HYDROPONICS

Growing plants without soil

IN SINGAPORE, THERE IS NOT MUCH SPACE FOR

GROWING PLANTS

There is a global trend towards growing your own food.

In Britain, they have enough land for landshare but not
so in Singapore.although HDB allows some allotments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4P8j7roc2Q&feature=relmfu

Soil farming can be a lot of hard work

Hydroponics: less back breaking work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHBhyqowSEc

Vertical farming:
high-rise
hydroponics

How are plants grown by hydroponics?

Hydroponics is a method of growing
plants without soil.
It was discovered that plants
absorbed essential mineral nutrients
in water.
When the required mineral nutrients
available in soil were introduced into
the water supply of a plant, soil was
no longer required for the plant to
thrive.

In nature, soils provide four

basic conditions for plant
growth. These are:1) Nutrients
2) Water
3) Aeration
4) Anchorage
All four essential items can
be
provided
artificially,
which also means plants can
be
grown
successfully
without soil.

NEW YORK HYDROPONIC FARM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9nnY7GgXVg

In hydroponics, soil is replaced by inert media

such as perlite, vermiculite, horticultural
rockwool, sand, or fired clay pebbles to which the
necessary elements for growth are added in the
form of a nutrient solution. Such materials are
called growth media.

http://www.homegrownhydroponics.co.uk

Soil provides physical support for plant roots.

In hydroponics, various types of growing media
provide a porous and well aerated substrate
for the anchorage of plant roots.

Hydroponic Systems
Open and closed systems in hydroponics
In open systems, the nutrient solution is
not re-used.
A fresh nutrient solution is introduced for
each irrigation cycle
In closed systems, the same nutrient
solution is re-circulated and the nutrient
concentrations, together with the pH, are
monitored and adjusted regularly.

OPEN SYSTEMS
The Root Dipping Technique is an example
of an open hydroponic system.

http://ruaf-asia.iwmi.org

Root Dipping Technique

This is a simple way of growing plants hydroponically.
Nutrient solution is placed in a container and a board
with holes for pots is placed over it.
The plants are grown in some growing medium in pots,
and their roots extend into the nutrient solution once
the pots are placed into the holes of the board.
There must be adequate air space above the nutrient
solution, and only the bottom one-third of the root
system dips into the solution.
This ensures adequate aeration for the roots.

OPEN SYSTEMS
Advantages:
no need to set up a pump system to recirculate the nutrient solution
lower cost involved
the concentration of nutrients and pH of the
solution need not be checked if a fresh
solution is always used; this saves on
manpower

OPEN SYSTEMS
Disadvantages:
the cost of regular replacement of the nutrient
solution is high
disposal of nutrient solution into drain contaminates
the environment (goes into reservoir)
nutrients in the reservoir can cause eutrophication;
before disposal into drain, nutrient solution needs to
be processed which involves extra cost

Eutrophication
Excessive nutrients in reservoir leads to
algae & bacteria growing & multiplying
while other plants & algae dies due to lack of
sunlight.
Bacteria decomposes dead matter and
multiplies, using up oxygen in water.
Other organisms eg. fishes die due to lack of
oxygen.

CLOSED SYSTEMS
Advantages:
this system recycles nutrient solutions as effectively
as possible
there is no contamination of the environment as the
solution is re-circulated within the system

Disadvantages:
the nutrient solution has to be sampled and analyzed
at least once a week to ensure that the nutrient
balance is maintained; this is labour intensive
a pump system is needed to re-circulate and
oxygenate the nutrient solution

CLOSED SYSTEMS
The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is
an example of a closed hydroponic
system.
This technique maintains a continuous
flow of nutrient solution over the
roots.

http://www.diy-guides.com

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

As there is a thin film of nutrient
solution around the roots, they are
aerated and yet have access to
nutrients.

http://www.thefishfarm.com.au

Plants are grown in channels, which are flatbottomed runways that are placed on a gentle
slope so that the nutrient solution can be fed
in at one end and drained at the other,

Advantages of the NFT:

there is lower consumption of nutrient solution
the absence of growth medium saves cost and makes
it easier to check the health of roots
environmentally friendly: minimal potential for
localized groundwater contamination
Disadvantages of the NFT:
the pump must not fail, as even a short period of the
pump not functioning can cause plant death
not suitable for plants with large tap-root systems as
the roots clog up the trough and impede the flow of
nutrients

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vMsAq3uG-0

Deep Flow
Technique(DFT)
DFT is another example of a closed system.
The plants float on a raft (typically a sheet
of foam plastic such as polystyrene) in a
shallow tank less than 0.3 m deep.
The tank, or pond, is filled with nutrient
solution, and the plant roots hang down
into the solution. The nutrient solution is
monitored, oxygenated, replenished, and
recirculated as required.

DFT

Diagram of a DFT system (http://agri.wu.ac.th)

DFT
The mass of water in the troughs
provides several distinct advantages.
First, it provides significantly greater
buffering where changes of nutrient
levels, pH, temperature, and dissolved
oxygen (DO) concentration are
significantly damped (does not affect the
plants).
Additionally, the ponds can be used for
material movement with a minimum of
mechanization or physical effort.

AEROPONICS
Another example of a closed hydroponic
system.

Aeroponics is a system whereby roots

are kept in an environment saturated
with a mist of nutrient solution.

http://aerofarms.com

Aeroponics: basic
This
method requires no substrate and
layout
involves growing plants with their roots
suspended in a growth chamber in
which a fine mist of atomized nutrients
is periodically sprayed.

 Advantages of aeroponics:
the roots are well aerated, this leads
to faster plant growth;
uses 65% less water and only 25% of
the nutrient input compared with
hydroponics
Disadvantages of aeroponics:
dependence on the system a typical
aeroponic system is made up of high pressure
pumps, sprinklers and timers. If any of these
break down, the plants can be damaged or
killed easily;
the root chamber must be disinfected or
diseases may affect the roots.

Advantages of hydroponics
It is easier to sow and harvest crops compared to soil
farming; although still labour intensive, the work is not
so heavy and technology can be put to good use in
some parts of the operation.
In closed systems, water stays in the system and can be
re-circulated, this is useful in drier areas.
More intensive use of space leads to high density of
plants and maximum crop yield.
There is a high degree of control over the nutrients
used, and this reduces cost.
No nutrient pollution is released into the environment
in closed systems.
No limitation in terms of fertility of soil, as the growing
locations can be extended to areas unsuitable for soil
farming.
In a controlled environment, crops can be grown out of
season or in unsuitable climates.

Disadvantages of hydroponics
Without soil as a buffer, any failure to
the hydroponic system leads to rapid
plant death.
pH and EC values need to be checked
regularly in closed systems; this
requires manpower.
Plants are susceptible to pathogens
without the protection provided by soil
micro-organisms.
Aeration can be a problem and plants
can become water-logged. (This,
however, is overcome by aeroponics)

electrical conductivity (EC) and pH

The electrical conductivity (EC)
indicates the strength of nutrient
solution, as measured by an EC
meter. The unit for measuring EC
is dS/m (deci Siemens per metre)
pH is a measure of the acidity or
alkalinity of a solution. In a
nutrient solution, pH determines
the availability of essential plant
elements

electrical conductivity (EC) and pH

The ideal EC range for hydroponics
is between 1.5 and 2.5 dS/m
The optimum pH range for a
hydroponic nutrient solution is
between 5.8 and 6.5

http://www4.schoolnet.lk

using an EC meter

using a pH meter