Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

 

NFT uses slightly inclined channels, in which the plants' roots will receive sufficient nutrients, water and oxygen. The nutrient solution is provided via water pump from the reservoir [9].

  1. Nutrient Solution Reservoir
  2. Water Pump
  3. Nutrient Film along the tube
  4. Plants (germinated in stone wool or similar and secured in such as net cups)

What to expect:

NFT is very popular for growing greens and strawberries, even cucumbers and tomatoes at a large scale in greenhouses. Also herbs are suitable for this very water efficient and light weight system. It is still quite easy to build and very flexible regarding its design. However, even with optimal channel length and shape, inclination rate and crop selection, maintenance is needed due to clogging and it is quite susceptible to power failures. Nevertheless, the inclined channels allow to apply vertical setup rather easily. You will not find small systems due to technical limitations.

Great Crops [5]:

  • Marigolds
  • Chives
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Mustard
  • Chard
  • Strawberries
  • Dwarf tomatoes
  • Darf peppers

Advantages [5, 27]:

  • Flexible design and easy vertical placement
  • Very versatile for growing greens, herbs and small fruiting crops
  • Silent
  • Indoors and ourdoors

Challenges [5, 27]:

  • Clogging (min. flow of 1 l/min and channel needed)
  • Support for bigger fruiting crops
  • Cleaning channels
  • Power failure

Materials Needed [5, 27]:

  • Lumber (reservoir)
  • Screws (reservoir)
  • Plastic sheeting (reservoir)
  • Water pump with connection vinyl tubing (reservoir)
  • PVC tubes (channels)
  • PVC and vinyl tubing tees / elbows / connectors (channels, depending on your design)
  • Water based PVC glue (channels)
  • Net pots (channels)
  • Sensors and live monitoring (optional)
  • Paint (optional)

Tools Needed [5]:

  • Rafter square
  • Level
  • Drill and bits for screws/net pots
  • Staple gun and staples / double-sided tape
  • Razor blade knife
  • Tape measure
  • Sawhorse with clamps and circular saw (if not precut lumber)
  • Paint roller/paintbrush (optional)

Link to References