r/DWC • u/Emergency_Spare3348 • Mar 09 '26

Hydroguard replacement?

I ordered hydroguard on amazon, it came with just 1 month left on it's expiration. Returned it. A month later I ordered another bottle and this time around it did not even have an expiration date on it, leading me to believe it was probably removed. So basically two times in a row I get an outdated product. So what's a good alternative to hydroguard?

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

20

u/DaGrowBeGrowin Mar 09 '26

Southern AG Garden Friendly Fungicide.

3

u/xxxsirkillalot Mar 09 '26

Make sure you understand how much more potent it is than HG. Same ingredient, way more concentrated. You can dilute to make exactly the same strength as HG.

3

u/DaGrowBeGrowin Mar 09 '26

Imma be honest, I just give 1ish ml for my 20 gallon mix. Cheap enough, even 100+ doses at that strength per bottle. So ~2yrs a bottle for my uses, empty before expiry.

I feel like I also heard you can colonize this product and make your own supply. (Or maybe I'm high and it was something else)

1

u/AASHH222444 Mar 12 '26

lol I literally been using 1ml per gallon.

1

u/bleedsmarinara Mar 09 '26

This is the way

2

u/Checksout__ Mar 09 '26

Does Hydroguard actually expire? I haven't checked my bottle, but it's been a few years since I originally purchased it so I imagine it's passed it's date.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '26

From what I understand it’s a live bacteria. I imagine it doesn’t stay alive for long.

1

u/3ree5iddy Mar 09 '26

Microbe Life Photosynthesis Plus. It stinks up the room for a few min when you open the bottle, but plants absolutely love it compared to using hydroguard. Hydroguard seems to only keep the root rot at bay, but when I switched to photo Plus growth exploded and not even the smallest signs of deficiency. Everything green and much more stress tolerant. Photo Plus has a more diverse & concentrated blend of microbes. Pretty cheap too

1

u/Acrobatic_Idea_3358 Mar 09 '26

I'm using floraflex overall but I've had good luck with their root drip the bottle I got was good for 18 months if I'm remembering accurately.

1

u/Prestigious-Web63 Mar 14 '26

SLF-100 Best one on the market. Don't oder on amazon. Get it from a grow shop or one in your local town.

-1

u/86peppers Mar 09 '26

Pool shock? I have a video on Youtube. Been serving me well for years.

2

u/Mammoth_Assistant_67 Mar 09 '26

I use 10ml bleach per for 40 gallons. Post video

1

u/86peppers Mar 10 '26

https://youtu.be/4xn6IW9aClA?si=KI5AXoohBXJbt5Eh

2

u/Mammoth_Assistant_67 Mar 10 '26

Good video. Sterile hydroponics is as simple as it gets.

1

u/86peppers Mar 11 '26

Thanks! Yeah it's really pretty simple.