The right gutter profile depends on your crop, substrate format, and drainage requirements. Key factors are gutter width (to fit your slabs or pots), drain channel design (to keep substrate and leafs out of the recirculation system), load capacity (especially for heavy crops like tomato), and coating (for cleaning resistance and long service life). Tomato growers typically use hanging growing gutters such as the GM-07HD. Pepper and aubergine often use similar profiles with adjusted irrigation. Cucumber requires gutters with high drainage capacity due to the crop's high water uptake. Contact our team to discuss the right specification for your situation.

A complete greenhouse vegetable growing system consists of six main components: growing gutters (to carry the substrate and crop), drip irrigation (to deliver water and nutrients to each plant), suspensions or floor supports (to hold the gutters at the correct working height), gable systems (to support gutter ends at the greenhouse edges), drain trays (to collect and return drain water), and end caps with finishing hardware. These components are designed to work together: the gutter profile determines the suspension spacing, the irrigation type, and the drain tray configuration. Ordering them as a matched system from one supplier reduces the risk of misaligned specifications.

In many cases, yes. Gutter profiles designed for high-wire tomato cultivation can also be used for pepper and aubergine. However, the irrigation layout, dripper spacing, and drain capacity may need to be adjusted per crop. It is worth reviewing the specification if you plan to switch crops, especially if water uptake or substrate format changes.

Service life depends on the steel grade, coating quality, and cleaning regime. A high-quality coated gutter like those with MS-150 coating is designed for long-term use and comes with a 10-year coating warranty. In practice, well-maintained gutters can remain in service well beyond the warranty period. If your cleaning regime is less intensive, you can also choose our MS-35 coating which comes with a warranty of 6 years.

Examples include lettuce, arugula, spinach, pak choi, basil, coriander, parsley, mint, dill and chives. These crops share a shallow, fast-developing root system that performs well in nutrient-rich water without the need for a substrate. Their short cultivation cycles also make them well suited to continuous production planning.

In DWC, the roots are continuously suspended in oxygen-rich nutrient water. In container systems, plants often grow in a substrate or container, where water and nutrients are supplied either periodically or continuously. The main practical difference is in root environment and irrigation management: DWC requires careful monitoring of oxygen levels and nutrient concentration, while container systems give the grower more control over water delivery timing and volume.

Leafy greens are usually grown at around 1.2–1.8 mS/cm. Herbs such as basil can often tolerate slightly higher levels, around 1.6–2.2 mS/cm. These ranges serve as a practical starting point; the right value depends on the growth stage, water temperature, and the specific variety being grown. Monitoring EC alongside pH gives the most reliable picture of nutrient uptake.

A pH of 5.5–6.5 is generally suitable. A stable pH helps keep nutrients available for plant uptake. In practice, most growers aim for the middle of that range, around 5.8–6.2, since nutrient availability drops off at the extremes. Regular monitoring is essential, as pH in recirculating systems can shift quickly depending on crop load and water temperature.

Very important. In DWC, the roots need enough oxygen to prevent root rot. Use aeration or ensure sufficient water circulation. Water temperature plays a direct role here: warmer water holds less oxygen, which makes cooling or shading the reservoir more important in summer conditions.

This depends on the system size and plant load, but the water is often partially or fully replaced every 1 to 2 weeks.

A water temperature of around 18–22 °C is suitable. Water that is too warm contains less oxygen and increases the risk of root problems. Below 16 °C, nutrient uptake slows down noticeably; above 24 °C, the risk of Pythium and other root pathogens increases significantly.

Ensure clean water, sufficient oxygen, the correct temperature, no light entering the water, and remove diseased plants quickly. Root rot is most often a combination of factors rather than a single cause: a brief period of low oxygen combined with elevated water temperature is usually enough to trigger an outbreak.

Leafy greens usually need less light than fruiting crops. Herbs such as basil often require more light than lettuce or pak choi.

Yes, but pay attention to differences in growth rate, nutrient requirements, light requirements and harvest timing. Lettuce and basil, for example, do not always have the same ideal settings. In practice, most commercial growers choose to dedicate a system to a single crop or a small group of crops with closely matching requirements. Mixing crops with significantly different EC or pH preferences in one recirculating system makes it difficult to maintain optimal conditions for either.

Prevent light from reaching the nutrient solution, cover openings properly and keep the system clean. Algae thrive wherever light and nutrients meet, so even small gaps in covers or translucent materials are enough to trigger growth. Beyond aesthetics, algae compete with the crop for oxygen and nutrients and can clog irrigation lines, making prevention a practical priority rather than just a hygiene concern.

Common options include rockwool plugs, coco coir plugs, perlite, clay pebbles or foam plugs, depending on the system. The choice of substrate affects drainage, air-to-water ratio in the root zone, and how easily it can be cleaned or replaced between cycles.