Hydrilla Aquaponics & Hydroponics Farms, Bangalore
FAQs
Fish effluent has been recognised as an excellent plant fertilizer by many civilisations. Fish waste has been used by Asian societies for centuries to fertilize rice crops by simply incorporating fish into the rice paddies. The modern technology of aquaponics takes this concept a step further.
Aquaponics is best described as a combination of aquaculture (fish culture) and hydroponics (growing plants in water). In aquaponics the nutrient rich water from fish tanks is delivered to the plants roots. The fish waste being high in nutrient takes the place of costly fertilisers as the source of plant food. In turn the plants roots purify the water for healthy fish growth thus reducing the necessity for costly filters. These systems have quite a following in Australia and the US particularly for personal or family garden applications.
Aquaponics can be achieved in many ways from high tech systems involving pumps right down to a small fish tank with a single plant in a pot which is manually hand watered by scooping nutrient rich water from the fish tank into the pot.
Yes, the concept is gaining popularity and is the most recommended way to take care of fish effluent while growing plants with the nutrient rich fish water.
The biggest advantage of aquaponics is the extremely low water use in comparison to soil gardens. Other benefits include fresh local produce, reduced food transportation costs, and no chemical fertilization. Environmentally sensitive areas are particularly benefited by the minimal footprint and soil disturbance.
The main problems occur when an aquaponics system is not designed properly. If the plant filtration area is not balanced to the waste being produced by the fish one side will fail. Sunlight can also be a problem for while sunlight is critical to plant growth this also encourages algae growth within the pond. A properly designed and located system is cheap and extremely simple to maintain.
A system using a recycled container or drum as a hydroponic grow bed and another as a fish tank, with rocks collected locally as growing medium, can be completely free to set up. This means manually watering the plants. From there the only ongoing requirement is a food source for the fish. This could be called simplified aquaponics, a progression from simplified hydroponics. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has implemented these simplified hydroponics systems to assist with food security in Latin America with great success. Adding a single pump to this system is the next step up. At the top end purpose-built fully automated systems produce commercial quantities of food.
In India I have found many of the materials such as pots, pumps and tanks to be both readily available and reasonably priced. This technology is extremely new to India. While perhaps some systems do exist there are very few commercial farms in India.
The internet is probably the best source of information; however, Hydrilla conducts monthly workshops to assist people wishing to set up a system of any size or direct them to information.
Hydro is Latin for water and Ponos means works or labour. Water works! The main principle behind hydroponics is to feed a liquid nutrient directly to plant roots. This results in increased growth rates and increased yields when compared to traditional soil gardens where much lower oxygen and lower nutrient levels are present.
Hydroponic gardening is better than soil gardening for several reasons. More plants can be grown in the same amount of space when compared to traditional soil farms. Nutrients are delivered directly to roots instead of roots having to stretch out in search of them. Also hydroponic farms can be stacked to further increase space efficiency. The main benefit to hydroponic farming is much higher oxygen levels in the root zone when compared to a traditional farm. This increased oxygen means increased nutrient uptake and much higher rates of growth. It is also much easier to control the nutrient levels in hydroponic farms compared to traditional farms.
Not at all - As long as you follow proper directions and keep to a few simple regular steps, your plants will thrive. Once you get used to the routine you will be amazed at how simple it is.
2000 sq ft.
- Romaine lettuce
- Oakleaf lettuce
- Lollo red
- Cherry tomatoes
- Broccoli
- English Cucumbers
- Bell Peppers
The more variation between plants in a system, the more difficult it is to accommodate as different plants have different nutrient requirements. It is recommended to grow leafy greens and herbs in a different setup and flowering and fruiting plants in a different setup. Aquaponics is the recommended setup for polyculture practice.
Pests and insects can be avoided using appropriate insect screens for the greenhouse. The best way to prevent an insect infestation is to take some precautions. Wear clean clothes and shoes before entering the farm. Pets should not be allowed to enter the indoor farm as they can also carry pests in their coat.
No, it is not absolutely required to run Reverse Osmosis or Distilled water for hydroponic gardens. However, a percentage of your plants feed will consist of minerals like Calcium and Magnesium that are found in your water. Nutrient supply has to be adjusted accordingly. In conditions of water with very high acidity or alkalinity appropriate measures have to be taken using pH up/down solutions.
There are many good fertilizers available on the market for aiding in plant growth. However, when a farmer is growing hydroponically it is essential that they use a complete hydroponic nutrients (contact us for nutrients). The key things to look for in a premium hydroponic nutrient are a 2 part solution that is complete with both micro and macro nutrients. Everything your plant requires for optimal growth should be contained in this 2 part nutrient. Never ignore the importance of micronutrients like Iron and copper.
Two part nutrients are superior to one part nutrients because they separate minerals which would otherwise bind together forming sediment in the bottle. These minerals can become permanently bound up and unavailable to plants. Keeping these nutrients separate when in concentrated form ensures a virtually unlimited shelf life and that 100% of the nutrient you are paying for is available to your plants.
The best way to test your nutrient concentration is with an EC meter. EC meters test the electrical conductivity of water and give you an indication of the strength of your nutrient solution. They work best with conventional mineral nutrients. EC meters are not as accurate for organic nutrients and Aquaponics setup because not all the nutrients are in a form the meter can read.
There are several tools available to test the Total Dissolved Solids present in a nutrient solution. Where it gets confusing is which units to display your values in. The most common are Electro Conductivity (EC) and Parts Per Million (PPM). EC is the best way to display the TDS of a nutrient solution because it is a universal unit. Unlike PPM which is EC x 0.5 or EC x 0.7. Since there are two different conversions of EC to PPM, PPM becomes an unreliable way to describe nutrient concentrations because you never know whether someone is using the same scale as you are.
Yes. The yield is 3-5 times more based on the crop variety.
We control Water pH, EC and water temperature.
Few fruits like strawberry can be grown using hydroponics technology. Fruits like Blueberries can also be grown in the appropriate controlled environment.
No.
Cocopeat, clay pellets, gravel.
Yes. Very much.