Aero plant died/is dying mysteriously.

cruzzfish · Mar 29, 2017

Aeroponics pepper that I solved the problem on was doing well and full of peppers, then I adjusted the timer to more mist and it started wilting a few days later. I don't think the roots are rotten since most of them are still white to light brown so I'm not sure. Any chance of recovery, or failing that, that the peppers will be able to produce viable seed even while only growing on a plant for two or three weeks? Edit: The powder is sulfur dust, not mildew.

solid7 · Mar 29, 2017

Well, if the problem coincided with the turning up of the mist, the logical question is - did you turn the mist back down?

cruzzfish · Mar 29, 2017

solid7 said:
Well, if the problem coincided with the turning up of the mist, the logical question is - did you turn the mist back down?

Yes. It's been down for three days and condition is still worse.

LocalFart · Mar 29, 2017

Changed temp? are the roots in water in those systems?

JoynersHotPeppers · Mar 30, 2017

Looks like I see spider mites. There seem to be webs at the forks

solid7 · Mar 30, 2017

JoynersHotPeppers said:
Looks like I see spider mites. There seem to be webs at the forks

I'm thinking you're right... (guessing that's what the sulfur was for) But this plant seems to be in sudden catastrophic failure mode. Not likely that the mites did that, is it?
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OP, tell us more about your nutrient. Temp, PH, EC, etc, etc, etc...
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Did you get any of that sulfur into your reservoir?

cruzzfish · Mar 30, 2017

LocalFart said:
Changed temp? are the roots in water in those systems?

Temp has been fairly constant, roots are in water but this has also been constant for several months without incident. I did water it with 2.5 gallons colder water rather than 1 though, so that might have been it.

cruzzfish · Mar 30, 2017

I seem to have found it. Most of the roots are brown as opposed to their healthy white color. It is growing white roots again and it hasn't shed any peppers, so the plant seems to think it can survive at any rate. The other pepper in with it is doing fine.

solid7 · Mar 30, 2017

So, do you actually monitor any of the parameters of your nutrient solution, or are you just winging it? Couldn't help but notice that you completely avoided answering the question, when asked...

The_NorthEast_ChileMan · Mar 30, 2017

cruzzfish said:
I seem to have found it. Most of the roots are brown as opposed to their healthy white color. It is growing white roots again and it hasn't shed any peppers, so the plant seems to think it can survive at any rate. The other pepper in with it is doing fine.

Treat with hydrogen peroxide?

JoynersHotPeppers · Mar 30, 2017

Still curious as to what you found?

cruzzfish · Mar 30, 2017

JoynersHotPeppers said:
Still curious as to what you found?

It looks like when I set the timer high water condensed on the roots and got rid of most of the ultra fine root hairs. This probably caused the plant to not get enough water until it grows everything back. I'll update in a week or so.

solid7 said:
So, do you actually monitor any of the parameters of your nutrient solution, or are you just winging it? Couldn't help but notice that you completely avoided answering the question, when asked...

I missed the question when you posted it. I'm winging it. When the plant starts showing signs of too little it gets more, if not it's just rainwater. Doesn't seem to be nutrients though because the other pepper in the same system is doing perfectly.

The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
Treat with hydrogen peroxide?

I might. The roots don't seem to be quite rotten but I'll investigate.

JoynersHotPeppers · Mar 30, 2017

This is an Aerogarden right? When you let plants get that big they clog the water flows as well. I just had that happen with my Aji, it was HUGE

cruzzfish · Mar 30, 2017

JoynersHotPeppers said:
This is an Aerogarden right? When you let plants get that big they clog the water flows as well. I just had that happen with my Aji, it was HUGE

Nope. This one is handmade for larger plants. The bok choy it's growing might clog the pipes, but this particular pepper has the roots in the same chamber as the fog generator so it can't physically clog it.

JoynersHotPeppers · Mar 30, 2017

Thanks, topic is misleading kind of...I'll try to read more next time

solid7 · Mar 30, 2017

cruzzfish said:
I missed the question when you posted it. I'm winging it. When the plant starts showing signs of too little it gets more, if not it's just rainwater. Doesn't seem to be nutrients though because the other pepper in the same system is doing perfectly.

I gotta wish you luck, but if you're not monitoring your parameters, you might as well plant in a container. Shit goes south exponentially faster in hydro than in soil/container.
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I still wonder about that sulfur. Did you put it on other plants, too?

cruzzfish · Mar 30, 2017

solid7 said:
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I still wonder about that sulfur. Did you put it on other plants, too?

The sulfur was put on this plant only to deter spider mites from walking. It was added after it started wilting though and none got in the reservoir.

cruzzfish · Mar 30, 2017

Yeah, it was definitely a too much water issue and not a fertilizer one.
Pictured: Fucked roots. Plant almost completely wilted but it's a pepper so it might recover. Roots cut until no more black was visible, then dunked in peroxide, then rinsed thoroughly.