NFT question

[the ferret]

i got two NFT 205 grow tanks that im yet to try out. i got the little one inch rock wool cubes that i was going to start my seeds off in and plant up into the three inch cubes. but someone suggested to me for faster growth start the seeds off in compost when you get a good root ball wash the compost off the roots and put the plants in what i think you call a basket with clay pebbles and let the roots dangle into the NFT tank. ive never done hydroponics before so do you think this would be a good idea and would it work. as i rather grow in earth to get a good root ball and wash the earth off the roots. rather than wait to fill out a 3 inch rock wool cube. many thanks for any reply's ferret.

[stu914]

@the ferret

 

NFT is a difficult style of growing that is prone to all sorts of problems if you've never done hydroponics before.

Rockwool holds far too much water and it's easy to drown your roots, my advice is don't use it. 

Starting them in compost then wash it off is very messy and doesn't really work.

Getting a decent rootball before going into the system is difficult and plants need support almost straight away.

If the roots go into the tank then temps have to be spot on so you'd need a chiller.

 

You've got almost all the bits and pieces needed to build something similar to what I use.

Have a look at my Mish Mash thread and you'll see how I've adapted mesh pots, pebbles and an old flood and drain table to grow on.

Tag me If I can help bud

atb

 

 

[Lux_Interior]

I used to grow in NFT tanks. I started seeds or cuttings in rockwool plugs and planted up into rockwool cubes, the 3" ones, these stood on a spreader mat in the NFT tank tray. You really need to keep an eye on EC and pH levels. Refresh the tank every 14 days and put a heater in the nutrient reservoir along with an airstone. You will also needs some yo yo's to help support the plants. It's not easier than growing in compost but if you get a nice root mat the rewards for your effort (and time) are good.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Lux_Interior
punktuation.

[the ferret]

thanks very much guys for the reply's ive got a pH pen and an EC truncheon i also got a scrog net for support. only thing im not sure about in the reply's is the chiller heater part. ive also got an air pump that can run two air stones one in each tank.

[Lux_Interior]

Just now, the ferret said:

thanks very much guys for the reply's ive got a pH pen and an EC truncheon i also got a scrog net for support. only thing im not sure about in the reply's is the chiller heater part. ive also got an air pump that can run two air stones one in each tank.

 

If you grow somewhere that temperatures are an issue you need to keep the nutrient tank temp 18 degrees celcius at least. A tube heater for a fish tank would be ideal some have thermostatic controls. A metal one is also a good idea as it won't break as easily if your nutrient tanks get too low (glass ones will).

 

Good luck.

 

Hydro NFT is like Breaking Ghanja!

Edited February 27, 2022 by Lux_Interior
thermostic (dickhead)

[the ferret]

thanks very much for the Advice guys 

[greengal]

@the ferret  I’ve just been ‘sowing’ some tomato seeds in Rockwool cubes, so thought I’d describe how I do it. I follow exactly the same procedure for cannabis seeds…

1. Soak the cubes in water adjusted to pH 5 for 2 hours. The new cubes are quite alkaline so I like to get the pH down.

2. Place the cubes in a seed tray, insert seeds into cubes then gently pull some of the ‘wool’ strands over the seed. I try to position the seeds approx 0.5 cm below the cube surface.

3. Place cover on seed tray and locate somewhere with a constant warm temperature. I use the airing cupboard.

4. Check every day. The cubes usually stay damp but I give them a light spritz with water if they start to dry out.

5. As soon as the seedlings start to appear, remove the cover from the seed tray and relocate to somewhere bright. I place the tray on a bright windowsill, but ensure it is not in direct sunlight.

6. When the first true leaves appear, start to feed with a very dilute feed solution. I make up a bottle of 0.8 to 1.0 EC / pH 6 solution using Hydrocrops’ excellent water soluble powder nutes (I use the same nutes for tomatoes and cannabis). Pour approx 1.5 cm of solution into the bottom of the seed tray, let the cubes soak it up, then pour the remaining solution away. Repeat the ‘soaking’ every couple of days as the cubes start to dry out.

7. Inspect regularly and when roots start to show through the cubes, place the cubes in the growing medium. Coco coir/perlite for me, but clay pebbles, larger Rockwool cubes or whatever. Then I just follow the Hydrocrop feed chart.

Well that’s what works for me anyway!  Sal

Some pics of what I did today...

      

  

[the ferret]

excellent advice thank you very much for that. greengal l

[Lux_Interior]

A propagator is essential when taking cuttings. Seeds not so much. You do need to keep the substrate damp & warm. A heating mat is ideal.

[the ferret]

thank you lux_interior got a propagator also only thing im missing now is two tube heaters. which im glad you mentioned so a bit of a set back but im sure i pick up in the next week or two 

[Personunknown]

A couple mother plants in coir or compost then just go clones in rockwool /nft,I found this worked well imho

[trichomehi]

I've been growing in nft for a few years now, the advice above is spot on refresh tank at least once a fortnight, every day check your ph levels, rockwell cubes are prone to get saturated, but you can negate this by the pump flow, use matting, young plants thrive and develop root system really quickly in nft, uneven root development can cause the plant to lean one way or another causing major problems later on so some support is essential, the main point is keep a sharp eye on the tank ph this will get away from you really quickly, i don't agitate the tank or regulate the temp, I've never experimented either way, so i can't have an opinion on that..

[Keye]

@the ferret I use to run a 205 NFT over 10 years ago. They were pretty standard back then and for certain my local farm still uses NFT for their strawberries. It's not exactly 205, but it's still a viable technique for some. I came back to growing recently and I noticed that very few people use it nowadays. I'm not sure why that is.

 

Air in the tank was always a biggie - breaking up and agitating the surface of the water. I would get an air pump with two outlets so you can stir the water from both sides of the tank or use a 'Y' connector to create two outputs.

 

You can also put the rooted seedlings straight on to the mat; I use to. When there are roots in the bottom, multiple sides of a jiffy cube, giving the roots access to more nutrients is a great thing. You'll flood the plant if you turn the pump on; I use to just hang the matting in to the water tank so that it would suck up nutrients with capillary action. Making sure the mat hangs down to the bottom of the tank also stops the dripping water noise as it drops in to the reservoir off the table, which can help. Less nutrient and a weaker lamp will help a baby plant get their feet but really, as soon as they hit the mat and get a root in to it, they are normally off like rockets. I never did cool the water and I found that I had a problem when I added a water heater in the winter, so I stopped doing it. I would definitely have seen an improvement if I had maintained an even temperature of water, but I was in the loft so it wasn't really possible.

 

[Forlornhope67]

Just to increase the size of the roots in 3inch cube I just used to put a layer of soaked clay pebbles in the bottom of the prop and let the roots grow a bit into them and just shake them of when transplanting.

[the ferret]

great advice thanks very much guys.