Farmers in the Central District; Messrs Olemogile Botsile and Lesego Obuseng have called on their peers to take to soilless horticulture.

The duo explained in an interview after Serowe Agricultural Show where they were exhibiting recently, that the practice, termed  hydroponic had the potential to assist the horticultural sector turn the corner.

They said they took to the method after experimenting with traditional farming for a long time without much success, given the climatic condition of the country.

Mr Botsile explained that under hydroponic farming, vegetables are grown in soilless conditions, with  cultivation taking place in an aquatic-based environment.

He said the system had become popular over the years because of its yields.

“We would like to advice farmers specialising in horticulture to consider growing hydroponically, as the plants here are of exceeding high quality, occupy less space and consume fewer resources than traditional growing methods,” he said.

He said after planting for three years without satisfactory yields, they decided to find out if there were other methods which they could utilise to make returns.

“Through our research and benchmarking in South Africa, we identified, hydroponic as the best. Traditional farming has proved an upset in our returns as we were spending more than we could benefit on aspects such as water, herbicides and fertilisers,” he said.

Mr Botsile said the method proved a success after its trial at Taukome lands, adding that they realised that it had potential to assist those who had failed in their back yard gardens as a result of water shortages.

He noted that the water was mostly recycled and could yield 90 to 100 per cent harvest, as the farmer was able to monitor individual plants.

“Although the concept of growing plants without soil seems contrary to a plant’s nutritional needs, plants can actually grow exceedingly well in soilless growing systems.

To thrive, plants need water and nutrients, which are traditionally absorbed from the soil they are grown in. However, if these nutrients can be provided through a nutrient-rich solution applied directly to a plant’s root zone, it can be grown without any soil at all. This is what basically happens under hydroponics planting,” he said.

Mr Botsile noted that under hydroponic systems, they use dnutrient solutions to feed plants, and use other substrates to provide support for roots, adding that some hydroponic systems required no substrates at all. 

“Our company supplies different methods and variations of hydroponic gardening, ranging from small, in-home systems to large, complex commercial systems, depending on our client’s need,” he said.

He indicated that hydroponic growing methods, in combination with vertical gardening, could aid in expanding the possibilities of urban gardening and indoor gardening, where there was insufficient space.

“Although the amount of hydroponically grown produce has not overtaken the amount of field-grown produce yet, it is quickly gaining a foothold,” he said.

Mr Botsile indicated that this was especially true as more and more consumers were becoming aware of where their food came from and how it was grown, as evident in the growing interest people had shown towards the system.

“In addition to using much less water, he noted that hydroponic farms did not require the same amount of upkeep as  traditional farms, adding that it was ideal for people with less time on their hands and could be best used by even retired individuals.

“Hydroponic farms are much less labour intensive, hence less tiring, than traditional farms because they are in compact spaces, often at waist-high levels.

Therefore, harvesting and replanting is much easier with hydroponic systems.

In this system there is no digging or weeding required, making the overall upkeep of hydroponic systems minimal.

Source : BOPA

Author : Thuso Kgakatsi

Location : SEROWE

Event : Interview

Date : Aug 13 Mon,2018