alright lads in need the low down on NFT systems r they any gd? i hear that Drip systems aren't very gd is that true?

Are NFTs a hassle or good to use. Or do u know of any other systems that r gd.

Thanks guys and happy tokin!

All systems are good in The right hands from passive hydroponics through to n.f.t.It depends on the experience you have,if it was my first grow ide start with passive or a bubbler as n.f.t is a bit more unforgiving what ide suggest is you look through the forums here or purchase a good book before you decide on what system is for you.

NFT systems are a pain if you're doing a DIY job, but the Growth Technology NFT kits are very easy to use - one of the easiest for the beginner.

I use a nft205 system and I think its exellent but as the man says it can be unforgiving i.e tank drying out(pump burn out).
I would try something basic to give you an idea of what too expect from the plants, but if you like just go for the nft and learn as you go.

right guys i have a N.F.T. 604 system and i have growen all kinds of tropical hybrids in all kind of set ups and i have to say that nft is the way to grow . the speed the plants veg is . well i get 2 inch of grow a day . i must say you have to watch the p.h every day but big buds clean set up ? watch them grow ... i say get a nft table and you will never look back . i have the 604 table with 2x 600 hps shining o it and i put 8 plants in it at 1 time and all i do is watch the water levels and the E.C and p.h .... a lot to be said for nft


( HAPPY GROWING FELLOW COMRADS )

oh for goodness sake! - I still can't see the point in hydro, especially for a beginner - its costly, fiddly, prone to breakdowns, and most importantly, terribly unforgiving - one cock-up - no crop! IMHO learn to grow with soil first (cheap, easy, forgiving) - then if you are a nerdy gadget/control freak who wants to wring the last bit of speed and size of grow (usually to the detriment of the taste) out of his growroom,and spend lots of happy hours tinkering with ec meters, ph meters, busted pumps, clogged pipes etc. - then go for the life support system and feed it chemicals (if you really must!)
I reckon growing ganja's like taking your little boy fishing - if he catches a fish first time......he's hooked for life!

hey..

i have grown in perlite, soil and nft... i love the taste of bud grown in soil but find it is more guess work with nutes which is often harder for the beginner... with NFT you can tell with two meters (or one comb ec & ph) exactly what your plants are having - and it dont take long u just dip it in the water. If u clean the pump once a week then u have no problems with it. It is very clean and no potting up which can be messy, damn site cleaner than perlite which just seems to get everywhere!

Anyway... i started in soil but beleive i wouldve learnt more about the plant faster and more precisely starting with NFT.. IMO! good luck choosing!

pez

Im with farmweb, what could be easier for a beginner than putting a seed in a pot of earth and watering it? certainly not hydro, also nutes are less critical in soil as is PH/EC levels, i can leave my plants grown in soil for a week without even going in there, and i havent checked my soil ph in six months!! just my 'up the soil bid!!', BBB

I would personally say to start with big pots of perlite first, if there is any intention of going on to an active hydro system, because a passive hydro system (like a big pot of perlite) is going to teach the basics of making up a tank of nutrients and feeding a plant.
Soil is OK to an extent, but is much harder to sort out any nutrient problems that occur because by its nature, its much more difficult to get an accurate sense of how many nutrient salts are crystallised in your medium, not to mention the ph of the soil (those soil ph testers are crap).
The advantage of perlite is that its completely inert, so the only nutrients present are the ones you put in. Its also much easier to get rid of any excess - stick the plant in a warm shower once a week or fortnight, for 10 - 15 mins and you are back to a nice inert growing medium.
Also, because you have a lot of air held in the medium, you get more oxygen to the roots, so the plants tend to grow faster
The main thing to be aware of with perlite is that the dust is really bad for you if inhaled. Before you fill your pots, make sure the perlite in the bag is good and wet, so that there is no dust.
And yeah, it gets all over -one of those little dust buster hand held vacuums are invaluable when you are using it.

NFT is def the way to go, once you get the hang of things though. Its my system of preference, without a shadow of a doubt

got 9 oz out of nft 205 on 2nd attempt well pleased hydro all day

Has anyone tried/used or currently using one of the GroWell NFT kits?

Id assume an all-in-one kit would be relatively easy to use, or the flipside is it could be a huge pile of

I heard praise fro many peeps to the point where I almost ordered one ... until a little cockup cam about and funds ran dry.

Detoxed

I have a growell NFT205 kit, this is the first time I have grown indoors and its great. easy to use no mess no fuss. Havent had problems with pumps or lights so far. As mentioned above get a book and learn more about it.....

easy all,

this must be the biggest question for all noobs starting out, which system to use. it has been said before, and i shall echo that soil is THE best way to start, as its more forgiving and easy to do (plant, pot, soil, water).

BUT.....

i decided to go with the 4 plant 'hydropot' system from growell. basically it is the simplest form of hydroponics, and i would think also very similar to soil, in a way. I have 4 5ltr pots, with a 6" grodan mega block in the pot, surrounded by cellmax (inert growing medium, like real small grodan cubes loose mix). i water whenever they need it to PH checked water, and /4 strength nutes, and it is suprisingly easy to do.

i also like the fact they are in POTS, so i can move them around if a plant is struggling for light, however, i underwatered them for a day, and lost 2 babies, my lesson learnt!

i read all over this site that soild is the best for beginners, primarily cos its soooooo forgiving, and ALL noobies fuck up!...at least once,....so the extra leeway is apprciated.

GO SOIL! GO SOIL!

ahem......just my toupee!
respect
BB

Something similar is the autopot or autopak cant remember name. It automatically waters your plants in corect doeses without reuqireing pumps or any electricity. That and NFT are the top 2 in hydro for me. Anything more complex like aero aint worth the hassle or anything simpler like bubbler, while nice, is not amazing enough for me to switch from soil to hydro. As for ebb , drip and flood/flow all that haerd they can be a bugger and costly to run hence why peeps going to NFT, bubbelrs and such. Just an opinion though for others it can e totally dif.

Detoxed

Im a soil grower myself but have got a nft tank growell kit i intend to try it at some point. But what i can add is that from reading what different peeps say about both soil and hydro hydro seems to invlove a lot less work. Which for some people might be what they want. But from my short experiance i would say that working with soil / pots you get to know a bit more about your plants because your spending more time with them. For example when you water them you wait for them to suck up the water that has run off. While im doing this i take a good look at my girls maybe i would do the same if i was using my Nft but i think some things would go unnoticed and i would tend to rush. So for a begginer who wants to spend a little more time and wants to get things right i would go soil / pots

hello ppl, i am a newbie with nft205 kit, goin ok so far, but i read in this post about ph levels and EC LEVELS, now I know wot ph is, but what are EC Levels, is it nutrient strength or something?

Cheers

EC is the amount of salt deposites in your tank. Electrical Conductivity. Too high and you got one dead plant. It's measured in ppm.

Detoxed

Hi Durr

You need a CF meter or Trunchen. Former are cheaper, latter are allegedly better. I use a Hanna CF meter - costs about £35. There are others on the market that are just as good. Trunchens cost about double (someone correct me if wrong).

Check out a 3 Counties Hydroponics or any other hydro shop!

Best of luck

Dr A

Thanks again, really love this forum! Just one other related issue - how do you regulate the levels of EC?

Add nutrients to raise the EC and add plain ph down (5.5 to 6) water to lower EC.



Dr A

I built my own NFT system out of 4"PVC and use 6"PVC for the flower room.NFT is very easy to manage and has extreme growth rates.Here is a pic of the 4".