Monday, October 12, 2015

NFT System Running

It is time to update you on the progress so far.  We realised in March that the Kratky system was great between October and February but as the temperature in the tropics edged above 35 degrees C the water temperature heated up and plans started to rot and wilt.

This summer we visited Nathon Farms, a hydro farm in Koh Samui, Thailand and met Mrs. Lex who showed us her system and gave us invaluable information on growing hydro in the tropics.  We have replicated her system which uses the NFT method and have been growing lettuce and arugula since July.  Lettuce does not like the very hot days but arugula did great even on 40 degree days.

She also shared her nutrient formula which we are using to grow the plants.  It is easy to make and uses a combination of standard elements, most of which are readily available in India.

Here are some pictures of the setup:
The first system has been running since July, the second one was just complete on the 10th of October.

Lettuce and arugula



Young lettuce growing in the PVC pipes

A bucket system experiment to grow tomatoes and melons

Second system getting ready 

The first seedlings going in!

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