Good question SME, sometimes I pull small roots out of the heads and other times it seems like little black plastic peices? I feel like I cleaned it rather well after drilling holes out of the tub but only black plastic I could be getting is the tub which only has two holes lol. I also accidentally bought extreme gardening mycorrhizae and it's not the wp one so I though I could use it in this Rez considering my intake is approx 4" above the floor of the Rez. So now I need to stop using it or at least put it in a stocking first. Then add the inline filter to gaurs against any potential hazards and redo that manifold with holes the proper size for the new sprinkler heads. Lol seems I have lots to learn and many more mistakes to go.
On a good note my closet grow with 10 plants is entering week six of flower now and have the system dialed in now but will be tearing it down to rebuild all the flaws in it.

You might try turning down the water pump pressure to prevent breaking roots. They also make cheap cloth water pump filter bags that should keep debris out of your heads. Well worth a few bucks...

You can make compost tea with your beneficials (add worm castings too) and then you can add the filtered tea to the res or foliar feed if not in flower. That way you don't end up with granular material in the res.


SME

I wondered that myself, could it be the advanced nutrients?

Purpmonkey wrote:I wondered that myself, could it be the advanced nutrients?

I don't know, I refuse to pay the bloated price for that brand.

Yeah advanced nutrients is very expensive and has all the products spread out over 1000 bottles. So you end up paying lots and lots. I bought it for my first grow and have lots left so just using in my tent grow. I don't really have anything to compare to so I don't know if it's better than any product in the market. Plus I didn't just use the AN either for about the last 3 weeks in veg and first three weeks in bloom I used a EWC tea, such as the one SME has suggested I use. I have stuff to make it too so I just may use it in my tent grow. Well it's official I have remade the sprinkler manifold, put less sprinkler heads, that are of a better quality. Drilled the right size holes for them so no pressure escapes. And installed a filter on the out going side of the pump. If I still have issues I will put a pair of panty hose over the in coming side of the pump.
I don't think it's the AN causing the heads to plug, I see roots in them and pull them out and the other stuff is black plastic chunks I think from when I built it. The other system I made has same sprinklers and same type sprinkler manifold. Yet the pump is submersible and has a filter on it and I have a filter already installed on it. Although I do not know at this point how the sprinklers are doing. I will have to check them once I harvest in 2-4 weeks.

AN is OK, (not the best) but I don't like their marketing BS and the price is a PURE rip-off. I've seen comparison grows where other brands beat AN easily.

Filters (and maybe a lighter pump pressure) should take care of your debris problem...

I'm definitely switching from AN, I got a pretty good deal on a cyco nutrients platinum package. Which again is spendy and I'm sure over hyped, I figured what the heck. SME, have you had much experience with cyco? Or have info related to it from other growers? I'm pretty sure once all that is done I want to find a aero/NFT friendly organic nute program haven't done much research but I do know AN has a pretty good organic line that is friendly in sprayer heads. No issues since I have rebuilt my system and put the filter in so I'm doing good there clones are on a 24/0 schedule right now going to grab another mechanical timer and switch them too 18/6 tonight or tomorrow. Hope every one has a great green gardening day.

I've never even heard of that brand and I avoid "packages" that require a bunch of additives like AN. While GH has a line of additives, they're optional. I think Botanicare has a line of organic hydro nutrients but I'm not sold on the organic hype anyway. Nitrogen is nitrogen. I think it's more of a feel good deal than useful, like buying a prius.

Why are you changing from 24/0 to 18/6? Plants need light. They only need dark when you're trying to get cuttings to root or when it's time to flower, imho.

YMMV...

I just noticed my plants in my closet really took off once I moved them too 18/6. Once you asked me why the switch
A bell went off in my head maybe id get tighter node spacing if I leave the light on. The reason I was doing it is that's what I read most people doing and that's what I did on my closet grow. So SME you reccomend 24 hours of light till I flip to 12/12? If so I will take the timer off and continue to do 24 hour lights. Heck I'm still new and if it works better I'd continue to do it. I'll post some lights off pictures of them tonight.

Yes, that's exactly right, with the light off, plants stretch to try to find it again. It's like taller plants are blocking the Sun so they stretch to get above the blockage.

Right, 24/0 should give tighter internodes, if you have good veg light...and you do. There is debate whether 24/0 or some amount of dark is best. I think it's silly to assume that plants need to rest or that just because "mother nature" has a dark cycle that plants need that too, they don't, imho. Mother nature is often a limiting factor and as indoor growers we can often provide better environmental conditions than nature can.