I am going to run this by you in case you have any input before i start ripping out carpet. I am fitting out a room for growing at the moment and it used to be a bedroom. I will be using grow tents and DWC Bubblers. The room has always had a bit of a smell to it if you left it closed up for a while. Many years ago we had a storm and water was somehow forced into this room. This will be why the carpet always had a bad smell. Anyway, we were never able to locate how the water was getting in and it has not done it since that I am aware. However the room still smells musty. I am concerned that damp or musty carpet might be increasing my chances of the plant eventually getting a bad root disease. However, this is just a hunch and I have nothing to back this up. Plus the carpet in the room would be much nicer to kneel down on when working on the plants. My thought it to just rip the carpet out of the room before i start in hope the concrete will be a more sterile option. Can anyone give me any input on this before I go and rip it all out for no good reason. Thanks.
If you are on a slab. that could well be where the water is/was coming from. They may not have put down a good vapor barrier when they poured the slab or holes got punched in it, or it got torn, etc. It might be fine most of the time, but when you get hi water, it will come up through the slab faster than it can evaporate.
As far as the mold transferring to the roots, I suspect that could happen. Mold likes damp and dark. In between carpet and wet cement is perfect - just like in your root chamber.
If you keep your rez temps down low, its less of a worry. Do you run a sterile rez with bleach, or do you use any beneficial bacteria of any type? HydroGuard etc?
@anon32470837, I have not started the grow yet but I will be doing the obligatory H2O2 and Rubbing Alcohol clean up prior to starting and I will be using Dutch Master Gold Range Zone which is a Root Zone Conditioner. I will also have the H2O2 ready for emergencies.
Res temp should be ok, the DWC control buckets will be external to the tents with nutrient constantly flowing between them and the room will be air conditioned to optimal cool temps and humidities. The air intakes for the tents will be right next to the res’s so I am hoping it should pull cool air over the res to keep it cool enough. I also have heaters for the res’s in case it gets too cool.
Water is insidious. You tend to find that if you locate and repair the point where the original water got in that it will just find another entrance point.
When it comes to root rot why don’t you just run a sterile rez??? The only reason I can see for not running sterile is if your going organic.
@Esrgood4u, I am not certain of the meaning sterile res, but if you are just meaning using additives to prevent the root conditions then I have been thinking about it, yes. However, if there is any chance the carpet will increase the chance then i figured I may as well get rid of that too. Just dont want to do it if someone tells me something that shows it is pointless. So what are you referring to as a Sterile res and what do you suggest?
I use small amounts of poolshock (chlorine) in my rez as a preventative for root rot. Keeps the roots nice and white but Chlorine is also a micro nutrient that the plants can actually benefit from. I highly doubt the carpet will infect the plants in any way. Just ensue it’s fully dried out. Eventually the dank smell will overtake the damp smell I’m sure.
Get an enzymatic carpet cleaner (usually found in pet stores). Rent a carpet cleaner and use the enzymatic cleaner. The beneficial bacteria will help to eliminate that musty odor. At least until it gets wet again.
@Esrgood4u , thanks for that video link. I was looking initially at using small amounts of H2O2 in the res but that looks to be a lot cheaper solution.
@ReikoX , I dont really care about the smell. Just the health of the plants.
Thanks guys, I think I will leave the carpet in as it is much nicer under the knees when working on the plants. I will just run a sterile res rather than wait for it to happen and go into damage control. I have been bitten before by root rot. It was still a good grow in the end buit it was unwanted stress and work to fix it. Hence why i was thinking of using the H2O2 this time.
I think the chemical composition may be different. I’ve never seen any growers use it on any forums. If I can’t find any evidence of others using it I’d not personally risk it myself. Pool shock is cheap enough to buy and the amount you will use a tub/bottle will last a lifetime.
Thanks guys. I wouldnt risk it either unless i could confirm. If I was using something like bleach then I would just use H2O2 which I already have. I like the sound of this Calcium Hypochlorite though, I just have not heard of it before. I will check at the local pool shop and see what i can find.
EDIT: Ok, so it is just chlorine powder literally as you said. too easy. Thanks.
@Esrgood4u, You use a lot less than what that video suggests. So you are using 2 grams per gallon. where as they specify 28 grams per gallon. Any specific reason you use less or is that just what you first learnt?
I would vote to eliminate the carpet, clean and paint the concrete with this:
It’s not just the plants health but your health too! Here’s a good video to what may be happening:
You don’t want to get all your equipment in there, get things running, dial-in everything, plants growing and then decide to have to remove the carpet. You will fill the carpet with trimming crap, nutes, etc and I think eventually you’ll feel like it has to go. I would opt for knee pads or a kneeling pad when you have to get down there.
It’s just a prevention not a cure. Just in case kind of thing. If water temperature is managed and you don’t have light leaks in your buckets you shouldn’t get root rot
Get the carpet out, clean the room with some anti fungi household cleaner and or bleach.
It will collect and house a gazillion shitty things, like mold spores, pests and what not.
Sounds like it’s already ripe, with a bad smell and all.
I rented an apartment for growing, with nice clean looking carpets. It didn’t take long for me to spill a little water, then some nutes, and in no time I was having issues. Half way into flower, I got spider mites. Pretty sure they where there already, from old house plants, from the prev. guy who lived there.
Removed all carpets, cleaned up and sprayed for pests - Started over and ran problem free for years!
too easy. Thanks.
