Yes you can trim them but you read what happened to LOC. The stocks got thicker so the nutrient up take did improve.

You are correct in saying it just became a de facto NFT type of system. Any system using a feed tray will less then 12" of root growth room (measured from end of net pot to bottom) will end up being a type of NFT anyway.

The big difference is an NFT system pumps the nutrients at the bottom of the tray so the roots need to s t r e t c h to find water. With a top feed like I use and the sprinkler system like you are talking about feed the root ball and not just the long roots hairs.

If you have problems with water back flow then you should trim them but if you don't then unless you need to don't trim them. I could be interesting if you trim a few and watch them for you next grow. You could get some insight to how well your system feeds that way too.
Zandor Reviewed by Zandor on . Zandor Should I trim roots? A friend-of-a-friend has an aero tube setup using 6â? diameter pvc tubes with 3â? netcups in them. At a certain point, the roots were no longer hanging from the netpots being sprayed anymore --- theyâ??re laying in the bottom of the tube (in approx 1â? of flowing water). It seems to defeat the idea of aero if the roots are submerged; now itâ??s basically just a NFT system. Plants are about 1 foot tall, roots about 1 foot long, flowing in the direction of the drain. I want to trim all Rating: 5