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The advantages and disadvantages of Wick, NFT, DFT and Floating Raft hydroponics systems, Planting with a hydroponic system does not need to have to bask all day in the hot sun, we only need to think about providing maintenance nutrition which only needs to be done at least once a week.
Regarding hydroponic systems, there are actually many hydroponic systems that are widely used around the world, but in this article I will focus on explaining the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponic systems for only 4 systems, namely the wick system, NFT system, DFT system and Floating Raft system.
I prefer to explain the 4 system, because its implementation is quite easy and is quite widely used by hydroponic farmers in Indonesia, both experienced hydroponic farmers or hydroponic farmers who are just starting out or are really just beginners.
In addition, in several social media groups such as Facebook, YouTube comments, I have observed that there are a lot of questions about the hydroponics of the wick, nft, dft and floating raft systems, including questions about the advantages and disadvantages of the 4 systems.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wick / Wick System Hydroponics
The hydroponics system of the Wick or Wick system is mostly practiced by beginners who are just trying to grow hydroponics for the first time, apart from not requiring large capital, the hydroponics of the wick system can use used items at home, such as mineral water, pipe, conductor and so forth.
So for those of you who want to start hydroponics and are just learning, you better choose a wick system, by utilizing used items in your home, over time you will know how to grow hydroponics and you will get knowledge about hydroponic planting figs.
The wick system does have many advantages, but behind the advantages there are also weaknesses.
Advantages of the Wick System
Here are some of the advantages or advantages of using the hydroponic wick system:
1. Cheap does not need big capital
Because you can take advantage of used goods / containers at home.
2. Can take advantage of a narrow yard
Because generally the wick system uses small containers, we can put them in several corners of the yard that are not too large, which is important to get enough sunlight every day.
3. No need to use electrical energy.
In the wick system, we don't need to use electricity because the wick system can generally be implemented without having to use a pump / aerator.
4. Easy installation
The hydroponic installation of the wick system is fairly easy, only by providing a container that can hold water, a netpot that we can make from used ice ceream containers and a wick from a flannel or cloth that can absorb water is enough. very easy to install
5. Pests do not spread quickly
Pests that attack the roots do not spread quickly to other plants because they use different containers.
6. Can take advantage of used goods that are around the house
Another advantage of the wick system is that we can take advantage of all kinds of items in the house that can hold any water so that it will save costs.
Weaknesses of the Wick System
While the shortcomings or weaknesses of the wick system include the following:
1. Very troublesome in maintenance (providing nutritional water, etc.).
Because the wick system usually uses separate containers (individually), this is quite a hassle when refilling the nutrient water that is shrinking due to being consumed by our hydroponic plants when the plants are grown.
When the plants are still small, this certainly doesn't really matter, but when the plants are big especially before harvesting, the nutritional water needed by the plants will be very much so that the nutrient water reservoir / container will be drained more quickly by the roots of our hydroponic plants, so that with thus forcing us to frequently refill containers whose water recedes one by one.
2. Easily exposed to root rot
The second disadvantage of the wick system is that if we are not painstaking, the plants are susceptible to pests that attack the roots, namely root rot caused by highly saturated nutrient water, and the high temperatures we allow. usually the plant will turn yellow and eventually die.
To avoid this, we have to frequently dig into the nutrient water and the planting container must have sufficient ventilation.
3. Plants are sometimes difficult to develop.
Hydroponic plants grown in the wick system are sometimes difficult to grow thin and stunted, usually because the water lacks oxygen, the temperature of the water is often hot when we rarely rummage through the water in the wick system container.
The advantages and disadvantages of the NFT system
The NFT system is a hydronomic planting system that uses a pipe or gully as an installation gutter, in the NFT system the water flows using a pump and the flow is very thin, the goal is that the plant roots in addition to getting enough nutrients and water also get an excellent oxygen supply.
NFT systems are widely chosen by experienced large-scale hydroponic farmers because the results are very optimal, however, NFT systems have their own advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages of the NFT system.
Following are the advantages of the NFT hydroponic system
1. Maximum plant growth
Plant growth is generally more optimal, because plants will get a very adequate supply of water, nutrients and oxygen.
2. Do not spend too much on nutritional fertilizers.
Because the NFT system uses a very thin water flow, so that the need for nutrient solutions can be minimized, but the nutritional needs are completely absorbed so that it does not affect plant growth.
3. Maintenance easier
NFT maintenance is easier, especially when you want to control the value of nutrient content, just do it in the reservoir, so all plants will get a uniform distribution of nutrients with an even ppm value.
4. The risk of deposition of dirt in the sugar is low
Dirt in gutters or pipes is generally caused by nutrient deposits that have been used for too long without being drained, for NFTs the risk of nitroso deposits in pipes or gulies can be minimized because water flows continuously without anyone being stagnant.
Disadvantages of Hydrponic NFT Systems
While the shortcomings or weaknesses of the hydrponic NFT system are as follows:
1. Very dependent on electricity
The NFT system uses a pump to drain water, if the electricity goes out, the pump will die, meaning the plants will not get a flow of nutrients, so if left for a long time the plants can wither and die.
2. Rapid spread of disease
If one plant is exposed to pests such as pests that attack the roots, it will easily spread to other plants. to avoid this, if there is one plant affected by pests that attack the roots, especially, it's better to throw it away.
4. Installation costs are expensive
The installation costs for the NFT system are quite expensive, because generally the installation pipes use Gully which is flat and the price is relatively expensive and difficult to obtain.
5. Plants can die if the pump stops.
Because in the NFT system there is no stagnant water, only water flow, this is one of the weaknesses that the NFT system is very dependent on the pump, if the pump turns off automatically the plants will not get water flow, if left, the plants can wither and die.
The advantages and disadvantages of the DFT system
Another system that uses pipes is the DFT (Deep Flow Technique) system, the same as the NFT system, however, in the DFT system there is a nutrient water which is partially stagnant in the pipe even though the water is both flowing.
Like other systems, the DFT system also has advantages and disadvantages, here are the strengths and weaknesses of the DFT system that you should know.
The advantages of the DFT System
a. It is still safe even if the pump is off.
In the DFT system, because there is partially stagnant water in the installation pipe, this is one of the advantages, if the pump is off, the plants will still get their nutrient intake from stagnant nutrient water.
b. Optimal plant growth
Because flowing water contains oxygen, in addition to water and nutrients, plants also get enough oxygen.
c. Harvest is more uniform
in the DFT system, the harvest will be more uniform because each plant gets the same nutrients, unless the seed quality is poor.
d. Easy maintenance.
Maintaining DFT is very easy, especially with regard to nutritional control, simply controlling the nutrient water in the container is sufficient.
e. Harvest age is faster
Plants grown with the DFT system generally grow faster so that they harvest faster.
Disadvantages of the DFT System
a. Dirty plumbing
There are times when over time the pipes are used will become dirty and need to be drained and cleaned, whether they are dirty because of long-standing nutrient deposits, or because of moss.
b. It is quite troublesome to adjust the PPM level of nutritional water at the time of refilling
Sometimes the desired PPM target is missed because there is water still stagnant in the pipe so that when it mixes in the ppm reservoir it changes not according to the targeted ppm value, as a result, it has to be estimated again until the whole ppm, both the water in the reservoir and the stagnant water in the pipe, becomes the same.
c. Need more water and nutrients
Because in the DFT hydroponic system there is stagnant water in the pipe and also in the reservoir, the need for water is even greater, so that even more nutritional needs are in accordance with water capacity.
d. Pests spread quickly
Pests that attack roots in the DFT system will quickly spread due to the same water flow, therefore if there is one hydroponic plant in the DFT system affected by pests that attack the roots, it must be removed immediately.
Disadvantages and advantages of the Floating Raft hydroponic system
The floating raft system is a hydroponic system that utilizes a puddle covered with styrofoam which is placed to float on the surface of the water. The floating raft hydroponic system is widely used because of its practicality.
The advantages of hydroponics are floating raft systems
Here are some of the advantages of the floating raft hydroponic system:
a. Very easy maintenance
Hydroponic maintenance of the floating raft system is fairly easy
b. Plants can grow evenly
Hydroponic plants grown in a floating raft system are able to grow evenly because they get nutrients from the same source for each plant.
c. Tub can be used more than once planting.
As long as the nutrient water in the floating raft is still clean, the water can still be used for the next planting season and doesn't need to be replaced, just add it.
Lack of floating rafts
While the shortcomings of the floating raft system are as follows:
a. Expensive installation costs.
The latest floating raft systems generally use a minimum of 2 pumps which are placed opposite each other in the lower left corner and the upper right corner. with the aim that the water circulates properly and so that the water contains enough oxygen for the roots, of course the number of pumps adjusts to the length of the reservoir, the wider the pump used can be more than 2 and automatically requires even more capital.
b. Requires a lot of water.
The water height in the floating raft storage tub is at least 15 centimeters to 20 cm, the wider the reservoir, the more water needs will be.
c. Disease spreads fast
If one plant in the floating raft system is attacked by pests, for example root rot caused by bacteria or fungi, then if allowed to spread it will quickly, to overcome it if it is too severe, all the nutrient water in the tub must be replaced with new ones.
http://strukturkode.blogspot.com/2020/07/kelebihan-dan-kekurangan-sistem-wick-nft-dft-rakit-apung.html