This technique is essentially the most simplest of any hydroponic system. It doesn't involve the use of timers to switch pumps off and on. The seeds must be propagated first in a separate tray until they've a sufficient root base to be put into the system rarity sniper.
How can it work?
The equipment includes long shallow trays which come with a long lid keeping the machine enclosed. You can find cut outs in the lid which can be where the plants are placed. The plant sits in a plastic pot with slits to allow the roots to cultivate through them. They appear to be an inferior version of the inner pot utilized in flood and drain systems.
The trays are placed above a water tank and a push connected at one end to pump water to the trays. There should be a great gradient in the trays so the water flows down the tray and back in the water tank. Often the gradients used are 1:30 or 1:40 this stops water pooling in the depressions caused by uneven surfaces and roots. The theory is that the roots of the plants are continuously bathed in a nutrient rich water supply and produce healthy, linear growing plants.
The name nutrient film is in mention of the the thin film of roots which will eventually form on the bottom of the tray. It takes to be always a very shallow stream of water with only the foot of the roots submerged; this allows the remaining portion of the root to be open to the air and get the mandatory oxygen needed for growth.
The systems come in different lengths which can take different variety of plants. Essentially you could have any length of NFT system, though the longer the machine the more chance that flow might be interrupted. Systems more than 12 metres tend to obtain less growth in plants towards the finish because of the nutrients in the water being taken on by the plants closer to the reservoir. However this dilemma could be overcome by creating another water supply along along the channel.
Problems
I have mentioned a couple of issues with NFT systems such as for instance pooling of water and nutrient decrease in the water in long system set ups. However there are certainly a couple more.
Pump Breakdown
As NFT systems only need a small, shallow water delivery the pumps used aren't very powerful. They are also on all of the time meaning they get plenty of action within the length of the grow. This along with possible salt precipitation from the dissolved nutrients (especially in hard water areas) implies that sooner or later the pump is likely to break down. When you can catch this quickly then apart from the cost of a new pump, there's no real problem to the plants. However if this goes unnoticed it means that the roots will dry up very quickly and this can affect growth.
Disease
The plant roots are constantly submerged in water and this may result in bacterial infections such as for instance pythuim. Pythuim is better referred to as root rot and can decimate your crops when it is not detected early. You can find products available on the market that may eradicate this if you are unlucky enough to obtain it, but the simplest way is prevention. This is attained by changing the water reservoir periodically and adding preventative additives to the nutrient solution.
Stability
Heavy fruit yielding plants can be unstable in an NFT system. This really is because of the roots growing long and flat and devoid of any a lot of purchase. This causes the plant to become top heavy and they fall out of the trays - not ideal! This is overcome by supporting the plants by utilizing yo-yos, string or canes. This will give some stability to the plant and give it time to continue growing and bearing fruit without toppling over.
Summary
Despite the issues stated earlier these systems are an effective way to demonstrate the use of hydroponics. They are an in-expensive system and great to utilize as an introduction to growing your personal produce at home.
Growing crops hydroponically is definitely an green method to farm for many reasons. First it increases the total amount of nutrients picked up by the plant, second it almost eliminates pests found in soil and soil related diseases. Thirdly, hydroponically grown crops have a tendency to yield more produce than their planted cousins. That said, there are numerous types of hydroponic systems which can be suited to the home grower along with for large-scale commercial use.
Several popular systems are the Ebb and Flow, Aeroponic, NFT or Nutrient Film Technique, Continuous Drip, Rockwool Based and Europonic Systems. Since hydroponic systems may come in different sizes you can scale any one of these brilliant systems to fit your budget.
NFT or Nutrient Film Technique
Let's focus on the NFT, Nutrient Film Technique, which is really a popular system. In this method the plants are suspended in troughs and the nutrient solution is continually running through the troughs. The nutrient solution is held in a reservoir built with a submersible pump. Solution is obviously being re-circulated to the beginning of the trough system. It trickles after dark roots before finally falling back in the reservoir to start the method over. Sometimes rain gutters are utilized as troughs and they could be fixed aside of a wall in such a way that the water starts at the topmost gutter which is put on downward angle so the water falls into another gutter. And so on until it eventually ends up back in the reservoir to start over. Commercial systems would have larger troughs to facilitate more flow within the roots.
Aeroponic Systems
Aeroponics is another type of system. In this method a plants roots hanging in such a way they are subjected to the air. In this method the plants grow without a medium in some sort of misty environment where the roots are sprayed with nutrient solution. The stems of the plants are supported by many kinds of materials such as for instance foam, neoprene, or web pots. A trellis may be used to aid the plant once it starts to bear fruit. Leafy greens and herbs do very well in an aeroponic system. These systems can be useful for propagating plants after the seedlings have germinated.
Europonic System
The Europonic System incorporates the use of rockwool or mineral wool, as it is sometimes called. This material is made from molten rock at about 1,600 degrees Celsius that is spun similar to just how cotton candy is manufactured and it is similar to insulation. It's used as a result of it's ability to allow for intricate root systems. Rockwool can hold large levels of air and water which are essential to a wholesome and productive plant.
In a Europonic System, which gets it's name from the commercial systems utilized in Europe, trays have plants growing in the rockwool which have hoses that deliver treatment for every person plant. The answer trickles right down to the roots until it creates it's way back to the reservoir where it is continually recirculated. Plants such as for instance tomatoes, cucumbers, large flowering plants and peppers are good candidates for the Europonic System.
Continuous Drip Systems
Next, the continuous drip system incorporates a single plant in a pot with a tiny reservoir under it to recoup nutrient solution. Usually a drip ring is used to provide a consistent stream of treatment for the plant. Holes in the bucket or pot allow the perfect solution is to be caught in the reservior and reused rarity sniper. Here is the easiest system to set up and perfect for only a little experimentation. Commercially it's not used because it's not feasible in large-scale production.