PVC pipfe for NFT system

[Pedram]

I am trying to build an NFT system but can't find pipes that are big
enough from Home Depot or OSH. What diameter pipe do you all suggest
using and could you give me some leads on what store or type of store
to try?

Thanks in advance,
Pedram

[Bob]

4" pipes work very well with 2" net pots. Ive grown 6' ++ sunflowers,
5' tomato plants and even 3' basils in such a setup... Just remember
when you set it up that the pipes will take a lot of solution to fill.
In my setup with a 30 gallon barrel for a res, it took bout 50
gallons with all the NFT pipes at a running level.
Bob

[Pedram]

Thanks Bob, that sounds like a good setup. What type of pump did you
use in terms of Gallonsperhour.

Pedram

[Bob]

I used a Danner 3 which if I remember correctly is ~275gph pump. You
dont need a huge volume of flow.. just a consistent flow. My return
was also in a 'drop' of about 2 1/2' which kept the nutrient well
aeriated.

The one pump was sufficient for 8- 12' runs with a 100 plant sites.
Bob

[thamnophis]

Bob - Did you use inserts in the holes to "square up" the holes? The
list owner shows a similar system but he glued short sections of pipe
as inserts into the holes so that the top was flat and the pots fit
snuggly.

Is that necessary with the smaller diameter pipes?

Joe

[Bob]

The 4" pipes I used were solid sewer pipes.. the ones that have a
loong bell end and are of a more corragated pipe material than solid
pvc.

Within probably 1/2", the holes are pretty much self centering. I
just marked them and used a 1 3/4" hole saw to make the holes. 2" are
just too big, they allow the pots to fall in too often. I also had
the plants growing on a semi- trellis setup which eliminated the need
for a 100% solid net pot base.

Bob

[Pedram]

This may sound a bit scatterbrained but what do you think are the pros
and cons of an NFT system vs. an ebb and flow system?

It seems that ebb and flow systems are easier to build than NFT but do
they have an cons in terms of maintanence, growing ability, etc.?

[Bob]

Gotta say... NOO dumb questions.. except for those not asked and your
plants die due to it....

Im not a fan of e/f... especially outdoors. Roots are very sensitive
to being dried out.. which is easy to have happen in a e/f setup.

NFT isnt hard.. just a series of pipes.. my pump fed the pipes thru a
1/2" pvc pipe run to the far end of the pipes...

and.. roots never get dry... if you add a float valve to the res ..
levels will never drop much either....

With NFT, ya just make sure the pump is running.. its always on. with
e/f .. ya always have to make sure the on/off timings are
appropriate...
Bob

[lydia anacta]

I have learned about the leaching agent and the final flush solution.  Does anybody knows the mixtures ot the nutrients.?  I understand these are used  a week before harvesting the lettuce.

Bob <sha...@gmail.com> wrote:

The 4" pipes I used were solid sewer pipes.. the ones that have a
loong bell end and are of a more corragated pipe material than solid
pvc.

Within probably 1/2", the holes are pretty much self centering. I
just marked them and used a 1 3/4" hole saw to make the holes. 2" are
just too big, they allow the pots to fall in too often. I also had
the plants growing on a semi- trellis setup which eliminated the need
for a 100% solid net pot base.

Bob