Hydroponic Growing

Hydroponic Growing Growing plants without soil

Capt.S.K.Bhandari & the ASFIC Team

+91 938525643

HYDROPHONICS What does

Hydroponic mean?

Hydro = water

Ponic = labour

HYDROPHONICS

Hydroponic vs. Soil The plant food is in the

water. Vs

The plant food comes from the soil

What is hydroponics? Growing plants in water, without soil Efficient Fast growing Crop density is high/limited space Less pests, weeds, and soil borne

diseases Less physical labour Less water than traditional farming

HYDROPHONICS

HYDROPHONICS

HOW DOES WORK?

Plants are suspended in a ph neutral medium

Nutrient rich water is pumped through allowing the plants to absorb what they need

An air pump oxygenates the water for the roots

The water is recycled, until the nutrients are nearly all absorbed by the plants and then disposed of in a responsible way

HYDROPHONICS Hydroponics isnt new

1627 book Sylva Sylvarum by Francis Bacon

In 1699, John Woodward published his water culture experiments with spearmint

In 1937 William Frederick Gericke of the University of California at Berkeley first coined the term hydroponics

HYDROPHONICS

Advantages of Hydroponic No soil is needed Lower water costs Control the nutrition levels No nutrition pollution is released into the

environment Potential for stable and high yields Pests and diseases are easier to get rid of

than in soil

Nutrients needed for Plant Life

NPK and minor elements

Nitrogen

Phosphorous

Potassium

Sulphur, Calcium, Magnesium

Copper, Molybdate, Boron, Zinc, Manganese

Other needs for plant growth

Air (Oxygen / Carbon Dioxide)

Light

Water

ROOTS

Nutrient absorption takes place in roots

Root health is very important

Roots need dissolved OXYGEN

Stagnant water cannot hold Oxygen

The more root mass the more nutrients can be absorbed and the more growth is possible

ROOTS

To be a successful hydroponic grower you must create an environment for good root growth

Media

Some type of media is necessary to create the ideal environment for the roots

No nutrients are obtained from the media

Different types of media have different physical attributes

Types of Media Expanded clay Rockwool Coco peat (Coir) Perlite and Vermiculite Sand and gravel Wood chips Rice hulls Packing peanuts

Types of Hydroponic Systems

Static solution culture

Continuous flow culture

Aeroponics

Static Solution Culture

HYDROPHONICS

Gravity fed hydroponics system Nutrient rich water

Roots suspended

Pump pushes water

Air stone oxygenates the

water

Continuous flow culture

HYDROPHONICS

Continuous flow culture

Aeroponics

CAPSICUMS

HYDROPHONICS

Lettuce Production

LETTUICE

HYDROPHONICS

Tomato Production

HYDROPHONICS

Cucumber Production

Plants with sufficient oxygen in the roots likewise take in supplements all the more quickly.

These types of food mix with the water and go straightforwardly to the roots.

Not at all like the typical methodology, does the plant not have to search in the dirt for supplements.

Also, these are conveyed to the plant various times every day.

HYDROPHONICS

FEED

The main three macro-supplements incorporate potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen.

These are consumed in tremendous sums and crucial to the proceeded presence of plants.

Hydroponics is viewed as helpful over universal soil planting.

HYDROPHONICS

Development rate for hydroponic plants is said to be 30 to 50 percent speedier contrasted with a dirt plant with comparable conditions.

Masters guarantee that extra oxygen in hydroponic developing mediums encourages root improvement.

HYDROPHONICS

HYDROPHONICS

Hydroponic and Greenhouses Hydroponic growing can be done indoors,

outdoors or in Protected Agriculture Example of Protected Agriculture is a

Greenhouse Advantages of Protected Agriculture Better control of environmental conditions Protection from invasive insects and diseases Extended season for growing Increased yields, higher plant density Less land needed

HYDROPHONICS

Glass Greenhouse

In search of something else

Aquaculture Hydroponics

In search of something else

Aquaculture + Hydrophonics = AQUAPHONICS

Recycling wastes into resources

Creating ecosystems

Combining the best of technologies

Promoting biodiversity

Producing food

Why Search?

Where can we use it?

Households to enhance self sufficiency

Schools to empower our next generation

Commercial production more

sustainable,

Communities eliminate food oases and create

resiliency

Urban Agriculture fits perfectly in areas with

population density

Aquaponics

Why Aquaponics?

Near zero environmental impact

High quality hormone-free fish

A level higher than organic vegetables

No chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides

90% less water than conventional vegetable gardens

97% less water than standard aquaculture methods

Versatile and adaptable

Less waste than aquaculture and hydroponics

Closed loop system

How does it work?

The Nitrogen Cycle

Crap items such as catla, Rohu, Grass carp, Common carp etc

Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)

Catfish (Ictalurus spp.)

Crappie (Pomoxis spp.)

Koi

Goldfish

Trout

Salmon

Freshwater prawns

Crayfish

Green leaf, red leaf, and other leafy lettuces

Pak choi (bok choi)

Swiss chard

Basil

Mint

Watercress

Chives

Many common tropical plants / house plants

Deepwater, established systems

Tomatoes Peppers Cucumbers Beans Peas Squash

What can we grow?

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Pros: plant roots are exposed to a

continuous supply of water, oxygen, and

nutrients

Cons: less buffering against interruptions

in the flow, e.g. power outages

Grow Bed/Ebb and Flow

1. Timer to cycle the pump, which provides the ebb and flow of

nutrient dense water and oxygen across the

plant roots

2. Use of a bell siphon or loop siphon

Raft or Deep Water Culture

1. Most frequently used in larger scale

and commercial scale aquaponics

2. Requires intensive biological and mechanical

filtration to keep the water clean and clear

of any solids waste

Bell Siphon Stand Pipe

Auto Siphons

Loop Siphon

Filtration

Biological Mechanical

Aerobic bacteria convert the toxic ammonia (NH3) produced by fish, decomposing fish waste, uneaten food, and dead plant matter into nitrite (NO2) (also toxic) and then to relatively non-toxic nitrate (NO3)

removal of solids waste before broken down by biological processes. This may be achieved by passing the water through a fine material such as a foam sponge, filter sock, or other synthetic barrier, which traps the solids and is manually removed and cleaned on a frequent basis. The manual removal of organic solids benefits the system by taking some of the demand off of the biological filtration, reducing the amount of oxygen used by bacteria in the mineralization and nitrifying processes. This is important, as your fish need that oxygen as well. If there is too much solid waste in the system uneaten food, plant matter, etc., the dissolved oxygen may drop to dangerously low levels.

Starting the Engine

The Murray Hallam Cycling Technique

1. Add liquid seaweed at a rate of 1 Lit : 100 Lit

2. Add plants 3. Wait for two weeks 4. Then add fish (low stocking

density)

*Can add bacteria *Can cycle without fish *Can add synthetic ammonia *Can add water from other systems

HYDROPHONICS

Aquaponics

Grow Media

Hydroton LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) is a popular hydroponic grow media. Its inert, reusable, and highly porous, providing extensive surface area for biological filtration.

Lighting

The sun is the finest light source for aquaponics. For growing indoors, however, there are a number of artificial light options for indoor gardening, including high output fluorescent, metal halide, mercury vapor bulbs, LED, and plasma lights.

Water Heaters

Air Pumps

Third most important fish in aquaculture after carps and salmonids.

Good source of protein

Reproduce fairly easily, every 4 weeks

Can be grown as fry in aquariums

Can be grown to plate size in 55 gal barrels

Ratio of fish to water capacity is one pound of fish for every five gallons of water

Feeding Feed fish as much as they will eat in 3-5 minutes, 3

times per day. Allow four to five hours between feedings for optimal metabolism

Take care not to overfeed fish.

Provide a high-quality fish food of appropriate size fingerlings will take a much smaller pellet size than juvenile and adult fish.

An adult tilapia will eat approximately 1% of its bodyweight per day.

Fish fry (babies) will eat as much as 7%.

Fish that are not eating may be: stressed due to high ammonia level; outside of their optimal temperature range; lacking sufficient oxygen (discontinue feeding if dissolved oxygen drops below 3ppm)

Water Quality Basics

pH of 7 is ideal

Ammonia and nitrite levels should be less than .25 ppm.

Oxygen

Provide plenty of aeration in your fish tanks.

Strong water flow improves oxygen saturation.

Avoid overfeeding or overcrowding the fish.

Fish gasping for air at the water surface is a sign they are lacking oxygen.

Harvesting Tilapia are generally ready to harvest at 6-9 months

of age, but the growth rate is dependent upon feeding regimen and number of fish in a system.

Water Sources

Rainwater and clean well water

Municipal water can often have chlorine and chloramine added

There are many water conditioners available, be certain they are human safe

Vitamin C

R/O System

The hydroponic plant needs insignificant vitality to hunt down and break down support.

It can use spared vitality to develop faster and transform more yields.

Hydroponic plants additionally experience insignificant issues regarding bug infestation and maladies.

Hydroponic planting systems don't oblige topsoil so disintegration is not seen as an issue later on.

HYDROPHONICS

AQUAPHONICS FISH

Prawn

AQUAPHONICS FISH

Grass Surface Feeders Crap

Surface Feeders Catlas

Middle-Zone Feeders Rohus

Bottom Feeders Common Carp Mrigal

Pomphret

THANK YOU