NFT first time gorw just a few basic questions. PLEASEE HELP...

hi i am starting my first grow on a nft i am just wondering a few things ..... how often would i change the reseviour ? what problems if any have you pros ocured wile doing your own ? what are things to check reguarly ? how big can you let your plants get seeing as they have o soil to anchor them in place ? what are the best nutes to use with this system ? and just any tips really ? thanks alot for your time reading any awnsers is better than no anwsers thanks alot nicnac
this is what sort of thng i am looking for aparently it can hold 10-20 plants

any one know anything

Start reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your going to need EC tester pH tester DIGITAL as you have to be precise. Res change weekly or if you have problems, you use 6x6 rockwool blocks,


Have you ever grown anything before?


J

no i have never grown before , i was going to do soil and pots at first then i changed my mind all of a sudden and went for the NFT , what is EC? ive been looking up the growers slang trying to get more familiar with it , i am a newbie but i have read up lots so i know a little but no where near as much as i would , have you ever done NFT ? what can you advise on ?
thanks alot for taking the time to awnser mate i wanna make what you got on your display pic

where are you from (country, dont want your address) ?

UK , USA?

im guessing UK like me?


J

yeah S.E UK

ok here is my honest advice to you.

Go out and find as many as you can of URBAN GARDEN MAGAZINE and start reading, get yourself some hydroponics books.


There is alot that you need to know about NFT that is better coming from multiple sources, spend your shit times reading on the bog etc.

NFT has the capacity to produce huge yields but also huge losses if you get it wrong.


What kind of budget do you have for this grow?? This will undoubtedly decide the system you choose .


J

me and my pal have 2000 to spend in a fully insulated garden shed we built specialy for this it measures 2x2x2.5m , we bought the grow bibal , have read that the things i hear about the NFT are make sure the PH and the water levels are right would you recomend getting a RO unit? what are the things that can go wrong with the NFT have you ever done it yourself??

do you know how big i can leave the girls vegging before i switch them over to the 12/12 like how big i can leave them before they start to topple ova

Dont use it personally but have read and understand it.

I use COCO COIR in pots hand watering where pH and EC levels are constantly checked.

if you get a problem with 1 plant you generally get it with all 20.


My advice to you is start by hand watering soil or soiless. Learn all you can and READ READ READ. In a 2x2x2.5 your budget will be swallowed up by lighting ventilation odour control.

Perfect your environment first get a few learning grows under your belt then look to better your setup.

have you tested your shed for min/max temps and RH?

You need 20C during the dark cycle if your room falls below 18C you need a heater. Do you have all electricity sorted? You are going to need at least 2xdouble sockts actually on the circuit not just ext lead from house to shed etc, more money to get this done etc


RO is only really needed for hard water areas. Is your water hard or soft?


J

nicnac90 said:

do you know how big i can leave the girls vegging before i switch them over to the 12/12 like how big i can leave them before they start to topple ova

Click to expand...

Again you need to read about this yourself in a 6x6 rockwool block you could support any size plant but you may need to use plant support YOYO's suspended from ceiling to keep them steady.

have you thought about ventilation ? Exhaust and intake or whether you will run a sealed room? If its sealed you will need AC and Co2 enrichment. another 250 GBP


J

EC METER 50 GBP
PH METER 50 GBP
LIGHTING 100-400 GBP depending on amount of lights
VENTILATION 200-500
NFT SYSTEM 100-300
NUTES 100-200
Co2 200-300
AC 100


You get the idea.


J

my areas water is hard , why cant i use extension leads is there too much power , my pals own a hydro store the lights carbon and fans r gunna cost around 1000-1100 , we was going to do soil but we had issues of space and watering the plants , what is RH , we are buying a temp and humidity gauge sum time this week , we will do ir proper we just need sum guidlines , yeah we know about if one plant goes wrong all will go but is there seriosli that much that cn go wrong my firned will b checking the setup twice maybe 3 times a day are they forgiving systems if something goes wrong and how long will it give u to rectify them mistakes ? we really would like to do the NFT beacue of the yield oppertunites and the time it takes compared to a soil grow , isit really that hard ?

yes we have a 8 inch duct wich will be blowing in air and a 8 inch duct what the carbon filter will sit on blowing out air and maybe a few of them ona gel stuff within the actual vent itself

for a first grow and no real clue about what im talkin about yes it will be.

If your friend runs a hydro store go and chew his ear off and get some hydro mags. A few issues ago URBAN GARDEN had an NFT article read it!

temp changes in your res can cause immediate effects. Usually anything from a few hours to a few days to rectify problems.


Ask your grow shop guy about using ext leads to plug in lights. If he tells you its safe he doesnt grow himself!

Do you plan on plugging your lights into a timer? If so you will need electrical contactors as timers can only switch 125w-480w before they malfunction causing another problem.



J

nicnac90 said:

yes we have a 8 inch duct wich will be blowing in air and a 8 inch duct what the carbon filter will sit on blowing out air and maybe a few of them ona gel stuff within the actual vent itself

Click to expand...

8inch fans create around 55dB of noise which is pretty loud. Any neighbours ?

J

you fucking know evrything you are a legend ! yes i was getting a nutirent tank heater aswell do you know the ideal temp for the nute? i recently found thisView attachment 1336496 tis is handy i dont know if it right , i am not a thicko and i think i could give this a shot aslong as it is not majorly hard if all the things i need to do is keep the ph the water level the temp and humidity as it should you think i got a good chance ? do you know what bubblers are i am having trouble finding stuff about them ? thanks alot for your time mate apreciate it alot !

yes he wave neighbours isit worth forking out for the insulated ducting ? what do you use for ventilation ? do you have nose issues?

bubbles? You mean an aquarium air pump!

ideal res temp during veg is 20-21C

flowering the same or as low as 18C.

Strength of your nutes will be important to this is EC.


J

either way if i do soil or nft i will stil need carbon filter and fans wont i ? we did want to do soil to start off but i have read countless times that hdro is much better than soil not so much in taste but for yiels purposes so we decieded to switch over to nft but i am really not sure you are starting to scaremee off it now