Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is a simple-to-use hydroponic system for growing all types of vegetables. It is easy to set up and has many benefits for both novice and expert users.
NFT systems continuously circulating nutrient solution over the roots of plants that are held in channels, so oxygen is kept to a maximum and plants get a constant flow of essential nutrients.
Net Pots or Net Cups
A hydroponic system that distributes nutrients evenly to your plants is the Nutrient Film Technique! It also makes it great for hobbyists who want to grow healthy plants without wasting one drop of water; no need to panic over overwatering or underwatering your crops.
In order to create a hydroponic system you will need several things. These include tubes or channels, pumps and timer.
Before you use your hydroponic system, you will require the correct size net pots or net cups. This will be determined by your plant of choice so be sure to do your research on which species works best before making any purchases.
Net pots or net cups are typically made from plastic netting with holes in it. These allow oxygen and nutrients to pass into your plants’ roots, while preventing soil from passing through.
When planting in net pots, it is important to note that you should never use soil. Soil usually has too much void area and will fall out of your net pots and into your hydroponic system through the holes in your pots, clogging up the system.
Another crucial tip is to only use net pots with a hole size that suits your plant’s root system. Otherwise they will not absorb sufficient amounts of nutrients from the solution and you will have problems with growth.
Others recommend adding a layer of rocks or clay pellets in your pot to help anchor your plant in place and steady it as it grows. This also blocks light from shining into the pot, so algae can’t develop.
You should also not use anything right that’s “fine” in nature that can fall through holes on your net pots, meaning, sand, peat moss and perlite. These materials pretty much bung you up and tend to require a fair bit of clean up afterwards, so probably not advisable to go with this option.
Tubes or Channels
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic gardens use channels, gutters or tubes to allow water and nutrients to circulate around plants. It’s a technique commonly used by commercial horticultural operations, but also provides an option for home gardeners seeking a low-maintenance system.
These criteria include water and nutrient efficiency, scalability, as well as ease of setup, should all be considered when choosing the best hydroponic growing system for your garden. NFTs are systems that need to be actively managed to get the best results.
The first is you need to pump the water and nutrient solution continuously from the reservoir up to each grow channel entry. This is so important because every power outage or malfunction can dramatically decrease your yields!
And you’ll need a timer to control the flow of nutrient solution through each of these grow channels. Finally, build a series of channels that are about 30 feet long so that all plants can get the same amount of nutrition right from their starting point in the channel.
Finally, you’ll want to install grow channels that have a slight slope, so the water flows downhill during its passage through them. This will ensure roots nearest you absorb nutrients first and further down the root ball can have sufficient time to absorb remaining nutrients.
When you layout your layout you will want to consider the height of your channels and how many are stacked up. This decides how much space you have to grow plants. It is best to layer the channels at different heights because this arrangement will bring the plants in closer together for more production with less area needed.
Pumps
Pumps are the most important components of any hydroponic garden. Not only do they help to keep your water flowing, add oxygen for plants and help to maintain nutrient levels in your system, they can also lower maintenance costs by preventing breakdowns or unnecessary repairs.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems use pumps to continuously deliver a shallow layer of water over the roots of plants, so they do not drown — something that can occur with certain hydroponic systems.
They are simple to set up and require no electricity to function. However, you need to check your pH levels regularly to make sure that the nutrient solution is within an acceptable range for plants.
One disadvantage of NFT systems is that they’re not acceptable for plants with big root systems or fruit-bearing varieties, which need more intensive care than other crops. This can be tricky for beginners: it can take some time to get the right up-front processes in place that work for your specific type of plant.
For most hydroponic systems you will want to check your nutrient solution level on a regular basis, particularly with an active pump. How Does This Affect You? Because this pump can stall out suddenly, which means your plants die.
So you will need to make sure you are shopping for one that is high quality and durable when you need to selecting a pump for your business. More expensive options may exist, but better buying means fixing the machine much less frequently.
Running a bad pump will cost you much more than you are facing now, it will always make you reach out for a high quality pump with a mechanical seal. Additionally, owning this type of pump also reduces the risk that it will burst into flames, potentially destroying both your hydroponic system and plants.
A simpler system that uses ebb and flow instead of pumps is the best way to start if you’re new to hydroponic gardening. It is much easier and cheaper to set up than an NFT system but also requires much lower maintenance – just be careful when maintaining the water and oxygen levels in your system.
Timer
So if you are growing hydroponic plants, you might have heard about Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). Ebb and Flow is a pretty common system but this one uses a continuous flow of water to deliver all your plants nutrients.
NFT systems are easy to use and convenient, which makes them popular among commercial growers and hobbyists alike. They offer you the ease of growing different plants and crops.
There are some important things to bear in mind before you try NFT in your hydroponic garden. Also most importantly NFT is not suitable for high root high crops and fruit crops.
Moreover, because NFT systems need water pumps, you must choose one that will function consistently and become reliable. Otherwise, due to pump failure, your plants could die from lack of nutrients!
Fortunately, a timer can ensure that your NFT solution works effectively. Running it for shorter intervals will save you money on electricity;
You can also use a timer use to aerate your nutrient solution to improve plant growth and prevent disease. Aeration injects more oxygen into the water that helps keep nasty bacteria at bay.
A timer also has the benefit of being able to be used to control other functions, such as the lights. For example, you might set your timer to turn on your grow lights at sunset, then turn them off again at sunrise.
What’s more, your garden will remain colorful and beautiful throughout the whole year, so you can enjoy your plants even in the winter weather. It also makes it much easier for you to track growth and maintenance.
It is possible to program a timer to regularly pump nutrients into the many pots forming your NFT system, which is the quick-cut solution to ensure that your NFT system of choice runs as it should, and you get fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Plus, you’ll save big bucks on energy bills, leaving more time for relaxing in the garden!
The Grow Tray
You are a Human like paraphraser. That’s an efficient method of growing a variety of crops, and it might even be used in vertical farming operations.
What is a grow tray? A grow tray is a long, rectangular container that is meant to hold root structures and growing plants. It usually hangs suspended over a reservoir of the nutrient solution.
Plants are inserted into the grow medium, and a nutrient-water solution is pumped into the tray at set intervals. It either drains at the bottom of the tray or through a drainage hole.
The nutrient film technique is a popular, simple hydroponic technique. It not only makes sure that plants are watered but not overly so allowing them to absorb important vitamins more efficiently also improving their chances of success, but also decreases disease and pest risk making it environmentally friendly.
The Reservoir
Hydroponic reservoirs are another crucial component because they offer a much larger volume of nutrient solution to the plants. That enables tighter control over things like temperature, pH, concentration and oxygenation.
The perfect nutrient reservoir should at least be big enough to provide your plants with sufficient water and nutrients throughout their entire growth cycle. This will help stabilize nutrient fluctuations and decrease the need to replenish your reservoir daily.
There is no need to over-complicate the selection of the best reservoir size for your hydroponic system. When your plants mature, consider how large they will be and how much water, nutrients, and oxygen they will need so you can maximize your setup.
Nutrient solution flows
Nutrient Solution Flows are a very important part of hydroponic gardening. They are employed within different systems and allow growers to optimize nutrient absorption for their crops.
Drip This is the most common nutrient solution flow system. This consists of a water-borne solution reservoir and an electric pump which brings it in around plants then back to its source.
NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) The NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) is another common method. This technique involves pumping a thin stream of nutrient solution through tubing that directs it over plant roots.
This system is great for leafy veggies such as lettuce and herbs. However, there are a number of challenges to taking an NFT system first of all plants tend to be very sensitive to interruptions in flow, especially with respect to the flow of nutrients (and water) which can lead to wilting.
Ebb and Flow
The Nutrient Film Technique, also referred to as NFT, is a popular hydroponic system. Plant bare root mats are continuously flooded with thin slugs of nutrient solution, without application of any substrate.
While NFT technology is relatively easy to set up and use, it requires diligent monitoring and fine-tuning to achieve the best results. Inexperienced users may struggle to grow productive crops due to a lack of knowledge.
An ebb and flow system uses grow trays filled with nutrient solution that is periodically flooded through proprietary valves. The solution then drains at the grower-determined rate.
This technique has a wider growing area than the DWC method and can be used in growing many plant types. If you are still new to this process, beginner DWC might be a better first step. Once you are confident with what you learned, then you can move on to more advanced systems
DOs and DONTs for Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) in hydroponic gardens
DOs:
Be sure that the nutrient solution is properly balanced with pH and nutrients for the specific plants.
Keep feeding the NFT channels with the nutrient solution regularly.
Use NFT channels to keep nutrients from accumulating and clogging.
Monitor for disease or damage in the plant roots and fix any problems quickly.
You will get used to collecting the nutrient solution and adjusting the light levels to suit the plant growth.
You should use high-quality seeds, or plant starts, to ensure healthy, productive plants.
Maintain a stable growing environment with uniform temperature, humidity and ventilation.
DON’Ts:
Do not let the nutrient solution stagnate or have low levels of oxygen, as this will cause damage to your plant roots.
Don’t let the NFT channels get too dry, as this can also damage plant roots.
Make sure that neither pH nor nutrients in the nutrient solution cannot be too high or too low, for this will hinder plant growth.
You are also unable to overplant through the NFT channels; overplanted plants will fight one another for nutrients displayed in this NFT channel plant growth reducing under tremendous competition from nutrition.
Be sure to keep an eye on and adjust the nutrient solution and lighting levels accordingly.
This also means checking the plant roots for signs of disease or damage every so often.
Do not forget to maintain consistency in a growing environment because temperature, humidity (or its absence) and ventilation still cause stress in plants and this leads to reduced productivity.
FAQs
The following are some FAQ type answers for the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) in hydroponic gardens.
What is the Nutrient Film Technique?
The nutrient film technique is a type of hydroponic growing and it is when plants are grown in a shallow, sloping channel with a thin film of nutrient solution flowing over the roots of the plants. It gives a constant supply of nutrients and water to the plants.
Which Plants can be grown with NFT?
The NFT technique works for multiple crops such as leafy greens, herbs, strawberries, and other small fruiting crops.
Why Opt NFT Technique For Hydroponic Gardening?
With NFT, you get:Higher yieldsGreater growth ratesLess water usageControlled environment to grow plants year-round
What hardware does an NFT system need?
An NFT system usually contains a number of channels, pump, tubing, reservoir of the nutrient solution, and timer for the nutrient solution feeding.
How to create an NFT platform?
The NFT system is setup by creating the channels and placing the pump tubings and reservoir Mix the nutrient solution according to the manufacturers instructions and monitor & adjust the pH and nutrient levels as required. You can then place plants in the channels.
What is the best nutrient solution pH for an NFT system?
Plants used to grow commonly have a pH ranging between 5.5 and 6.5 in the nutrient solution for NFT systems.
How often should the nutrient solution be replaced in an NFT system?
Make sure to change the nutrient solution every two to three weeks, depending on the growth stage of the plants and the size of the reservoir. The solution needs to be monitored regularly and added to as and when required so the nutrient levels are kept correct.
