Hydroponics

We got to see some high tech hydroponics today. It is amazing what they can do with this very specialized way of growing food.

Hydroponics have really come along the past ten years but they are still used in conjunction with sunny climates and where heating bills are less. A source of warm water like a manufacturing plant like ADM's plant near Decature, Illinois is a big plus.

It is a great addition to a school setting where science and/or agriculture is taught. I had the aquaponics lab up and running at Clermont Northeastern when I retired there. The fish make fertilizer that is cycled to the roots of the plants above.

The one I saw and many use a trichaderma fungus in the fertilizer water as an IPM method to control root dieseases, just like I do on our farm. Intergrated Pest Management is a key concept to reduce production costs and pest problems from greenhouse to farm field.

If you are interested in what this fungus can do for your plants or farm, look around http://www.bioworksinc.com/ I have been using the biological fungus since T-22 was introduced in 1995.

If you have any questions on it, you can comment on this blog or email me directly at edwinkle@verizon.net If I don't have an answer, I probably know someone who does.

If you are interested in hydroponics, that is out of my line of work. One website I found is http://www.growingedge.com/basics From hydroponics to your gardens to our farm fields, there are many principles shared in common.

Good seedstock
Good fertility program
Pest identification, management and control

The steps in creating a beautiful lawn or golf course is not that different from farmers trying to produce corn.

Ed