skip to main |
skip to sidebar
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!
----------------------------------------------------
Author of Hydroponic Gardening Website: Tony Buel
http://www.hydroponics.com-afl.com
NFT Hydroponics Article Found at:
http://www.hydroponics.com-afl.com/Setting-Up-an-NFT-Hydropo
nic-System.htm
When growing hydroponics, there are a vast variety of
growing mediums that may be used. The mediums include
materials, including perlite, vermiculite, coconut fiber,
gravel, sand, or any number of other materials. Even air
may be used as a hydroponic growing medium. The hydroponic
growing medium is an inert substance that does not supply
any nutrition to the plants.
All of the nutrition comes from the nutrient solution,
typically combining water and fertilizer. Hydroponic
fertilizer and fertilizer intended for use in soil
(regularfertilizer) contain the three main nutrients.
These nutrients are nitrogen, Phosphorus, and potassium.
The main difference between hydroponic fertilizer and dirt
fertilizer is that hydroponic gardening fertilizers contain
the proper amounts of all of the essential micro-nutrients
that regular fertilizers do not include. The plants are
expected to find these elements in the soil.
Problems may arise for the plants if any or all of the
micro-nutrients are not present in the soil or have been
depleted by successive or excessive plantings. Hydroponic
gardening fertilizers are usually in a more pure form than
are regular fertilizers so they are more stable and
water-soluble.
Organic fertilizers are typically very different than
either the hydroponic fertilizers or the dirt fertilizers
in how the deliver nutrients to the plants. The organic
fertilizers rely on the action of bacteria and microbes to
help break down the material into its basic elements so the
plant can easily use it. Hydroponic and regular
fertilizers then supply the plants with these elements.
Another difference between hydroponic and regular gardening
is that growing hydroponics can be extremely complicated.
Hydroponics are controlled with computers and sensors which
help control everything from watering cycles to nutrient
strength, and the amount of light the plants receive.
However, hydroponics can also be very simple. The average
home hydroponic system usually consists of a few basic
parts, including a growing tray, a reservoir, a timer
controlled submersible pump to water the plants, and an air
pump to oxygenate the nutrient solution. Light is, of
course, also required to help the hydroponic garden to grow.
There are also micro-nutrients that are required for
healthy plant growth. These micro-nutrients include
calcium, sulfur, magnesium, boron, cobalt, iron, copper,
manganese, zinc, and molybdenum. These nutrients are the
essential elements that plants need in very small amounts.
Plants are likely to become sick without these trace
elements and will develop all sorts of problems depending
on which nutrient is missing.
The lack of micro-nutrients in food crops can mean a lack
of nutrients in the food. This will result in the food not
being as healthy as it could be and potentially lead people
to develop health problems due to the lack of these
essential elements. Any hydroponic gardener needs to use a
good quality hydroponic fertilizer when they are growing
plants using hydroponics.
It is also vital that the pH is controlled in both growing
hydroponics and in the soil as well. Plants lose the
ability to absorb different nutrients when the pH varies.
The pH must be monitored during the entire growth cycle of
the plants to maintain the maximum healthy uptake of
nutrients. The pH of the nutrient solution will affect how
well each element can pass through the root cell wall to
nourish the plant. Once the gardener has properly
calibrated the fertilizer concentrations and the pH of that
solution, they can generally assume it will stay steady
barring any unforeseen root disease.
Gardeners should always monitor their system too much
rather than too little to avoid any problems. The ability
to quickly and easily test and control pH in hydroponics is
a major advantage over regular gardening, where testing and
adjusting the pH is much more complicated and time
consuming.
----------------------------------------------------
Hydroponic Gardening can be a fun and productive new way of
gardening for you. We have tips and resources to get you
started fast! Author Tony Buel
http://www.hydroponics.com-afl.com
One of the most challenging aspects of designing ponds and
waterfalls is trying to convey my ideas to my client.
Coming up with award-winning pond designs or implementing
them using adequate skills and experience is not a problem.
My challenge is getting my client to see what I see.
Drawing and painting are not my forte; it is next to
impossible for me to draw a rock, not to mention water. The
hardest part for me is drawing perspective. Prior to
discovering the art of digital design my most common phrase
used was, "Just trust me." Wait till your pond and
waterfall is finished, I promise you'll like it.
Unfortunately, "trust me" are the most common two words
spoken by used car salesmen! Thank goodness that most of
my clients were referrals from other satisfied customers
and already knew what I was capable of creating.
A few years ago, I discovered a computer program called
"Photoshop" and realized I could use it to create virtual
photos of water features. I learned how to cut an item from
one picture and paste it into another. Actually, that was
nothing new for me since I did that in third grade. It's
called cut and paste. Only now I'm using a mouse instead of
rounded scissors and edible white paste. (I hear the
manufactures are adding vitamins to it now. :)
I started out scanning dozens of photographs into
"Photoshop," which converted them into a digital image
capable of being manipulated in hundreds or thousands of
ways. The Photoshop program has a large learning curve,
especially for someone who is unfamiliar with graphic
design techniques, so I started searching for a solution
for my pond design department.
DIGITIZING PHOTOS
Microsoft has developed a user-friendly software (small
learning curve) for working with photographs.They can be
scanned into the program or digital photos from a digital
camera can be downloaded into the program. Then each
picture can be enhanced through a variety of processes such
as brightness, contrast, blur, tint, etc., all with a
simple click of the mouse.
Once the photo is finished, I can then cut out objects from
the picture, such as rocks, groups of rocks, plants, or
portions of the waterfall and pond. Which I did from
several thousand photos of waterfalls and ponds I have
constructed over the past 26 years.
I gathered these jpg images into an indexed library.
Using this process with pictures from hundreds of my
projects, I was able to build a substantial library of
objects for pasting into the "before" photo of a client's
yard for a pond design.
Now I can take a digital picture of someone's yard and
download it into Microsoft's "Digital Image Suite "
program. (This is not an endorsement, it just happens to be
the product I use. I do not sell Microsoft products and
have no investments in the company) Next, by dragging
various items from my library, I can construct a waterfall
and pond of any shape, size or configuration onto that
picture.
So thanks to the arrival of the digital age, I can
construct on paper a virtual image or idea that was in my
head. As a result, my clients can see exactly what their
pond and waterfall will look like when finished. Now a pond
design takes only minutes.
Whether you are building a waterfall and pond for yourself
or for a customer a pond design or waterfall design can be
a marvelous thing. Simply marvelous! Happy koi, Peace &
Joy.
For more details on digital design, read Koi Pond: Digital
Masterpieces-Virtual Water Features Part II
----------------------------------------------------
Douglas C. Hoover; CEO of Aquamedia Corp, freelance writer
and author
designer, architect, inventor, engineer and builder of over
1,900 waterfall and ponds in California or the past 26
years. Read my other articles at:
http://www.ezinearticles.com Have a question?
http://www.askdoughoover.com
Food, friends, and a good chair are something makes an
outdoor party an excellent event. Food and friends aren't
hard to find, and good outdoor furniture shouldn't be
either. Why just get boring, regular outdoor furniture when
you can get furniture that will not only last but impress
your guests.
Some of the most stylish people will drop a considerable
amount of money on all the indoor couches and wall mounted
television sets but what many of these people neglect is
making the outdoors look just as good. Starting with some
nice grass, perhaps complement your yard with a barbeque
grill, and then add quality outdoor furniture that matches
your taste. How about a nice luxury patio set that makes a
person feel like royalty when eating off it? Being such a
great table that one would want to clear the table right
away so half eaten food doesn't take away from the
beautiful table.
When filling your outdoor with nice furniture, it adds
options like getting out of the house to do work on the
laptop, reading a book while getting a tan, and playing
with the kids instead of sitting in the house breathing in
circulated air with the shades drawn. Outdoor furniture can
help you get out of the house on a nice day and enjoy more
of the luxuries of life.
The best material for a patio set is with out a doubt Teak.
Teak is from a genus of tropical hardwood trees and is
tightly grained hardwood that is very durable a resistant
to weather. The advantage of Teak is that even if you do
not coat it with a protective cover of paint, it can still
with stand the elements for a long time and changes shades
to a pretty silverfish color.
Teak is at the top of luxury outdoor furniture. If you want
to make your backyard experience nothing less than amazing,
using furniture made from teak will ensure that you have to
all around best outdoor experience on the block.
Don't just stop at the patio set. Put in a romantic park
bench in your backyard, and add some Teak chairs for that
patio set. This will add to how great your outdoor
experience will be with all of this next long lasting
furniture. Purchasing beautiful and durable Teak outdoor
furniture will ensure long lasting outdoor enjoyment for
future generations to come.
----------------------------------------------------
This article was written for our friends at Teak Select -
http://www.teakselect.com to let consumers know the benifit
of Teak when funishing your outdoors. Article written and
distributed by Secure Link - http://www.slwebsolutions.com .
