nft pvc system wicking choice/comments

11 years ago

Hey everyone...

I'm new to hydroponics and I'm trying my best to tackle the learning curve. I have one question (at this point) and would like general comments on what I'm attempting to do.

The NFT setup:

4" PVC tubes, 3.75" net pots. Seedlings are being sprouted in rockwool which will be inserted into the net pots and surrounded by hydroton. Plants are herbs and lettuce to start my learning curve. ;)

The question: my net pots have a gap of about 1" or so between the bottom of the pot and the water flow. I'm looking for suggestions for a wicking material to get the water up to the rockwool? I'm guessing once the roots find the moisture, they'll grow down into the nutrient and will grow around/through/over the wicking material. I've seen suggestions from Tiki Torch wick to natural sponge to simply adjusting the water depth (daming the system) until the roots are long enough (and then adjust the height of the dam until 'regular' flow is achieved). The latter is the easiest, but I'm sure the roots grow at different rates, so it could get tricky.

I'm still designing the system and want to avoid as many noobie mistakes as I can. The system will be outdoors for natural sun.

Suggestions on wicking material/solutions for bridging that 1" gap? Comments on a PVC NFT system for beginners? Plant suggestions? I'm ALLLLLL ears!!

Thanks in advance!!

Jim

Comments (3)

rayinpenn
11 years ago
I used 2 inch net pots and removed the bottoms. I made sure the rock wool hit the nutrient. When the roots grow you can adjust the rock wool depth.
CaptainZero
Original Author
11 years ago
rayinpenn...

Thanks for the suggestion! I took one of my 3.75"pots, cut a hole in the bottom and the rockwool starter blocks fit fairly tightly in the hole and I can let as much hang out of the bottom (and into the nutrient stream) as I need to.

A simple yet perfect solution!! :) (I had all sorts of strange ideas running through my head about how to easily solve this problem....cutting a hole in the bottom of the cup eluded me for some reason.)

I'll post some pics of the final system when it's up. One of the great benefits to living close to the ocean in San Diego is that I can grow outdoor almost year round!! I think I've had one VERY light frost in the last 12 years. Sadly, I'm just not getting into gardening/hydroponics. Better late than never!!

Thanks again for the suggestion.

Jim
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sdgrower
11 years ago
I grow in San Diego also and think you will do just fine through the winter, I've grown peppers and tomatoes through the winter on my roof. I bet the lettuce does great! Maybe some kale and Swiss chard along with the lettuce as it gets colder.

Another suggestion if you are using rock wool is to just forget about the net pot altogether and just place the cube directly on the bottom of the pipe.