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How Hydroponics Leave a Smaller Carbon Footprint

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By: Charlene Rennick

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Green house gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.  Of these greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the biggest contributors to global warming.  Because of this, a great deal of scientific research is underway to combat the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during any kind of consumerism.

Hydroponic Produce Uses Less Fossil Fuel

Almost everything we do produces some sort of carbon dioxide emission.  We even exhale carbon dioxide when we breathe!  Consider this:  every product we use, from a raw vegetable to a complex computer chip exudes some form of carbon dioxide during its journey from the environment into our hands. Each step of the way requires some sort of fossil fuel.  As the fuel is burned, carbon dioxide is formed and released into the atmosphere.  The amount of carbon emitted is called a footprint because it is what is left behind after the energy is used. 

Hydroponic Gardens Use Less Energy

The total amount of energy used for extracting the raw material, constructing a product, transporting and using it followed by disposing of it when we are finished, is what results in a carbon footprint.  Each product has slightly different values assigned to their footprint according to the uniqueness of their manufacturing process.  Because it is measured this way, it makes it easier to break the production process down into steps in order to minimize carbon emissions where it can be done.  

Hydroponics has Fewer areas of Carbon Exchange

The carbon cycle has four distinct sections; the atmosphere, biosphere (fresh water and non-living organic material), oceans and sediments (this includes fossil fuels).  Carbon moves between these sections as it is exchanged during chemical, physical, geological and biological processes. 

Hydroponic Gardens Sustain More Families Using Less Space

Hydroponic cultivation recycles nutrients and uses either water or organic scraps from other manufacturing processes as a growing medium.  Bits of clay, coconut husks (coir) and small pebbles are some things that can be used to stabilize the root system.  The nutrients can be derived from plant cuttings and organic waste which reduces the need to buy artificially contrived minerals.  Hydroponic gardens are situated indoors so they do not need manufactured pesticides to get rid of insects.  Hydroponically grown plants take up far less space so they can be located locally in urban areas.  In countries where the soil does not support any kind of agriculture, hydroponic plots can sustain many families.  This has a huge impact on reducing the carbon emissions produced by needing to transport produce from one location to another.

The Science Barge is an example of a floating sustainable greenhouse that makes a very small carbon footprint.  It is carbon neutral and emits no waste stream.

Hydroponics for Beginners

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By: Charlene Rennick

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At first glance, it may seem like starting a hydroponic garden is complicated.  There are a lot of unusual terms used to describe systems that are unique to hydroponic gardening.  It isn’t as difficult as it may seem.  Starting a hydroponic system can be a gradual process in which you begin with a few small, inexpensive supplies.  Hydroponics can be as low maintenance as a kitchen herb garden or as large a project as growing food for a country like Columbia in South America.

Let’s start with becoming familiar with some of names for growing systems. A hydroponic system can be identified as a bare root system or a substrate system. Bare root systems include deep flow, nutrient film technique and aeroponic systems.  Substrate (meaning a surface on which the plant or organism grows) systems use a growing media such as rockwool, perlite, pebbles, or coir.

Hydroponic systems can be described as active or passive. In an active hydroponic system, the nutrient-rich water is moved using a pump.  In passive hydroponic systems, the natural osmosis or action of the growing medium is how the nutrients are moved to the roots for absorption.   Passive systems are the more inexpensive route, but can be too wet for healthy plant growth.

Another way of describing hydroponic systems is to say they are recovery or non-recovery based.  Recovery systems recirculate (recover) or recycle the nutrient-rich water.  Non-recovery means the opposite; the nutrient solution is used only once.

Now that we understand some of the lingo, let’s apply it to some choices for hydroponic equipment.  Here are some variations:

  • The Wick System
  • The Ebb and Flow System
  • The Nutrient Film Technique
  • The Continuous Drip

The Wick System is passive and a non-recovery type of hydroponic system.  An inexpensive candle wick or thicker oil lantern wick is used to move the nutrient solution from the growing medium to the root system of the plant.   This is does not require a pump. 

The Ebb and Flow system is an active recovery type of hydroponic system.  It is an active system because a pump is used to move the nutrient solution to the roots of the plant.  The pump and the nutrient solution are kept inside a reservoir.  When the pump is on, it propels the solution to a raised tray where the roots of the plant rest.  The pump stays on for 20-30 minutes and when the nutrient solution reaches a certain level, the overflow tube drains the water back down into the reservoir. This makes the Ebb and Flow system, a recovery method.    When the pump pushes the nutrient solution up to the root system, it displaces the oxygen depleted air and replaces it with oxygen rich air. This hydroponic system is low maintenance and provides better opportunities for growth than the Wick System.

The Nutrient Film Technique is another active recovery type of hydroponic operation.  Like the Ebb and Flow system, a pump is used to move the nutrient-rich water from a reservoir to the root system.  The difference is that the solution is pumped into a grow tube where the roots are exposed.  The grow tube is slanted downwards where gravity assists the solution back into the reservoir.  The roots need some type of small porous stones to trap oxygen inside the tube.  Growing mediums are not needed because the plants are supported by a collar or basket.  Although this method is very effective, it is a higher maintenance system because the roots are completely dependent upon the constant flow of pumped nutrients for sustenance.

The Continuous Drip method of hydroponic growth can be either an active recovery or non-recovery type of system.  Continuous drip uses a pump in a reservoir and has a nutrient supply line connected to each plant.  A drip emitter controls the amount of solution allowed for each plant.  If a drip tray is installed under each row of plants it makes this system a recovery method of hydroponic gardening.   Rockwool is often used in the Continuous Drip method of hydroponics to stabilize the plant. 

Hydroponic Gardens Recycle More than Just Water

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By: Charlene Rennick

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Recycling is the process of re-using materials or creating a new item out of parts of old ones.  It is a way of extending the function of materials and reducing the amount of waste with which we burden the environment.  Recycling decreases the amount of natural resources we have to remove from the Earth to furbish our existence.  

The extraction of resources uses energy which releases chemicals that add to the greenhouse effect.  Carbon emissions account for 12% of global warming and are produced by the use of fossil fuels.  Any method we can use that will ease the volume of greenhouse emissions will help to support keeping our planet clean and green.

Hydroponic gardens use seven to ten times less land than outdoor soil-based gardens.  Locating gardens in urban areas relieves the necessity of shipping produce in refrigerated trucks over long distances that leave a trail of carbon emissions.  Fertilizers and pesticides used to enrich soil and prevent insect infestations, contaminate our fresh water supply and require fossil-fuelled machinery to remove them.

Hydroponically grown plants use water to sustain the roots.  The root system absorbs the nutrient-rich water throughout the plant.  The hydroponic system minimizes the amount of water required to promote plant growth.    No water is lost through run-off or contaminated by non-biodegradable or toxic solutions.   

Hydroponic gardens produce a higher yield in less space.  This conservative method of gardening makes more effective use of the resources required to produce fruit and vegetables.

Using water as growing medium requires less artificial heat sources than a more solid growing medium because of the molecular structure.  Direct sunlight on the nutrient-rich water solution will warm up more quickly than the dense soil.

Harvesting rain water is another method currently in use commercial hydroponic operations.  Although rain water catchment for residential purposes should carefully avoid contamination from oil-based adhesives on roof tiles, some small scale rain water collection can be filtered to use for misting and indoor cultivation.  Harvested rainwater helps conserve the amount of fresh water used for indoor residential needs, outdoor irrigation, or both.

The quality of rainwater can vary depending on the number of pollutants it must pass through before it ends up in the catchment basin. In general, rain water is fine to use for irrigation.  Because it doesn’t flow through rocks and soil, it is soft and free from water hardening minerals that can clog and encrust your hydroponic equipment.  As a base for nutrient solvency in hydroponic gardens, its acid-alkaline balance complements a neutral pH level, making it healthy for plants.

If the populations of Toronto and Ottawa were combined, the total would be about three and a half million. If everyone saved 100 gallons of water per year, that is three hundred and fifty million gallons of water saved.    Every drop counts.

Regulating Hydroponic Garden Temperature

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By: Charlene Rennick

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Outdoor gardens regulate their own climate without human intervention.  Sunlight generates heat that is naturally blown away by the seasonal breezes.  When you bring the delights from your outdoor space into your home, this natural element needs to be duplicated.  Hydroponic gardens need to have a wind source in order to help control the temperature in the air.

Clean air purifies the environment for plants by bringing fresh oxygen into the cultivation climate.  For natural growth to occur, the plant needs unrestricted access to air.  This is called aeration.  There is a direct relationship between plant disease and aeration.  Plants that do not receive fresh, moving air have a much higher incidence of diseases and a lower rate of growth.  When plants are aerated, it helps to control the temperature.  Aerating helps maximize the carbon dioxide available for the growing vegetation.  In the natural world, it is hard to separate air and temperature; air flow helps the plant’s stem to grow stronger.   As the plant grows, it waves gently in the natural breezes and adapts to the air movement by increasing the stability of its root base.

Temperatures for hydroponic gardens should stay between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.   The humidity level should be in the range of 50 and 75 percent which can be measured with a hygrometer.  Keeping air circulation going is important for aeration, carbon dioxide absorption, temperature moderation and growth.  Temperature and humidity work together to support the plant’s transpiration and respiration cycles which is part of the process of photosynthesis.  If the air temperature is too warm, it will cause the moisture in the air to evaporate too quickly, thus preventing the plant from absorbing what it needs to survive through transpiration.  An excess of moisture or humidity in the air can make the plant vulnerable to mildew and fungus growth.  Good air circulation will prevent this.

Through the process of photosynthesis, the plant breaks oxygen down and uses it to manufacture energy.  When the plant is deprived of oxygen, the root system does not develop which eventually leads to the death of the plant.  Plants that are grown in aeroponic kitchen gardens have 100 percent access to carbon dioxide.  Ideal carbon dioxide levels for aeroponically grown plants should be between 450 parts per milligram to 780 parts per milligram for photosynthesis to occur.

If you are lucky enough to live in a temperate climate, opening a window and turning on a fan now and then should do the trick.  Remember that most climates have slightly cooler temperatures at night and warmer ones during the day.

Forever Green! Hydroponic and Urban Energy Alternatives

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By: Charlene Rennick

What is Green Technology?

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Green Technology is the phrase used to describe advances in environmental science that conserve our natural resources.  It is an entire area of research devoted to undoing the damage caused by human interaction with the environment and the impact of capitalism on the earth. The core subject of study for Green Technology is sustainable development.

Sustainable development is focused on the balance between fulfilling human needs in a practical way to ensure the protection of our natural environment now and as far ahead in the future for which our scientific methods are capable of designing.  Sustainable development concentrates on blending social equality, economic viability and environmentally sound solutions.  This relatively new term was coined in 1980 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature when they published the World Conservation Strategy.

Public pillars of sustainable development have become visible along the horizon of some of the larger urban centers.  The irregular shapes of wind turbines, generators that run on “French fry grease”, solar panels and rooftop hydroponic gardens are beginning to emerge as a familiar part of the cityscape.  Shipping expenses and the carbon emissions caused by the import of water and produce into the city for consumption will not be an environmentally or economically viable avenue in the future.  Reverse osmosis, grey water collectors and urban hydroponic gardens will become a necessity if the supply of water and produce are to continue. 

Biodiesel generators will replace many of the present day electric power sources.  Currently, biodiesel fuel is made from a mixture of traditional diesel fuel and recycled oils collected from businesses and restaurants within the city limits.  Edible vegetable oils used in commercial deep fryers are a big part of the biodiesel mix; hence, biodiesel fuel has earned the nickname, “French Fry grease”. An eighty percent diesel, twenty percent recycled oil mix conveniently suits commercial diesel engines because it can be substituted for traditional diesel fuel without making any modifications to the engines.   The Environment Protection Agency maintains that the process of converting grease into fuel is seven times more energy efficient than converting petroleum to regular diesel fuel or the process of growing crops that can be turned into biodiesel fuel.

Green Technology is an alternative anyone can help promote.  Making consumer choices that support alternative energy sources is a responsibility that we should be shouldering.  Buying cleaning products that are one percent biodegradable (will biodegrade within 60 days), conserving water by growing hydroponically, or choosing household appliances that adhere to energy star and green production guidelines are all actions we can take to preserve what is left of our green planet.

Make Your Own Light

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By: Charlene Rennick

Light is more than just bright, white space.  It is made up of all the colours in the rainbow.  An easy way to remember all seven rainbow colours is to introduce you to Roy G. Biv.  The letters in his name stand for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

To see what colours are in a beam of light, you have to bend it.  This is called refraction.  You can put the colours back into a beam of light by spinning them quickly in a circle.

Here’s how to make a light beam at home:

What you need:

Pencil
Scissors
White cardboard or Bristol board
Crayons or markers
Ruler
Bowl or round object you can trace around to make a circle
Paper cup

Directions:

Trace a circle on the white cardboard and cut it out. Using the ruler, divide the circle into 6 equal sections.
Colour the six sections with the markers.  Be extra careful to stay inside the lines and colour in all the white spot.  It is important that the colours be thick, dark and even.
Poke a hole through the middle of the circle with the pencil and push the pencil part way through the hole.
Punch a hole in the bottom of the paper cup with the end of the pencil.
Turn the cup over on top of a piece of paper.
Push the pencil through the hole so the pencil point just rests on the paper.  Adjust the colour wheel so it is about 2 cm above the cup.
Spin the pencil quickly between your palms.

What do you see?

The colours on the wheel are the colours that make up white light.  If the wheel spins fast enough, the colours will blend together and the wheel will look white.

Light Sources for Hydroponic Gardens

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by: Charlene Rennick

Light is not white, but is made up of many colours. When light is refracted, it is bent which exposes the colours inside the ray of light.  The beams of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet become a dazzling visible array.

For hydroponic use, light should come from the red and blue beams.  This kind of light, called PAR (photosynthetically active radiation), is the next best thing to natural sunlight.  Fluorescent lights are adequate for plants that do not need much sunlight, but will not help produce anything other than greenery.  To really imitate natural sunlight, a range of bulbs that represent the colours of the spectrum will provide the best hydroponic plant growth.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights are the best kind for hydroponic use.  They are stronger than regular fluorescent lights and provide the maximum amount of PAR for the amount of wattage.  There are two types of HID lights: Metal Halide (MH) is from the white/blue part of the spectrum, and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) is from the orange and yellow part of the spectrum.  MH is useful for regular leafy growth and HPS will promote bud growth and flowering.  MH/HPS conversion bulbs are available which allow switching back and forth with ease.

Hydroponic light is measured by wattage per square foot.  Photosynthesis will occur if the wattage is around 20 watts per square foot for low light plants and as high as 50 watts per square foot for vegetation that needs a higher intensity.

The tips of stems and tops of leaves can become scorched if the hydroponic lights are too close to the plants.  If the wattage is low or 250W, the bulb should be 12-14 inches away or 16-24 inches from a 400W bulb and have 24 inches between the plant and a 1000W light.

The colour of paint on the walls and ceiling makes a difference too, with lower gloss white paint making the most of your indoor lights.  Mylar is even more reflective if you want to get serious and don’t mind the look.

Hydroponically grown plants need roughly 16-18 hours of light per day for normal growth.  Some plants need extra light followed by a period of darkness in order to force blooms to flourish inside. Timers can be purchased to help alleviate the need to remember the lighting cycle and to allow you some freedom from your light switch.

Using HID lights extends the growing season in the fall and allows a head start in the spring, but don’t get too carried away!   Extending the light beyond 18 hours a day will wear your plants out and cause an untimely demise.

Photosynthesis: It‘s the Same for Hydroponic Gardens

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By: Charlene Rennick

All plants need air, light, water and minerals to thrive.  Each one of these elements has reliable qualities that make it able to sustain plant growth.  Depending on the type of plant, the air is dry or humid, the light is strong or weak, the water is plentiful or sparse, the temperature is specific and the soil is acid or alkaline. 

How Much Light is Enough for Hydroponic Gardening?

Outdoor gardening is pretty self-sufficient in terms of regulating the air and light flow.  There’s not much you can do to adjust wind and sun; however, hydroponic gardeners have to provide air and water flow, intensity and interval of light and the quantity and range of minerals.  Without this, photosynthesis will not occur.  Photosynthesis is as important to a plant as digestion is to a human.

All plants are green. Even when it is another colour and no green is visible, there is always a layer of green chlorophyll underneath. 

Photosynthesis begins when the right kind of light hits the green pigment in the plant’s leaves called chlorophyll.  When the light interacts with the chlorophyll, it mixes with carbon dioxide and water to make oxygen and sugar.  The sugar is oxidized through a process called respiration, which makes carbon dioxide and water into energy.  Other micro-nutrients present inside the growing medium are absorbed by the root system.  These contribute to the plant’s strength.  The by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen which the plant releases into the atmosphere.  The fact that humans require oxygen to survive makes the human-plant relationship, symbiotic.

Is Hydroponic Growth Complicated?

When the plant respirates, it emits carbon dioxide.  Tiny openings on the underside of the leaf, called stomata, absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen or vice versa, depending on whether the plant is photosynthesizing or respirating.  Because carbon dioxide exists in the atmosphere in very small quantities, the stomata have to be wide open during the hours that the leaves are absorbing light (photosynthesis).  If the humidity is too low, this can cause evaporation of the plant’s moisture.  The root system needs extra water to compensate for this.  If water is sparse, the leaves will suffer and look wilted. This is called transpiration. To avoid transpiration, hydroponic gardens need an atmosphere that is humid enough for the plant to achieve a balance between respiration and photosynthesis.

Sounds complicated?  It isn’t really.  As long as you have a room thermometer and a hydrometer to track the heat/humidity levels in the air, you can keep the environment in the range for your type of vegetation and the plant will do the rest of the work.

Go Hydroponic: Go Biodegradable

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by: Charlene Rennick

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Starting a hydroponic garden is a choice many people make based on a love of gardening, a concern for healthier food, a commitment to pesticide-free plants or as an effort to interact with the environment in a way that does not produce harm. 

Biodegradable means that the material will break down into elements that are natural and do not harm the Earth, without any additional chemical or toxic intervention.  Natural ingredients are inherently biodegradable.  Plant, animal and natural mineral-based products have a co-existing, organic microorganism that biodegrades the material without any help at all. Sometimes, these organic materials break down into the soil and become mixed in with the earth.  This process is called composting.  Other times they biodegrade into the water or the atmosphere, with or without the presence of oxygen, or the help of other living organisms such as earthworms.

An important idea to bear in mind is the end result of materials breaking down into the environment.  What does the product break down into and what kinds of substances are formed along the way?  An authentically biodegradable substance will break down into carbon dioxide (an element necessary for plant survival), water and minerals that are safe for the ecosystem.

The word, biodegradable, is often misused.  Manufacturers apply it to products that are not truly biodegradable.  Detergents and plastics rarely biodegrade into a natural element or even into the crude oil from which they were made.

Here are a few examples of the length of time it takes some material to biodegrade:

Cotton rags 1-5 months
Paper 2-5 months
Rope 3-14 months
Orange peels 6 months
Wool socks 1-5 years
Cigarette butts 1-12 years
Plastic coated paper milk cartons 5 years
Leather shoes 25-40 years
Nylon fabric 30-40 years
Tin cans 50-100 years
Aluminum cans 80-100 years
Plastic 6-pack holder rings 450 years
Glass bottles 1 million years
Plastic bottles forever

When the process of biodegrading is complete, the elements can be singularly re-used or combined to make a new product. 

Recently, mankind has made many successful advances that imitate nature’s own self-sufficient and reproductive system of sustaining life.  Hydroponically grown plants use biodegradable materials (coir, peat moss, water, natural elements) and produce green waste.  Green waste is a combination of re-usable growing media, plants that failed to thrive, cuttings, matured blossoms and over-ripened fruit or vegetables.

When food waste or green waste breaks down, it produces a gas called methane (CH4) which is made up of four hydrogen molecules and one carbon molecule.  Methane is an alternative fuel source, but because it is a gas, can be difficult to capture and transport.  If methane is not contained, it contributes to global warming.  It also produces heat.  For these reasons, composting is ideal if it is buried and turned over often to contain the methane.

Green Earth science has made many discoveries in the past few decades.  Hydroponic gardens are a great innovation that contributes to the conservation of water, environmentally-friendly growing methods and biodegradable practises. 

Nutrients for Hydroponic Gardening Systems

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by: Charlene Rennick

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The scientific criteria for organic is:  elements called carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen must be present.  This means that anything that grows is ‘organic’ by definition.

The Earth’s atmosphere is about seventy-eight percent nitrogen, twenty percent oxygen and two percent carbon dioxide, a compound mixture of carbon and oxygen.  Water is a compound mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.  The plant needs all four of these elements to survive.  Even if only one element is missing, the plant will die. 

Because these elements are present naturally in the atmosphere, most people don’t think about adding nitrogen or checking to make sure the plant is manufacturing enough carbon. These four necessities must be present in the air, water, nutrients and soil that sustain the plant.  It is important to be aware of this when moving your garden from an outdoor atmosphere where they occur naturally, to a hydroponic atmosphere where they are created.  Always purchase nutrients that say they are for hydroponic gardens as these are quite different from a basic, all-purpose vitamin designed for outdoor use.

The growing media has its own ideal elemental composition. There should be a balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Beware of any hydroponic mixture that claims to have everything your plants needs in one single container; compound mixtures are by nature, a staple for optimal plant nutrition.  Let’s look at a trouble-shooting guide to help diagnose deficiencies of each element in plants.

Nitrogen is the agent that is responsible for proper absorption of plant nutrients and manufacturing chlorophyll.  Too much nitrogen causes an excess of growth, a deeper green than is normal and may delay the fruit from becoming mature.  Sometimes, too much nitrogen attracts extra insects.  Too little nitrogen causes skinny stems that can’t support flowers or fruit.  The leaves will be yellow, small and might have some odd purple colour.

Phosphorous gives the plant energy to grow.  Too little causes stunted growth in the stems and root system.  The leaves often curl, droop or become yellow.  Too much phosphorous causes a deficiency of copper characterized by pale leaves with yellow spots and a lack of zinc which causes small leaves with crinkled edges.

Potassium balances the sugar and starch ratio for the plant.  Too little potassium slows down growth, makes the plant vulnerable to fungus and causes leaf moulting.  Too much potassium depletes the plant of magnesium resulting in yellowing of the leaves between the veins and failure to bloom.

Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) are known as macro nutrients.  Most plant nutrients are sold in 3-part solutions of N-P-K which allow customizing and adapting the mixture according to the type of plant, its stage of growth, and the condition of the soil.   This is especially important for hydroponic gardeners who are responsible for building a healthy environment for their plants.