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US, Harrisburg, PA: Cyber School Aquaponics Program Draws Springetts Student
John Pavoncello York Dispatch
January 15, 2019
Nathaniel Saxe doesn't mind driving almost an hour to school from his Springettsbury Township home.
The 17-year-old junior has been enrolled in the Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) since sixth grade, but his love of biology, and aquatics in particular, has led him to a unique learning experience in Harrisburg.
Nathaniel Saxe, a CCA junior from Springettsbury Township, harvests kale at the Agworks aquaponics facility in Harrisburg, Tuesday, January 8, 2019. John A. Pavoncello photo The York Dispatch
Agworks, a state-of-the-art learning aquaponics lab, is located across the street from the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. The facility was officially opened by CCA in December and is the largest public educational aquaponics facility in the country.
Funded through a federal grant, the facility lets cyber charter school students gain hands-on experience in agriculture, environmental science and trades.
Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), a public cyber charter school, unveiled Agworks at CCA in December. Nathaniel Saxe, a CCA junior from Springettsbury Township, is planning a career in aquaponics and hopes to someday open an agriculture center in York City. John A. Pavoncello photo The York Dispatch
For Nathaniel, Agworks means that he is already focusing his education on his career.
"It's been an amazing experience," Nathaniel said. "I've been able to study how plants and fish can interact and produce a lot of food."
Students involved with the aquaponics facility do everything from feeding the fish, tilapia to be exact, to planting and harvesting plants such as romaine lettuce and several varieties of kale. The produce and fish raised by the students are donated to feed the local community, and some is even being sold to local restaurants and retailers.
Nathaniel's dream is to purchase an old warehouse in York City and convert it to an aquaponics farm.
"I hope I can use that as an opportunity to revitalize York," he said. "I love York City, I think it's a beautiful place."
How Does Hydroponics Work? (A Beginner's Guide)
Look:
If you're interested in agriculture at all, you likely have heard of "hydroponics".
Yet you may still be wondering:
"What is hydroponic growing, and how does it work?"
Or Maybe:
"What are the main differences between hydroponic farming and normal farming?"
Or Maybe Even:
"Can I do it on a small scale myself?"
Well:
All of these answers and more are discussed in this Beginner's Guide To How Hydroponics Works.
But here's the most important part:
At the end of this article, you should have enough knowledge to start planning your own, personal hydroponic mini-farm.
So let's get started...
What is hydroponic farming?
Many people think that hydroponic farming is sticking seeds in water and letting them grow.
But these people have it all wrong.
Let me explain:
The definition of hydroponic growing is:
"The method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent."
What does this mean, in plain english?
Hydroponics does not just mean plants growing in a container of water.
Now, here's the key:
The water continually circulates, instead of forming a stagnant pool.
Also, only the roots are exposed.
This is often accomplished by using a tank and a pump (image below).
An example of Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) Hydroponic System: Source
Now:
This likely isn't exactly what you originally had in mind when you heard about hydroponics.
Hydroponic growing systems can be complicated to design and operate.
So if you are trying to truly understand hydroponics, where do you start?
To truly understand hydroponics, let's start at the very beginning.
Then we will cover:
- Pros and Cons
- Real Life Examples
- A More Detailed Breakdown of Hydroponic System Design
Keep on reading below!
What is the history of hydroponic farming?
The first hydroponic growing techniques were developed by the ancient Mesopotamians around 600 BCE (source)
Now,
You may be shocked to hear this, but:
The precursors of hydroponic farms date back to prehistoric ages.
How long ago?
Before the common era. Like, 600 BCE.
Yes...seriously.
Now, what's the back story on this?
King Nebuchadnezzar built the "hanging gardens" of Babylon for queen, Amyitis.
According to legend, she grew up in a mountainous area and so the King wanted to expose Amyitis to the beauty of agriculture.
How did this system actually work?
Technically the water was carried in buckets by slaves instead of with a pump.
Plus, one other technicality to keep in mind:
The system did use irrigated soil so was not technically hydroponic.
But, despite this fact:
Agricultural historians conclude it is the earliest known example of a precursor to true hydroponic techniques.
Now...
We've covered so far:
1) the definition of hydroponics
2) the history of hydroponics
But you're also likely curious:
"What are the pro's and con's of hydroponic farming?"
Or:
"What are current examples of large scale hydroponic farms?"
Or:
"How does hydroponic farming actually work (step-by-step)?"
Well you're in luck.
Why?
We are covering all of those parts next...
Pro's and Con's of Hydroponic Farming
Now, here's the skinny:
Many experts have actually highlighted the disadvantages of hydroponics.
But:
If you can do it the right way, you can grow some serious vegetable volume...
So let's walk through the upside and downside, step-by-step:
Here are common criticisms, according to The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS):
Cons:
- High Upfront Cost: Hydroponics are expensive to set up compared to conventional farming style.
- Restricted Growing Options: Some types of produce are not ideal for hydroponics, particularly heavy plants with tall stalks.
For example: you won't be able to grow large hedges or trees hydroponically!
- Nutrient Solution "Links" All Plants: In a soil-based system, soil can act as a temporary buffer between plants. If one plant is diseased, the others have the soil to separate plants.
This isn't the case with hydroponics. If the nutrient content in a hydroponic solution is not correct or a disease enters the solution, the entire crop could be destroyed.
Now:
there's also tons of benefits to hydroponic growing, namely (also via IFAS):
Pros:
- More efficient harvesting: Although this is more important with increasing scale, harvesting in a hydroponic system is typically less expensive than harvesting conventionally
- Less Pests: Growing crops off the ground results in a cleaner crop with less pests.
- Space: Less space is required for growing.
- Water: Less water is required.
Now:
We've covered the pros and cons.
So let's move onto current examples of hydroponic farms...
A Current Example of a Hydroponic Farm
Clearwater Organic Farms
Clearwater Organic Farms Hydroponic Aerial Overview Source
Clearwater Organic Farms in Rochester, New York, USA is a brand new, still under-construction, state of the art 15-acre hydroponic farm.
According to part-owner of Clearwater Organic, Alex Wasilov, (via this Rocherfirst.com article):
"Clearwater Organic Farms has created a controlled environment organic hydroponic greenhouse system that grows baby leaf vegetables,"
The farm will employ over 100 people upon completion in 2017/2018. Over 92 million consumers will be within a 4 hour truck drive of Clearwater.
"We plan to grow baby leaf vegetables here in Rochester. Our facility phase one will be about 15 acres, under glass, and we hope to double that size within the next three to five years."
Still interested to learn more about Clearwater?
Check out the YouTube overview from the designers of their facility below.
Now:
After all this info, you're probably at least a little interested (or dying to know) exactly how a hydroponic farm functions.
In other words:
"What are the actual components of a hydroponic farm?"
Well:
We cover a simple, step-by-step walk through of the components of a hydroponic farm below...
How Hydroponic Farming Works (Specifically)
The bottom line:
There are four key areas to analyze the function of urban farming:
(1) physical layout
(2) lighting
(3) growing medium
(4) sustainability features
We can use the following example and break down the key characteristics and functions of a hydroponic farm:
Source: The 6 main hydroponic techniques
First things first:
(1) Physical Layout
There are actually 6 main "techniques" for uban farming:
1. Wick Technique
2. Ebb and Flow Technique
3. NFT Technique
4. Water Culture Technique
5. Drip Technique
6. Aeroponic
Each of these techniques have a different layout.
There will almost always be a reservoir of nutrient solution, a pump, a structure to hold plants, "plugs" that hold the plants in place, and drains.
The most common component for building hydroponic infrastructure is plastic.
(2) Lighting if indoors, is often accomplished with LED lighting.
Hydroponic The first hydroponic growing techniques were developed by the ancient Mesopotamians around 600 BCE(source)farming can also occur outdoors in some climates.
(3) Hyrdoponic farming never uses soil. If a growing medium is used, it will be soil-less.
(4) As previously noted, hydroponics are incredibly efficient with water. This is perhaps their most sustainable feature.
Additionally, hydroponic systems are efficient with nutrients, because nutrient solution can be recycled.
Source: The 6 main hydroponic techniques
Did you like this article?
You now know the basic background information relating to hydroponic farming.
Why is that important?
Here's your real takeaway (if you forget everything else):
Hydroponic farming is here to stay!
Getting to know the background of hydroponic farming, is just the start of your urban farming journey.
If you liked this article....
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Grow Strong: African Farmers, Entrepreneurs Revamp Agriculture Norms Through Purdue Partnership
Scott Massey, a Purdue University graduate and founder of Heliponix, a company that makes an appliance that fits under a kitchen counter and grows produce year-round, is hoping to change that by bringing sustainable agriculture methods in Cameroon.
January 28, 2019
Scott Massey, founder of hydroponics startup Heliponix, discusses agricultural innovations with Togonese students as a part of his first Mandela Washington Fellowship. In 2019, Massey will workshop at Cameroonian universities, empowering students interested in agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship. (Photo provided) Download image
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Many farmers in the Republic of Cameroon usually grow just enough food to feed their families due to limited fertilizer and high-yield seeds, coupled with poor soil quality and lack of irrigation.
Scott Massey, a Purdue University graduate and founder of Heliponix, a company that makes an appliance that fits under a kitchen counter and grows produce year-round, is hoping to change that by bringing sustainable agriculture methods in Cameroon.
Massey has been selected for a second Mandela Washington Fellowship to lead educational workshops at Cameroonian universities this month. Approximately 200 million hectares of suitable land remains unfarmed across Africa, causing many observers to wonder how African nations can unlock their full agricultural potential.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship seeks to promote agricultural development through the academic and entrepreneurial empowerment of African peoples.
“African entrepreneurs have immeasurable economic opportunities to market solutions using new agricultural technologies,” Massey said. “Our overall goal is to provide these resilient people the means to their own production and permanently break the cycle of dependency on foreign aid.”
Massey has used his extensive knowledge in hydroponic systems and agricultural engineering to develop GroPod, an in-home appliance that grows produce year-round. His background also gives him the unique expertise to teach innovative and sustainable farming techniques in Cameroon.
“In these workshops, we are implementing a new vertical farming technique that utilizes an adaption of the proprietary vertical farming technology also used in GroPod,” Massey said. “Not only will we be teaching the students about these advanced technologies that they can use to start their own businesses, but we will also be building model farms that they can incorporate into their curriculums to grow clean food.”
On this trip, Massey will travel with Daliwa Joseph Bainamndi, another Mandela Washington fellow, to give Cameroonian farmers vital information on developing and incorporating innovative farming practices into their work. The pair will lead lectures on hydroponic farming, entrepreneurship, 3D printing and computer-assisted design at the University of Ngaoundéré, University of Ngoa-ékélé and the agriculture school of Institut Superieur des Sciences et Techniques de Yaounde.
In general, African farmers struggle against nonexistent agricultural infrastructure and poor farming conditions, making subsistence farming the most advantageous practice. However, Massey and Bainamndi’s work could empower Cameroonian students and farmers to expand operations sustainably and successfully through entrepreneurship and innovation.
Massey’s work aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration of the university’s global advancements made in health, space, artificial intelligence and sustainability as part of Purdue’s 150th anniversary. Those are the four themes of the yearlong celebration’s Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.
Massey received his first Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2018 when he traveled to Togo, Africa, to teach farmers there about the farming usages of hydroponics systems. Read more about his first trip here.
“This diplomatic humanitarian mission will fight the war against hunger on its front line and expand the addressable technology market to maximize global impact,” he said. “I look forward to the day that Africa becomes an environmentally and economically sustainable farming model.”
About Purdue Foundry
The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization accelerator in Discovery Park's Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. Managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Foundry was co-named a top recipient at the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Designation and Awards Program by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.
Writer: Kelsey Henry, 765-588-3342, kehenry@prf.org
Purdue Research Foundation Contact: Tom Coyne, 765-558-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org
Source: Scott Massey, scott@heliponix.com
Detecting and Understanding Stray Voltage
Spark Your Electrical Vocabulary
All stray voltage is unintentional and undesirable, yet it is extremely common. In fact, it would be rare to find a farm or home without it, usually not in a good location. The main culprit, even though there are several variations of causation, is that with all standard 120 volt wiring we only have one hot wire, one neutral wire and a ground wire.
If the neutral wire is inadequate or if there is a weak or failed connection, the electrical current arriving on the hot wire must return to the source in some manner, which means it will try to go through any and all other objects that will conduct electricity. This undesirable flow of electrons can be via the earth, metal buildings, metal stanchions, fences or other objects.
The motor on a center pivot irrigation tower had been experiencing a tiny short in the wiring recently on a Midwestern farm. It had been this way for several weeks, but it was still working, and as you know there’s never enough time to do everything on the farm. However, the sand filter on the irrigator was also full, and this function needed emptying. The farmer was up on a metal ladder opening the overflowing trap to clean it out. It was safe, because all the pumps were switched off — except for what he did next, which was to instruct his wife to turn on the pump in order to flush the sand. It was a fatal mistake, as 480 volts surged through the system, instantly killing the farmer.
Another farmer had a grinder in the shop with a minor short in the motor; when it was turned on, it would give out a little shock. He “cured” the problem by turning on the grinder switch with a wooden broomstick. Who hasn’t done something like that?
On another farm there was a series of five livestock water fountains all connected to the electrical line. The first four fountains seemed normal, and the cattle were approaching them casually and drinking water normally. However, the cattle seemed to sense something was wrong with the fifth fountain, and they avoided it. Thirsty, two young heifers approached the fifth fountain, which was also overflowing slightly and creating a small puddle they were standing in. Within seconds after touching the water in the fountain, both heifers were instantly killed.
I heard many stories like this from Jerry Lush, a professional stray voltage consultant and ag engineer from Sioux Falls. After decades in the field of electrical energy, Lush can recount many horror stories of the abundant, and usually safe, power supply that we can’t seem to live without. Even folks who do not allow commercial electricity on their farm can encounter problems. I’m talking about stray voltage, a potential evader that can sneak onto any farm or barn.
What is Stray Voltage?
This is a very aptly named problem, in that it applies to any two objects that have electrical potential between them that ideally should not have any voltage difference between them. How much does it take? In general, we are always hoping for zero voltage, however, almost any animal can easily feel anything at 0.5 volts or higher. We could feel it too, but we usually have shoes or boots on and sometimes gloves. Lush says he finds this all too often and has even seen it run as high as 9 volts of current. Just imagine touching your tongue to a 9 volt battery.
Spark Your Electrical Vocabulary
Amperage: A measurement of the amount (strength) of current that is flowing through a wire.
Current: As stated above, current (flow of electricity) is measured in amps.
Induced voltage: A form of stray voltage that comes from other nearby circuits. This is more difficult to diagnose, but commonly runs through head stanchions or milk lines. It can be diagnosed and cured by a professional.
Resistance: This is something like a heater or light bulb; it is anything that holds back the current. It is measured in ohms.
Single-phase wiring: Brings 120-240 volts via one to two hot wires.
Three-phase wiring: (High voltage for large motors) brings in three hot lines.
Voltage: A unit of measurement of the pressure that pushes the amps through the wire.
Wattage: The sum of volts X amps and equal to power, as in the horsepower of an electric motor, for example. High voltage lines can adjust current flow by vastly increasing the voltage, which simultaneously lowers the flow of current and reduces line loss. Many transmission lines carry 7200 volts (this is what linemen work with) whereas coast-to-coast lines can carry 35,000 volts or more.
Potentially dangerous stray voltage was just diagnosed in our own home because the neutral wire coming from some “professionally installed” wiring, which had been put into our house by licensed electricians during remodeling, had actually been spliced into the ancient knob-and-tube neutral wire that runs through most of the walls and ceilings.
Jerry Lush has nearly 40 years of experience in the field of electrical energy.
Lush states that a big part of the problem is that electricians and linemen may see electricity in a different way than engineers trained in electricity (I’m generalizing here; there are some very knowledgeable technicians, likewise engineers are frequently so specialized they just don’t know everything, some engineers have no electrical training at all). But typically, the linemen have not been trained in household or farm wiring. Sometimes they can barely visualize the flow at all; their job is to get the power to the site.
Electrical engineers, including agricultural engineers, are trained to see electrical current wherever it is, quite like the rest of us might see water flowing. We could hardly expect to see water flowing into a structure without knowing where and how this water will exit. With voltage, if the neutral wire is not fat enough, or if the distance is too far, there’s no way it can keep up with electrical flow so that current “spills” into other areas in order for it to eventually get back to the source.
Stray voltage can come from any electrical device that is malfunctioning. Even properly installed wiring or devices can be damaged by moisture, lightning, or mice, squirrels and rats. Most commonly afflicted are barn fans in the summer and water tank heaters in the winter. Lastly, there can often be problems coming onto your farm from the utility service. Wherever the source, proper diagnosis is a critical starting point.
Symptoms of Stray Voltage
The key word is mysterious. Many farmers think they must be bad farmers or bad managers, or that they must have poor-quality livestock, not realizing there is a hidden cause. Electricity is essentially invisible, and we are usually focused on visible issues. Every single farm, ranch barn, garage or home can have stray voltage problems — we have seen it with dairy, beef, swine, sheep, goats, poultry or horses, but most often electrical problems are most clear in a dairy. In general, dairy animals drink more (to make milk), and they are quite often indoors and being handled, in a place where we can watch them.
Animals that are plagued with stray voltage will most frequently manifest specific problems such as mastitis, or high somatic cell count (pus in the milk), or they are jumpy when they come in to be milked. In many cases they just will not let down their milk flow. Watch your animals when they drink; they will tell you. Frequently they will only drink just enough to satisfy their thirst but not enough to maintain adequate production, which soon falls off even worse. Instead of taking a steady intake of water, they merely lap at the water, bobbing their heads.
Humans are more likely to feel the voltage themselves when walking barefoot on wet concrete, even more so when touching plumbing or metal when they are somewhat grounded by being wet. People have even been known to keep a dry rag around so that they can shut off their shower faucet without getting a mild shock.
Diagnosing Stray Voltage
Ideally, hire a pro! Lush is one of several in the United States. He comes by his skills honestly with two degrees in ag engineering and years of service working for rural electric utilities and co-op extension services. He has focused exclusively on stray voltage problems since 2007. Having worked both for the utility and for the farmer, he understands both sources of problems. He says his main tool of the trade is a simple volt meter, one that can measure micro voltage. At times he will hold a metal rod in one hand as he explores with the leads from a volt meter. He also uses a device that converts electrical current into an audible signal which emits a buzz if there is current flow. Quite often he can instantly spot wiring design errors or find loose connections. By the use of all these devices he can pinpoint sources of the problem.
Electric fencing is rarely a problem, in general, but if wired wrong it can be devastating. Lush says that it is of utmost importance to create a grounding system that is as good as or better than that of the rest of the farm. The fence should have its own individual ground and it should never be attached to any other ground. Place the ground far away from barns or other electrical systems.
Can Stray Voltage Be Cured?
Absolutely! However, Lush admits there are a few mysterious challenges over a lifetime of work. He recalls a few farms that defy logic such as an Amish farm he once investigated that haunts him. They were having barn issues of serious stray voltage in the metal stanchions yet were hundreds of yards from power lines, buried lines, transformers or substations. In some of these cases, even though no source can be detected, the professionals can build a circular passageway around the farm buildings using highly conductive materials.
Most of the time however, he says he can diagnose and cure almost every farm within four hours’ time, and most diagnoses come in the first half hour. Even if the problem is coming from the utility, a power pole/transformer neutral isolator can be installed. Since many problems come from inadequate grounding, this is a cure that can be rewired in a proper manner and without much cost. With 240 volt wiring there are fewer problems because there are two hot wires, and the current will arrive via one hot line and go back to the source via the other hot wire.
However, it’s not always that easy to settle disputes if questions arise with regard to the sources of the problem. If the utility will not accept responsibility for causing the problem or for the cost of fixing it, many farmers can feel left in the lurch. In fact, many institutions practically deny the existence of the problem, some even insinuating that the farmer must either be crazy or just a whiner.
Here in my state of Minnesota alone there are currently at least six pending lawsuits between farmers and the utilities with little hope of resolution in sight. However, the tide is slowly beginning to shift toward more accountability and more willingness to admit that the problem exists. Is it worth fighting? One dairy farmer in Minnesota suing the power utility estimates the voltage running through his dairy cost him over $700,000 in lost production, last year alone. Another Minnesota suit was settled, awarding $3 million to the damaged parties.
US, New York, Seeds of Sustainable Future Planted at Third Hydroponic School Lab Opening In Astoria
Hydroponic labs are spaces where student can grow plant life without the use of soil and offer hands-on lessons on biology, ecology and agriculture. Studies have shown that students who physically experience scientific concepts are more likely understand them better.
Photo by Alejandra OConnell-Domenech/QNS
January 15, 2019
The seeds of a sustainable future have been planted at P.S. 84 – Steinway in Astoria, where Councilman Costa Constantinides helped opened a new hydroponic science lab on Jan. 14.
“Environmental changes are increasingly making science a component of every industry, so we must make sure our leaders of tomorrow get the hands-on experience now to solve problems of the future,” said Constantinides.
Hydroponic labs are spaces where student can grow plant life without the use of soil and offer hands-on lessons on biology, ecology and agriculture. Studies have shown that students who physically experience scientific concepts are more likely understand them better.
This was apparent during Constantinides visit to P.S. 84 – Steinway, as grade-school children guided him through their new lab explaining the biology behind plant growth.
“These are the best lessons in life,” said P.S. 84 – Steinway Principal John Buffa. “[This] develops a love of learning because when children take ownership of their learning, they are going to take it from beginning to end.”
Besides teaching students to take responsibility for their own learning, hydroponic science labs teach children how to think sustainably. According to Manuela Zamora, the executive director of New York Sun Works, the nonprofit that built the hydroponic lab at P.S. 84, each school equipped with a lab also receives a curriculum with appropriate ways of teaching complex scientific concepts to depending on their age.
Zamora used ladybugs to exemplify this. If the plants P.S. 84 – Steinway become infested with a pest such as aphids, “[we] will bring in ladybugs who will eat the aphids so that we don’t have to use pesticides.” This creates a teachable moment about the harms of pesticides and alternative methods of pest removal.
New York Sun Works, offers curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade.
The new lab represents a broader push by Constantinides to enhance science curriculum, educational technology and renewable energy in its schools. As chairman of the City Council’s Environmental Protection Committee, Constantinides has also allocated funding to cover STEM lab updates, solar panels. He also recently announced a push to have the city study how it can shut down gas-fire power plants across the five boroughs by the end of 2020.
But opening the plant at P.S. 84 – Steinway is more than just politics for the councilman; it’s also personal.
“This is repaying a debt,” said the councilman, an alum of the elementary school.
According to Constantinides, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) has agreed to fund the hydroponic lab at P.S. 84 – Steinway.
“NYPA has had preliminary conversations to discuss the possibility of giving programmatic support to schools in the councilman’s district that are near its power facility and meet further criteria,” said NYPA in an email to QNS. ” However, discussions are still ongoing with both NY Sun Works and the councilman’s office to identify which schools, in Queens as well as other areas of the city, can be supported in 2019.”
Topics: Astoria climate change Councilman Costa Constantinides eating green
Republic Polytechnic (RP) Invests In Urban Farming With New Diploma
The Agriculture Technology Laboratory will be equipped with indoor farming systems. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Jan 11, 2019
Republic Polytechnic (RP) is paving the way for the future of Singapore's high-tech urban farming.
Yesterday, the poly launched the specialist diploma in urban agricultural technology - the first full-qualification diploma in the field.
At the launch, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Dr Koh Poh Koon, emphasised the importance of increasing the margin of safety for Singapore's food supply through agricultural technology.
Dr Koh explained that since Singapore imports more than 90 per cent of its food supply, it is crucial to leverage on technology to minimise challenges like disruptive weather conditions and optimise crops' growth cycles.
To overcome the challenges of unpredictable weather and land scarcity, the agricultural industry has turned to urban agriculture.
Commencing in June with an inaugural batch of 25 students, the part-time diploma in applied science gives students the option of signing up for the associated SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme.
Dr Koh also witnessed the opening of RP's Agriculture Technology Laboratory and memorandum of understanding signing with Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation.
The Agriculture Technology Laboratory is a new facility to support students in deepening their skills through hands-on training.
The lab will be equipped with indoor farming systems like vertical plane cultivation,conduit-based horizontal hydroponic nutrient film technique, tray-based horizontal hydroponic growing and substrate growing systems.
According to Mr Yeo Li Pheow, the principal of RP, the motivation behind the new course and lab stemmed from the pressing issue of food security due to Singapore's limited land area.
"In order for Singapore to be more self-sufficient and resilient, we need to increase the amount of food we produce locally and reduce our dependence on food imports," said Mr Yeo.
US (RI): University Launches Hydroponics Educational Program
Acopia Harvest International, member of Irving A. Backman & Associates and University College at Roger Williams University are partnering to create hydroponics education and training programs for students, military personnel, senior citizens, homemakers and career-chasers.
The new program provides opportunities for students to receive an education enabling them to join one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide. Programs begin in summer 2019.
Hydroponics, the art and science of growing plants in water, is an effective learning tool stimulating students of all ages by allowing them to engage in and explore all areas of STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Manufacturing). Students develop transferable skills in water management, plumbing, electricity, agriculture, nutrition, sustainability, marketing, business management and economics.
According to Ameth Alzate, Acopia International Founder, "Hydroponics is a rapidly-developing industry providing year-round plant growth. Delivering fresh, locally grown produce at all times of the year is a key strategy for growing food in parts of the world with harsh environments and/or limited growing seasons."
Jamie E. Scurry, RWU's Vice President of University College said, "University College is pleased to partner with Acopia because hydroponics technology provides knowledge and training to pursue this proven method of cultivation."
For more information:
ibaglobal.co
www.rwu.edu
Publication date : 12/18/2018
Hydroponics System Compared Side-By-Side
Today we’re talking about an experiment which we ran to compare four of the most popular hydroponic techniques.
by Urban Leaf Team | Dec 3, 2018 | Getting Started, How to Keep Plants Alive |
Today we’re talking about an experiment which we ran to compare four of the most popular hydroponic techniques. Since these techniques are used in dozens of commercially available units, we decided to test them out for ourselves directly side-by-side to determine which is the most effective form of indoor gardening. If you’re new to hydroponics and want to learn a little bit more about the science behind the systems discussed here or how they work, check out our YouTube video which goes through each of them in detail.
THE EXPERIMENT
The test included five different systems: four hydroponics and one control sample. We ran this experiment for three months on a bench in a basement with grow lamps situated to shine directly onto the plants. Each of the five systems contained three different plants including: cherry tomatoes (a model for flowering fruity plants), lettuce (a model for leafy greens), and beets (to represent root crops). All of the containers were solid opaque plastic to keep the light out of the water reservoirs and reduce the amount of aloe growth.
Check out some time lapse videos on YouTube. This post will focus on the data of the plant sizes, fruit yield, quantity of water usage, and temperature of each of the different systems.
#1: The Drip System: First, we have a drip system. The drip system uses clay pebbles to anchor the plant and delivers the water through an HTPE gardening irrigation system with three emitters. This system delivers water three times per day for 15 minutes each time.
#2: The Deep-Water Culture (DWC): Next, is the Deep-Water Culture. In this trial, the water is aerated with bubbles delivered by an aquarium tube and air stone.
#3: Aeroponics: The third system contains one ultrasonic fogger. These foggers were purchased from a specialty supplier for around $30 each.
#4: The Kratky: The fourth set-up is the Kratky: basically just distilled water and nutrients.
#5: Control Sample: Lastly, basic soil. Miracle Grow potting mix was placed into three free-draining containers (aka water bottles with holes in them) to use as the control. This was watered by hand, but truthfully, some waterings were missed and it got too dry every once in awhile.
ISSUES WITH THE EXPERIMENT:
There were some limitations and problems which might skew the results, including:
(1) The plants in the DWC with the bubbles died early. This wasn’t intentional, but (as we learned) the system goes through water extremely rapidly.
(2) Some of the plants were not given enough time to reach their full potential. For example, the tomato plant in the drip system grew very large but was slower to flower. Unfortunately, the experiment ended before it was given enough time for all of its flowers to fully produce fruit.
(3) Finally, there was an element of human error. Life happens and occasionally the control system wasn’t watered as a result.
EXPERIMENT RESULTS
What did we learn from our experiment? The most consistent and comparable data ended up being for the tomato plants, so that is the data which will be compared here.
Plant weight: The drip system grew the biggest plant, by far, but was much slower to flower. Unfortunately, because it ran out of water the Deep-Water Culture tomato plant didn’t make it to the end.
Yield: The aeroponic fog-based system produced both the largest and greatest quantity of fruit. The most surprising result was that the Kratky was the second best in terms of fruit yield. Given the simplicity and low cost of a Kratky set-up, it punches well above its weight.
Temperature: (Remember that these were all sitting in the same room, side-by-side.) You’ll notice from the graph that the aeroponic system was very warm. This is due to the heat emitted by the electronic fogger. Meanwhile, the DWC system with the bubbler was by far the coolest because the constant evaporation of water forced by the system is an endothermic reaction which absorbs heat.
Water use: The major differences in these systems was how they related to water use. The DWC with the bubbler by far consumed the most water. The Kratky consumed the least because it’s a passive system which doesn’t really force the air out. With the aeroponics, which was quite close to the Kratky in water usage, the vaporized water is able to condense back into the system so it recirculates rather than constantly intaking new water.
WHICH SYSTEM WAS THE OVERALL BEST?
If overall cost and maintenance are not a constraint, you’re likely to get the best results from an aeroponic-based system. However, in terms of bang for your buck, ease of set-up and use, and the fact that there are no moving parts, the Krafty system is hard to beat.
Hopefully, this has been a useful overview. Don’t forget to head on over and check out our video explaining the science behind each of these four hydroponic systems.
To learn more about hydroponics, gardening, or growing your own food, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, sign up for future emails from Urban Leaf, or leave a question in the comments below.
Indoor Vertical Farming 2019: What I've "Really" Learned..
This July marks five challenging years since I made the bold decision to pursue a career in indoor vertical farming; the growing of plants indoors using only LED lights and liquid nutrients – no sun, no soil.
Published on January 3, 2019
Jim Pantaleo
Senior Advisor - Indoor VerticalFarming
This July marks five challenging years since I made the bold decision to pursue a career in indoor vertical farming; the growing of plants indoors using only LED lights and liquid nutrients – no sun, no soil. My work, focused solely on growing plants in large scale for human consumption, has somewhat morphed into pursuing the fascinating and much-needed application of PMPs or plant-made pharmaceuticals. PMPs, simply stated, are the result of isolating key proteins in plants and extracting those proteins for use in antibiotics and vaccines…again, simply stated.
Did you know a plant produces proteins which fight hemophilia and rheumatoid arthritis? It’s true and profound. Just ask Dr. Barry Holtz of iBio CDMO in Texas. I could go on and on about PMPs, but what I really want to convey are some of the lessons my indoor vertical farming ‘journey’ has imparted. The hope is my experience may in some way inspire, or provide a cautionary tale, for those who have been seeking a career change, or better, a life change.
Since the summer of 2014, the road I’ve traveled has been bumpy, sometimes smooth and always winding…barreling head first towards the unknown…and the known. What is unknown is where I will be and who I will work with in 2019. You see, I’ve recently resigned my position as Vice President at one of the nation’s largest, privately-held indoor vertical farms for food production leaving me at the moment, sans employment.
What is known is my steadfast and dogged resolve to never, ever give up on this nascent industry and the people I’ve encountered along the way…not the noble and generous horticultural professionals and not the charlatans or whack-jobs either.
It was in 2015 when I wrote “Indoor Vertical Farming 2015: What I’ve Learned.” I was amazed at how many people actually read it. I reviewed my previous ‘year of immersion’ into indoor vertical farming and the people, start-ups and organizations I came to know. People like Marc Oshima, who along with David Rosenberg, the founders of AeroFarms, or the dear and generous-of-spirit industry colleague Brian Lanes of the Dutch R&D concern, PlantLab, or a true ally in Philips (Signify) City Farming representative, Blake Lange.
It was that summer of ’15 when I secured three pro-bono gigs with indoor vertical farms located in various parts of the world. Remotely from my home in California, I wrote business plans; researched cannabis in Colorado; assisted with marketing and generally ingratiated myself to the CEOs of these upstart operations. I also began to write. Over the next year I produced a dozen articles, blogs and interviews for Urban Ag News, the online resource for all-things controlled environment agriculture (CEA). I thank Urban Ag News founder Chris Higgins for not only this opportunity but also to work like a dog for a week in his company’s (Hort Americas) Dallas warehouse and experimental greenhouse.
I wrote and blogged about indoor farms and the ecosystem that surrounded them…like Priva and others. I interviewed industry leaders like American Hydroponics’ founder, Michael Christian, who turned me on to the sandbox argument of whether produce could be considered organic if it’s not grown in soil. “Jim, a nitrogen atom is a nitrogen atom!” he emphatically explained.
I wrote about hospitals who feed their patients high fat, high sodium, nutrition-less food and I shed a light on those forward-thinking hospitals who ‘grew their own’ in an effort to heal with food. I wrote about why LED’s can emit a pink hue. “Don’t call them pink!” was the public chastisement I once received from UC Davis horticulture professor and CEA leader, Dr. Heiner Lieth.
I also organized an amazing networking event with Urban Ag News in Salinas, California where eight member companies from the Japan Plant Factory Association shared their work (bravely presenting in English!) with a gathering of American agriculture companies and professionals. Included in this event was my personal CEA hero, Dr. Toyoki Kozai, a rock star in Japan and widely known as “The Father of the Japan Plant Factory.”
It was in the fall of 2015 when I secured my first paying gig at the now-shuttered indoor vertical farm, Urban Produce, ironically located in my hometown of Irvine, California, a former bucolic agricultural strong-hold now an over-built Orange County suburb. Over the next three years I would go from assisting Urban Produce with business development and marketing to working on ‘the farm’ growing tons (literally) weekly of USDA-certified organic wheat grass and micro greens. One of the hardest (physical) jobs I’ve ever had. In fact, I lost over 50 pounds in six months! Eventually, I was asked by Urban Produce’s investors to take over the operation as General Manager in the fall of 2017.
The many leadership lessons learned since 2015 not only from my role as General Manager but eventually as a C-Level Vice President of one of our nation’s largest privately-funded indoor farms were harsh and sobering. Meaning, just because you get the title and the “corner office” (I literally had a corner office) does not mean those whom you lead will accept your leadership. In fact, subversive behavior and a constant watchful eye over my every move were omnipresent. It’s true, when you reach the top, you should expect to be knocked down.
And let me provide a dose of reality when it comes to these large and well-funded indoor farms; they are not perfect, technologically-speaking, by any stretch of the imagination. The technical and facility challenges around water and water cleanliness along with air conditioning, energy and heat were again, omnipresent. If you have ever seen a large warehouse flooded with thousands of gallons of water because a grower forgot to turn off a hose for example…or a chiller did not chill…or a dehumidifier did not dehumidify…then welcome to the world of indoor vertical farming!
The copious amounts of money spent, precious operational time lost (along with actual crop loss…defined as catastrophic crop loss) and the hard labor extended to address these facility challenges were beyond anything I could ever have imagined. Over time and as I built credibility, I had the opportunity to speak publicly about this embryonic industry thanks to the likes of Indoor Ag Con’s founder, Nicola Kerslake, or the administrators at the University of California and the University of Nevada or Andy LaVigne, President of the American Seed Trade Association. I owe them and others a great debt of gratitude for their belief that I could be some sort of industry thought leader. Gratitude also to David Proenza who tapped me as the Master of Ceremonies for the second International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture held in steamy Panama in May of 2017.
From these speaking experiences I learned there was a true need not only to understand indoor vertical farming but to understand how the many peripheral industries could become involved, from academia and technology to packaging, to those breeding seeds meant only for controlled environments.
Fast-forward to 2018 and the aforementioned VP gig at one of the nation’s largest, privately-funded indoor farms. It was in this role where I came to know the world of PMPs along with how our government is becoming engaged with indoor vertical farming. In June of this past year, I traveled to Washington D.C. on the invitation of Dr. Sarah Federman of the Office of the Chief Scientist for the USDA for a gathering of industry folk. All the “Bigs” where there including Plenty, AeroFarms and Dr. Dickson Despommier, who played a key role in sparking the discussion around indoor farming with his 2010 book “The Vertical Farm.” A few months later I found myself back in D.C. for a gathering put together by Dr. John Reich of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research(FFAR). The three-day meeting was a starting-point and nexus in the public/private funding needs for credible research in indoor farming.
During this past year I have had the good fortune to meet and work with a number of universities including the team at the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) led by Director Dr. Murat Kacira and past Director, Dr. Gene Giacomelli. Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Science Dr. Neil Matson and the previously mentioned Dr. Lieth of UC Davis along with Dean of Horticulture at the University of Nevada’s Dr. William Payne have all enriched my experience.
One of my last efforts during 2018 was working with the seed breeding team at Bayer/Seminis. It should be no secret that the fledgling indoor farming industry requires a different kind of seed than those sown in outdoor environments – and companies like Bayer know it. I presented research and data (compiled by a diligent R&D team) which shared trials of growing seed specifically meant for indoor environments. The experience was an important and valuable one, and my appreciation goes to Team Bayer for their vision and partnership.
What I would like to convey to the reader is if you want to make a change in your career and your life, I say do it! But do it for the right reasons. I have aggressively pursued this “business” because I wanted to make my children proud of me. I wanted to help the planet and I wanted to do something that would make a difference to human kind. I did not care, nor do I care now, about making money. Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life as the saying goes, but be prepared for a journey and to work very, very hard. My journey continues and I welcome you to reach out to connect with me…even if you don’t know me. That’s what I did and it is one of the key reasons I have made it this far.
Very special thanks to those not mentioned above but who have been integral to my career thus far: Herbert Kliegerman Founder of iGrow News, Glenn Behrman Founder at GreenTech Agro LLC., Michael Yates, Dominic Chen and Erika Summers of Sananbio U.S., Dr. Paul Zankowski of the USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist, Dr. Sarah Taber, Henry Aykroyd Founder of Intelligent Growth Solutions, A.G. Karamura Founding Member of Orange County Produce and Former Secretary of Agriculture for the State of California, Val Dodd Former Managing Member of Urban Produce LLC., Brad Wahlgren of Bayer, Dr. Nadia Sabeh aka “Dr. Greenhouse”, Dr. Leo Marcelis of Wageningen UR, Dr. Sheila Bhattacharya, Glen Zimmermann of Sunrise Produce, Jan Westra of Priva, Adam Porsborg, Dr. Andy Moreno, Dr. Karl Kolb, David Armstrong President/CEO of Sakata America, Victor M. Hernandez of the USDA, Robert Colangelo Founding Farmer/CEO at GreenSense Farms, Jeff Randall of Get Fresh Sales, Dr. Gary Stutte Founder of SyNRGE LLC., Robert Puro Founder of SeedStock, Will Kain CEO/Co-Founder of Pantheon Energy, Dan Albert Founder/GM at Farmbox Greens.
US: Ohio, ME Students Share Tower Garden Project
DECEMBER 21, 2018 BY PIQUA DAILY CALL
US, Ohio, ME Students Share Tower Garden Project
Hydroponic garden bought with MEEF grant
For Miami Valley Today
Students gather around the Tower Garden in Kathy Irick’s fourth grade classroom at Miami East Elementary. Students shared their favorite learning experiences with the Tower Garden by writing a story about it. The authors, pictured here, were Joselyn Rowe, Alyssa Siefring, Alivia Palivec, Lincoln Littlejohn and Charley Hatcher.
CASSTOWN —Miami East Elementary Schools fourth graders are taking gardening to new heights.
Kathy Irick’s fourth grade classroom added a hydroponic Tower Garden purchased with a Miami East Education Foundation grant.
Recently, four students, Charley Hatcher, Lincoln Littlejohn, Alivia Palivec, Joselyn Rowe and Alyssa Siefring, wrote a story about their Tower Garden to share how it works.
Fourth grade student Carson Smith said, “The Tower Garden grows quicker than a normal garden. Like when I’m at my house, my garden didn’t grow until the end of summer.”
It produces enough greens to feed 80 kids at a time. Students shared how the Tower Garden is a team effort with students testing water levels and the pH balance.
The students shared how the Tower Garden works using gallons of water to grow the plants. Students add nutrient solutions to the water and test the pH balance levels.
“I like that every week a team of two students gets to take care of the Tower Garden. They test the pH and measure how high the water level is and add gallons if needed,” said fourth grader Haley Lang.
The students’ story can be found online at www.miamieast.k12.oh.us.
New York City School Opens Greenhouse Classroom
On a snowy November morning Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, students, teachers, School Construction and other community members celebrated City As School High School new Greenhouse Classroom.
The fundraising efforts were led by City As School teacher and Alum Naima Freitas who will be using NY Sun Works curriculum with experiments and research that connect science to math, social studies and art. “I am especially excited about using this classroom as a demonstration site for local elementary and middle schools,” said Freitas, “and will be working with my students to plan Pay What You Can Farm Stands and Cooking Demos with their hydroponic harvests”
Guests enjoyed fresh mint tea, kale chips and pesto made by the students using their first harvest.
The greenhouse classroom will expand far beyond the educational auspices of the Urban farm: Students will learn about the science of sustainability and how to grow food with cutting edge technology. They will also learn about contamination, pollution, biodiversity, and conservation while understanding how their actions have an impact on the environment.
“In-school hydroponics labs are a great innovation that make real-life, hands-on, project-based science education a day-to-day part of students’ lives,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Research and common sense both tell us that experiential education opportunities produce deeper learning and more meaningful experiences for students, and I’m thrilled we could fund and complete this project through my office’s urban agriculture initiative. Whether it’s hydroponics, aquaponics, greenhouses, kitchens, media labs, or recording studios, giving our students the facilities they need to do more than just memorize and recite is always the right thing to do.”
The Borough Presidents funding allowed for a complete gut renovation by NYC School Construction Authority to transform the previous space into a fully functioning urban farm in collaboration with NY Sun Works.
US Kansas: America's First Industrial Hemp Classes For Farmers
Part of the new US Farm Bill approved in Congress makes industrial hemp legal across the country
By: Alex Meachum
December 28, 2018
Kansas - Part of the new US Farm Bill approved in Congress makes industrial hemp legal across the country.
Nick Starling shows us the classes now offered to help farmers learn about growing industrial hemp.
This is America's Hemp Academy, the first of its kind in our area where future hemp farmers can come here and learn the nuts and bolts of the crop that's used for thousands of different purposes including the flour that's in this cookie.
"This is right up our ally, it's going to give our family a new opportunity," said Margit Kaltenekker-Hall, future hemp farmer.
This field of opportunity is exactly what farmer Kaltenekker-Hall needs.
"We had a very successful oriental greenhouse business and then 2009 recession knocked that out, pretty much from right under our feet," Kaltenekker-Hall said.
She hopes growing hemp will turn their family's fortunes around.
"This has potential for our family to restore some of the productivity of this incredibly fertile soil," Kaltenekker-Hall said.
She's one of 12 farmers who already tried out the America's hemp academy.
"The amount of product from one seed is mind-boggling," said Jo Bisogno, founder and CEO of America's Hemp Academy.
Founder Jo Bisogno says he see this as Kansas's next big crop.
"I see an industry that's been around for 100's of years that went away now coming back," Bisogno said.
Bisogno says the demand for these classes is high-as they teach everything from seed to sale and connect them with suppliers.
Farmers say hemp is not as easy to grow as other crops.
"It is a very difficult, delicate plant and so it's not something you're just going to put in the ground and forget about it, it's going to require a lot of attention," said Ron Keith, Shawnee.
Shawnee farmer Ron Keith hopes to start planting in April.
"I have trees in my fields now so converting some of these tree farms into hemp farms is what I'm looking at," Keith said.
While it's not a new crop-they hope hemp's restored presence will mean more green in their wallets.
"Now that we can grow it again here, it has huge potential," Kaltenekker-Hall said.
Classes start on January 14.
US: Take A Peek Inside One Of The Country's Biggest Aquaponics Academies
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM)
Commonwealth Charter Academy has opened one of the largest public educational aquaponics facilities in the country.
The 6,100 square-foot center is located at the cyber charter school's campus in Harrisburg.
CCA students are managing nearly 3,000 plants and about 400 fish in the facility.
ABC 27 took a look inside. Check it out here:
Indoor Ag Sci Cafe Discusses How Industry and Academia Can Work Together
How Industry and Academia can Work Together’, Colangelo discussed the current status of indoor farming industries.
By
October 19, 201801337
This month’s ‘Indoor Ag Science Café’ featured Robert Colangelo, Founder of Green Sense Farms, as a speaker. In his presentation ‘Growing the Vertical Farming Industry – How Industry and Academia can Work Together’, Colangelo discussed the current status of indoor farming industries, gaps and cultural differences between businesses and academia, as well as possible strategies to work together on R&D for common critical technologies. Indoor Ag Science Café is a monthly online forum organized by three scientists (Chieri Kubota, Ohio State U; Erik Runkle, Michigan State U; and Cary Mitchell, Purdue U).
Please contact kubota.10@osu.edu to join the café.
Indoor Ag Sci Cafe Discusses Lighting Strategies for Energy Savings
Funded by NASA and USDA SCRI, Cary has a long research history focusing on energy savings while maximizing crop productivities
By urbanagnews
November 2, 2018
The second ‘Indoor Ag Science Café’ of this month had Dr. Cary Mitchell, as a speaker.
Funded by NASA and USDA SCRI, Cary has a long research history focusing on energy savings while maximizing crop productivities through his in-depth understanding of plant physiology under controlled environment.
In his presentation ‘Lighting Strategies for Energy Savings’ introduced his innovative approach to optimize the lighting environment.
Indoor Ag Science Café is a monthly online forum organized by three scientists (Chieri Kubota, Ohio State U; Erik Runkle, Michigan State U; and Cary Mitchell, Purdue U). Please contact kubota.10@osu.edu to join the café.
"Educator Greenhouses Foster The Perfect Learning Environment"
GrowSpan Commercial Educator Greenhouses provide a growing environment to encourage hands-on learning. The American-made structures offer an economical growing solution for instructors looking to enhance their program and teach horticulture throughout the year.
The Commercial Educator Greenhouses are 14’ wide and built to various lengths, tailoring the size of each structure to the program’s specific needs. The durable frame is made from triple-galvanized steel to prevent corrosion over time, while the clear, UV-resistant Twin-wall polycarbonate cladding is 12 times lighter than glass and accompanied by a 10-year warranty. GrowSpan is able to customize Educator Greenhouses with complete environmental control systems, including lighting, heating, ventilation and hydroponics systems as desired.
Starmont High School utilizes a GrowSpan Educator Greenhouse to take this learning a step further by organizing an annual plant sale to incorporate commerce and business experience into their program. As a GrowSpan customer, their educational program finds immeasurable value in the knowledge their students gain while working in the greenhouse.
GrowSpan understands the benefits of agricultural education for people of all ages. These greenhouses are suitable for primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, research institutions, correctional facilities and more.
For more information:
GrowSpan Greenhouse Structures
1395 John Fitch Blvd
South Windsor, Connecticut 06074
Toll-free USA: (800) 476 9715
International: +1 860 528 9550
info@growspan.com
Publication date : 12/4/2018
New Hydroponics Project Lets Students Learn As Crops Grow
By Kathy Brown, Gillette News Record (via Wyoming News Exchange)
Gage Terrell prepares to harvest lettuce from a hydroponic plant holder in the hydroponics room at Lakeview Learning Center. Rhianna Gelhart, Gillette News Record
GILLETTE — The Adventurarium in Gillette is growing plants and feeding many of its animals through a new hydroponics room.
The Campbell County School District’s science center is open throughout the school year for Family Science Nights and serves students ranging from pre-school through sixth grade. The new hydroponics room with lights, a top-drip vertical wall system and a floating deep water culture system (now growing tomato plants) are featured in the hydroponics room.
There, Gage Terrell, 17, a senior at Thunder Basin High School, tests the systems for pH levels, harvests the lettuce and herbs growing in the top-drip system and helps science center director Jodi Crago-Wyllie keep up with the planting, harvesting and production from the hydroponics.
It’s Terrell’s second year as a mentor student at the science center. Each morning he feeds the plants and checks their pH levels. He’s become a right-hand man for Crago-Wyllie, who also serves as the elementary level science facilitator for the district.
It is an affordable hydroponics system that uses PVC pipe, painted used aquariums and similar inexpensive parts that grow plants year-round.
The science center staff, including Crago-Wyllie and Terrell, are learning as they grow.
“You really have to be on top of it,” Crago-Wyllie said. “It’s kind of like a pet.”
Everything in the room is grown without soil, she said. Material to start the seedlings is similar to carpet or compost material. Those are then planted in the vertical wall.
“We don’t bring in any plants with soil on the roots,” Crago-Wyllie said, adding that soil can transfer diseases or bugs.
Each week, Terrell and Crago-Wyllie harvest the lettuce and herbs and replant. The system uses overhead lights that can be raised or lowered with another track of lights aimed at the wall system, which can be moved closer or further away from the plants as needed.
That’s where they are continuing some experimentation, along with growing herbs ranging from oregano to parsley. Crago-Wyllie said she hopes to plant some peppers in the deep water system once she has harvested the tomatoes, which are showing dramatic growth each week.
She’ll also have to see how to add stakes to help support the tomato plants, she said.
“It’s become such a big thing now,” Crago-Wyllie said of hydroponics. “So many kids don’t know where their food comes from.”
The hydroponics room is a way to show them. There are three types of lettuce being grown in the eight vertical rows of plants in the top drip system. The room is kept at between 70 to 81 degrees and a fan helps circulate air.
“It’s cool,” Terrell said. “You can see how food is grown and we can feed it to the animals who eat it." (Terrell’s) parents don’t garden, but his grandmother does. And he’d like to show her how this hydroponics room works.
Terrell’s favorite? The tomatoes, he said. “I like these because you can see them grow every day.”
The plants doubled in growth over the past three-day weekend. It won’t be long before he is raising the lights or adding stakes to the aquariums and lightweight, floating rocks (similar to lava).
“I think it’s something we can do in my house,” Terrell said about building his own hydroponic garden.
Among the herbs growing at the science center is cilantro, he said, adding that “hopefully we can make some salsa.”
It is a class Terrell said he loves.
“It’s cool to do different things. I do something different every day,” he said. “I like it in here. It’s like a science experiment.”
Terrell remembers coming to the science center and Adventurarium as a younger student in Campbell County.
“I thought of it as a museum of sorts. If I’d known, I’d have come every day,” he said of the Adventurarium, which each elementary school class visits at least once a year.
The class works well with what he hopes to do in the future. “I thought about being a teacher. A science teacher would be fun,” he said.
He plans to start at Gillette College, attend two years there, then move on to the University of Wyoming, Terrell said.
He repainted the aquariums black to start the deep water culture system. The air pumps from those former fish tanks are very responsive, Crago-Wyllie said.
The baskets they found to hold the rocks and the tomato plants fit perfectly and cost about $10, she said. Overall, the two systems in the room cost about $1,500 and will grow plants year-round.
A daily dose of nutrients helps the plants grow better and faster under the lights, she said. If the plants are less acidic, they absorb more nutrients, which means quicker growth.
“It sounds easy, but you have to keep up with it,” Crago-Wyllie said. “It’s so fun and so much different than I imagined.”
Terrell grows the lettuce to feed the animals in the science center, including his favorite, Cedric, a parrot. He also will sing to the animals when he feeds them.
“Cedric loves him. He loves Gage and he doesn’t love anyone,” Crago-Wyllie said of the formerly abused parrot.
The idea of building a hydroponic garden came to Crago-Wyllie a year ago. Now both she and Terrell are learning as they go.
“Yeah, I still don’t really know how that works,” Terrell said.
“You have to be a bit of everything,” Crago-Wyllie said. “A chemist ... and more, not just a gardener.”
With that, she and Terrell added a new row of lettuce to try Tuesday, including Caesar, Simpson and butter crunch.
Wageningen University Announces Course On Lighting In Greenhouses And Vertical Farms
By: urbanagnews -
October 30, 2018
In 2019, the Horticulture & Product Physiology group, together with Wageningen Plant Research, again will organize a course on lighting in greenhouses and vertical farms. In this course WageningenUR scientists share their unique knowledge with international students, researchers, and horticultural and light experts.
The course is held in Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Registration for the course in February 2019 is now possible.
The course consists of a mixture of interactive classroom lectures, group discussions, demonstrations, and an excursion day.
The lectures will be given by a team of experts of Wageningen University & Research. Lecturers include Prof. Leo Marcelis, Dr. Cecilia Stanghellini, Dr. Ep Heuvelink, Dr. Anja Dieleman, and Prof. Ernst Woltering.
This excellent and intensive course is meant for professionals in lighting, greenhouse production and vertical farms as well as MSc and PhD students, post-docs and junior scientists from all over the world.
For more detailed information on the course content, please visit the corresponding web page: Course Lighting 2019
Introduction To Upside Down Gardening
Gardening, with the aim of providing your own food, has experienced a resurgence over the last few years.
More and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our food bills, decrease our carbon footprint, and eat healthier.
Those with gardens or access to an allotment find it easier to grow their own food, but what about those of us who live in apartments?
Apartment dwellers have much less space to work with and this obstacle stops many budding gardeners in their tracks.
That is why we were excited to learn about upside down gardening, it grants everyone the opportunity to grow their own vegetables regardless of available space.
Here’s what the experts at Fantastic Gardeners advise in order to get yourself up to speed with an upside-down garden.
Upside-down gardening - definition
Upside down gardening is growing plants in pots suspended from the ceiling.
This style of gardening started to gain popularity in 1998 when gardener Kathi Lael Morris showed that it is possible to grow tomatoes and peppers in hanging pots.
Many traditional gardeners viewed this style of gardening as a fad with little chance of being widely adopted.
Unsurprisingly, people with no garden space quickly realised the benefits of this method and how they were no longer excluded from being able to grow their own food.
What plants can you grow upside down?
Most plants can be grown upside down, but those which benefit the most include:
Tomatoes;
Peppers;
Eggplants;
Cucumbers;
Squash;
Beans;
Various herbs.
If you want to get the most out of your available space, you can consider planting herbs at the top of the hanging pots instead of planting them separately.
Benefits of upside down gardening
Upside down gardening presents benefits to those with gardens as well as those without, however, the advantages are more apparent in urban environments.
Pests – As the plants don’t come into contact with the ground there is a much, much smaller chance that they will be affected by pests such as aphids.
Space – This is the biggest benefit offered by upside down gardening, you don’t need a garden or a lot of space.
Rot/disease resistance – Another advantage of the plant not touching the ground is that the roots, stems, and fruit are less susceptible to rotting or contracting a disease.
Staking – Since the plants grow downwards you don’t need to stake them to optimise growth.
Weeding – Growing plants traditionally requires a lot of time and attention, most of which is taken up by the need to weed.
What you need to get started?
Upside-down gardening of tomato
Creating your personal hanging garden of Babylon does require some supplies and a little bit of work, but it will be worth it when you can eat hand grown produce.
What you need:
A strong hook
Strong string or metal wire
A 7.5cm (six inch) circle of foam or sponge
Lightweight soil or compost
A marker pen
A tray to catch water
A young plant
When you have collected your supplies simply follow the steps below:
1. Find the sunniest area of your home and mark the ceiling where the pots will be,
2. Install the hook,
3. Now turn your bucket upside down and draw a 5cm (2 inches) circle in the centre,
4. Using the knife, carefully cut around the circle to make a hole,
5. Turn the bucket back around and make three evenly spaced holes roughly 2.5cm (1 inch) down from the lip of the bucket,
6. Tie the string or metal wire through each hole to make three loops that are the same size,
7. Cut a 1.75cm (half an inch) hole in the middle of the sponge (or foam) then cut a line running from the hole to the outside,
8. Place the bucket on its side and carefully thread the roots through the hole in the bottom, make sure the plant is on the outside of the bucket,
9. Secure the plant by placing the sponge (or foam) around the base of the plant inside the bucket,
10. Have someone hold the bucket off of the ground and add soil until it is roughly half full,
11. Water until the soil is moist,
12. Add more soil until the bucket is roughly three quarters full,
13. Hang the bucket,
14. Place the water catcher beneath the bucket,
15. Water the plant again until the new soil is also moist.
The great thing about using buckets instead of large plant pots is that you can decorate the buckets.
Take this opportunity to release your inner artist and introduce some bright colours or funky designs to your home.
Decorating the buckets and creating a hanging kitchen garden is an enjoyable, learning activity for teaching children about where food comes from as well as how to care for plants.
Caring for an upside down garden
Looking after your new hanging garden is quite easy since you don’t have to worry about weeds or pests. All you need to do is:
Remove any dead or dying leaves;
Water the plants daily during hot, dry periods;
Water every other day during the rest of the year;
Harvest any ripe fruit and vegetables.
So there it is your guide on how to grow a hanging kitchen garden. With this style of urban gardening, you’ll be eating home-grown fruit and veg in no time, regardless of whether you have a garden or not.
This is a guest post provided by Fantastic Gardeners, a garden maintenance and landscaping company, based in London and Manchester, United Kingdom.
What’s The Difference: Hydroponics Vs. Aquaponics Vs. Aeroponics
Three distinct systems – all vying for the top spot in the niche of alternative growing systems.
May 9, 2018
By Heather
Three distinct systems – all vying for the top spot in the niche of alternative growing systems.
What differentiates these three systems from one another? What makes them work? These are the areas that we will be tackling today.
Hydroponics vs. aquaponics vs. aeroponics – which one is the superior system?
Hydroponics
What Is It?
The principle of hydroponics is the oldest among the three because the use of soil-less setups has been around since the age of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
A hydroponics system has two main parts: the grow beds and the reservoir.
The reservoir contains the nutrient solution or the water mixed with various nutrients that plants need in order to grow successfully in the media bed. The grow beds, on the other hand, contain the media and the ‘cups’ that will hold the plants in place.
To clarify, growth media will replace soil in a hydroponics setup. There are many kinds of growth media to choose from: coconut coir, perlite, organic-polymer composites, rockwool, etc.
Among the beginning enthusiasts market, the most popular is coconut coir because it’s 100% organic, expands tremendously with water and can accommodate plants easily – with spectacular results.
Perlite, on the other hand, is hailed as a near-perfect medium for growing plants but it is particularly light, which makes it problematic for flood and drain systems as it can easily float away along with the small current of the water in the grow bed.
Organic-polymer combos/composites like Perfect Starts are becoming increasingly popular because they’re easy to use and are not deformed when germinating plants are transferred from the growth trays to the main growing beds.
And finally, we have rockwool. Rockwool is a type of reusable media as it can be sanitized with steam washing after every growing season.
Rockwool is actually melted rock spun into slabs and other shapes/sizes for the purpose of growing plants.
The main point of contention with rockwool is that it’s not very environmentally friendly and thus, it goes against the main principle of switching to a more environmentally friendly method of cultivating plants.
The type of media used in a hydroponic system is so important because it will dictate the efficiency in which plants will be able to absorb the nutrients from the solution.
One of the key problems with hydroponics is that roots sometimes succumb to low oxygen levels, which predisposes crops to premature death.
A solution that growers have found effective in dealing with poor aeration and oxygen zone issues is combining two kinds of media to get the best attributes of each one.
Our personal recommendation would be to combine 50% coconut coir with 50% perlite.
Perlite is amazing when it comes to absorbing and delivering moisture plus it also improves the overall aeration of the plant’s root area. Both are highly regarded in the hydroponics community and both are also widely available to growers everywhere.
Tip: Coconut coir can be made more effective with the addition of perlite.
Hydroponics Pros And Cons
The main advantage of hydroponics is it’s designed for long-term cultivation of almost any kind of crop.
Commercial hydroponic growers harvest hundreds of kilograms of crops easily using large rockwool slabs.
The system simply works and can be easily expanded if you want to make money off your hydroponics system.
The downside is that with the booming interest in hydroponics in recent years, the price of the chemical compounds needed to create a viable nutrient solution has been steadily rising due to the over-mining of these minerals.
Another problem with hydroponics is that it uses relatively more water because after a time the buildup of salts becomes too much for the system and water has to be replaced so as not to kill the plants.
Also, there is a need to check the electrical conductivity of the water every day to make sure that the pH of the water is just right. Fluctuations in the pH level of the water can damage plants and eventually cause a die-off.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a hybrid system that combines the best of aquaculture and hydroponics. System-wise, it looks like a hydroponic system, but instead of relying on a main reservoir that contains a nutrient solution, the source of nutrients will be a vat of live, swimming fish.
How does this work? When you feed fish, the fish will naturally excrete waste. The waste mixes with the water, increasing the ammonia levels.
Obviously, this waste has to be mediated and reduced, so as not to kill the fish. Normally, fish tanks are regulated by biological filters and other types of filters that neutralize ammonia and reduce the impact of feces on the fish.
In an aquaponics setup, water from the fish tank is recirculated throughout the system so that it passes through the grow beds, where crops are steadily being cultivated.
The plants absorb dissolved nutrients in the water and process ammonia, which is highly toxic to fish in increased levels.
Bacteria residing the in the roots of plants, as well as good bacteria from the gut of fish work together to establish a balanced ecosystem where both fish and plants will survive.
After about half a year, the mini-ecosystem formed by an aquaponics setup will begin to show signs of high-level, self-regulation.
This will be the time when both fish and plants will begin to truly flourish. There will be great increases in both fish yield and plant yield, and the maintenance of the system will become even easier.
Tip: Be sure to check the roots of plants for signs of rot.
Aquaponics Pros And Cons
The best thing about aquaponics is you will be essentially hitting two birds with one stone – you will be raising fish and growing crops at the same time.
Fish waste, which is something that is regulated in aquaculture, will no longer be considered a problem because it becomes a sought-after source of nutrition for the plants.
Without fish waste, plants wouldn’t have nutrients.
The plants, on the other hand, will serve as a 24/7 ammonia control center for the fish tank, reducing the ammonia load and preventing toxicity in the water.
Fish are sensitive to ammonia and even a small increase in the ammonia content in the water can cause stress, shock, and disease.
Additionally, aquaponics growers now add red worms to the grow beds to increase the efficiency of waste breakdown and subsequently, the distribution of nutrients to plants.
Red worms are first grown on soil and upon adulthood, they are then soaked/washed and then transferred to the growth bed of an aquaponics setup.
The process of breaking down physical waste into smaller particles through the digestive action of red worms is – you got it right, composting!
Yes, it is amazing to imagine that you can actually compost organic material on a grow bed, on stuff that isn’t actually soil.
But there you have it – red worms do the job quite splendidly.
In addition to helping improve the nutrient levels of the water being fed to the plants, there is another big reason why red worms are now being regularly included in aquaponics systems: e. coli.
E. coli is a common pathogen/bacteria found in fish feces. E. coli infections can bring down a full-grown, healthy adult and bring him to the hospital.
Imagine what a widespread e. coli outbreak can do to a tank full of fish, with no other place to hide from the swimming bacteria.
E. coli colonizes fish feces, so these need to be broken down more quickly to prevent an e. coli outbreak from taking over the system.
Red worms can do this perfectly because they need to eat fish feces to survive.
Is there a downside to an almost perfect system? One of the downsides of aquaponics culture is you have to be very specific with the design of the system so you won’t have to shut it down during the winter.
Obviously, you can’t move large equipment and vats indoors, unless you have a really big house (or garage) but all the same, it’s an issue since frozen water can easily kill fish and winter does the same to plants.
Another downside to the system is even if you only want to grow crops for consumption or sale, you still have to tend to your fish well enough so they don’t continually die off.
Fish care can be learned and if you are a natural hobbyist and if you don’t mind looking at another component in a system, then tending to your fish won’t be much of a problem.
Aeroponics
What is It?
Aeroponics is a variation of hydroponics, but instead of using a grow bed filled with media, the plants are instead suspended, with roots facing a sprinkler system connected to the main nutrient reservoir.
Depending on the plant and the design, aeroponics systems generally use little to no media at all.
Now, you may already be wondering – what is the point of all this?
Why not just use media like everyone else? Why do you have to install a sprinkler system that periodically sprays the roots of plants with the nutrient solution?
It all boils down to oxygen. Believe it or not, even if the roots of the plants are down there in the soil, these still need oxygenation in order to thrive.
One of the limitations of hydroponics is because the roots are also submerged in water and the media, there is often poor oxygenation, which hampers plant growth.
Aeroponics solves this problem by completely liberating the roots of the plants and allowing it to come into contact with pure air.
The results are astounding.
Crops grow two to three times their normal size and yields are simply amazing.
Root formations are also incredible. Normally, the taproot of plants only have a moderate amount of root hairs around them.
In plants grown using the aeroponics method, the roots flourish widely and the root hairs become really thick – a tangle of healthy root hairs just enjoying the exposure to oxygen.
Aeroponics Pros And Cons
As with any system, aeroponics has its own set of ups and downs. The main advantage of this system is crops grow incredibly quickly and the yields are high.
If you are after high yield and shorter growing periods, aeroponics is certainly something to think about, especially if you are already investing in equipment and space for this endeavor.
Aeroponics also uses the least amount of water over time and all excess water that isn’t used by the roots of the plants are simply drained back to the nutrient tank.
Tip: Always have backup power and an extra pump in an aeroponics setup.
The nutrient tank is checked daily, much like a conventional hydroponics system.
The pump and spray system is submerged in the water and through a simple timing mechanism, is able to deliver short mists of water to the roots of the plants.
And now for the downsides. Room air doesn’t store water, even if it’s really humid. Humidity is not enough to sustain the roots of plants at all.
Aeroponics is extremely dependent on the misting system. If something should happen to the misting system, then the plants can die easily as a result of dried up roots.
To avoid this, you have to plan ahead. The misting system needs to have backup power and you need to have a backup misting system too, in case the first one fails for some reason. This usually means having an identical pump waiting in store to replace the main once it breaks down.
The misting heads also need to be checked periodically for clogs. We recommend replacing these misting heads instead of just cleaning them to get optimum results.
Remember – your plants are at the mercy of the misting system. They’re not submerged in water and plants are like fish out of water when there’s periodic misting taking place.