What is Pythium?
Pythium root rot can be caused by several different species of the fungus Pythium. There is also a number of similar pathogenic organisms that can attack the roots of plants in Hydroponic system. For the horticulturalist and for the purposes of this brief article, the term Pythium is used generically, to describe fungal organisms of the Pythium family and others that behave in a similar way. These fungi are common in field soils, sand or sediment of surface water supplies, and dead roots of previous crops. Pythium is easily introduced into Hydroponic systems by using dirty tools, by introducing infected plant material, or, most commonly, by way of the raw water supply. When introduced into re-circulating Hydroponic system such as Flood & Drain or NFT, Pythium can cause severe root rot because it has few competitors to check its activity. It can procreate easily in the warm conditions and transmit its spores very quickly throughout the system. Almost all commercial crops are susceptible
