Learn About Hydroponics
Nutrient Film Technique ( NFT) is uniquely simple. It involves a shallow film of nutrient solution (nutrient & water) constantly recirculating past the roots of your plants. Nutrient solution is pumped from a tank to the channel, over the plant roots and back into the tank. It is the recirculating film that differentiates NFT from other hydroponic growing methods. Raising or obtaining your plants: For successful transplanting to your NFT system you need strong healthy transplants with abundant white roots on the OUTSIDE of the propagation block. A propagation block comprises any artificial or soil-less medium - usually rockwool or root riot cube in which the transplant is raised from seed or cutting.
Setting up a growroom
|
Growing under Lights. Horticultural Growlights are the most important piece of equipment in the Growroom. High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps for Growlights come in 3 types: High Pressure Sodium (HPS) have all the Red (Autumn) light for flowering crops, but they must always be Nav-T SUPER or Son-T PLUS or equivalent. Metal Halide are now used really only in the Vegetative stages - lots of Blue (Springtime) light for healthy green shoots. Metal Halides are perhaps not needed for those on a budget as HPS lamps have Blue light too. Grolux horticultural lamps are a mix of about 30% blue and 75% red giving a slightly higher output than an HPS lamp. A horticultural Growlight should not be confused with Hi-Bay or Lo-Bay lights which are designed for car parks,security lighting,street lighting etc. Hi/ Lo Bay lights are designed to produce enough light for us to see by but not for plants to flower with and are made for economy elecric use. A proper Growlight is geared differently to a Lo/ Hi Bay to force a higher light output from the bulb (trying to recreate Sunlight on a small scale) not with economy but RESULTS in mind. Our Growlights all take HPS and Grolux lamps and most take Metal Halide also. We have an excellent selection of the best lights available. HID lamps are used for growth and flowering stages because they produce a lot of lumens per watt- trying to recreate summer sun. They also produce excess heat which should be extracted from the growing area. 
Starting plants under lights. A T5 Light Wave lighting unit is ideal for a propagation set up or keeping a mother plant. The Eco-light 125w, 200w & 250w are relatively new additions now available for the keen gardener.
Air Extraction and Ventilation. Extractor Fans are mainly used to ensure a good flow of fresh air through a grow area and to remove the excess heat from HID lights.. They should be considered the next most important piece of equipment after your lighting system. They are the main way to keep your temperature and humidity in check, and of course, fresh air is an excellent way to increase yield. We have sorted Extractor fans and Fittings by size and included some help for you to decide what is right for your needs.
Carbon filters are scrubbers that remove the smell from the air that is being vented out of the growroom. These carbon filters are of the highest quality. CKV-3 is steam activated extruded carbon, made of specially selected high quality bituminous coal. This type has a very high mechanical resistance and a well-developed pore structure, making it extremely suitable for absorption of a large range of organic components from gas and airflows. Ideally one of these carbon filters should be changed or re-lined with fresh carbon approximately every 14 months for continued effective odour control.
Flood & Drain (aka Ebb & Flood) is the hydroponic system that gives you most control over the root environment. The Theory Flood & Drain is so successful because it gives great opportunity to vary the watering (and hence nutrition) cycle. Unlike most other hydroponic systems the roots of your plants are not, in most cases, immediately visible. It is most important to understand what is happening so the correct decision on operating the system is made. With Flood & Drain the growing medium is periodically flooded. During this process any residue of the previous flood will be redissolved in the nutrient solution so that the nutrient solution remaining in the medium after the drain (drain) does not become stale, precipitated or over concentrated (if you try growing a plant in an ordinary pot this is the reason why performance is so often disappointing). Also, because all the free draining moisture is removed from the root area on the drain, vast amounts of air which of course contain essential oxygen is drawn in around the roots. This invigorates the roots and encourages their best performance in terms of growth, water uptake and nutrient uptake.
Dripper systems allow the grower the luxury of some growth medium (ie. clay pebbles, coco or soil) which creates a safety margin if the reservoir has run dry (much the same as Flood & Drain in that respect). A system is controlled by means of a segmental timer. We sell a lot of dripper systems as customers find them very convenient to use. When using a dripper with soil, it may be better controlled with a digital timer or TMU which can run for less than 15 minutes at a time. 
Aeroponics Rainforest 2, Aeroponic Dutch pot systems & AeroFlow systems. Aeroponics is the fastest way to grow. Some of the systems we have here are product offshoots of NASA and have been tested in space for viability. Aeroponics done well, produces staggering results. Basically, the roots hang down into a dark chamber and get sprayed with a fine mist containing water and nutrition. Due to the huge amount of aeration achieved by the roots, the growth rate is increased further than that of soil or hydroponics. Aeroponics requires regular checking on, as there is little survival time for plants if the reservoir drys up or the pump fails.
pH. pH refers to the level of alkalis and acids within a solution. Water is around pH 7. Most plants require a pH to be between 5.8-6.8. pH will fluctuate at different times in a plants lifecycle due to the plant uptaking more of some mineral salts than others. Keep a close eye on pH because if it is too high or low the plant will not feed efficiently resulting in a poor or stunted plant.
EC/CF/PPM. EC refers to the measurement of a nutrient strength. Electro-conductivity is the means by which the solution is measured to check the level of available mineral salts. A plant will need different EC levels during its life cycle. By being aware of this, it is possible to add more or less nutrient and/ or additives to maximise a plants growth.