Learn How - Hydroponics and Greenhouse Gardening
By Charlotte
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Fresh produce in remote and inhospitable places is now economically feasible, thanks to the science of hydroponics. Areas such as the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which are devoid of native mammals and native trees, now have access to nutrient rich fresh vegetables thanks to Stanley Growers.
By Charlotte
Horticultural technology is growing back to natural sources. One of the most valuable new developments in recent years is a series of planting containers made of coir, or coconut fiber. Coir pots are 100% biodegradable when placed in environments hospitable to natural breakdown. Until such time, the pots retain their shape for three to five years, making them natural choices for outdoor container gardens year after year.
Coir: A Natural Resource
Coir is fiber from a coconut husk. Prior to its use for garden pots, coir was primarily used to make rope and weave mats. The word coir is Malayalam, from the word kayaru, which means “to be twisted.” Coir is made from a renewable resource, and coir pots use little energy to produce. Their biodegradable nature makes them ideal for production large and small scale, as use of coir will reduce plastic thrown into landfills.
Coir Pots Promote Plant Growth
Plants growing in traditional plastic pots tend to develop tightly massed root systems that do not take full advantage of the growing area. When growing in coir pots, plants grow throughout the entire pot, and grow into the pot wall. Once the roots reach the outer edge of the wall, they stop growing out and continue to grow inside the pot. Because coir is biodegradable, commercial growers can use the pots to grow plants that can be planted directly into the ground, skipping the transplanting step, which often leads to transplant shock. Plants planted directly into the ground in coir pots will settle in and take off more quickly.
Coir Container Gardens
Coir pots are also perfect for patio container gardens. The pots hold their shape for 3-5 years. As natural substances, their appearance changes over time, lending character to outdoor container gardens. Once the pots have reached the end of their useful life, they can be tossed into the compost pile and eventually returned to the garden as fertilizer.
Hairy Pot Plant Company
Coir pots are great for the home gardener that does not have to worry about large scale disease and destruction from plant pots. The Hairy Pot Plant Company in the UK has also developed a way to use coir pots effectively in large-scale greenhouse production. They steam the pots on arrival to their facility in order to kill any bacteria or insects that may have arrived with the pots. Once steamed, the pots are ready to go. They cite advantages of using the coir pots, including providing economic resources coir pot producers, who often dwell in economically poor countries.
Hairy Pot Plant Company produces plants that can be planted directly into the ground in their coir pots. They also sell a wide variety of coir products for the home gardener, including seed-starter pots. Start your seedlings in coir pots, and you will gain valuable growing time, as they will not have to recover from transplant shock.
Coir is clearly the way to go for plant production in environmentally friendly ways.
By Charlotte
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The horse and plow gave way to the tractor. Soon, the tractor will give way to a “farmer” strolling through aisles of produce growing in twenty story buildings! Vertical farming is the way of the future.
Las Vegas Plans to Farm
Or not. Early in 2008, rumors circulated rampantly around the internet that the city of Las Vegas was planning to build a thirty story vertical farm. This farm would have fed 72,000 people for a year, and would have been opened as yet another tourist attraction. Since the viral spread of this news on the internet, the city of Las Vegas has denied any plans to construct such a farm, and Chris Jacobs, the designer of the building pictured in articles and blogs about the project, has written that he was never approached for a design.
By Charlotte
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Urban farming is a challenge for those without large lots. For culinary fiends craving fresh lettuce, microgreens and other treats year-round without having to break the bank, vertical growing systems are one source of horticultural happiness. Large cities such as New York and Chicago provide flourishing markets for fresh produce. Commercial growers with time and energy to set up shop nearby can capitalize on a “growing” market.
Hydroponics Basics
Hydroponics gardens grow in water, nutrient solutions, air, or different growing media such as vermiculite or coir. Hydroponically grown plants do not grow in soil. Nutrient solutions given to plants in hydroponics gardens provide necessary minerals, nutrients and water needed for optimum plant growth without soil. A variety of hydroponics growing systems abound, including new vertical growing systems.
By Charlotte
By: Charlene Rennick
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Only 11 percent of Canadian land is classified as having value for agricultural use. Of that parcel, only 1 percent is fertile enough to grow food. (University of Guelph, ON) In addition, a high percentage of our richest farmland is already buried underneath sprawling urban centres. The promise of fresh produce grown locally is dwindling away an acre at a time. With this in mind, it is increasingly crucial to protect what is left of our bountiful earth.
[Read more…] about The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Greenhouse
By Charlotte
by: Charlene Rennick
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As the urban horizon reaches its outward limits and begins its climb upward, the number of people per square city foot, increases in density. The impact that this kind of population crunching has on the demand for municipal water supplies is enormous. Recent water bans in this vast country of inland lakes demonstrates the kind of blunt force that urban density has on water supply.
Aquifers include any geological structures that hold or move ground water and are a source for underground wells or springs. They can become stressed or experience accelerated erosion due to the strain of providing water for such high density urban structures.
To offset some of the pressure of supplying clean water where there is a high demand, a simple addition of green technology can make a huge difference. Rainwater harvesting is a free source of water and is a renewable energy source. It can be used for washing and watering. Once the initial expense of the collection and storage equipment is relieved, the savings can be recouped very quickly.
Many countries in the Caribbean and South America have been harvesting rainwater for domestic use during the past 300 years.
What do you need to Harvest Rainwater?
The first piece of equipment is usually free. It is called the catchment area and is the roof of your house. The conveyance system includes the eaves, trough and gutters if you are able to collect from your rooftop. Before setting up under your roof, it will need to be determined if any toxic substances have been used in its construction. These could contaminate the rainwater. If your roof is made of wood, plastic, fibreglass or aluminium, it is safe to use. Clean cisterns are essential to store the water. Pump(s) are required to remove water from the cistern and a filtration device is necessary to remove dust and pollens. Any of this equipment can be purchased or built easily.
If your roof is not an option, uncoated stainless steel, galvanized steel, reinforced concrete or baked-enamel finishes can be used as a catchment basin. Make sure it says lead-free. The following components are the minimum requirements for a catchment basin, according to http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Sitework/rainwater-harvesting:
Additional features might include:
A device to indicate the amount of water in the tank
Hydroponic gardens are the perfect place to start using harvested rainwater. The principle of recycled water is inherent in this style of plant care. Nutrients are added to the water source and recirculate to nourish the plant. This minimizes the quantity of water needed. Even a large plastic barrel as a catchment basin with an inexpensive hand-held filter system would provide enough water for a small-scale domestic hydroponic kitchen garden or home operation.
By Charlotte
By: Charlene Rennick
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The Institute for Simplified Hydroponics is an international, charitable, non-government organization. It was formed in 1995 to begin a project dedicated to solving the problem of world hunger. The program is operated by volunteers who educate in and provide supplies to populations that would greatly benefit from learning hydroponic methods of growing crops. The Institute for Simplified Hydroponics estimates that over 200 million families or 800 million people in the world do not have enough to eat and cannot grow their own food due to poor soil and poverty.
The intent of the Institute for Simplified Hydroponics is two-fold: to end world hunger and to do so in a way that does not have a harmful environmental impact. The project has branches in Cuba, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Peru, Senegal, Venezuela and Mexico. The project in Brazil has restored sustenance farming for many people who were slowly starving due to severe drought and lack of other options. Hydroponic systems have successfully generated agriculture in countries where it has not been sustained before.
The reason hydroponic growing methods can provide a solution is because it does not require a large overlap of shared language to transfer the knowledge, and it is not dependent upon the soil conditions to succeed. The equipment can be modified, recycled and varied while continuing to serve its function. Plants can be watered by hand using small quantities of water. Any discarded items can be used to hold plants from old sleeping pallets to bamboo sleeves. The only tools the country must supply for itself is sunlight, air flow and temperature.
Because the start- up equipment is donated, hydroponic gardens are inexpensive. People are able to maintain the operation using simple care-taking techniques. Water and nutrients are recycled. Hydroponically grown fruit and vegetables produce a greater volume of yield (six times the yield in less than one-third of the space) so there is the potential for some profit and not merely sustenance.
Hydroponic gardens can be set up without using electricity, fuel-based or mechanical equipment. The use of fertilizers can be limited to those derived from plant waste, composted chicken manure or bat guano as long as there is no danger of contamination from chemical or non-organic pesticides. This aspect of hydroponic farming teaches some understanding of waste management principles and carbon-free living. It recycles many materials that would otherwise be considered waste.
If you are interested in volunteering or making a donation, please contact www.carbon.org.
By Charlotte
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.
By Charlotte
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.
By Charlotte
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.