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My hydroponic lettuce setup failed after 3 weeks
I set up a deep water culture system in my basement back in February. Everything looked perfect for the first 10 days. Then the leaves started turning yellow and the roots got slimy. I tried adjusting the pH and adding hydrogen peroxide but nothing helped. Finally figured out my water pump was cycling on and off every 15 minutes instead of running constant. By then I had lost 24 out of 30 plants. Anyone else had a pump timer mess up their system like this?
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hunt.nora26d ago
Wait, your pump was cycling off every 15 minutes instead of running constant? That's insane. I can't believe a timer setting like that would even be an option, you know? I've had pumps fail on me before but never had one that was secretly programmed to be useless like that. Did you check the controller settings or was it just a faulty unit right out of the box? That must have been so frustrating watching all those plants go yellow and slimy while you're chasing pH problems that weren't even the real issue. I would have been ready to throw the whole system in the trash after counting 24 dead plants.
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keith_rivera1926d ago
Honestly @hunt.nora, a pump cycling off every 15 minutes sounds like a nightmare. Idk why manufacturers even include timers that short, it just sets you up for failure. You're right about those pH problems, I've been there too and it's maddening trying to fix the wrong thing. Those yellow slimy roots are the worst, makes you feel like a total beginner again. A faulty unit right out of the box seems more likely though, cause who would program that on purpose.
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