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Old 05-13-2015, 08:42 PM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
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Hello jon1978,
Quote:
should I put plastic wrap on it first? In just the greenhouses or on the fields aswell?
I wouldn't use a solid plastic wrap. I would use a weed barrier. It will block weeds and most pests, but still allow water to pass through. If your not concerned with weeds you could use decorative crushed rock. 2-3 inches of decorative crushed rock wont exactly stop weeds, but it will keep dust from kicking up when it gets windy, and allow water to soak in the ground while keeping the area mud free when it gets wet. I don't know about Spain but here in Arizona, decorative crushed rock comes in many sizes and colors, as well as prices ranging from about $20 a ton to about $60 a ton. And we get free delivery when we buy 8 tons or more.

Quote:
how long will the NFT/ aeroponics units last outdoors in the scorching spanish sun?
That depends on the UV protection rating of the material you use. As an example if you use rain gutters and/or down spouts, their made to be outside in direct sunlight all year long, and are made with UV resistors already in the material. However if you plan to run NFT system in direct sunlight all year long including summer, your likely to encounter high water temperatures and high root zone temps inside those tubes/gulleys.

Quote:
Can I run a septic dispersal under plastic? It does not seem proper to me.
I can't answer that. You should ask the local city planer or contractors, they would know about your city building codes.

Quote:
Is there a good doser on the market for use on multiple lines? I won't have electricity at first so it can't be too consuming or too expensive.
First, why would you want or need them if your running a NFT system? Injectors/dosers are used in non-recirculating systems. Are you planing to run your NFT system as a non-recirculating system?

Second, even if your using a Injectors/dosers, you could install it before a manifold that splits the water line into as many lines as you need. As long as it can handle the water volume. If not you can get a higher output injector and/or use more than one. Either way, you would install it/them between the water source, and manifold that runs a feed line to each tube/gully. But you will need electricity. I believe they are basically just a low voltage solenoid, that open and close based on water flow, so you may be able to easily set up a battery bank to run them off of. Then charge the battery bank with a trickle charger that automatically regulates voltage (so they don't overcharge the batteries), as well as charge them using solar cells to charge them or as a back up if the power goes out.

The injectors wont use much power at all, but you'll want to calculate how much power you'll need for the pumps and fans etc. etc. also, to figure how many batteries you'll need and solar cells you'll need to keep them charged.
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