Issue 24
______________________________________________________
Table of Contents:
__________________________________________________________
1. This Fiji subscriber needs help on beans
Thank you for your very thoughtful and practical newsletters. I look forward to reading them each month.
I have a query though - one of the vegetables easily grown in hydroponics is beans. Although I have managed to find tons of information on hydroponic tomatoes, capsicum, cucumbers, lettuce and spinach on the internet, I have not found much on beans.
I know it's easy to cultivate them but what I'm after is info about optimum pH, electrical conductivity and nutrient composition for hydroponic beans. Some info on yields versus cultivars would also help. I would appreciate any advice you can give on the above or even advice on where I might find this info (literature sources).
For your background, I'm in Fiji in the tropics and have mainly experience with float systems or dynamic root floatation. It's surprising how little info is available on tropical hydroponic cultivation - most info is usually for temperate climates which are not so readily applicable in the tropics.
Anyway, thanks again for the newsletter - I look forward to any thoughts you may have time to share with me on the above and of course to your next newsletter.
Regards, Ugesh mailto:ugesh.chand@basic.com.fj
(Readers, please note the article on Honduras - a tropical country - in this issue. - Editor)
___________________________________________________________
2. Hydroponics comes to the Kentucky mountains
Floyd county's New Century Aquaponics Project hopes to build upon ideas used in the successful hydroponic operation at the Prestonburg Mountain Comprehensive Care Center.
Coal is the only real industry in this mountain area. It however has become automated more and more and utilizes fewer workers each year. If you want a good job you have to leave home to find it. Farmers don't have available land to grow on. So the idea of hydroponics has become more feasable as an added source of income.
The Project's goal is to give farmers a chance to earn a living with hydroponics and aquaculture. The plan is to raise vegetables along with tilapia. One local critic however favors growing only ornamentals such as Boston fern along with tilapia.
David Gillespie, who manages the Prestonburg operation says his organization already has an established market for rental fern. He believes the demand is high in the area for rental fern for trade shows, weddings, and such. He feels it would be much easier to raise the fern along with the tilapia. Vegetables might be something to consider down the road after getting firmly established.
The new aquaponics operation is to be set up at South Floyd High School which is located at Hi Hat, KY. There will be a greenhouse which will be 100 x 42 feet and comprise six modules. Each module will have a 750 gallon nutrient tank which will supply a 4 x 8 ft bed.
The beds will be composed of pea gravel and appropiate bacteria. Fertilization will be supplied by the effluent from the fish tank. The fish and vegetables will be sold to outlets in the surrouding communities.
The greenhouse and aquaponic operation is expected to be ready by January, 2001.
One primary benefit, aside from income, is the education of South Floyd High School students in fundamental growing and business practices. The students will be actively engaged in the operation. If successful, plans are to have other schools in the area to also participate.
It is hoped that aquaponic/hydroponic entrepreneurs can be encouraged to set up their businesses in the area. Two things will be required to get this done. The markets in the area and nearby (within short trucking distance) must be firmly established. And a timetable must be established for learning the business.
High hopes are riding on this venture. Eastern Kentucky needs all the help it can get. This just might be the ticket.
To learn more about aquaponics and hydroponics go to http://www.mayhillpress.com/hydroponics.html
___________________________________________________________
3. Successful hydroponic operation in Honduras
Tropical countries have two things in common: poor soil and pests galore. Growing fresh vegetables is a challenge that can best be met by using hydroponics.
Blue Harbor Plantation at Roatan, Honduras is a good example of how problems can be overcome. So if you eat produce from Blue Harbor Plantation's greenhosues, you don't have to worry about the salad. It will be freshly picked and cleaned. This is very favorably accepted by the many tourists who visit this tropical paradise.
Before Blue Harbor's inception, local restaraunts had to rely on lettuce grown in the inland mountains of Honduras. Not a reliable source becuse by the time it gets to the island of Roatan, the lettuce will be old and wilting.
The Blue Harbor greenhouse comprises 13,000 sq ft. It has a polythene top (to keep out heavy rains). Thirty per cent shade cloth is used on the top and the sides. Perlite trays 24 feet long are used for lettuce production. These take up one-half of the greenhouse floor area.
The other half is for an NFT system (also for fancy lettuce). Reverse osmosis has been installed to get rid of a lot of the chlorine and sodium found in the water supply. Roatan is an island and as such has a water supply which is subject to the sea's influx.
Also a water chiller will be installed for the NFT system, a necessary adaptation for tropical heat. NFT will get rid of native caterpillars which sometimes infest the perlite trays.
Electricity is expensive. That along with import rates on perlite and other supplies compels Blue Harbor Plantation to carefully manage very dollar in order to make a profit
Lettuces grown are lollo, bibb, and mesclun mix. The mesclun mix consists of red beet leaves, kale, endive and shredded leaves from immature heads of lettuce which are not in themselves marketable.
Herbs are also supplied to the local markets. These comprise basil, thyme, arugula, dill, tarragon. oregano, mint, marjoram and garlic chives. Arugula is difficult to grow because of either the chlorine or the heat. And it is a favorite host for any moth which can get through the shade cloth.
Suffice it to say that heat-resistant and chlorine-resistant seeds are needed for the Blue Harbor Plantation operation. Switching to NFT may solve problems associated with perlite the dust of which clogs the feeding tubes. Keeping the water chilled helps a lot because with plants what goes on at the root syetem is generally what goes on with the rest of the plant.
Dr. Val Eylands and his wife run Blue Harbor Plantation. These two individuals seem to have found a way to make a living in the middle of the island paradise they love so much. They hope to set up hydroponic internships for those who wish to learn more about growing in the tropics. For internship details, mailto:paradise@globalnet.hn
And for more information for your area about growing lettuce read my book on "Big Dollars Growing Gourmet Salad Greens" at http://www.mayhillpress.com/salad.html
__________________________________________________________
4. This and that
A. Media such as rockwool, peat moss, perlite, lava rock, etc. do not hold any food which is comparable to soil. That's why smart growers monitor the growing process of their crops. At each stage of plant growth these growers will add the right amount of fertilizer which the plant needs at that time - no more, no less.
B. You know about not overwatering your crops, but do you also know that when you do water or add nutrient the temperature of the liquid should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit?
C. Two disadvantages of "run-to-waste" systems such as rockwool are they are messy and can ruin the environment as well as not being anywhere nearly as efficient as NFT systems.
D. The Urban Agriculture magazine put out by the United Nations speculates that by 2015 26 major cities (population more than ten million) will be forced to rely upon urban agriculture supported by organic wastes.
The magazine did not add the following. To get more food security, these urban areas will need to rely upon both organic and inorganic hydroponic systems in urban spaces which are small.
This ought to tell you something!
E. Want to know if hydroponic food is good for you? Consider the following:
Tests made by Plant Rersearch Technologies, Inc of San Jose, CA conclude that compared to field-grown crops, hydroponic crops when compared to soil grown crops showed large increases in mineral and vitamin content.
Chemical residues and heavy metals were not found at all in the hydroponic produce.
__________________________________________________________
5. Call of the Yukon
Well, we've been to the mountains and to the jungle. Now let's go to the cold far North.
This man had no choice. When he moved to Whitehorse, Yukon he found deep sand and 2 inches of topsoil. In addition to that the soil was cold and so were the nights - at anytime of the year. Not to mention he could have a frost at anytime. What to do? Why let's do hydroponics, of course.
Simple to say and harder to do. But at least one might get a crop of tomatoes and the trimmings to go with them.
With perserverance and much innovation, we end up with Tropicals North, the first outfit to grow bananas in the Yukon! Plus coffe, tomatoes, bell pepppers, ginger, tea, sugarcane and cucumbers.
This grower started out with small garbage bags filled with sawdust and two tomato plants per bag. One disaster followed another until the grower ended up with a greenhouse design of 2 x 6 ft wood rafters spaced at four-foot centers and a 6/12 roof pitch in order to shed the heavy snows.
He now has three of these. One is 24 x 48 ft, another is 12 x 36 ft, and the third is 18 x 36 ft. The first one, a 12 x 18 ft tubular model whiuch was purchased is still in operation but heavily braced.
The brace wires were attached to the ends and the sides and anchored to concrete pads stuck two feet into the ground. This was in answer to a problem that manifested itself in the beginning. The tomato vines got so heavy that they almost pulled down the first greenhouse.
The grower was having trouble with heat loss and soon discovered the virtue of double vinyl covering (he only had one sheet before) with a small blower pump in between to keep the sheets apart and prevent condensation.
Because there is only five hours of daylight during the winter, the growing season naturally has to start in late March and end in October. It's too expensive to heat in winter, and you would need extra lighting which is also expensive. Plus, the water supply is normally frozen solid. Even in March, this Northern grower had to use a torch in March just to heat up the water to a sensible degree.
Give it some thought: he also had to haul the water from a hole broken in the ice of a frozen river. Now I call that doing it the hard way!
Despite all the handicaps, this grower, along with others in the area, has made his hydroponic venture a commercial success. He sells "Cobra" beefsteak tomatoes at wholesale for $2.00 per pound. His business is always "sold out" because what he produces is fresher and tastier than anything that can be shipped in.
He has found what we call a "niche" market and is servicing it well.
One more thing: he doesn't have to worry about bugs. So his produce is pesticide free, another great selling point. If any bugs existed, they probably couldn't survive the five months his greenhouses are shut down.
Well there you are and there you have it. Want to know more about hydroponics? Go to: http://www.mayhillpress.com/hydroponics.html
___________________________________________________________
6. Using silica as another nutrient?
Cucumbers and lettuce love it. It ranks second as to its occurence in soil. Some plants accumulate as much as ten per cent silica. Though it is a beneficial element for most plants, it is however a necessary one for others.
It comes in two forms: chemical like sodium silicate and potassium meta-silicate. These two chemicals have a pH of 11 which is much too high to be reasonably handled in a nutrient system.
The second and preferred form is pyro clay (derived from pyrophillitic volcanic clay) which is easier to handle in regard to pH. It also has additional elements which are beneficial.
In trials conducted in New Zealand, fruit from plants enriched with silica were the same size but had greater fresh weight. It was also proven that silica helps plants tolerate high salinity, a fact which no doubt would be appreciated by the Israelites who grow much of their crops near the sea.
n NFT systems, it was found that the root matting in the troughs was thicker, heavier and whiter. The researchers also found out that tomatoes when grown at an E.C. (Electrical Conducti0vity) of 7.5 to 7.7 and enriched with silica promoted not only larger and heavier fruit yields but also better tasting fruit.
The researchers concluded that though silica may have produced the above results there may well be other factors such as other beneficial elements at play here.
Recommendation? Try a small experiment yourself on a very small area and see what happens. Then let us know and we will print it here.
Learn all about macro and micro elements needed for plant growth. You'll find the answers in my book, "How to Start on a Shoestring and Make a Profit with Hydroponics". Look for the details at: http://www.mayhillpress.com/hydroponics.html
___________________________________________________________
7. Think about it...
Go to: CONTENTS PAGE...HOME PAGE...ORDERING INFORMATION
bsaffell@mayhillpress.com...Last Update: 52008 copyright 1996 - 2008 by Hilmur Saffell
WE HAVE THREE BOOKS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU.
They are as follows:
"How to Start on a Shoestring and Make a Profit with Hydroponics"
"Big Dollars Growing Gourmet Salad Greens"
"Beneficial Insects - How to Mass Rear and Make a Profit"
If you would like a copy or copies of your own,
CLICK HERE