# NFT Hydroponic system.



## Stoney Bud (Apr 22, 2006)

I thought everyone might like to see the type of system I use for my garden veggies.

This is NFT, (Nutrient Flow Technique), and involves constant or near constant feeding with a gravity flow to return to the reservoir. The plants are fed by a hose that is placed inside the large tube to the top. The nutrient is pumped up to the top and flows back to the reservoir.

Another method is to use a float system that feeds the reservoir to keep it topped off.

Enjoy. My system is two of this one, back to back. I use 8 tubes. 4 going each direction from the center of my greenhouse.


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## Useless (Apr 23, 2006)

Nice set up Stoney. 

About to throw some Habanero's in the garden myself.


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## DeeKaay (Jan 18, 2007)

are there any grow threads with NFT's?
would love to see


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## KADE (Jan 18, 2007)

Sweet ole hell... this is an old thread.

There is one person w/ a journal up thas growing 100% by nft...


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## Stoney Bud (Jan 18, 2007)

Hey, if anyone wants to start an NFT thread going, I'd love to chime in! Or we can just use this one...


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## KADE (Jan 18, 2007)

Stoney Bud said:
			
		

> Hey, if anyone wants to start an NFT thread going, I'd love to chime in! Or we can just use this one...


 
Well it is back from the dead now... so do it up masta.....

I sorta got some nft goin on.... the drip stakes drip into a tube with all the roots in it back to the rez... and get pumped 24/7...


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## DeeKaay (Jan 23, 2007)

yea that been said.... ( commentator? )
if we could find such thread?


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## DLA (Jan 28, 2007)

I'll play I am using  NFT and loving the results.

And finding info and other players is sometime hard.  So I'm new here and if your picking teams I don't care if you pick me last I want to play.  Love the game.

Tried to post some pic's but it wanted me to re-size them and since I'm lazy today I'll throw some of my system up later.


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## Stoney Bud (Jan 28, 2007)

DLA said:
			
		

> I'll play I am using NFT and loving the results.


 
NFT was invented by the US Army to feed it's troops in the Aleutian Islands during WWII.

As the first of the Hydroponic systems to be used for mass production by modern man, it worked well for them, but it's problem with high humidity at plant level and massive evaporation causing nutrient imbalance, it was improved upon by the invention of Ebb and Flow, or Fill and Drain Hydroponics.

NFT works quite well. I use it for my garden in my greenhouse outside in the yard. I have exhaust fans that keep the air moving and thus defeat the humidity problem of mold and mildew. I also use 4 inch sewer pipe for the "troughs". By enclosing the root area, I lessen the evaporation.

Good luck to you man. I'd love to see some pics of your system if you can post them.

I can't post my greenhouse grow. It's well known in my neighborhood.


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## DLA (Jan 28, 2007)

Stoney Bud said:
			
		

> NFT was invented by the US Army to feed it's troops in the Aleutian Islands during WWII.
> 
> As the first of the Hydroponic systems to be used for mass production by modern man, it worked well for them, but it's problem with high humidity at plant level and massive evaporation causing nutrient imbalance, it was improved upon by the invention of Ebb and Flow, or Fill and Drain Hydroponics.
> 
> ...


 
That's good info.  For me though right now I have to run 2 large humidifiers just to get close to 40% RH, and I don't see the summer being anything more then dryer, so the add evap is helping right now.


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## Stoney Bud (Jan 28, 2007)

Albert Einstein said:
			
		

> "If you can't explain something simply, you simply don't understand it"


 
I love that quote!


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## DLA (Jan 29, 2007)

I was surfing around and found this site. Sorry I oopsed ...It has more threads on NFT then most and some real interesting DIY and journals.

Just for S and G


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## DeeKaay (Feb 11, 2007)

i just recently bought a 30-60 plant NFT
havent unpacked it cause i'm hiding out at the olds house at the moment
planning to run 30 plants for the coming up grow.. but am wondering how big the res should be?
any ideas?
and ummm.... to DLA.... r u gonna tell us the site? or u a holdout?


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## DLA (Feb 11, 2007)

DeeKaay said:
			
		

> i just recently bought a 30-60 plant NFT
> havent unpacked it cause i'm hiding out at the olds house at the moment
> planning to run 30 plants for the coming up grow.. but am wondering how big the res should be?
> any ideas?
> and ummm.... to DLA.... r u gonna tell us the site? or u a holdout?


 
Love to Mate but they (monitors) deleted it.  I broke the rules.


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## Stoney Bud (Feb 11, 2007)

DeeKaay said:
			
		

> i just recently bought a 30-60 plant NFT
> havent unpacked it cause i'm hiding out at the olds house at the moment
> planning to run 30 plants for the coming up grow.. but am wondering how big the res should be?
> any ideas?


 
The reservoir needs to be large enough to hold twice the amount used per/day. This is a minimum. For NFT, it should really be at least ten times the amount used per/day at full flowering growth.

I have four plants growing in an ebb and flow and they use 2 gallons a day, combined. For an NFT system with four plants, I would use at least a 20 gallon reservoir. You also have to make sure you allow for the amount of water between the reservoir and the return. That can be several gallons even in a small system.

You can measure the return system volume easily. Fill the reservoir and turn it on. When the return is flowing nicely, make a mark on the reservoir at the current water level. Then, let it drain completly back into the reservoir so that no water remains in the system. Then, using a measuring container, dip out the water from the reservoir until you've reached the line you put on it. This is the amount of return volume. It has to be countered by reservoir volume.

The nutrients are viable for 30 days. For NFT, you could use as large a reservoir as a 60 gallon drum or tub. The nutrients will cycle within 30 days to fresh nutes. That makes it so you don't have to change out the nutrients except to change from vegging to flowering.

Good luck man!


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