This set is built around the nutrient film technique, where a shallow film of solution runs along the floor of a channel and the roots sit in it. It arrives as the whole working loop rather than as parts: pre drilled NFT channels, a submersible pump, a timer and a water pump tray that the channels sit in so the solution returns to the tank instead of running off. The film is shallow on purpose, because a thin moving layer keeps the root zone aerated, and an even film along the channel is what keeps one end of a row from growing ahead of the other.
The nutrient film technique is the oldest of the working hydroponic layouts and still the most common on leafy crops, because it needs very little water and the plant sits in the solution rather than above it. The catch is that the film has to keep moving. This set is put together around that, with the channel, the pump, the timer and the return tray supplied as one loop.
The order covers the water side of a house: pre drilled NFT channels, a submersible pump, a timer to run the pump on a cycle, and a water pump tray that the channel ends sit in. Nothing else is needed to start a block of channels other than a tank and a supply. Because the channels arrive drilled and the tray is matched to them, the loop is assembled to a layout rather than made up from parts. Sets for the hydroponics system range are quoted to the house.
Solution is pumped from the tank to the high end of each channel and runs down the floor of the channel as a shallow film, with the roots lying in it. There is no growing medium, so the root zone is the film itself, and the depth of that film is what decides how much oxygen the roots see. A film that runs too deep suffocates the lower roots, and a film that stops moving dries them out, which is why the channel slope and the pump cycle matter more here than on any other system.
The timer is the other half of it. Running the pump on a cycle rather than continuously keeps the film moving without leaving the roots submerged, and because the channels are separate runs, a blocked channel is visible as a dry row rather than as a whole house failing at once. A system built on the same principle but planted on a fixed frame is described in the automated NFT hydroponic planting system page.
The channels are white food grade PVC, 1.8 mm to 2.0 mm thick, supplied in 2.9 m and 5.8 m lengths or cut to order, and can be set as one flat layer or stacked in several layers. They are drilled to the planting spacing on the order, which is the part that decides how the crop is laid out and how many plants a house carries. The pump is submersible and sits in the tank; the tray collects the return at the low end and takes it back.
White is used for the channel wall for a reason. A dark channel absorbs heat and warms the solution on a sunny day, and it also makes the root zone impossible to inspect without pulling a plant. A white channel reflects some of that heat and shows the root condition through the wall.
The table below is the standard set. Channel count, planting spacing and the pumping package are set to the house and to the crop.
| Growing method | Nutrient film technique, soilless |
| Included | NFT channels, submersible pump, timer, water pump tray |
| Channel material | Food grade PVC |
| Channel thickness | 1.8 mm to 2.0 mm |
| Channel length | 2.9 m, 5.8 m or cut to order |
| Channel colour | White |
| Drilling | Pre drilled to the planting spacing on the order |
| Layer arrangement | One flat layer or multiple layers |
| Support pipes | Galvanized steel pipes |
| Circulation | Submersible pump on a timer cycle |
| Water system | Deep water culture or aquaponic loop |
| Crops | Lettuce, leafy vegetables, herbs and microgreens |
| Customisation | Channel count, drilling and pumping package set to the site |
The channels are set on their frames at a fall towards the return end, because a channel that is level holds solution in pockets and those pockets are where roots drown. The tray is set under the low ends and piped back to the tank, the pump goes in the tank, and the timer is set to the cycle the crop needs. Drilling and channel count follow the planting plan, so the layout is fixed before the frames are levelled.
Maintenance is filters, roots and the pump. Inline filters are cleaned on a short cycle, since fine root material is what blocks an emitter and starves the far end of a run. Roots that grow into the channel are cleared at each crop change, the channels are washed through so no root material carries over, and the pump is lifted and checked on the same routine. The timer is the one part worth keeping a spare of, because a pump that stops on a film system gives the grower very little time.
Sets of this type are used for lettuce and leafy vegetable production on a short cycle, for herbs and microgreens where the crop is cut rather than picked over, and for blocks where water use and drainage decide what can be grown. They suit a commercial house setting up a first channel block, an operation replacing a gravel or bed system with a recirculating one, and projects that want the water side supplied as one order. A house supplied around the same growing system is described in the hydroponics system for greenhouse page.
Research and extension material on soilless and protected crop production is published by UF/IFAS at the University of Florida. News and analysis on controlled environment and vertical production is published by VerticalFarmDaily.
Pre drilled NFT channels, a submersible pump, a timer and a water pump tray that returns the solution to the tank. Channel count and drilling are set to the planting plan when the order is placed.
Because the roots sit in the film rather than above it. A film that runs too deep leaves the lower roots without air, and a film that stops moving lets them dry out, so the channel fall and the pump cycle are what keep the root zone working.
The galvanized support steel is rated for 15 to 20 years under normal growing conditions. The pump, the timer and the channel set run on their own service cycles and are replaced as they come due.
We provide a 10 year structural warranty and a 5 year anti-corrosion warranty on the galvanized steelwork. Details are set out in the contract for each project.
Send your site dimensions, the crop you plan to run and the growing layout you intend to use. We reply with a layout drawing and a full quotation.
