Story: Nifty Growing Systems
Episode: 12
Presenter: Neville Passmore
Air Date: 1 November 2025

Watch how the Nutrient Film Technique turns tiny seedlings into crisp lettuce and vine-ripened strawberries in just weeks, naturally, fast, and full of flavor!

• The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) grows lettuce and strawberries quickly by flowing a weak nutrient solution over the roots, turning seedlings into harvest-ready crops in as little as 28 days.
• Lettuce seedlings start in rock wool cubes, then move to cups in the growing system; strawberries use net pots filled with fine expanded clay for optimal root contact.
• Fast growth produces crisp, sweet vegetables and vine-ripened strawberries, avoiding bitterness and stringiness common in slow-growing crops.
• Nutrients are pumped on a timer, allowing roots to absorb air between feedings, mimicking an “intravenous feed” for prodigious growth.
• Beneficial red mites from sawdust packs attack harmful bud mites, reducing the need for chemical sprays and keeping strawberries healthy.