Article Sphere Logo
 

Setting Up Your Own NFT Hydroponic System

By Expert Author: Tony Buel | Article Abstract
Word Count: 395 words | Views: 98 view(s)
The NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) used to be commonly used among commercial and smaller scale hobbyist or amateur hydroponic growers. Its use has diminished among commercial growers in recent years mainly because new hydroponic techniques exist today that are better suited to large-scale farming.

Amateur hydroponic growers however still use NFT often. It's not that expensive, it's very easy to use, and it can be easily adapted to suit many different plant types.

The NFT is one kind of solution culture in hydroponics. Solution culture hydroponics involves the growing of plants without growth medium and without soil. Many hydroponics growers believe that solution cultures are the only true form of hydroponics. They say that when growers add solid growth mediums, they are adding nutrients to the plants in the same way soil does. NFT on the other hand, treats the plants only with nutrient solutions prepared by the growers and delivered to the plants root system via water.

NFT Hydroponics Systems work by generating a constant water flow at the plants' root systems which are suspended in a tub. The slow moving water solution is spread out across a flat surface at a depth of approximately 1 to 3 inches. This shallow solution depth is constantly maintained to create a nutrient film over the plant roots.

When setting up your own NFT system you will need a shallow, flat-bottomed tub and a submersion pump which will keep the water flowing over the plant roots. The plants should be placed close together in order to enable the nutrients to more readily cling to the roots. The submersion pump will constantly recycle the water back into the system. And because the water is being constantly recycled, you will need to closely monitor the nutrient levels in the water.

The NFT technique does have a few potential drawbacks which need to be addressed. For example the nutrients necessary for the plants can cause damage to the submersion pump. If the submersion pump fails, or if there is an electrical failure, your plants will not be getting the nutrients they need to survive. A relatively short disruption in the pump can lead to complete failure in your plants.

Nevertheless the NFT Hydroponic System remains a viable method of hydroponic gardening for small scale and indoor gardeners. By closely monitoring the pump and nutrient solution, hydroponic gardening can be made nearly risk free and quite productive!
Tony Buel

About the Author/Author Bio

Tony Buel
Hydroponic Gardening Read Full Article at: Setting Up an NFT Hydroponics System

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Setting-Up-Your-Own-NFT-Hydroponic-System/73933

Article Submitted: 2007-02-22 | This Article has been viewed 98 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

How to Set Up a Hydroponic Aquaponic Indoor Grow System
Hydroponic Aquaponic Indoor Grow System
Easy Hydroponic Seed Starting Factory
Hydroponic- Guitar Hero 2
 

More "Landscaping Gardening" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Landscaping Gardening" article category.

People interested in the above article "Setting Up Your Own NFT Hydroponic System" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
Although the idea of hydroponics and hydroponic grow cabinets can sound very high-tech and "sciencey," the basic concept is grounded in simple good gardening practices. Hydroponics grow boxes allow us to imitate Nature. Consider that in order to grow in a healthy manner, a plant requires only three things:
An aeroponic grow system is really a form of hydroponics; in fact, many people use a hybrid aeroponic hydroponic system. With an aeroponic hydroponic system, the latter functions as kind of "fail-safe" in the event the former should fail for any reason.
Because these plants are grown directly in a nutrient medium, hydroponics requires less water - and this water can be recycled. Unlike plants grown in soil, hydroponic plants do not have to compete with noxious weeds and can more easily be protected from pests without having to resort to harsh chemical pesticides.
By its very nature, hydroponic gardening leaves a substantially smaller ecological footprint on the planet.
There are those organic gardeners of course who prefer to work with multi-part fertilizer formulas for the additional control it allows over the process. For these individuals, Advanced Nutrients Grow-Micro-Bloom is a better choice. This Advanced Nutrients product is a three-part fertilzer that has had amazing results for those who have used it.
There is nothing as satisfying as working in your home garden to watch vegetables grow after putting in all the hard work and money. Successful gardening is much more than just popping a few seeds in the ground and waiting for vegetables to grow.
Europeans generally tend to own less land than Americans, so they need to be more efficient in their allocation. The French are a prime example of European ingenuity when it comes to land usage, as exemplified by their gardens. A much larger percentage of French cultivate their own gardens as well, and their practices differ slightly from our own, and we can draw many useful lessons from their methods.
There is nothing anything that I can think of doing that is better than relaxing in the garden with your favorite drink while enjoying the look and sound of water trickling in your very own pond or water fountain. I have spent several late afternoons sitting in a lounge chair, with my little dog Miya lying at my side, relaxing after mowing the lawn or clearing a few weeds in the garden and letting the water fountain soothe my senses. Of all the projects done in my back yard, I must say the pond with the water fountain is my preferred. The project began as a small garden pond that was truly nice to look at but really became my best-loved spot when we added the fountain.
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Home And Family Landscaping Gardening
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish