Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
MANILA: A Farm In Zambales Has A Competitive Edge In The Market Through Hydroponics
Due to the rise of urban gardening, homeowners, especially those who have limited space for gardening, are looking for ways to grow their own food. Many try vertical or container gardening while others practice hydroponics or the process of growing plants without soil but rather in nutrient-filled sand, water, or gravel
September 4, 2020
Due to the rise of urban gardening, homeowners, especially those who have limited space for gardening, are looking for ways to grow their own food. Many try vertical or container gardening while others practice hydroponics or the process of growing plants without soil but rather in nutrient-filled sand, water, or gravel.
Zennor Hydroponics Farm in Palauig, Zambales also practices hydroponics because of its efficiency in all aspects of farming.
“Using a hydroponic system in a farm works because aside from being able to plant a lot in a small space, it can save a lot of money since you don’t need a lot of manpower to tend to plants as the system takes care of the watering while the nutrient solution provides the vitamins and minerals for the plants’ growth,” said Zennor Hydroponics Farm proprietor Raffy Pagaling during the second episode of AgriTalk 2020 aired on Facebook by the Agricultural Training Institute in partnership with Manila Bulletin and Agriculture Online.
Pagaling added that using a hydroponic system in growing food can generate 20 to 25 percent more produce as compared to planting in soil. Moreover, the process is faster which makes a good return in investment.
An example of a hydroponic technique that the farm uses is the Dutch Bucket System or Bato Bucket system. This system, as its name implies, uses buckets as the core of its growing method. It’s also a variation of the ebb and flow method which works by periodically flooding and draining the plants with nutrient solutions.
“In our farm, we use it to grow fruit-bearing vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, okra, etc.,” Pagaling said.
Pagaling posing with English cucumbers harvested from his farm.
He added he chose to grow this specific variety of cucumbers that through this method, the farm manages to grow English cucumbers which weigh 500 to 600 grams per fruit.
“This is an advantage of using hydroponics; it can produce better crops in terms of size and quality,” Pagaling said.
From a hundred cucumber plants, Pagaling manages to harvest 278 kilos of English cucumbers which he affirms are crunchy, juicy, and superb in quality. These cucumbers are then sold at P165 per kilo.
Another hydroponic technique that Zenno Farm uses is the rockwool or hydrowool. This method, according to Pagaling, is a soilless medium that serves as the backbone of the farm because all their seeds such as okra, tomatoes, and more are planted on this material.
The farm grows their seedlings in a soilless medium called rockwool.
Rockwool is a lightweight hydroponic substrate made from molten basaltic rock which is then spun into fine fibers to create products such as cubes and blocks. When hydrated, these cubes have a ratio of 80 percent water and 20 percent air, making it difficult to overwater the plants growing in this material.
When ready, seedlings can be easily transplanted from the rockwool to the preferred growing medium.
Other hydroponic methods used on the farm
Since Zennor Hydroponics Farm grows their crops without using soil, they have more than two methods that they follow especially if they want to make the most of their space.
First is the NFT system where the crops are planted in very shallow water that contains all the dissolved nutrients required for plants to grow. These nutrients are re-circulated past the bare roots of plants in a watertight channel.
Zennor Farm’s NFT system allows them to maximize space and even plant different vegetables all at once.
“We have our own version of the NFT system which can accommodate 320 green leafy vegetables and it is the biggest system that we have [on the farm] with an area of 10 feet by six feet,” Pagaling said.
He added that aside from being suitable for most leafy greens, the NFT system keeps their vegetables fresh, even if it’s already been ripe for two weeks or so.
In addition, this system can hold different kinds of leafy vegetables at the same time.
Next is the Wick System. This is the simplest way to grow vegetables without any electricity and can be done by anyone from seven years old and above.
The Wick System is the simplest way to grow vegetables without electricity.
“Any material can be used to create this kind of hydroponic system. It doesn’t require electricity because its main component is stagnant water, but it’s a very efficient way of farming because it can grow plants within 30 days with little supervision. Plus, it keeps it fresh even if you’re away for a long period of time,” Pagaling said.
He added that the Wick System can also be done indoors provided that they are supported with artificial lighting.
An indoor setup is also possible with the Wick System.
The farm even has a small greenhouse where they use the Dutch Bucket system, the Wick type, and the NFT method at the same time to grow crops that are fit for personal consumption.
Zennor Hydroponics Farm has a greenhouse measuring 12 feet by 14 feet and is planted with 700 lettuce and 72 fruit-bearing vegetables.
“With an area of only 12 feet by 14 feet, we still managed to plant here 700 lettuce and 72 fruit-bearing vegetables like cherry tomatoes. But since it produces more than we need, we sell the excess to neighboring towns, friends, families, and neighbors,” Pagaling said.
By using hydroponics in growing food, he added that one need not worry about the sustainability of a farm or garden because the system can run all-year-round, making it suitable for almost every kind of crop.
Much like Pagaling said, there are many benefits that can be reaped from using a hydroponic system. He hopes that his farm can set an example and inspire more people to try out this innovative farming technique.
Watch the full video of the webinar here.
Technician Theo Builds High-Tech Greenhouse As a Hobby
How great would it be to have a small greenhouse in your own garden where you can grow vegetables, fruit, and herbs in an environmentally-friendly, clean, and energy-neutral way?
How great would it be to have a small greenhouse in your own garden where you can grow vegetables, fruit, and herbs in an environmentally-friendly, clean, and energy-neutral way? That is what the recently retired Theo van Lieshout of Wognum (Netherlands), thought. He did not want to sit at home, staring out of the window, and decided to take up a challenge, after he had previously made his home energy neutral.
Now he can also cross the construction of a high-tech greenhouse off his list, and the greenhouse is almost ready for the first crops. Hydroponically grown, that is, and for this, Theo relies on the advice of experts.
Theo in his greenhouse
IKEA
The greenhouse is 5 meters long, 2 meters wide and 2 meters high. The rainwater is collected and stored in stackable IKEA trays. "In the greenhouse, I make use of 4 layers with tubes which, for example, transport water with nutrients according to the ebb-and-flow system once per hour. A pond has been installed on the ground level on which the floats sit. The tube has numerous cutouts for pots with compressed soil as substrate. Put a seed in it, and it grows."
Tinkering with LED lighting
It sounds easy, but of course, it is not, as Theo knows full well. A lot more is required, such as lighting.
"I have purchased customized Chinese LED lights. Adjusted, because the reliability and safety were not up to scratch. Depending on the application, the various layers have different colors, such as mainly blue for seedlings, mainly red for leafy vegetables, and broad spectrum for blossom setting. All groups can be separately controlled in two intensities."
LED lamps from China
Own CO2
Although LED lighting is very efficient (40 - 50%), the lamps are still getting hot, Theo notices during testing. "For this reason, each layer has two fans to provide a calm airflow for the plants, so it is a double-edged sword."
During testing, the tubes first became too hot
"A nice feature is that the CO2, which we breathe out at home, is measured, and when concentration increases (> 700 ppm), a fan will suck the air out of the house. It is then made available for the greenhouse plants."
Tubes wrapped in aluminum tape
Aluminum tape
Every greenhouse owner knows the problem of heating by the sun. In March, the greenhouse was already 20 degrees warmer than the surroundings. Theo has solved this in two ways. "All tubes and trays are wrapped in aluminum tape. The light is no longer absorbed and reflected, and thus available for other plants. That already makes a lot of difference."
On top of that, Theo came up with another 'interesting solution'. "That is using semi-transparent solar panels on the roof. Around 5 percent of the light is let through to be used by the plants, but the rest is used for generation of electricity, an estimated 1500 kWh per year. The sides have been shielded by plants, partially blocking the sun light. The result is that the greenhouse is now no more than five degrees higher than the surroundings."
Partially transparent solar panels on the greenhouse roof
Water pump
Another interesting feature which Theo has applied is the coupling to a heat pump. "A year and a half ago, I completely made my house completely energy neutral with heat pump, solar panels, and heat generation. I also have written books about this, by the way.
"Residual heat is then used to heat the greenhouse but cold from the ground. I also call this ground cold, which can be used to cool the greenhouse, both with a radiator and heat exchanger (hose) in the pond."
Tablet
On balance, the energy use approaches energy neutral, in combination with the solar panels on the greenhouse, Theo notes. "A tablet or PC can be used for control, anywhere. As a technician, I am/was an electrotechnician, I have much experience with technical projects, and at the University of Amsterdam, I worked on projects such as the design of LED lighting for plants and a photospectometer."
Grain of salt
Now Theo is ready to grow, he runs into the fact he does not know very much about the effects of light and nutrients on the plants. Except for what can be found on the internet, but you should take that with a grain of salt. Luckily, there is also some common sense. "Now, I have to mainly focus on the possibilities and demands of the plants."
Cultivation + parallel project
Theo would like to get in touch with people who are as crazy as he is, in his words. "I will never break even, that much is clear to me. I will start with a diversity of seeds (vegetables, fruit, and herbs) and try to optimize with nutrients and light colors.
"A project running parallel to this is the making of a photospectometer to measure the color shift/intensity so you can see whether a plant is saturated with light. This is an extension of the work I have done before. But that is something for winter."
Curious about Theo's progress? Take a look at his website: www.hobbyvantheo.nl.
Theo can be contacted at: info@hobbyvantheo.nl
Publication date: Tue 1 Sep 2020