Help! Overnight wilting of both Tatsoi and AG Salad kit!

In all the years I have been AG'ing I have never cleaned my snippers. 

And ... the mystery continues.

Water temp has been mentioned as a possible issue. Well, every time I checked, the temps felt cool, and actually on the chilly side in the Harvest Elite Slim.

This morning, I pulled the plug. The Rouge d'Hiver was the least affected lettuce, and I used a kitchen scissors, now in the dishwasher, to harvest what leaves I could. 

But when I started pulling out the plants, I noticed the water was WARM to the touch! And I have no idea why.

The house was 65F/60% humidity as it rained last night) when I woke, I bumped the thermostat to 67, but that hardly seems like it would warm up the AG water to where it felt warm to the touch. All floor heat vents are at least 12 feet away from the gardens. Air coming through the air purifier below the counter is cool, i.e. house temp.

The roots looked a little discolored, slightly tan/brown, which they hadn't before, but were not stinky, slimy, or mushy feeling. So, was that root rot? Or just the roots taking some of the color of the nutrient water?

I think maybe I should get a thermometer for checking water temps. And maybe one to sit alongside the gardens to monitor air temp right next to them. (I already have an old one of those downstairs, next to the Bounty.)

At this point, I think I have to try again on the kitchen counter, but with ONE garden. I'd like to figure out if it is the location or not.

OK, then I don't think it was root rot.

Virus is still a possibility. But maybe not the only one. WHAT ABOUT MY WATER?

Today, on the very oldest leaves on the office Tatsoi across the house (which has not been harvested AT ALL), I'm seeing the same symptoms. I checked the water temperature with hubby's meat thermometer (after sanitizing) and it is just below 69F, which should be fine. House was set to 64 overnight. Room is small, door is kept closed. Not under a heating vent, that's under the desk where my PC is. Is under a window, but the temps have been in the upper 40F outside. Same GH Flora series nutrients. Garden is ONE MONTH OLD TODAY.

BUT! BREAKING NEWS! In digging around my old AG stuff, I found a bottle of General Hydroponics PH tester and the little vial. And I tested the water from the office AG and the PH was in the 8.0 range! Which, I'm pretty sure, is TOO DARN HIGH!

I checked our tap water which was in the 8.5 and higher range. And then I tested our water from the Big Berkey filter, that was 8.0 range. And then I checked a jug of store-bought distilled water, which was 6.0 range. So I think the test drops are working, in spite of their age.

I do also have 15 year old GH PH Up and PH Down. I've long since forgotten how to use, but hopefully the bottles will have adequate instruction.

It may be that the PH buffering by the nutrients (both AG and GH is not quite enough. And every time I added water, I was probably raising the PH in each garden. Does that sound like it could have caused the problems?

Yes, although supposedly they are still good, I'm thinking maybe fresh nutes as well. And a new PH kit. 

I did add 1ml to the gallon of water I filled my AG jug with yesterday, tested after waiting a half hour, PH down to 6.5. I'm about to test my nutrient mix, adjust if necessary, then try a rinse/refill in hopes of saving these plants.

pfunnyjoy, here's a link to our Nutrients section, which has a lot of great info about pH!

aerogardenaddicts.com/post/41298/thread

Thanks!

I'm also wondering if I should get some hard water test strips. I know we have somewhat hard water, but I don't know the degree. I noticed that GH has a version of Flora Micro for hard water, maybe I need that?

If my water isn't quite hard enough to justify the Flora Micro Hard Water, GH says it can be mixed with regular Micro. Does add another variable. I think I'll try the hard water test strips first. 

This is the oldest leaf from the left-hand plant, which was worst affected.



The right hand plant still looks OK. It only had one leaf starting to be affected. Which I have cut off and you can see the top here:



and bottom side:



Today, the left-hand plant might be slightly worse off, but it did not go downhill like the first Tatsoi garden did after a rinse/refill. There are 7 leaves with signs of damage, so the damage has progressed some, because previously, I'd cut off the damaged leaves. The plant doesn't look beyond recovery, and nothing is drooping. I can only wait and see.

The right-hand plant looks good. The water level had dropped, so at least one plant is drinking. I figure that's a good sign.