The Nutrient Film Technique is a popular and versatile hydroponics system that uses a pump to deliver fertilized water to the grow tray and a drain pipe to recycle the unused nutrient solution.
For NFT, the nutrient solution is continuously flowing over the roots. This is accomplished using gravity. The grow tray is placed at an angle to allow the water to flow down towards the drain pipe, and new solution is constantly being pumped into the high end of the tube.
NFT is an active system, meaning it relies on moving parts to work. The nutrient solution flows in a thin film over the roots, ensuring that they are watered and fed but not completely soaked. The thin film ensures that the upper part of the roots will remain dry and have access to oxygen in the air.
Advantages of NFT
- Lower water and nutrient consumption.
- Avoids the supply, disposal and cost problems associated with media based systems.
- Relatively easy to disinfect roots and hardware compared to other system types.
- The absence of medium makes it easy to inspect roots for signs of disease, feed adequacy, etc.
- Regular feeding (and associated flushing) prevents localized salt build-up in the root zone and maintains uniform root zone pH and conductivity.
- Environmentally friendly - minimal potential for localized groundwater contamination.
Disadvantages of NFT
- Pump failure can result in plant death within a few hours, especially in hot weather.
- Not suitable for plants with large tap-root systems (e.g. carrots).
- Compared to run-to-waste systems, it is less suitable for saline (salty) waters because the salinity of the recirculating water gradually increases.
For NFT, the nutrient solution is continuously flowing over the roots. This is accomplished using gravity. The grow tray is placed at an angle to allow the water to flow down towards the drain pipe, and new solution is constantly being pumped into the high end of the tube.
NFT is an active system, meaning it relies on moving parts to work. The nutrient solution flows in a thin film over the roots, ensuring that they are watered and fed but not completely soaked. The thin film ensures that the upper part of the roots will remain dry and have access to oxygen in the air.
Advantages of NFT
- Lower water and nutrient consumption.
- Avoids the supply, disposal and cost problems associated with media based systems.
- Relatively easy to disinfect roots and hardware compared to other system types.
- The absence of medium makes it easy to inspect roots for signs of disease, feed adequacy, etc.
- Regular feeding (and associated flushing) prevents localized salt build-up in the root zone and maintains uniform root zone pH and conductivity.
- Environmentally friendly - minimal potential for localized groundwater contamination.
Disadvantages of NFT
- Pump failure can result in plant death within a few hours, especially in hot weather.
- Not suitable for plants with large tap-root systems (e.g. carrots).
- Compared to run-to-waste systems, it is less suitable for saline (salty) waters because the salinity of the recirculating water gradually increases.