It was truly heartbreaking especially with a dwindling stash in the background. Now the chiller is all gunked up. And i’m terrified of using it and infecting our next grow with the same stuff. And with only one use on it, id rather not have to replace it already. May run a “coolcoil” to close it off from the res water entirely. Exploring options.

All that excitement for the ph controller, just to be shutting everything down unexpectedly the same day.

Maybe a winter soil run to get the stash sorted, then followed by a come back to hydro?

Take the plants and transfer them in to soil. Take a pic of what you've got for nutes and hopefully there's something there compatible with soil?

Your 420 fam is here to help. There folk here plenty smarter then I, and they may have a few ideas or have seen this before

 

[Michael Hunt]

Maybe a winter soil run to get the stash sorted, then followed by a come back to hydro?

Take the plants and transfer them in to soil. Take a pic of what you've got for nutes and hopefully there's something there compatible with soil?

Your 420 fam is here to help. There folk here plenty smarter then I, and they may have a few ideas or have seen this before

I considered trying to save her in some soil. But not having any on hand last night, and the rootball being large enough to have to be cut from the netpot, We decided to axe her completely. It was the LAST thing i did last night before flying the white flag and turning in.

 

[Rexer]

Ahh I understand and am sorry. I know repeating yourself on such a subject can be difficult. I feel for you

 

[Michael Hunt]

Ahh I understand and am sorry. I know repeating yourself on such a subject can be difficult. I feel for you

I really appreciate it @Rexer you are truly too kind and greatest member i know of on here

 

[West Hippie]

Michael I’d grab a 5 gallon bucket and set that girl in it . Drain the reservoir fill with city water and add bleach (between 25% dilution) circulated for no less than 24 hours , it will clear that for you . But just use the city water again and let it finish deluting for about 2 hours empty and then add water and nutrients . Hope this helps .

 

[Michael Hunt]

Michael I’d grab a 5 gallon bucket and set that girl in it . Drain the reservoir fill with city water and add bleach (between 25% dilution) circulated for no less than 24 hours , it will clear that for you . But just use the city water again and let it finish deluting for about 2 hours empty and then add water and nutrients . Hope this helps .

Thank you for the reply @West Hippie
Unfortunately she’s already been chopped and turned into cat food (one of our cats loves eating fresh cannabis leaves) so it wasn't an entire waste.

My biggest concern at this point is getting this crap out of the chiller. Its pretty dense slime and clogs pumps and lines really easily. Going to dump out the chiller after work today and pump some white vinegar through it overnight to try and dissolve any chunks in there along with any nutrient buildup from the previous run.

Any advice on cleaning out an infected chiller. Or just pump bleach through it too and hope for the best? Genuine question here, not trying to come off as rude or abrasive at all

 

[West Hippie]

I had gotten to we’re I didn’t want to tear down all the piping in the reservoir after a grow . I clogged up in the middle of flower and girls not getting fed ,disaster . The bleach has been my escape between grows .
Our cat won’t touch a leaf but the Australian Shepard will. It has to be 80% stavia ! Dosidos she takes off , must not of like the buzz .

 

[Michael Hunt]

I had gotten to we’re I didn’t want to tear down all the piping in the reservoir after a grow . I clogged up in the middle of flower and girls not getting fed ,disaster . The bleach has been my escape between grows .
Our cat won’t touch a leaf but the Australian Shepard will. It has to be 80% stavia ! Dosidos she takes off , must not of like the buzz .

Picking up a gallon or 2 of bleach on my way home from work today. I’ve scrapped a good bit of the vinyl tubing already, and the res itself has been punted across the yard. Thats awesome your dog has a strain preference. Im sure she doesnt get left alone around the plants for long

Thankfully our little vegetarian only eats fan leaves.

 

[West Hippie]

Picking up a gallon or 2 of bleach on my way home from work today. I’ve scrapped a good bit of the vinyl tubing already, and the res itself has been punted across the yard. Thats awesome your dog has a strain preference. Im sure she doesnt get left alone around the plants for long

Thankfully our little vegetarian only eats fan leaves.

Oh no to Piper in the grow room. I had an Alcapulco Gold and three OO kush growing . The Gold was on the back side all I could see was her tail sticking out . Didn’t really do much damage , now she stands at the door still waiting for more stavia. Took her with me to the new grow and she grab a leaf off the blue dream mother plant . She’s going to have to stop and take it from my hand .
Get her cleaned up and back up running I’ll follow with Rex .

 

[Michael Hunt]

Oh no to Piper in the grow room. I had an Alcapulco Gold and three OO kush growing . The Gold was on the back side all I could see was her tail sticking out . Didn’t really do much damage , now she stands at the door still waiting for more stavia. Took her with me to the new grow and she grab a leaf off the blue dream mother plant . She’s going to have to stop and take it from my hand .
Get her cleaned up and back up running I’ll follow with Rex .

The image of a dogs butt and tail wagging through a sea of leaves, knowing full well what she’s doing in there is cracking me up Seriously, thank you for that. At least she sounds somewhat patient.

I’ll be back up and running here soon. I’ll make sure to tag you and @Rexer in the next iteration of this system. Thank you both for all the help so far.

Side note, do you have any experience or thoughts on “coolcoils” ?

For those unfamiliar, its basically a wart chiller you pump cold water through from the chiller. That way the water in the chiller (infected in my case) and the water in the system never actually meet.

 

[Rexer]

The image of a dogs butt and tail wagging through a sea of leaves, knowing full well what she’s doing in there is cracking me up Seriously, thank you for that. At least she sounds somewhat patient.

I’ll be back up and running here soon. I’ll make sure to tag you and @Rexer in the next iteration of this system. Thank you both for all the help so far.

Side note, do you have any experience or thoughts on “coolcoils” ?

For those unfamiliar, its basically a wart chiller you pump cold water through from the chiller. That way the water in the chiller (infected in my case) and the water in the system never actually meet.

Got a different, cheaper solution.

Go buy a long coil of pex. Place the majority of it inside of your reservoir, and run it back to the chiller, but have your pump in a different sterile container. The cooling effect should still take place from the coiled Pex, without the nutrients ever entering the chiller.
Stolen idea from a different member


Same concept, except no worries about leaching from metal cool tubes

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Hope all is well in your world.

Thanks for sharing this grow with us. Sorry to see your problems.

Have you started a new grow you would like to share with us?

If so, please feel free to start a new journal here: Journals in Progress

Sending you lots of love and positive energy.

 

[HunterHunt]

Hey, just stopping by to see what everyone is up to. I have never seen anything like your problem before! Im sure there is some good advice and a lot of different suggestions but if you try hydro again you should try the product I use "Real Growers Recharge". If you remember on my journals its all ive used for years. Just another option for you! Hydroguard worked for me for a while as well but it seem to always be "weak" in my opinion. Recharge is on a whole other level. Hope all is good your way. Look forward to checking out another one of your journals! Problems like this is why I permanently switched over to soil lol. Its just to easy and stream line. Hydro is awesome when there is no issues.