Hydroponics for MS student And graduate student

Environment

1. Hydroponics –Sustainable
Agriculture for the 21
st
Century
Richard Tyson
University of Florida / Orange County Extension

2. WHY HYDROPONICS: DO YOU KNOW
WHERE YOUR FOOD COMES FROM ?

3. LOCAL FOODS
Food security
Economic security
Food safety
Socially responsible
Environmentally
responsible

4. The local foods movement -Lovavores
Sourcing locally grown food is now just as
important as sourcing organically grown foods –
FreshPointeRegional Sales Manager, Orlando
Homegrown Coop -Local Food Cooperative
Local Harvest website
http://www.localharvest.org/

5. Hydroponics : Definition
•Growing plants without soil in a liquid or
soilless media with a mineral nutrient
solution

6. Hydroponics
•Greenhouse or outdoor systems
•Environmental and labor friendly
•High tech and low tech systems

7. Hydroponics
•Crop sensitive -production/environment and
cost factors to consider
•Requires a complete nutrient solution as
soilless conditions usually have no nutrients
•pH recommendation range from 5.5-6.5

8. Variety of Hydroponic Systems Based on
Nutrient Flow or Type of Media
•RE-CIRCULATING
SYSTEMS
•FLOW THROUGH
SYSTEMS
•FLOOD AND DRAIN
SYSTEMS
•NON-CIRCULATING
SYSTEMS
•WATER ONLY –NFT
OR FLOATING RAFT
•PERLITE OR
ROCKWOOL
•PINE BARK OR
GRAVEL
•PEAT OR COCONUT
HUSK

9. Growing Your Own Transplants

10. Rockwool vsPerlitevsCoconut Coir

11. Florida Greenhouse Crop Square
Footage for 1991 & 20010
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2,000,000
1991 2001
Cucumber
Tomato
Pepper
Herbs
Lettuce
Strawberry

12. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2004
Single Bay
Multi-Bay
Single Poly
Double Poly
Pad & Fan
Natural Vent Florida Vegetable Greenhouse
Design By Acreage -2004

13. Perlite Production Systems

14. Nursery pots, Soil mix raised beds,
Upright plastic bags
•Potting mixtures of peat, perlite,
vermiculite, compost, pine bark, or
similar substrates…drip or
overhead irrigated with no re-
circulation.

15. Hydroponic NFT &
Floating Lettuce

16. BASIC RECIRCULATING SYSTEMS
(Nutrient Flow Techniques)

17. Vertical Systems

18. Irrigation & Nutrient Management
•Most commercial
systems require
irrigation controller
•Fertilizer injection
system (approx $500)

19. Tomato
•Primary Crops
–Cluster tomato shown
grown in perlite bags
•Cluster Tomato
–Vine ripened
–Aroma of stems and
calyx

20. Postharvest Handling
Tender leafy vegetables must be used
immediately or refrigerated –herbs, lettuce,
spinach, etc.
Other must be used soon or refrigerated –
cucumber, pepper, squash, broccoli, etc.
Watermelons, butternut or acorn squash,
pumpkins, and tomatoes, can be stored at room
temperature but will last longer when cool…slows
ripening

21. Small Farmer Tomato Packing

22. Bell Pepper
•Immature green to:
–Red
–Yellow
–Orange
–Others

23. European Long & Mini Seedless
or Standard Cucumbers

24. FLOOD AND DRAIN TROUGH
SYSTEMS

25. Greenhouse Herbs
•Popularity increasing
•Possible organic certification

28. Floating Raft Systems in
Florida

29. Innovation / Risk

30. Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
•The break even price for hydroponics is
usually higher than conventional
agriculture.
•Example with tomatoes -$.50 per lb for
field grown vs $1.00 per lb for
hydroponic tomatoes.
•Don’t plant unless you know for sure
where you are going to sell it!

31. Growers of the freshest Hydroponic Sweet Basil and
Tilapia.
New England grown and distributed no more than two
hours door to door

33. Resources
•ATTRA -attra.ncat.org –Appropriate
Technologies Transfer for Rural Areas
•www.cropking.com –Ohio
•Hydro-Gardens, Colorodo
•Growers Supply, Lynnhaven Florida
•Small Farms Academy –Univ. of Florida
•Johnny’s Seeds, Maine

34. Summary
•Start small and grow slowly as you learn
the in and out of the systems & markets
•High yields are possible but so are high
costs
•Break even prices will likely be higher so
market as close to retail as possible
•Research is on-going / trialing is advised

35. HYDROPONICS