Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 7.23
Grasses growing for cattle in inexpensive containerized hydro-
ponics containing mixtures of rock, sand, peat, rice hulls, and coco coir. This is
“popular hydroponics” in Peru.
× 49 inches). This gives you room for the Styrofoam to be easily taken in
and out of the reservoir. The height should be about 7 to 8 inches. Line
the reservoir with double 10 mil polyethylene or a 20 mil swimming pool
vinyl. If you have time to agitate the nutrient solution with a whisk three to
four times a day, you can get by without an aeration pump. The easiest way
to aerate the solution is to use an aquarium pump attached to air stones in
the reservoir. This do-it-yourself project should cost under $50.
Although I present these systems here as all manually operated, you
can use the same principles to construct such systems and automate them
with a tank, submersible pump, and irrigation components. The other point
I wish to make here is that hydroponics can be practical for many differ-
ent system designs from sophisticated, automated ones to simple, manual
ones. So it is applicable to all income levels and backgrounds. You do not
need to be a rocket scientist to successfully grow hydroponically; just be
able to follow instructions to best achieve the results you want for your
particular level of growing. These simple systems used for poor communi-
ties may be the answer for many of these people currently under malnutri-
tion to better provide basic nutrition for their families. They often live in
arid regions where the soils are very poor in nutrition and structure com-
pounded with scarcity of water. In this situation hydroponics is the answer
to growing fresh vegetables.
