One of the many available hydroponic systems is the deep flow technique (DFT), which has a lot of benefits for growing small water-loving crops like lettuce!
In this article, you’ll learn the benefits of deep flow technique hydroponic systems, but first, let’s go over the basics of how it works.
Some hydroponic systems actively deliver the nutrient water to the plant roots to stimulate growth.
While other systems work by simply letting the plant roots sit in the nutrient water indefinitely.
DFT hydroponic systems do a little of both.
On one side of a tray, aerated nutrient water from a reservoir is pumped up to flood the tray.
The plants sit on top of the tray with their roots hanging inside, with the help of a floating board.
As the water is pumped in, it circulates around, delivering nutrients to the plants’ roots.
On the opposite end, a drain brings the used water back down to the reservoir.
Now, we’ll explore the benefits of this system.
The Benefits of DFT Systems
Reliable
In the case of a power outage, or equipment malfunction, you won’t have to worry too much about your plants.
DFT systems hold enough water at a time, to keep water in the trays if a problem with the water pump occurs.
This buys you valuable time to solve the problem and keep your plants alive!
Maintains Temperature
The floating boards, or rafts, that hold the plants on the water’s surface are often insulating.
Plus, when there’s a high volume of liquid compared to surface area of the container, less heat is lost.
In a DFT system, there is a high volume of water compared to the surface area of the trays.
Between the insulation of the rafts and the volume to surface area ration, DFT systems are one of the most stable hydroponic systems temperature-wise.
Easy for Vertical Farming
Some hydroponic systems aren’t suited for vertical farming, because of weight or size.
Luckily, DFT systems are just deep enough to hold enough water for the crops but aren’t so deep that they become heavy or tall.
This saves space and makes it easy to stack the trays on racks for vertical farming.
Saves Water
In DFT systems, water is pumped out of a reservoir, into the system and then drained out back into the reservoir.
This is called a recirculating hydroponic system.
Because it’s able to capture and reuse water, it needs significantly less of it than systems that use new water every single time.
Easy to Set Up
Deep flow technique systems use fairly basic parts, so they’re easy to build!
This makes them easy for beginners, or farmers who need a system with low start-up costs.
Clearly, DFT systems have a lot of great benefits!
We even use them in some of our Pure Greens Container Farms!
If you want to learn more about the DFT hydroponic system, read our article, “How Deep Flow Technique (DFT) Hydroponic Systems Work.”
Visit our website or call 602-753-3469 to learn more about how you can start hydroponic farming.
