Maximum Yield USA May 2018 | Page 91

“ To obtain the best-quality crop, wait until after a thorough flush to harvest. ” To obtain the best-quality crop, wait until after a thorough flush to harvest. Once flushed and harvested, process the plants according to their specific needs. Be sure to do your homework for your specific crop, as overall quality is determined not just by the growth process but also through this final processing stage. Take extra care of the produce throughout the rest of the process until final packaging. After all, you grew your babies and put in all this work, so why mess up now? Take great care of your produce from start to finish, from cutting or seed to sale. Cleanup Cleaning up after your crop is easy with an NFT system. Although not a requirement, a removable lid helps with the ease of cleaning. Take apart all the fittings, air stones, and pumps and clean them thoroughly. Be sure to scrub off residue from every crack, crevice, and corner to ensure a pathogen- and disease-free crop on your next run. While you can clean it too, consider replacing the tubing as it can harbor pathogens. Also, take the extra steps and clean all the surfaces in your growroom, including floors and walls, with warm water and hydrogen peroxide or another safe cleaning product. Whether or not you’ve tried other methods of hydroponics or aeroponics, be sure to give NFT systems a shot. You won’t be disappointed with this system’s ability to provide amazing results. Though things may seem slow during the hardening off period, your plants will take off from there and thrive throughout the rest of the growth cycle. grow cycle 91