Hey everyone...

I'm new to hydroponics and I'm trying my best to tackle the learning curve. I have one question (at this point) and would like general comments on what I'm attempting to do.

The NFT setup:

4" PVC tubes, 3.75" net pots. Seedlings are being sprouted in rockwool which will be inserted into the net pots and surrounded by hydroton. Plants are herbs and lettuce to start my learning curve. ;)

The question: my net pots have a gap of about 1" or so between the bottom of the pot and the water flow. I'm looking for suggestions for a wicking material to get the water up to the rockwool? I'm guessing once the roots find the moisture, they'll grow down into the nutrient and will grow around/through/over the wicking material. I've seen suggestions from Tiki Torch wick to natural sponge to simply adjusting the water depth (daming the system) until the roots are long enough (and then adjust the height of the dam until 'regular' flow is achieved). The latter is the easiest, but I'm sure the roots grow at different rates, so it could get tricky.

I'm still designing the system and want to avoid as many noobie mistakes as I can. The system will be outdoors for natural sun.

Suggestions on wicking material/solutions for bridging that 1" gap? Comments on a PVC NFT system for beginners? Plant suggestions? I'm ALLLLLL ears!!

Thanks in advance!!

Jim