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Oxy
26-05-14, 07:29 PM
so this goes out to fairy the the man behind the mask ..the thread thinker upper...

get your top tip down here for NFT.. its all about making it easy .. and stress free.. if your gonna fuck about on here please do one and jog on cheers..

please just tips....thanks ..



Wash hands or wear gloves when setting up the tray. Finger marks on the spreader mat can turn into big nasty germ crack houses.

raise pump end slightly to prevent pooling and better run of nutes.

low EC works better,or always keep them hungrier for nutes and more hydrated,work it up gradually as the plants need and want it..

keep on top of reservoir temps all way through grow,less chance of Pythium etc.

Check roots & rockwool for bugs

keep res temps right oxygen is good for em 16c-22c 18-19 sweet spot.

KINGSPAN LID.... fuck the correx off from the start....ress temps will hold better with the kingspan...

SMALL BIT OF COURSE SPONGE... under the NFT pumps to stop the bastard vibration.. going through the floorboards ... or shorten the pipe few mm. to make the pump float like so no contact with the floor ... no vibration..

MAXI JET 1000, ...... to empty the ress, now you can leave the NFT pumps in place.... and pump out at better volume.....

CLAY BALLS !!... place 4 on the spreader mat, place the cube ontop.. job done

ummmmmmmmmmmmm.... got any tips slap them here

cheesy potter
26-05-14, 07:38 PM
Over hang the speader matting into the res to stop trickling noises

Murdock
26-05-14, 07:43 PM
don,t start with your pump on full power , 1/2 power should be eough

Oxy
26-05-14, 07:44 PM
boooooooooya get in there ...thanks cheessy / m :Nice:

Murdock
26-05-14, 08:00 PM
Over hang the speader matting into the res to stop trickling noises

i find this actually restricts the flow of the roots as they like to float about the rez, i just like a slight hang with spreader mate

Fairy
26-05-14, 08:01 PM
pissa man... hahaha

gotta love the top tips...:D

Oxy
26-05-14, 08:21 PM
15 good point for (NFT) Hydroponics Systems
NFT stands for Nutrient Film Technique. It was developed in England during the 1970s as a way of giving plants' roots constant access to water, nutrients and the all-important oxygen! Plants grow in a shallow 'film' of moving nutrient solution. You can grow anything from lettuce to tomatoes and cucumbers in NFT (with the right plant supports!) and the results can be very impressive indeed. What's more, there's little or no growing media involved which can seriously cut down on your regular costs as a grower.


Here are 15 good points for growing in NFT systems (especially NFT Gro-Tanks)

https://www.thctalk.com/cannabis-forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=265731&d=1401131950

1.Dial in your growing environment! Of course, this is something that all growers need to do, but it's especially important for those using NFT. Why so? Well, no growth media around the root zone means less insulation so less protection from extremes in temperature

2.As with all hydroponic growing applications, the temperature of your nutrient solution is crucial. Try to keep your nutrient solution at around 65°F for high levels of dissolved oxygen and optimum nutrient uptake.

3.Many NFT growers start their plants in 1" rockwool starter blocks and place these directly into the 4" cubes. grow tray through neatly cut squares in the kingspan. If you go don't this route make sure that the ridges at the bottom of the cube are in line with the nutrient flow, not perpendicular to it. Otherwise your nutrient flow will be unduly impeded.

4.Plants grown indoors under lights will take up water at a greater rate than they take up nutrient. Over time the EC (CF) of the solution will rise. Regularly top up your tanks with water or 50% strength nutrient solution. Keep your top up nutrient solution in a separate barrel rather than using water straight from the tap

5.Maintain the pH of your nutrient solution at around 5.8 - 6.2. Check regularly as it can rise as the plants feed. It's okay to turn your pumps off for half an hour while you adjust your nutrient solution's pH and strength.

6.As a general rule, drain your nutrient solution and replace with a fresh batch every 7 to 10 days for optimum yields. Obviously bigger tanks can get away with less frequent changes whereas bigger plants prefer more regular fresh nutrients.

7.Do not let any light leak into the root zone. Ensure the holes in the Correx cover are just big enough for your plants to fit through. Cover the bases of your plants to prevent green algae forming - especially important if using rockwool cubes.

https://www.thctalk.com/cannabis-forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=265732&d=1401131962

8.Thoroughly clean your tanks in between crops with a soap solution and rinse thoroughly.

9.Use a half strength nutrient solution to start your plants off, moving to two thirds to full dosage rate (as detailed on the bottle) after the first nutrient solution change (about 7 - 10 days after planting).

10.Take the opportunity to observe your plants' root growth directly by simply lifting up the kingspan.

11.Make sure you completely remove plastic wrapping from rockwool cubes or remove pots if using soil or coco. This allows the roots to access more oxygen.

12NFT is a bare rooted growing technique. When they start fruiting, all but the smallest of plants will need additional support, i.e. yoyo's or pea netting.

13.Cut lengths of spreader mat long enough to allow an overhang of a few inches from the channel into the tank. No trickling water sounds!

14.Don't crowd them! Plants grow incredibly fast in NFT Gro-Tanks - many growers are overwhelmed!

https://www.thctalk.com/cannabis-forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=265733&d=1401131971

15.Last but certainly not least-wait until roots are bursting out of your starter blocks before inserting them into your NFT system. This is absolutely crucial! Be patient - don't go transplanting at the first sign of roots. Use air pruning techniques to really make sure that the propagation media is full of roots before transplanting to your NFT system.

fairy i don't fuck about butty bach..

The-Limey-Digit
06-07-14, 12:11 PM
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/06/e7yduqeh.jpg
Hello lads, here is a pic of the pizza box spacers I was telling you about. They have a much wider base, therefore a larger point of contact with the tray and are much more stable than tile spacers.

FACE
06-07-14, 12:19 PM
Top tip there very nice Limey

Fairy
07-07-14, 07:13 PM
rnice them limey ive never seen them either in pizza boxes.

top tip unplug yer foooking pump when adding nutes etc to tank, put a big feck off sign on yer groom door or tent as reminder or somet lol..

Oxy
07-07-14, 10:03 PM
great top tip limey, when the plant gets bigger does it push down on the spikes??, keep them coming lads.. pmsl fairy i did say , my sigh says look back check plugs fat boy!!

The-Limey-Digit
09-07-14, 05:21 AM
Hello Oxy, they work perfectly with a 3 inch block mate, never tried one with a 4 inch. Once embedded in the block it stays put mate.

Oxy
09-07-14, 10:52 AM
sweet will give it a go, i get a few yummmm, thanks for the reply

L3G4CY
11-04-15, 03:17 AM
I would say to add mycorrhizal and benifical bacteria in your water tank to prevent unwanted pathogens in root zone and to help to maintain a clean NFT systems. Also it can help by working with the roots by increase atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Don't rely on peroxide (H2O2)

http://www.plant-success.com/index.php/mycorrhizal-products/great-white-mycorrhizae.html

this product is well known and do a great job.

lazydayz
17-07-15, 12:46 AM
great top tip limey, when the plant gets bigger does it push down on the spikes??, keep them coming lads.. pmsl fairy i did say , my sigh says look back check plugs fat boy!!

I used to use them but i found over time they do push into the block.

Instead i make 'cradles' for them now by threading string through top of correx , across the hole and back through. Twice per hole. 22 cm gives u 1cm of string showing on either side that i tape down (on 4 inch cubes). Leaves just enough of cube showing to snugly fit a cube cap.
I find toward the back of my GT100 is a little deeper so i also do what i used to do and ball up some spreader mat strips, soak in ur solution and put under ur blocks.

eastman007
24-12-17, 05:54 PM
Really really good information guys. As a total newbie about to start my diary this information is worth its weight in gold.

Thank you all

stupidstoner
17-03-18, 09:49 PM
Hey all, any tips on pump cycles? I know its its recommended to have it on 24/7, i was getting better results having it off every so often as a cycle to make the plants look for food, any tips?.

was a few yrs ago now and just started up

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Mr_Stretch
07-08-18, 02:08 PM
great tips thanks to all.
i was definitely screwing up before (early noughties) by not getting the roots going properly, i would stick them in as soon as any sign of life. Sometimes OK but I started getting a lot of failures and ended up going to flood and drain.
Do you just leave them in a propagator with the slots open, mist and check daily to see how much root growth we've got ?.

Mr_Stretch
07-08-18, 03:18 PM
I have now discovered "air pots". problem is I cant find a nice cube shaped one to stick a 3" rockwool cube into.
they'd be easy enough to make if you could buy sheets of the stuff. may be a job for the 3d printer come to think of it.

Mr_Stretch
07-08-18, 03:53 PM
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2191355 is near, but we want a cube of course to snugly fit a rockwool cube

Doof
09-08-18, 03:16 PM
One thing I like to do is cut a three inch long peice of hose pipe and put a hole in it in the middle just big enough to fit over the flow pipe coming into the tray, this splits the flow into two flows and allows the nutes to spread better over the tray.