Requiem for EarthTainer Serial #01 - Photos of a Root System You've Never Seen Before

[rnewste]

As I was having a problem with the lower half of a Cherokee Purple I planted out Feb 14, I decided to give it a "Soldier's Death" and then do an autopsy on what might have caused the systemic problem. The photos you are about to see are simply amazing to me, and I hope informative to you. They demonstrate Nature's struggle for survival against all odds.

Now, on to: The Good.....The Bad.....and, The UGLY!!

The Good:

First, in examining the rootball, I saw nothing unusual - nicely formed with no nodules, insects, etc.



The potting mix above the aeration bench was like "root soup" - not a cubic nanometer of potting mix that didn't contain roots!



While I tried to keep potting mix from falling down the gap in the container-to-aeration bench ★★★★★★★★ with packing peanuts, I am stunned by how the roots simply pushed these aside to reach down into the water reservoir:



The Bad:

I had been under the impression that roots would stop growing downward at the aeration bench, and not try to bridge the 1" air gap to the water reservoir. WRONG! The roots made a bee-line through the holes in the aeration bench and plowed down into the water:



Here is a close up of the in-water root system. Notice the (beautiful) symmetrical fishbone-like pattern (upper left):



The UGLY:

What was indeed disappointing was a layer of green "algae" along one submerged section of the container wall. This wall was facing South, and while the beige container is opaque, I do not know if this growth on only that side was coincidence, or not:



A closer view:



So, the question to you experts out there is: Did this algae growth enter the root system and affect the tomato plant adversely, and how best to control it from developing in the future:



What I have decided to do now is to fill the wicking basket with potting mix first, then line the top of the aeration bench with Landscape Fabric to prevent this aggressive root behavior, as this will make Fall cleanout of the old rootball much easier:




"Inquiring Minds Want To Know"

Ray

[salix]

What a wonderful sequence of pictures. Thanks for sharing the "inner secrets" of a working Earthtainer. The roots actually look clean and the cross section picture of the stem looked healthy as well. I wonder if the algal scum is simply an innocent bystander?

[creister]

Ray, I think the algae topic came up last year. I had it in my water resevoirs. I don't think it adversly harmed the plants. I think that most people just concluded that it was a benign problem, but I can't remember. Your root systems sure look healthy, and so do the stems in your photos.

I know that by the later part of the season here, an odor of sorts comes out of the drain hole as I fill the resivor. The poster from Austraila, Mantis, I think had some algae build up last year.

Your weed fabric is a good idea to stop roots getting into the water. Will the tape hold under moist conditions? Good luck. I appreciate all of your posts and pictures.

[rnewste]

creister,

The masking tape is meant to just hold the edges in place while I fill the 'Tainer. As the potting mix is scooped in, it itself will force the fabric against the sidewalls.

I do recall the post by Mantis last year where he had used clear containers and experienced algae. I had thought that with the opaque surface of the containers I used, no sunlight would penetrate the sidewalls. In any event, if it is benign, then no harm. I am still somewhat suspicious of the MycoGrow fungi additive that I put in - - maybe I am being overly cautious, but I want to narrow down the variables as to what was causing the plant to die...

Ray

[amideutch]

Ray, dug out one of my many hydroponic books. Essentially you are growing your plants hydroponically by the "Water Culture method" or that is how the plants decided to grow due to the design of the earthtainer.
The main requirements are root aeration and root darkness. Aeration is being provided somewhat with the constant addition of water by your autowater system and the circulation it causes when it forces the water into the water chamber.
Root darkness: Here's what Dr. Resh who authored this book has to say. Plants can function normally with their roots exposed to light during the daytime, provided they are always at 100% relative humidity (which yours are). However, light will promote the growth of algae, which interferes with plant growth by competing for nutrients, reducing solution acidity, creating odors, competing for oxygen from the nutrient solution at night, and producing toxic products through its decomposition which could interfere with plant growth. To eliminate algae growth construct beds of or cover containers with opaque materials.
I don't know what the pH of your tap water is but you might want to check. In fact you might want to have your water tested and see exactly whats in it. As the algae is showing up on the south side of the container then maybe the outside of the container should be covered with something to block the sunlight. If another tainer starts doing the same thing then maybe get a sample of the solution from the water chamber and have it tested. Might shed some light as to what is exactly going on down below.
How many other tainers did you use MycoGrow on and do they exhibit the same problem. By the pictures of the rootmass it looks like they are doing their job nicely. Ami

[creister]

Now I wonder about my own containers. They face east, I'll need to see which side the algae grows on, the roots, etc. I know our water here has a pH above 7 due to the lime and calcium in the soil.

Did that plant put on any fruit?

[karpes]

Ray Was there a strong smell of decay when you removed the plant? In hydroponics the algae will accumulate only where the sunlight reaches. It’s usually at the top of the container and does not cause damage, but this may not be the case when it is actually on the roots. If the reservoir smells like an old pair of shoes then the reservoir would benefit from the occasional use of Hydrogen peroxide. karpes

[rnewste]

karpes,

There was actually no aroma that I could detect, when I emptied the 'Tainer. The sight of the algae was a complete surprise. If it is benign and won't harm the plant, then I will not worry about it. If you folks on the other hand, think its growth can harm the root system, then I will take treatment action.

creister,

The Cherokee Purple plant was bearing a lot of fruit, but with the 2 foot section of a "dead zone" developing in the middle of the 9 ft. plant, I wanted to open it up to see what was possibly going on. I have CP, Indian Stripe and JD C-Tex in other areas of the garden, so it wasn't a big loss to take it down now. Here is a photo of it on June 12 when it was quite healthy:



Ray

[outsiders71]

Ray,

I used to grow Carnivorous Plants, which basically grew in medium that was moist to water logged all the time. Algae was a common sight, especially on top growing on the sphagnum moss. As far as I understand Algae is not harmful to your plants, it just grows where there is moisture, nutrients and light. Apparently the plastic isn't thick enough to prevent some light getting through. Anyways what I'm basically trying to get at is that I 100% doubt that the algae is the culprit, if anything it just looks ugly, and may rob some nutrients.

If you don't want the algae growing, you'll have to wrap the containers in mylar or something similar. That should do the trick. As far as what happened to your plant, I don't know. I doubt it had anything to do with your container, because you mentioned it happened to the middle of the plant. If it was a systemic problem the bottom of your plant would have started dying off and progress upwards no?

Maybe Carolyn knows?

[dcarch]

UV light is used to kill algae growth in water.

dcarch

[dice]

Some light would get in through the drain holes, so the
reservoir is not going to be completely without light unless
there are baffles there.

The way it was plastered on the wall like that, I would
guess that the beige plastic is not quite perfectly opaque
with sunlight shining directly on it. When you apply the black
plastic mulch the next time, you could use a black plastic
bag or just enough extra (if you have it on a roll instead
of bags) to let a flap hang down to floor or ground level
and tuck it under the sides. Maybe stick a pencil through
it where the overflow holes are, so that you will notice if
they get plugged from the inside.

[furcifer]

Wow, my first post.

ok, Algae in hydro systems is very bad, regardless of how you look at it. Algae will consume all nutrients in a reservoir which will prevent a plant from feeding properly. On top of that, some algaes secrete toxins that will kill most plants. All of my hydro-systems are wrapped in white poly, it prevents light from getting into the conatiners and it is 90% reflective.

[TZ-OH6]

I've grown nearly a thousand orchids, some cacti and bromeliads in smaller passive hydroponic pots designed like your setup (yes, cacti in hydroponics), with a water well at the bottom and drain holes on the sides. The blue green algae is common. It can grow in relatively low light, and your beige plastic let enough light in. The algae is harmless unless you get so much that it physically clogs the poors between particles of media, which only happens on the side of the container anyway, and that is not going to be a problem in your setup.

[rnewste]

furcifer and TZ,

Thanks for your insights on algae. I am now taking the precaution when retrofitting the Rev "A" 'Tainers to current design specs, to apply a 6" belt of Krylon "Fusion" flat black spray paint to the inside walls:



While it may be benign in an (non-hydroponic) EarthTainer, I simply don't want to encourage algae growth.

Another less attractive solution is to wrap duct tape around the outside lower 6" of the 'Tainer.

Ray

[amideutch]

Ray, be careful with the paint as it could leach some unwanted compounds into your resorvoir. Might want to check the ingrediants. It might be better to apply something to the outside of the container. Ami