My $200.00 NFT Rain Gutter system

[Canappa]

Yea, those rockwool cubes make me nervous.. lots of potential for problems. See, I just try to stay away with rockwool... that's why aero appeals to me so much. No medium needed!

Problems with Rockwool, never had a problem plus it helps to keep the plants in their place.I like your way of thinking No medium Hmm now you got me thinking.

 

[Tank333]

The biggest potential problem IMO with Aero is the sprayers could get clogged with roots... that and a pump failure can kill everything in a very short while!

 

[Canappa]

Was at the local Hardware store and seen these, Thinking about trying them out with my next run. have the plants sitting on top of the channels, run a pipe along the top with spray nozzles pointing down on to the roots ? have the run off going onto a rez, then pumped back up to the gutters . I been thinking up this ideal for a while going to have to build it and see what happens.

 

[urbanfog]

Looked at those the other day ;) Nice efficient set up Cana

 

[Canappa]

Looked at those the other day ;) Nice efficient set up Cana

Thanks, bro its very efficient it runs its self, always looking at ways to improve it. One thing I know, I will never go back to soil mixes.

 

[Canappa]

awesome grow man

Thanks Chronic Monster, for taking the time out to check it out.

 

[Canappa]

Just got done putting up the nets...And flipped to 12/12 let the show begin.

 

[Tank333]

Just got done putting up the nets...And flipped to 12/12 let the show begin.


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Looks awesome, man! You've got 4kw in there?

 

[Canappa]

Looks awesome, man! You've got 4kw in there?

Thanks 2k for now 4k by next wk when the buds start to show, Two Mh Two HPS's

 

[Capulator]

Homie I ran this exact same system in my backyard shed circa 1996!

 

[Chronic Monster]

looking nice at the flip!

 

[Canappa]

Homie I ran this exact same system in my backyard shed circa 1996!

Thanks Bro,your the first person I know to run this set up, how did it work out for you?

 

[Coir]

I have been running this type of system since 1986. I attached rain gutters to the sidewall of my commercial greenhouse. Three rows on each side, 110' each. They drop 4' over the length of the run. I grow lettuce, basil, peppers, and melons in them. They use up what was just unused space in the greenhouse and the cost to run them is minimal. The produce I sell from them virtually covers my yearly operating expense for the entire greenhouse.
I made lids for mine out of sheets of corrugated plastic. You can get 4'x8' sheets from most plastic suppliers and simply cut them into 4"x8' strips and then use a hole saw to cut holes at whatever spacing you want. I have found the 1.5" rockwool cubes are all you need and they cost less than the 3"!

First picture is the lettuce I grow, second is basil, third is yellow and red ghost chilies, and the fourth shows the whole system attached to the sidewalls. I have grown just about every type of plant imaginable out of these except for root veggies. No photos of cannabis but it grows just as well with this type of system.

 

[slumdog80]

Was at the local Hardware store and seen these, Thinking about trying them out with my next run. have the plants sitting on top of the channels, run a pipe along the top with spray nozzles pointing down on to the roots ? have the run off going onto a rez, then pumped back up to the gutters . I been thinking up this ideal for a while going to have to build it and see what happens.
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Nice build Cana. Do you know/remember the brand of those gutters with the guard? I want to use something like
those for drainage on the bottom of DIY coco beds. Thanks

 

[Canappa]

I have been running this type of system since 1986. I attached rain gutters to the sidewall of my commercial greenhouse. Three rows on each side, 110' each. They drop 4' over the length of the run. I grow lettuce, basil, peppers, and melons in them. They use up what was just unused space in the greenhouse and the cost to run them is minimal. The produce I sell from them virtually covers my yearly operating expense for the entire greenhouse.
I made lids for mine out of sheets of corrugated plastic. You can get 4'x8' sheets from most plastic suppliers and simply cut them into 4"x8' strips and then use a hole saw to cut holes at whatever spacing you want. I have found the 1.5" rockwool cubes are all you need and they cost less than the 3"!View attachment 365722
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First picture is the lettuce I grow, second is basil, third is yellow and red ghost chilies, and the fourth shows the whole system attached to the sidewalls. I have grown just about every type of plant imaginable out of these except for root veggies. No photos of cannabis but it grows just as well with this type of system.

Now that's a beautiful system you have going there, wow I am amazed the whole set up clean and neat and well organized. if you can provide any more info on this set up please feel free to post. How are they feed? is the system on the floor suspended in the air ? Thanks for the tips and sharing

 

[Canappa]

Nice build Cana. Do you know/remember the brand of those gutters with the guard? I want to use something like
those for drainage on the bottom of DIY coco beds. Thanks

Thanks I sure dont know the name just go to Lowe's hardware here is the link provided below, you should be able to find the info there or just Google "trench drain"


!

 

[Coir]

Now that's a beautiful system you have going there, wow I am amazed the whole set up clean and neat and well organized. if you can provide any more info on this set up please feel free to post. How are they feed? is the system on the floor suspended in the air ? Thanks for the tips and sharing

The system on the floor is simply lay flat slabs of coir that are drip irrigated using fertilizer injectors. The rain gutters on the sidewalls have a large Rubbermaid tote at the lower end of each side with a small pump in it. It pumps the nutrient up to the far end and gravity brings it back. They run 24/7. As I pick out a lettuce or basil plant to sell, I have a new start ready to drop in the open space. Depending on the time of year, it's about 5-6 weeks for each head of lettuce and about 8 weeks for each basil. The peppers and melons stay in all year up at the back of the system. I picked over 1000 Moruga Scorpion peppers from one plant last Fall. It was over 6' tall and easily that wide. It was just sitting in the bottom row of rain gutter which I had to tie up to the posts in several different spots to keep the whole thing from crashing to the floor. There have been a few occasions where I have come into the greenhouse to find a whole row of the rain gutter on the floor. Never a fun time trying to put it back up when it's full of plants.

 

[Canappa]

@Coir , yes your gutter system is very similar to mine, 24/7 nutes and letting gravity do it work from there. now do you flush the gutters prior to harvest?, how is the taste compared to a soil set up? I do want to start a home garden this way I know where it came from. Now you got me thinking, lol I have thought of hanging the gutters with yo-yo's so I can move the garden up and down. but they do get heavy. what nutes do you run in the gutters if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Coir]

No flushing since it's running all the time, nothing ever builds up above the level I want to run my nutrient at. Taste is every bit as good as possible. I sell out of what I grow every single week and could sell a lot more if I had the space. No need to raise or lower the gutters but the taller the crop, the lower they need to be to the ground. I place the peppers and melons in the bottom row. The melons run out and down the floor along the sidewall and the peppers grow up until they hit the plastic, about 6', and then I start topping them. I have run much larger versions of this right on the floor of greenhouses and grown tomatoes and English cucumbers for 9-10 months at a time.

I make all my own nutrient due to better quality, more control, and of course lower cost. I can easily go through 1500 gallons of food/water a day during the summer in this greenhouse.

 

[Tank333]

No flushing since it's running all the time, nothing ever builds up above the level I want to run my nutrient at. Taste is every bit as good as possible. I sell out of what I grow every single week and could sell a lot more if I had the space. No need to raise or lower the gutters but the taller the crop, the lower they need to be to the ground. I place the peppers and melons in the bottom row. The melons run out and down the floor along the sidewall and the peppers grow up until they hit the plastic, about 6', and then I start topping them. I have run much larger versions of this right on the floor of greenhouses and grown tomatoes and English cucumbers for 9-10 months at a time.

I make all my own nutrient due to better quality, more control, and of course lower cost. I can easily go through 1500 gallons of food/water a day during the summer in this greenhouse.

Do you use different nutrient regimens for different plants, or are they all on the same stuff?