NFT Systems – Home Built DIY vs Commercial Systems

by Wayne Schultz
(Collegeville, Pa)

I’ll admit to being a newby to Hydroponics, but I’ve been researching various systems for some time and frankly I’m confused.

Let’s start with the NFT Systems – Home Built DIY (Do It Yourself) vs Commercial Systems

There are an endless number of ‘You Tube’ videos of folks who’ve built all types of NFT systems using PVC pipe, and aluminum gutter downspouts. OK, I’ve been impressed with the ingenuity of home built systems, but then there are the commercial gully gutter systems, and that’s another whole different world. What I’ve been able to view are snapshots of systems either being constructed or are in a growing mode, what I haven’t been able to do is to collect much information about system maintenance, especially on home built systems.

Now I consider myself somewhere between being a hobbyist and a micro commercial farmer. I’ve been doing soil gardening for years and with mixed results, which is why I have bought into the whole Hydroponic concept. I don’t have a ton of money to invest, at the same time I certainly am not interested in making more work for myself. So, here are a few of the things that are bothering me.

For example, a commercial 19’6” gully channel plus the lid with holes 8” O.C. (that’s about 28 or 29 holes) goes for about $22 plus packaging and shipping, and that doesn’t include any of the other essentials that you need to complete the unit - that’s a lot of money. The other side of the coin is when you’ve finished with harvesting the crop from that one channel the lid is easy to remove to clean, and then reassemble, and that’s an improvement really worth considering.

Now, for the home built DIY systems. From what I’ve seen on the videos, they all show product growing very nicely, and I know that their systems are much more attractive investment wise. That does tend to make me think very seriously about going that route. But, whereas the commercial gully channel can be easily disassembled and reassembled for maintenance and cleaning, PVC pipe and aluminum downspout type systems do not offer that kind of flexibility, to me that represents a bigee. Disconnecting and cleaning an 8’ pipe does not look or seem like an easy task. This is an area from which I haven’t been able to find any information that would help in making an intelligent decision.

I also have questions about buying other type of commercial systems, that though well engineered are more expensive than the less expensive, under-engineered, yet well performing DIY systems.

Drip & Drain Dutch Bucket, Ebb & Flow Barrel, and Deep Water Culture Raft Systems all seem to have the same type of questions to which I would like to be better informed.

If you agree or disagree, let’s talk about it.
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Answer from Stella/Simon:
Hi Wayne,
Wow, you have a lot of intelligent questions! I think you would be able to construct a fine NFT system DIY with PVC pipe. If you actually cut the top off the pipe and plant your plants in the bottom, you should have no problem cleaning the pipe out between plantings.

We personally do not use NFT technique because it is a little more complicated and must not be subject to power failures.

Hope someone else chimes in here.

Hope this helps!

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Does lettuce actually flower?

by Allan
(Canada)

I always get confused when looking at nutrients which indicate "grow" and/or "bloom". When growing lettuce, do you actually worry about the bloom part of the nutrients? I am getting mixed recommendations and no one seems to be confident in what they are saying.

Not sure what the best set of nutrients would be best for the lettuce and what stages would you would apply the different levels of growth. Would Stella's mixing chart work fine for lettuce? Any variations when it comes to lettuce?

I am using an aeroponic system that I have created. Attached.
Thanks for your help!
Allan

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Answer from Stella/Simon:
Nice looking setup you have, Allen!
The bloom, or fruiting/flowering stage does not apply to lettuces or greens. They are grown for leaves, not fruit.

Stella's mixing chart would work fine for you, just use the first two stages only. Good luck, and send us a pic when full grown.

Hope this helps!

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Compost tea

by Larry Moore
(Toledo Oh.)

I have built an ebb and flow system with 12 Gal in the nutrient tank. I would like to make compost tea from real backyard compost to use for the solution. Question is how much do I add to the tank? Also to what level should the solution come up to on the plant basket when flooding? I am growing herbs. Legal ones.LOL

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Answer from Stella/Simon:

Hi Larry,
Although hydroponics lends itself wonderfully to experimentation and "recycling", we have never tried compost tea.

Why? Since there is no soil involved in hydro, only inert supportive materials like perlite and coco coir, you must supply your plants with the full spectrum of macro and micro nutrients they require, and in the proper ratios. (For a thorough discussion, read this page):

Hydroponic Solution.

It might be hard to give your plants all that they need with compost tea; but give it a try if you want, might work.

As far as how high to flood the pots, just so the bottoms are submerged and the medium inside the pots wick up the solution (maybe 1/4th way up the pot minimum).

Hope this helps!

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Maintaining nutrient concentration

by Darwin
(Alaska)

Your FAQ section was very helpful getting my Aeroponic system started. My tomato seedlings are now moving on into the vegetative stage. I am however, confused by your instructions regarding adding water rather than nutrients to maintain volume in the tank. If I just add water, I am diluting the nutrient concentration which I thought should remain stable. So, after adding water, I have been adding nutrients to keep my concentration at the correct level. Am I missing something here?
Thanks for the help.

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Answer from Stella:

The best way to explain is this: when your solution volume depletes due to evaporation, the only thing disappearing into the air is water, not the nutrients, leaving behind a stronger mix. So you top up for a while with just plain water. If you keep adding nutrients, you will end up with a way-too-rich mixture. After a few water toppings, you will change out the whole thing. This process is fully explained here, we have had great luck with this method:

Nutrient Solution
Hope this helps!

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Hydroponic ornamentals

by Ed V. Santiago
(DA-ADP Station, Region 1, Philippines)

Two Korean teens being briefed on Hydroponic Ornamental growing.

Another image grown with Ed's Hydroponic System.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Ornamental crops can be grown successfully with Ed's Hydroponic Technique. I formulated the hydroponic nutrient solution (HNS)and results indicate that it can be used for others such as vegetables. Research is on-going and developments would be disseminated in the Internet.

View the original article here

Bubbler Power

by Memwl
(Phoenix Arizona)

Mimosa(sensitive plant)

Mimosa(sensitive plant)
moves tip the touch,to expose sharp spines
natures way to protect the plant from plant eating animals in a small raft system on
the front window sill.

View the original article here

Chemical Free Nutrients

by Luana
(Barbados)

I am new to your site and new to hydroponics. I would like to start with aeroponics due to space restrictions. On your website you recommend the GH Flora Series nutrients. However, the GH Flora site states they are pharmaceutical grade minerals. Are there any nutrient solutions that I can purchase that are not chemical based? Are there any earth based, natural solutions?

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Answer from Stella:

Hi Luana,
We have explained the reasons for using chemical nutrient solutions here:

Hydro Solution
Hope this helps!

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depth of rock wool cubes/green on rock wool

by Sue
(NH)

My seedlings have been in my hydro system for a few weeks now and are doing very well. I noticed that some of the rock wool cubes are starting to turn green on the top. I was not sure how deep to put them in the pot. Most of them I have just barely covered, a few of them, because the seedling was so small, I left them high in the pot. My Ph level is at 6.0. Should they be deeper in the pot or could this be some sort of algae? Thanks!
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Answer from Stella:
Hi Sue,
It is algae. From the website:

You know what this looks like; a greenish tinge that covers the top of the plant media, and may infest your nutrient vat, too. Algae is really not a serious problem, however it is unsightly and signals to you that conditions may be a little to moist in there. Algae growth is caused by stagnant water, excessive moisture, and light. You can prevent it from attacking your nutrient solution by using only opaque tubing in your system (not clear). Cover any ports in the nutrient reservoir with hatches or duck tape to keep light out. Other measures that may help:

If using fine, porous medium, like coco coir or perlite mixes, top each pot with 1-2" of leca stones to provide a
dry barrier. This not only holds down the lighter media, it helps prevent algae and fungus gnats.
Scrape off the algae and correct the overly-damp conditions that caused it.
Sterilize your system between plantings with 10% bleach solution.

Hope this helps!

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cherry pie 12 days 12/12

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Perlite

by Bob
(Bristol England)

Can I use perlite for sowing seeds. Also if the answer is yes do I stand the 2 inch pots in a small amount of water or will the pot become waterlogged.

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Answer from Stella:

Hi Bob,
We suggest using special seedling plugs or pots to start your seedlings, not perlite. See this page for a nice guide to seed starts, http://www.hydroponics-simplified.com/hydroponic-seeds.html.

Hope this helps!

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Tomaotes on a horizontal trellis or utilzing unused space in a greehouse

by Barry Thoele
(Staple, MN)

Tomatoes on the trellis

Ridge vent

Romaine in NFT under Horizontal Tomatoes

rafter Tomatoes

With all the floor space in a greenhouse covered with NFT systems I had maxed my conventional growing area out. But there was so much space left that wasn't being used it seemed a waste. From 5' off the ground to the 14' peak it seemed to me there had to be some way to fill that space.
I have for the last two years been working on a way to grow tomatoes in bags that would allow growing off the ground to keep the work involved in tying up tomatoes to a minimum.
I designed and sewed bags that allowed me to reclaim excess nutrient instead of drain to waste. Yet still allowed ease of planting, large enough to contain the root system but light enough to still be able to hang.
Trellising and growth would be down instead of up.
Then I got a brain storm. Why not use the 9' feet of space not being used by anything in my greenhouse.
It would take some modification to reduce the temperature up there since in the heat of summer it can reach 165 F at nine feet.(I didn't want stewed tomatoes)
I built peak vent on each end (manually operated) to create a convection flow (draft) of air out of the greenhouse. And a trellis 7' off the ground horizontally across the center.
I couldn't have picked a better system for my tomatoes.
I did little pruning I did not have to tie the vines up since they grew across the 6"x6" square fencing stretched over the trellis and the fruit was easy to pick as much of it hung down at just above eye level.
In my 30x72 drop down side Solar Star building my cherry tomatoes produced 250# to 500#'s for over 15 weeks and were able to withstand the first four frosts without significant loss until the over night temps went below 5 F (my solar heating lost the battle).
There is much more to this but I will let the pics do tell the rest.
Barry
Barry's Cherries

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Fodder feed

by Debbie
(Chino Valley, AZ)

I have 2 horses and a dozen chicken. With the cost of hay and grain going up every week, I have started to look into a Fodder Feed system, but the cost for even the smallest unit is out or reach for most people, so I am trying to figure out how to build a DIY system.
I live in central Arizona @ 5200 ft. elevation so the winters are cold and we get snow occasionally. I have a cold frame greenhouse and was told that it would be too cold to grow the fodder.
Your closet idea is great, but would need to adapt it to be used outside in the feed room of my barn.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Debbie

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Answer from Stella/Simon:

Hi Debbie,
Have to admit I know nothing about growing feed or fodder for livestock. The growbox plans we offer are generally used for 4-6 specimen plants, like tomatoes or peppers, or medical herbs.

Not sure you would get enough volume for your needs. I am posting this in hopes someone else has more experience with fodder and can help.
Hope this helps!

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Using Green Fertilizer for Hydroponics

by Svetlana
(Kharkov, Ukraine)

The company I'm working for is now working hard to develop a design project of a highly-efficient heating system for a big greenhouse complex.

We now have an idea about using tomatos and cucumbers haulm for making biogas. The biomass is put into the tank, and then, a short time afterwards, we obtain biogas (which can be burned for getting heat energy and CO2) and some waste product which is used in soil agriculture as a good organo-mineral fertilizer. The only problem is that we don't know how to use this fertilizer in hydroponics.

I've read many articles in the Internet, and many of them say that organic fertilizers are not for traditional hydroponics. But the mass we want to use is almost completely steril, and we aren't going to use any other raw materials for biogas making. No stuff of animal origin, no garbage will be used, just the haulm of the plants. Can it be used or not in hydroponics or not? What do you think about it?
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Answer from Stella/Simon:

I'm sorry Svetlana, but I do not think it could be used for a hydroponics system, here'e why...

In hydroponics, you take soil away from the plant, so you must supply perfectly balanced and complete nutrition for it.

Plants need large amounts of 6 macro-nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). The NPK numbers you see on a manure or fertilizer bag (like 30-10-30) are simply telling you at what ratio these three macro-nutrients are mixed in that bag of fertilizer. The other 3 macros are calcium, sulfur and magnesium. All 6 are provided in the proper ratio in all hydroponics solutions.

Plants also need micro-nutrients (minute traces of other elements) in order to thrive, just like you do. The nutrient solutions you buy for your hydroponics garden are different from ordinary plant fertilizers. They include all the trace elements, too. So hydroponic solution is kinda like your One-a-day Vitamins; it contains traces of iron, boron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, copper, cobalt, chlorine, selenium and silicon.

The special hydro nutrients you buy supply everything in just the correct amounts.

Hope this helps!

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Wanting to design my own hydroponic system

by Nick
(UK)

Hi there,

I'm a product design student on my final year of my Bachelor degree. I'm very into self-sustainability and for my final project I would like to design a new small hydroponics kit that would encourage people to start growing their own herbs (in the hope that would lead to bigger things, veg etc).

I know that the site suggests the "Hyrdo farm - Homegarden" unit for beginners but it is fairly large, not very attractive.

In my head I would like to design a unit that can be as small a single plant but can be attached to others in a modular fashion so it can expand as your needs require.

Has anyone got any suggestions as to what they would like to see from a beginners unit and any advice in general?

Thanks
Nick

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brown leaves on some

by Sue
(NH)

Stella,
I am growing different things with my hydro system. It holds 15 pots and I have tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, strawberries and assorted flowers. I have attached two pictures, one of my totatoes, which are doing great, the other of my strawberries, which are doing not so great. I have the MH light on them for 15 or so hours a day, water four times a day with the nutrient mix that you suggested on your chart. My PH level is 6.0. So everything is doing great except for the strawberries, which as you can see the leaves are starting to brown on the edge. So I am wondering if maybe it is not such a good idea to have a mix of different things growing in one system? Do you think the strawberries take a different mix of nutrients?
I also have another question. I also have the HPS light but was curious what to do when my plants start to flower and I have to change to the HPS light, what will that do to the other plants that do not need the HPS light. Thanks for your help!!
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Answer from Stella:

Hi Sue,
We have not yet experimented with hydro strawberries, hopefully someone who has tried will also answer your query. Strawberries are a little tricky as they have an extended growing season.

You might find this page informative: Hydro Strawberries

As far as your lighting question, try to wait til most of your plants are flowering to change over to HPS. If they are not cooperating in that manner, go on and change anyway, HPS will not harm your vegetating stage crops.

Hope this helps!

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ED's HYDROPONICS, PHILIPPINES hanging ornamental plants

by Ed V. Santiago
(Batac City, Philippines)

Click on each photo to enlarge.

My experiments on hanging hydroponic ornamental plants using my FORMULATED GENERAL HYDROPONIC FERTILIZER are promising as you can see in the images. I also use the formulation in growing hydroponic vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, pepper, pole sitao, grapes, etc. Aspiring hydroponic growers in the Philippines may contact me: cellphone no. 09196708130, e-mail edilbertosantiago27@yahoo.com. Hydroponics is still in its infancy in the Philippines and join me in disseminating the technology.

View the original article here