Grow your hanging gardens of Babylon

Certain forward-thinking people square measure reinventing farming as we all know it. Indoor, organic urban farms growing food vertically victimization husbandry and aquaponic principles, square measure maturation round the country. The push for different ways of raising food follow partially, on the heels of native governments outlawing owners from growing vegetable gardens in their yards, and forcing folks to tear out existing, healthy gardens. supplying the wheels of amendment square measure the county, state and central wittingly making an attempt to destroy the organic phenomenon with chemtrails, pesticides, growth hormones and GMOs, as they alter the terribly molecular nature of our food. These actions move the guts, stimulate rage, emotion and worry, and force humans to vary to survive or die.

Looking for alternative routes to feed themselves and also the community, massive and little different husbandry ventures square measure shooting up all over. Smaller ventures like the Urban Hydro Project in state capital, Tennessee is that the farm-child of Jeffery Orkin; and his efforts square measure paying off. A demand community support in late 2012 raised over $3,300 in donations, enough cash for Orkin to shop for materials to increase his fledgling indoor organic garden on the highest floor of a domicile building in state capital. though the Urban Hydro Project has solely a hundred thirty five sq. feet of floor house, the space has twelve foot ceilings, and Orkin plans to plant to the ceiling. lovely organic vegetables square measure mature victimization farming, wherever no soil is employed. Orkin says this is often a additional economical methodology of production, and one that produces higher yields and higher tasting organic food year spherical.

While the Urban Hydro Project continues to expand and thrive in state capital, FarmedHere up up outside of Chicago and claims the respect of being the most important indoor vertical farm within the U.S.. based by Jolanta Hardej, it's placed in a very Brobdingnagian ninety,000 square measure abandoned warehouse in Bedford Park, Illinois. Hardej had the vision as so much back as 2008 to grow contemporary, organic manufacture victimization aquaponic techniques, and no soil. Like Orkin, Hardej says the vegetables square measure higher tasting than once historically mature. Plants at FarmedHere square measure mature in multiple stacked levels and fed by mineral-rich water circulated throughout the system from fish tanks containing hormone-free genus Tilapia fish.

FarmedeHere is trying to provide over a million pounds of contemporary, organic foliate greens, freed from chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs.

Indoor farming provides property choices
As additional tight government rules square measure place in situ dominant individual freedoms, and larger efforts square measure created to change the essence of food by companies like Monsanto, the provision of organic, life-staining foods can diminish. because the air and land square measure poisoned chemically and different corrupting parts in a trial to marginalise life, different means that of growing food are going to be required for people who square measure willing to fight to survive the system.

· Indoor husbandry comes like these et al round the country manufacture organic food year spherical, beneath excellent temperature, wetness and lighting conditions

· because of the controlled growing atmosphere, indoor farms offer property agriculture for all -- the house gardener, native tailgate markets, and huge food chains such Whole Foods, inexperienced Grocery, and different massive grocery chains tightened organic foods

· Growing manufacture with farming is feasible for individual owners by fixing a special growing station in their homes, garages or sheds. Some vertical growing instrumentality is moveable and may be captive outside in hotter weather if desired.

· Indoor vertical farming incorporates a little footprint, permitting people to grow food victimization aquaponics or farming off from curious government eyes. in addition, little or massive indoor community gardens square measure attainable in smaller-sized buildings, allowing teams to make gardens, purchase provides and share contemporary vegetables along.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
http://www.kickstarter.com
http://www.motherearthnews.com
http://www.ugrosystems.com/
http://www.hgtv.com

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Grow your own pharmaceuticals

It's very straightforward to grow powerful medicines which will lower your sterol, shield your heart, scale back your risk of upset, enhance system perform, and shield you from polygenic disease and lots of different chronic diseases. each plant could be a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant provided naturally. It's sort of a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical laboratory that takes raw materials and converts them into healing medicines. It will this freed from charge, while not asking something back from you aside from a bit little bit of care, some water, and a few daylight.
If you're thinking that regarding however plants operate, they are quite exceptional producing engines. They take nutrients out of the soil, greenhouse gas out of the air, water, and photons from daylight. Then, through a fancy system of metabolism and chemical change, plants manage to convert those components into healing phytonutrients, together with vitamins, enzymes, wholesome oils, fiber, proteins, and sophisticated carbohydrates. and they turn out all of those fantastic phytochemicals that we're currently learning additional regarding in terms of preventing, and even reversing, chronic diseases like cancer.

Plants offer you an additional factor, too: the energy of life. this can be another variety of nutrition, that I decision "vibrational nutrition." It's one thing that you simply cannot get from synthesized pills or factory-made foods. you'll be able to solely dig from plants, as a result of it's to try and do with the energy of living, respiration organisms.

For nearly each chronic unwellness, there's a plant which will treat it. area unit you battling cancer? Grow yourself some garlic, onions, and broccoli. area unit you battling high cholesterol? Grow and eat some blueberries. area unit you littered with macular degeneration? you'll be able to grow a good form of berries. If you are within the right climate, you'll be able to grow nut trees that offer wholesome oils right off the tree. In fact, despite what style of climate you are in, there area unit plants as healing drugs which will be grownup in your region, whether or not you are within the nice white north, or the jungles of Central America. whether or not you are in a very dry desert climate, the plains, forest, rainforest, swampland, the icy north, the mountain range, or the Smoky Mountains, there area unit plants you'll be able to grow which will facilitate heal you.

This is one in every of the most areas of analysis on that i am focusing without delay. i am performing on finding new ways in which for individuals to additional simply grow plants that have a healing potential. i might wish to share with you what I've learned to date, so invite you to remain up-to-date, as a result of there is a ton additional sensible info coming near this subject. One goal I actually have is to make or promote some type of device which will perform as a home pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, with which individuals will plant seeds and primarily get pleasure from a inactive operation that grows these plants while not requiring a lot of effort on their half.

It's quite silly to pay $100 per pill to a pharma once you will grow more practical and safer prescribed drugs right in your own residence, balcony, or curtilage. In fact, the word "pharmaceutical" suggests that "plant drugs." The word "pharma" has identical root utilized in the word "farming," after all. therefore medicines extremely do have their origins in plants. It's solely through the atrocious politics of pharmaceutical corporations these days that folks have forgotten the plant origins of drugs. What i am hoping to try and do is assist you come back to to the plants, as a result of the plants have the healing characteristics that we want.

For widespread adoption, we want one thing that works while not soil. Soil works nice for the outside, however if you actually desire a system that works for people that do not have yards, soil is clearly not the thanks to go. There area unit currently plant growing technologies accessible that grow plants much more with efficiency with much better yields than with soil. they are not essentially new, though there area unit some new technologies rising in these fields. i am talking regarding tank farming and aeroponics. tank farming has been around for quite an whereas. it's the growing of plants in nutrient solutions that haven't any soil. Basically, you are exposing the plant roots to liquids containing the nutrients required to grow. this can be achieved through Associate in Nursing ebb-and-flow agriculture system, or another agriculture configuration.

You may be shocked to be told that you simply will grow plants while not soil. the fact is that the soil is simply a medium that holds nutrients for the plants. therefore if you get obviate the soil, however still offer the nutrients to the plant roots, they are going to be simply fine. In fact, you'll be able to increase yields through this method versus growing them in soil. I've done this myself in several experiments, within which I've planted identical plants in soil vs. a agriculture system. I actually have found a lot of quicker growth and bigger yields in a very agriculture system. agriculture systems do need electricity, and that they take some effort to be told the way to operate properly. however they will be terribly profitable. they are additionally much more moveable than growing plants in soil, as a result of it's easier to maneuver a receptacle, a timer, and a pump than it's to maneuver four hundred lbs of soil.

If you would like to spice up yields on the far side those achieved by agriculture systems, a stronger system to use is Associate in Nursing aeroponic system. this can be what you see at the Epcot Center in American state, wherever agriculture scientists area unit victimisation this technology to grow vertical stands of plants. They basically spray the roots with a nutrient resolution on regular intervals.

Spraying the roots of a plant each quarter-hour with this nutrient resolution has benefits over the agriculture approach, as a result of you are able to make even additional expanse between the nutrients in your liquids and also the roots of the plant. In my expertise, Associate in Nursing aeroponic system produces considerably bigger yields than the agriculture system. If you're thinking that regarding what is chargeable for that increase, you understand that it is the bigger expanse of the smaller droplets of water being sprayed on the roots.

You can purchase home-built aeroponic systems on the web. None of them area unit extremely elegant, however they work, and that they do turn out outstanding plant yields. Right now, i am growing tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, herbs, strawberries and even watermelons on aeroponic systems. Plant growth is extremely aggressive, though i'm having some challenges obtaining the tomato plants to fruit (it's in all probability simply a nutrient oversight on my half, thanks to my relative ignorance in plant chemistry).

When i am able to retire these plants for the season, i am going to snap some photos of the foundation mass to indicate you simply however effectively aeroponic growth systems are often. you will be completely astonied at however quickly and sharply these plant root networks will grow.

The bottom line here is that i feel home-grown plants area unit aiming to create an enormous comeback within the years ahead, and we're aiming to see nutrient-rich styles of plants (like red carrots with lycopene) that treat and forestall chronic unwellness, in addition to new technologies that permit hands-free cultivation of healing plants. After all, World Health Organization has to build a $100 million drug manufacturing plant once nature will manufacture all the medication you wish for the value of one or two of seeds? I say, let nature build the medicines.

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What is Ebb and Flow Hydroponics and How Does it Work?

Ebb and flow hydroponics is a method of growing plants hydroponically that is known for its reliability, simplicity of operation and low cost of investment. Pots or a flood tray are filled with a grow media such as gravel, clay pellets, lava rock etc. These do not function like soil or add nutrition to the plants but will anchor the roots and will function as a temporary reserve of water and nutrients. The hydroponic solution floods the system four to six times a day and is allowed to drain away in between flood cycles.
With this system a water tight flood tray or pot, containing either clean gravel, clay pellets or lava rock is used as the rooting medium. The system is then periodically flooded for short periods of time (5 to 15 minutes) with a nutrient solution pumped from a reservoir. By placing the reservoir below the flood tray, with a over flow drain, the nutrient solution can drain back by gravity through the pump with the same line that supplied the water and nutrients during the flood cycle. Our favorite media is lava rock with this type of system. Lava rock drains quickly and traps air and will not leave a clay residue if using clay pellets, which can clog the water pump after time.

Aeration of an ebb and flood system is one of the most important things of the system. Let me explain, when the system floods it is in a deep water culture mode. Your reservoir may contain an air delivery system such as a air stone to keep the water saturated with oxygen and eliminate a pathogen problem. During the flood cycle the oxygenated air is pumped into the tray or bucket for 5 to 15 minutes. During this 5 to 15 minute period there is no additional air and oxygen being supplied to the tray or bucket. So even though you are now in deep water culture mode your plants are not receiving the amount of air and oxygen as if they were in a deep water culture system. The reason why is a deep water culture system has air constantly pumped into the reservoir 24 hours a day in which the roots are submerged. During the ebb cycle, or draining of the tray or bucket, air is now pulled down into the grow media supplying oxygen to the plants. At this point until the next flood cycle the roots again are being deprived of fresh air and oxygen.

Drawbacks to Ebb and flood hydroponic systems:
1. Pathogens in reservoir, flood tray or pot due to stagnated water during drain time which can contaminate the entire system due to the shared water source.
2. Limited amount of oxygen available during flooding of tray or pot.
3. Limited amount of oxygen available while in the ebb or drain stage.

Is there a solution to the problem above?  Ebb and flow hydroponic system to help eliminate the problems above. By adding Air Injection Technology at the very bottom of the media in your current flood tray or pot you will eliminate the drawbacks to a ebb and flood hydroponic system. You will also increase the plants growth rate and have healthier plants. 1. Pathogens in the flood tray or pot are eliminated because there is a constant supply of oxygen 24 hours a day weather in the flood stage or drain stage. 2. Constant supply of oxygen during the flood stage just like true deep water culture. 3. During the ebb or drain stage there is constant air being delivered to the plants roots 24 hours a day weather in the flood or drain stage. This will bring your current Ebb and flow hydroponics system up to date and will allow you to take full advantage of your ebb and flood hydroponics system at minimal cost.

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DAAM win 3rd Position in Pakistan Nature Carnival at PAF museum

Overview:

WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with Horlicks Pakistan organised a fun-filled Nature Carnival at PAF Museum. The Nature Carnival attracted up to 30,000 individuals from various walks of life.
There were over 150 stalls set-up by schools, colleges and universities. The main competition revolved around 3D models set up by students of schools and universities. Expert judges including foresters, conservationists, and environmental historians amongst others graded the models.
Families, corporate and academia representatives including principals attended the carnival. Participants were engaged in eco-friendly games, puppet shows, lucky draw and other activities set up by WWF-Pakistan including pin the tail on the snow leopard and thematic art competitions.
Chief Guest at the event was famous Pakistani drama and film actress Atiqa Odho. She said that each and every one of us should start taking care of the things we need for our survival including forests, water and all our natural resources so that we can give a thriving planet to our children and their children.

DAAM win 3rd Position in Pakistan Nature Carnival at PAF museum:

Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness Management (DAAM) win third position under university category, DAAM represent Hydroponics model system for vegetable and fruit cultivation, hydroponics or soil-less farming system is one of the most discuss technology around the globe, hydroponics is the only solution to fulfill the requirement of world vegetable requirements.

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Hydroponic growing leads to tastier vegetables

Growing vegetables hydroponically leads to a more expensive, but tastier veggie, cumberlink.com reports.

Tomatoes are the king crop in hydroponics because of the demand for them in early spring and late fall when field tomatoes aren't available. The challenge is to sell them at $2.99 per pound when field tomatoes are going for 99 cents, says Mark Toigo, 42, who has run hydroponic greenhouses for the last 15 years, among other duties, at the family-owned Toigo Orchards in Southampton Township, Cumberland County. Hydroponic grower Barb Rose, 52, co-owner of Beck-n-Rose of North Middleton Township, agrees with Toigo. She also developed a niche market in the last three years --- a few chefs at "better restaurants who care what tomatoes look and taste like," Rose says. She counts among her customers Fetter Brookside Market south of Carlisle, Mountain Lakes west of Carlisle, Oak Grove Farms of Mechanicsburg and the Butcher Shop in Chambersburg. For next season, all Beck-n-Rose produce is committed to current customers, says Rose, a former marketing manager for a start-up software company that sold last year for $40 million. "You do need to be a manager and a marketer" to be profitable, Toigo says, raising his voice above the half-dozen four-foot-wide fans that ventilate his 90- by 130-foot greenhouse off South Mountain Estates Road. He steps over piles of vines on the concrete greenhouse floor, the result of cropping the tops off tomato plants that have the last of the crop ripening on the vines. He will plant new tomato vines again in January for harvest beginning in April. Although growers would like to produce tomatoes through the winter, year-round tomato production isn't feasible this far north. They say it doesn't have the flavor of food grown in soil," says Brubeck, who sells mostly to restaurants and to some grocery stores in Cumberland, Dauphin and Lebanon counties.

Original source:
http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2005/08/07/business/busi01.txt

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Indian family makes a breakthrough in hydroponics

by Mike Adams

Hydroponics, the practice of growing plants in water instead of soil, received a giant lift from a New Delhi family that created a purely organic nutrient mix that has sustained tomatoes and Arjun.

Original source:
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu5&leftindx=5&lselect=2&chklogin=N&autono=202585

Details

An Indian hobbyist has created a purely organic nutrient mixture for growing plants in water. Although it is still an evolving science, hydroponic agriculture (growing plants in water solution rather than soil) is spreading fast the world over. The nutritional requirement of the plants in this system of soilless farming is met by the nutrient mixtures, called hydroponics fertiliser mixtures, added to the water in which the plant roots are kept submerged. These mixtures are made of chemical plant nutrients. A breakthrough has now been achieved by an Indian hydroponics hobbyist in creating a purely organic nutrient mixture for growing plants in water. This wholly chemical-free plant growth solution has been tested successfully for growing several plants, including common vegetables like tomato and arbi and some high value medicinal plants like Brahmi, Arjun and Cineraria. Indeed, a good deal of research is underway in this system of soilless farming in the US and Europe but not much headway has been made anywhere in organic hydroponics. Of course, some hydroponics enthusiasts abroad have been experimenting with various kinds of organic manures and mixtures of plants, but successful and commercially viable organic hydroponics models are still not available. His daughter, Shweta Singh, a Delhi University botany student, has been assisting him in discovering and further improving the biofertiliser mixture for growing plants in ordinary water. “I will work on it for a couple of years more before thinking of launching commercial production of this bio-fertiliser for hydroponics. However, if some government organisation, such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), comes forward, I am willing to cooperate with it in promoting organic hydroponics in India,” he says. He believes that nearly 200 commercially important plants can be grown by hydroponics technique.

Source: Article taken from Natural News, only for information purpose

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Hydroponic Fertilizer Solutions

Plants typically grow with their roots in soil and their stems and leaves in the air. They get some of the elements they require from the air (for example, most of the carbon and much of the oxygen used by the plant comes from the carbon dioxide taken in by the leaves of the plant), there are other nutrients that can be fed to them through their foliage, and there are even some aerial plants that get everything they need to thrive without any contact with soil at all. However, most plants get the bulk of what they need through their roots, usually in soil.

In a hydroponic production system, however, instead of getting nutrients from the soil, the plant derives the nutrients it needs from the solution in which its roots are immersed. A fertilizer solution is supplied to the roots, and the way the solution is supplied is important because it influences what components of the air, such as oxygen, are included.

Soil is avoided in specialized controlled-environment systems because it introduces so many composition variables and potential insect and disease problems. Soils differ from one part of a field to another and certainly from one part of the country to another, so fertilization according to soil becomes complex and tricky. Despite this, soil will continue to be the medium most used for agricultural plants for the foreseeable future.

Source Water

Water to be used in a hydroponic system should be tested before it is used. It is important to request an irrigation-water report rather than using a domestic-water report, because some elements critical to hydroponic growing will not be measured in a residential water test. Most water has a certain number of dissolved ingredients in it. In small quantities, most anything dissolved in the water is tolerable. If present in larger quantities, however, some plant-usable dissolved ingredients will require that the fertilizer solution be adjusted to include less of those ingredients.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium and magnesium are often present in source water in significant amounts. Calcium content in source water will range from almost nothing to more than a hundred or two parts per million (ppm). In a few groundwater samples it has been present in excess of 300 ppm, even higher than in most hydroponic fertilizer feed solutions. Magnesium’s presence in water can range from almost none up to 50 or 60 ppm. When magnesium is present at the higher levels, it’s likely that no magnesium will need to be added to the water in the hydroponic feed solution. Some ingredients that plants require, like manganese and boron, can be present in sufficient amounts to meet plant needs, but can sometimes be present in excess quantities. When these quantities are present, it is important to add little if any at all in the fertilizer program, since an excess of these substances can damage plants.

Sodium and Chloride

Other ingredients that are highly water-soluble, like sodium and chloride, are often present in groundwater as well as in surface water. Very small amounts of both sodium and chloride are used by plants. Larger quantities can make the water unusable for growing plants hydroponically. When the levels of either sodium or chloride approach 75 ppm in the water, some modifications in the use of the water for hydroponic production may be necessary. If both sodium and chloride are high in the water, plant production problems may develop even at levels lower than 75 ppm.

Sulphate

The sulphate ion is a combination of sulphur and oxygen that acts as a unit in water solutions and in many chemical reactions. It can be present in small to large quantities in source water. Although large quantities of the sulphate ion are tolerable in hydroponic solutions, a point comes when they are high enough in concentration that they don’t leave room in the solution for other needed fertilizer ingredients. Short of that, most plants havea fairly high tolerance for the sulphate ion in the fertilizer solution. Since most fertilizer ingredients are introduced to the hydroponic solution in the form of a salt, the tolerance for a little extra sulphate is a useful attribute in building a soluble fertilizer feed program.

Treating Source Water

When source water is not suitable for hydroponic plant production because of excessive levels of sodium, chloride, sulphate and/or other ingredients, the water can be made suitable for plant production by being processed through reverse osmosis equipment. Itis interesting to note that most growers find better plant production results when 10 to 25 per cent untreated source water is blended back into the treated reverse osmosis water. The amount of blend-back will depend on how much of the excess levels of elements are present in the source water.

Hydroponic Fertilizer Components

Although there may be different approaches to developing a fertilizer for hydroponic plant production, only the approach using soluble fertilizer concentrates that can be diluted will be outlined here. In the concentrated fertilizer solution, the calcium must be kept separate from the sulphates and phosphates, so two separate concentrate tanks are needed. Let’s start with the calcium source and look at other fertilizers that are compatible with it in the same solution.

Calcium

The only suitable soluble calcium salt for the concentrate solution is calcium nitrate. Although calcium chloride is soluble, we don’t want to use it because of the addition of the chloride ion. Some fertilizer formulators do use it up to the legal limit for the chloride level in a fertilizer, but even a small amount of chloride content in the fertilizer, combined with chloride that may be present in the source water, could overload the chloride content in the fertilizer program. Using chloride in the fertilizer solution would reduce the variety of source waters usable for hydroponic plant production.

The amount of calcium in your source water can be subtracted from the calcium target for the fertilizer. That level will differ in waters in various parts of the country. Surface water such as that from rivers or lakes will usually contain a low level of calcium, if any. Well water is more likely to contain significant amounts of calcium. That depends, however, upon the rock and other media it has gone through in the ground. This is why it is advisable to have a water analysis done so that you know the calcium and other content of the water. In the U.S., well water in Ohio and Michigan, for example, will usually contain significant to even high levels of calcium. By contrast, well water in Tennessee will usually not contain much of anything in the way of elements. Some of the nitrogen needed by the plants will be provided in the calcium nitrate.

Potassium, Phosphorus, and Nitrogen

Potassium sulphate is soluble and usable by plants and can be used in the fertilizer solution. However, it needs to be supplied in the sulfate concentrate tank. The fertilizer of choice is mono potassium phosphate, which is also soluble in water and is used as the source of any phosphorus needed in the fertilizer program. Mono potassium phosphate will need to be supplied in the sulfate concentrate tank as well. Although many growers use phosphoric acid as a source of phosphate, we do not recommend it because it is much easier to manage the fertilizer program if the fertilizer management and the pH management are separated. If a fertilizer containing acid such as phosphoric acid is used, the fertilizer program and the pH management program are tied together, so that a change in one will affect the other, making it much trickier to maintain proper levels of both nutrients and pH.

Once the target amount of phosphate has been determined for the fertilizer recipe, the amount of potassium present in the mono potassium phosphate is calculated and then subtracted from the potassium target, giving us a new target amount of potassium. The amount of potassium nitrate necessary to supply the needed potassium is then calculated. If that results in excess amounts of nitrogen, the potassium nitrate needs to be backed off so that the nitrogen target is not exceeded. When this happens, the potassium target is met by adding enough potassium sulphate to bring the potassium to the target amount.

If the nitrogen target has not yet been met with the calcium nitrate and the potassium nitrate in the fertilizer recipe, the calcium nitrate can usually be increased to meet the nitrogen target. The additional calcium is usually not a problem in the fertilizer program. Magnesium nitrate can also be used if there is room in the program for the nitrogen that would also be supplied.

Iron

In the fertilizer solution, iron is supplied in chelated form. The chelating molecule is a large molecule that surrounds the iron and prevents it from chemically reacting with other ions in the solution. This preserves it for uptake by the plant roots. The chelating agent does not interfere with the plant’s uptake of iron. A number of chelating agents are available. Because EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) is toxic to plants, some growers do not use any EDTA chelates in their recipes. DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) is a more suitable chelating agent. It protects the iron over a broader pH range. It is a little more expensive than EDTA, but many growers consider the extra cost well worth it. The DTPA iron is best put into the calcium fertilizer concentrate tank. This keeps it separate from the manganese, copper, and zinc in the concentrate solution.

Magnesium

Magnesium is supplied in the sulphate tank. It is usually supplied through Epsom salts or magnesium sulphate. Epsom salts are not very expensive and are readily available. Magnesium can also be supplied in the nitrate form. For most fertilizer programs, however, the nitrogen target has been met by the time magnesium additions are being calculated, so magnesium nitrate is rarely used.

Micronutrients

In addition to the above main elements, micronutrients are also needed by plants, but in smaller quantities. These can be supplied in a concentrate mix that is then added to the sulphate fertilizer tank. Manganese, copper, and zinc can be supplied in the sulphate form. Some growers may use one or more of these nutrients in the chloride form, arguing that not much chloride is introduced to the fertilizer program from the comparatively small amount of micronutrient. Other growers use one or more of the nutrients in the EDTA chelated form. This is not a good idea for two reasons: 1) the EDTA is toxic to plants, and 2)the elements in chelated form can move around based on the preference of the chelating agent, making their distribution to the plants unpredictable. For this reason, using chelated manganese, copper, and zinc should be avoided.

Boron can be supplied using boric acid or solubor. Although solubor contains some sodium, the amount of sodium effectively added to the fertilizer solution is small because not much boron is needed. Molybdenum is usually supplied in either sodium molybdate or ammonium molybdate. A very small quantity of molybdenum is needed in the fertilizer solution, so the amount of sodium or ammonium supplied along with the molybdenum amounts to a small fraction of a part per million in the final fertilizer solution.

Fertilizer Solution Delivery

Reservoirs can be used in hobby greenhouses as a source of fertilizer solution for the plants. The feed-strength fertilizer is mixed from the concentrates every day or so and placed in the reservoirs. Although the reservoir can take up space in the greenhouse that could be used for growing plants, and it takes time every day or so to fill the reservoir with feed-strength fertilizer solution, this system requires a much lower investment than the use of fertilizer injectors.

Fertilizer injectors can be used to mix small amounts of the fertilizer concentrates and the pH adjustment concentrate with the incoming source water as it is delivered to the plants. There are several injector systems available. Some are pictured here. Systems can range in price from just over a thousand dollars to four or five thousand or more. The advantages of such systems include the opportunity to supply concentrates that need to be mixed less frequently than a reservoir would need to be filled. The injectors have adjustments that can be used to change the amount of fertilizer in the solution being fed.

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Hydroponic Farming: Pakistan Future

Asad Manzoor*

Department of Agriculture & Agribusiness Management, University of Karachi

To defeat food shortages in the upcoming era, Pakistan can use hydroponic farming to overcome crises of food shortage. Hydroponics can be a revolutionary technology for Pakistan to guarantee suitable and sustainable supply of vegetable. It reduces 70 percent to 90 percent less water and reduce cultivated area than irrigated soil and land based agriculture farming and gardening. No water was lost in the ground or absorbed by weeds or lost in evaporation.
With the collaboration of government and private sector, a hydroponic pilot project can be started across the country. The establishment of state-of-the-art greenhouse facility can produce hydroponic tomatoes of all varieties including tangy, elegant, cherry and others. If the hydroponic technology is properly deployed, the country could be a huge power player in the market because nobody else in the region is using high-tech hydroponics.

 
A high tech hydroponic facility is more expensive to set up than soil farming but once it is set up, operating and maintenance costs were low and the very high and definite yields means that invested money would be recovered in one year.
The world leader’s countries in hydroponics utilize ‘cluster approach’ where land is allocated just for hydroponic farming practiced by different farmers. To develop a viable hydroponics industry, Pakistan urgently needs to improve its infrastructure facilities, such as availability of electricity and land. Greenhouses need a constant supply of power but the situation in Pakistan is not encouraging. By improving electricity facilities and establishing green house a fine chain of hydroponics farm can develop.
With more than 16 million populations, Pakistan needed to boost its agriculture performance, which was low and unpredictable compared to other major agriculture producers. If hydroponics is introduced properly, the country can triple the revenues earned on agriculture exports. The new technology also has a great potential to meet our food requirement.

*Contact: asad@gardener.com

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