NFT Hydroponic system
- Thread starter asrultraz
- Start date
Sure, no problem. NFT or Nutrient Film Technique might be thought of as an extension to DWC or Deep Water Culture. In DWC the actual water in the reservoir acts as the primary medium that the plants grow into. In NFT they only end up there as a result of overgrowing the system.
The water in the reservoir is treated on a regular basis to maintain the proper pH level and the correct nutrient level for the stage of growth the plant is in. The water is also aeriated constantly to provide a high oxygen level and keep things "stirred up". At this point the similarity with a DWC system ends.
The water from the reservoir is pumped up to the NFT "chambers", these chambers are usually long, narrow, "covered boxes"(similar to "roof guttering" - which is actually used by some people). These chambers or tubes are arrainged in such a way that they are inclined at a slight angle to provide "down hill drainage". The water is supplied to the highest end of the chamber, at a very low rate, causing the water to drizzle down the flat bottom where it can be spread out, creating a thin "Film". The water then drains out of the low end of the chamber and either falls directly back into the reservvoir or else it is channaled back through a return system.
These NFT chambers have covers on them to keep out as much light as is possible because that is where the roots of the plants develope. The covers have, evenly spaced, holes where the plants poke through. A variety of mechanical methodes can be used to support the stem, so that it can grow upwards - while the roots are allowed to dangle down into the NFT chamber and be nourished by the "Film of Nutrients". As the plant grows and the roots get longer, the roots may find thier way into the reservvoir.
That is, basically, how an NFT system works.
The water in the reservoir is treated on a regular basis to maintain the proper pH level and the correct nutrient level for the stage of growth the plant is in. The water is also aeriated constantly to provide a high oxygen level and keep things "stirred up". At this point the similarity with a DWC system ends.
The water from the reservoir is pumped up to the NFT "chambers", these chambers are usually long, narrow, "covered boxes"(similar to "roof guttering" - which is actually used by some people). These chambers or tubes are arrainged in such a way that they are inclined at a slight angle to provide "down hill drainage". The water is supplied to the highest end of the chamber, at a very low rate, causing the water to drizzle down the flat bottom where it can be spread out, creating a thin "Film". The water then drains out of the low end of the chamber and either falls directly back into the reservvoir or else it is channaled back through a return system.
These NFT chambers have covers on them to keep out as much light as is possible because that is where the roots of the plants develope. The covers have, evenly spaced, holes where the plants poke through. A variety of mechanical methodes can be used to support the stem, so that it can grow upwards - while the roots are allowed to dangle down into the NFT chamber and be nourished by the "Film of Nutrients". As the plant grows and the roots get longer, the roots may find thier way into the reservvoir.
That is, basically, how an NFT system works.