any nft users out there how do you get on,any tips i.e nutrient levels ph e.c.t any advice would be great.
HIGH All, welcome to the City ouncyboy. I havn't seen or heard of anyone useing NFT here. Are you doing it know or just looking into it? Check this site out...one of the best guides out there.
i just keep an eye on the ph, top up the water/nutes with a weak nute mix then change the water about once a week. i dont use a ec meter or anything like that cus it only tells u how much solids (nutes) u have in ur water not wot them solids are. N tends to get used faster then trace nutes so i just dont c the point testing when i dunno wot im testing and i dont want the trace nutes to build up in the water anyway. i judge the level of uesable food in the water by how fast the plant grows, i tend to find the plant has a groth spurt the day after i change the water and that may last up2 a week, then i change the water, as the plants get bigger the groth spurt dont last aslong cus the N is used faster so i change the water more often. if u want to grow this way when u change the water depends mainly on the size of ur plants and how much water there is in ur tub. suck it and c! oh and i like to keep my ph around the 5.5 to 6.2 mark and i use mainly canna nutes (my fave) but i have also been using some "vita link" nutes from hydrogarden that i was given and they seem good aswell. good luck with the grow.
cheers unoit and barnaby but one thing i would say about nutrient levels barnaby you say you dont use metre but how do you no if you ladys are not just sucking up more water therfor uping the nutrient levels in tank by just adding weak nuts you could still be uping levels and thus could cause salt build up i no you emty res weekly but probs can come on quick Another question how deep do you have depth of water running down slope whats the ideal.
ouncy boy, you know if da salt builds up in the rock wool cubes: 1)whats its effect o the younlging 2)what do I need to do to get rid 3)how do I stop it happni again.
HIGH All, I use a TDS meter and 3 times out of ten I'll use it when making up a batch of solution. After years of making the same solution you get to know how much of the fert and PH up or down to put in. Now a PH pen is a must and I keep my Bubble Buckets around 5.6. Some say optimal is 5.2 but I found my girls didn't like it. c/p from the link. The Concept of NFT is simple. The plant roots grow on a surface that has no more than 1 mm of nutrient moving slowly across it. This is called Nutrient Film Technique, as the nutrients are a film on the base of a flat surface (like a damp surface). The plants roots are not submerged, and have access to the air, yet can draw up as much nutrient as they require from the damp surface. We usually use channels for this as channels or gullies keep the light out of the root zone. Light on the roots generally slows the growth rate. By having a running Solution of 750 ml to 1 litre per minute down a flat surface at 1:40 slope (1:40 = 25 mm drop every meter) we can achieve the nutrient film.
2 b honest i never really thought about that b4, i have seen ppl with a salt build up in there channels but its never happend to me. ive never had a over nute prob and prob run my tank nute level a little low most of the time but never let it get really low so the plants groth is never slowed by lack of nutes, the weekest link in my grow is prob co2 or light. as my plant do show a groth spurt ther day after i top up then i dont think im doing to much rong in that line. my plants never show yellowing apart from the very lowermost leaves which is pretty normal under a 400w lamp. by all means use a meter if u think u may have a prob if u dont or u think im just lucky but at the end of the day i think im just 2 dam tight to buy 1, have u seen the prices of them!!!!
cheers for all the info,theres another prb ive got the roots are growing out of end of ducting and into nut tank ive tryed to stop them with pair of tights streched over end of duct but within day or so there back throuth and into nuts again.How bad is this what prbs can it cause and how do i stop it happening if need be
if they r cloging up ur tank, pump etc then trim them down with sissors. dont go mad tho. if they aint givin u any probs then leave them, i do. just make sure they dont go slimely. last time it happend to me i was gonna put a air stone under the roots in the water, thinking was if it works in bubble buckets then why not in the end of my nft!
yeh ive got two air pumps and all roots look white and healthy ill just make sure roots dont clog up water outlet as could have a fiood on my hands.What p.h do you run system at only im running mine 5.9 in veg and 6.0to6.2 in flowering but ive heard quite a bit about running it really real low like 5.2to5.4 is this a better level just seems to low to me .