Hydroponic Gully makes up a large proportion of the total cost of a commercial NFT system.
It is therefore essential that the gully is well designed and durable.
A correctly designed NFT gully promotes the Nutrient Film Technique by allowing a thin film of oxygenated nutrient solution to flow along the base of a flat bottom gully surface from which the root system of a plant can feed from.
Failure to use a well-designed gully will lead to continuous problems such as ponding, blockages and a deep flow of nutrient solution which starves the root system of dissolved oxygen leading to root death, root disease and crop losses.
Often it is only when a grower switches to a properly designed gully that they notice significant improvements in crop quality, over and above what they previously thought was acceptable.
Round section pipe is Not NFT!
It is frustrating to see round pipe systems used on a commercial scale and classed as NFT! These systems are cheap for a reason. The rounded base of a stormwater pipe cannot be considered as NFT as the deep concave creates a deep flow, submersing a large part of the root system. This is not a thin film of solution which the Nutrient Film Technique requires. All it takes is an unseasonably warm period to show the weakness in this system. The submersed roots will then struggle to breathe and crop stress and death becomes evident. Any savings the grower has made from using round pipes, and any traction they have made in the marketplace is then lost with an unmarketable crop and their competitors take over.
A proper NFT gully should have a flat base or a base which promotes a thin film of nutrient solution.
It must be of a sturdy construction to reduce the number of frame supports required along its length.
Gully accessories such as End Caps and Joiners should also be well designed and compatible, so they do not leak or require excessive amounts of solvents to attach them.
The gully must also be made from UV stabilised Food Grade PVC. This type of PVC does not utilise any cheap fillers and won’t leach any harmful chemicals into your system. Lead stabilisers used in PVC are harmful and illegal in New Zealand (but not in some countries!)
Proper UV stabilised food grade PVC should also last at least 20 years.
To qualify as Food Grade PVC, a PVC product should be manufactured using a Calcium Zinc Stabiliser or better still, an Organic Stabiliser.
All gully supplied by Pure Hydroponics is made with Organic Stabilisers. Our products are also free of cheap PVC fillers. This makes it a high quality product and totally safe for food production. The food grade feature is critical for hydroponic gully. If growers are considering purchasing hydroponic gully that sounds very price competitive compared to other gully products then it is quite possibly Not Food Grade PVC, not UV stabilised, or uses a large amount of cheap filler which shortens the life of the product. Stabilisers such as lead are still commonly used in some overseas countries for PVC production but these are not deemed safe for use in food production.
We stand by the high quality of our gully and our 20 year guarantee on Hydro Pure 1 piece and 2 piece gully reflects this quality.
It is very easy for a factory to make a cheaper gully. All they need to do is use less UV stabiliser and use a higher proportion of cheap filler. By doing this a factory can reduce their price and still say that their product is UV stabilised – but what lifetime will it have?
Will the factory you purchased your cheap gully from still be operating when your gully is crumbling and leaking at the ends?
Unless they can give you a long guarantee period like 20 years then there is no assurance that the gully will last for a reasonable time in direct sunlight or that it will have enough elasticiser additives to make it impact resistant.
Pure Hydroponics have selected a range of high-quality gullies and accessories which comply to the above-mentioned quality control criteria. Each design has been tried and tested in the harshest of climates to ensure they perform to expectations.
When making such a valuable investment you need to make sure it lasts the distance. A grower’s focus should be on growing great crops, not spending their hard earned money on maintaining or replacing poor quality gullies and fittings.
Our selected range of gully & accessories is detailed on the following pages.
Please let us know if you have any further questions on our gully or if you require a quotation.
