Effective nutrient film technique with $10 downspout and solo cups
I’ve been working with and trying different hydroponic systems over the last three years, and one of the longest lasting and simplest systems has been NFT. My fence post cover NFT rail has two chili plants and some rhubarb that have been growing and producing non-stop for two years. While I love the fence post cover design, the covers are expensive and are too large to work effectively with young plants. This latest design uses MUCH cheaper pvc downspouts and red solo cups in place of net cups.
I take a 10ft section of downspout (less than $10 at the local Menards), and cut it in half. Then, using a 2.5" hole saw, cut holes evenly spaced.
Warming the area with a heat gun, a mason jar is used to shape the openning larger and downward. This allows for excellent fitment of the solo cup and great contact with the bottom of the rail. An added benefit is that water and condensation fall and stay inside the rail.
Here you can see the first version created for seedlings and the more spaced out version for larger plants. The fence post cover NFT rail is on the left with the rhubarb and hanging baskets nearby. Looking down the rail at the seedlings (poppy, moringa, cilantro, ?) you can see the seedlings are planted in the solo cups with coco and clay pebbles. The coco wicks moisture and nutrients off the bottom of the rail before the seedlings roots are able to grow out, and also adds a buffer should the pump fail.
This system uses a tiny 13 watt fountain pump, 3/8 water line, and compression fittings. The hose is simply fed into a hole at the top of the rail and gravity does the work. The bottom end of the rail sits on the nutrient reservoir and drains directly into it. Each rail is using two 10 watt led grow lights. Three rails, with lights and pump, run less than 100 watts.
