Why use HOCL in Hydroponics? What is it? And how does it work?

 Hypo- what now? What is hypochlorous acid?

Hypochlorous acid HOCL is a natural disinfectant and oxidizing agent. We all make it inside our bodies all the time. It’s the substance your white blood cells produce to fight off infections. Which makes it harmless to animals and plants. 

It is used for generations in many industries from your dentist, to local chicken farms to keep surfaces clean. HOCL is > 80 times more effective than household bleach you might use to clean surfaces.

What is important to note, is HOCL is not Chlorine, as you would use in your swimming pool for example, its active ingredient is HOCL which is harmless. 

Since Covid, HOCL has become famous as it has been proven to kill covid amongst other pathogens very effectively. E. coli exposed to hypochlorous acid lose viability in less than 0.1 seconds due to inactivation of many vital systems. Hypochlorous acid has a reported LD50 of 0.0104–0.156 ppm and 2.6 ppm caused 100% E. coli growth inhibition in 5 minutes.

How is it made 

There are many ways to make HOCL, the industrial process we use involves the electrolysis of ordinary pure RO water containing dissolved sodium chloride (salt). The electrolysis of such salt solutions produces a solution of pH stable hypochlorous acid (HOCL)

Why is it important to use HOCL WaterMaxTM in your hydroponics system

• BioFilms

Biofilm prevention is an ongoing job for a hydroponic grower, they often form and occur as complex collectives of microorganisms, competing with roots for resources like minerals and oxygen and may promote vectors for crop infection. In Agriculture production systems, especially hydroponics, biofilms appear as a layer of brown or green algae sticking to the internal surface of pipes and tanks in irrigation systems, biofilm also contains polysaccharides and other molecules exuded and trapped in the biofilm. Pythium is an example of a very harmful fungus that appears in biofilm and is hard to get rid of, it can result in crop failure and abandoning an entire crop cycle to clean and start again.

• Scale

Depending on your source of water, its hardness and overall purity, scale can be a problem. Scale is  calcium carbonate (CaCO3), magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) built up on the inside of your pipes. Even if you use clean water, nutrient solutions are made up of high levels of calcium and magnesium, combined with evaporation can lead to scale. HOCl (Watermax) reacts with and dissolves calcium carbonates (which forms limescale). Watermax is really good at controlling scale and keeping salt residues from accumulating on drip emitters, drip table surfaces, roots or in drip irrigation growing substrates such as rockwool or coco.

In summary, HOCL is harmless to humans, we make it in our bodies, it is safe to use, it breaks down quickly into harmless components that will not affect your plants or solutions

For more information https://cleangrow.com/products/watermax

It’s features include:   • Non-toxic • Neutral pH • Increases ORP • Breaks down scale • Reduces slime • Very low TDS • Safe to use from seedling through harvest • Promotes robust root growth • Use as a (final) flush • Keeps system cleaner and running efficiently longer • Reduces mineral buildup • Increases Oxygen and Nutrient availability Cuttings:

The Importance of Hypochlorous acid from Roy on Vimeo.