Hydroponics or Soilless farming-Modern Technology based on water

 Hydroponics is the farming technology where we control the growth and productivity of plants by controlling the water and its nutrient level.The word Hydroponics means 'Water Related'.Here in this technology we are replacing soil and its functions with water and technology.So it is also called Soilless farming.This farming technology has greater applications in modern farming practices.So lets have a study of this technology.

 In Hydroponic system,water is enriched with nutrients which are essential for plant growth and productivity. PH level also will be maintained within specified range.Plants are considered as great factories,where the inputs are nutrients,light and outputs are its leafs,fruits etc.So in this factory,we input nutrients through water medium and plant use these nutrients with the sunlight to produce output.

 As early said,we are replacing Soil.While doing it we have to ensure that our system provides all the basic functions of soil even in the absence of soil.So lets check which are the basic functions of soil and what are the alternative ideas in our hydroponic system to replace soil.

1) Support for the plant root system:In hydroponics,we use some inert medium like sand,gravel,rock wool to support plant root system or plastics are used to provide the support for the plant

2)Supply of essential Nutrients:Soil provides essential nutrients to the plant from its organic contents.In hydroponics we are adding fertilizers in water to provide essential nutrients.

3)Supply of Oxygen:Plants use Oxygen present in soil for their metabolic activities.We can supply Oxygen through water in the same way as we do to supply oxygen in Fish tank.

4)Supply of water:Soil provides enough water to plant root system in conventional farming.we can directly give water to plant root system in Hydroponics.

Thus we are replacing soil without affecting plant functions.

Advantages of hydroponics

• Less pollution: Hydroponic setup use almost all Nutrients in the water which result no wastage of Nutrients and no pollution to the environment
• Require Less Water:As we are utilizing water and nutrients in optimized way,Hydroponic system require less water compared to traditional farming practices.
• Faster growth and high production:We are supplying all essential nutrients to the plant in optimized way.So the growth rate and productivity are high.
• Ease of management: the whole system can be automated easily and managed effectively
• Less Herbicides and pesticides: Soil is the main source of weeds.We are avoiding them by hydroponics.By utilizing other technologies like greenhouse farming,we can avoid pests completely.
• Require Less farming space:Any space where we can hold plants and hydroponic system can be utilized for farming.
• Quality products: The output of hydroponic system is quality products.
• This technology can be easily applied with Greenhouse Technology to get better result.

          High initial cost for the Hydroponic system setup is the main drawback of this technology.However this technology is being utilized in many Greenhouse farms and will be one of the key technologies in farming industry.

Update:

Hydroponic Fodder machine is the latest application of Hydroponics.Its a unit constructed based on Hydroponics technology to cultivate green fodder.Its main application comes in Dairy farming.The price of the Hydroponic fodder machine varies based on the size and quality of the product.The price ranges from 40000 to 2 Lakhs. It is most useful in areas where green fodder availability is very less.

If your Dairy farm is in an area where Monsoon availability is high and Green fodder unavailability is very rare,the you can construct a temporary setup in a small Polyhouse shelter to satisfy your seasonal requirement.This will avoid unnecessary cost to your farm. 

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Greenhouse farming on terrace-A side business opportunity for people live in city apartments

Organic farming from home is gaining more and more popularity.People wanted to enjoy Healthy,pesticide free vegetables grown by themselves.A  new agricultural revolution is taking place in Cities.People are more concerned about the impact of polluted,pesticide rich,unhealthy food to their body.They want to ensure that the crops and vegetables are organic and healthy.How can they ensure this.Either buy from a nearby organic farmer or farm themselves.Greenhouse farming on terrace provides this opportunity to both entrepreneur farmers and individuals who want to produce their healthy food themselves.  

Here we are discussing about

• Application/Opportunity areas of Greenhouse farming on Terrace.
• Constructing a small greenhouse.
• Implementing and Marketing.

My previous post about  Greenhouse farming Technology and its applications like Greenhouse Tomato farming,Greenhouse Cucumber farming gives some basic ideas regarding the technology which we are going to utilize here to form a successful business opportunity.Those who directly reached this post can have a brief look at those posts.

Application areas/opportunity

 In city areas,availability of fresh vegetables are very less,the vegetables we are getting will be more than three days old and may be poisoned by chemicals and pesticides.These vegetables are coming from long distant farms or may be from other states.We won't have any type of systems to check how they are treated and raised in farms.Increased use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers will affect the health of people who consumes the vegetables from such farms.So there is always a good market for locally produced Organic vegetables.The transportation charges also will be less.So the real market of our Greenhouse comes here in such cities were availability of fresh and locally produced vegetables are very less.

Greenhouse on Terrace

 For constructing greenhouses,we need some free space.In cities the availability of free land is very less and are very costly.So we need to think about alternative ideas.Here comes the idea of Greenhouse on Terrace.Yes,we can utilize the free space on our terrace to construct a successful Greenhouse.You need Poly Greenhouse sheet for roofing.The structures are built using GI pipes or Aluminium Pipes.You need a fabricator to make the Structure.Once the Structure is made,Cover the Whole structure with the Poly sheet.If you are using natural ventilation,provision for it should be given.You should keep the inside temperature cool.For home usage,Simple construction will do.If you are doing it as a business,you should get proper training from government agencies and seek the professional help. 

Implementation and Marketing

 All you need to do is to study about greenhouse technology properly and understand its applications in practical way.It is a new technology in India.Try to have some ideas on latest technologies like Soilless farming,Drip Irrigation systems,use of Fertilizers for better farming experiences.Then invest on Greenhouse to build a suitable one. Marketing won't be a problem if you are staying in City.If you can convince the people around you about the quality of your products,then the market will come to you.

Providing Quality and healthy food is not only a business,it is a service too.Apart from money,you will get the valuable satisfaction too.By trying Greenhouse farming on your terrace,you can ensure the food safety of your family and thus prevent various diseases like Cancer,ulcers etc.

If you liked this idea,give a like to our facebook page and share the article to your friends,let them also have a healthy life.Your comments and suggestions are valuable to us. 

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Greenhouse Cucumber farming

Cucumber belongs to same family of watermelon and Pumpkin.It is made up of 90% of water and rest of them are essential nutrients.It contains vitamin K,B,C, Copper, Potassium and Manganese. Consuming Cucumber on summer season will help you hydrated and meet your need of nutrients.Here we will analyse the following aspects of Greenhouse cucumber farming.

• Health Benefits of Cucumber
• Why to do Cucumber farming inside a Greenhouse or Polyhouse?

Health Benefits of Cucumber

As Cucumber contain 90% of water,the main usage of it is for Hydration.It is widely used as salads and is a very popular Indian dish.The health benefits are

• Antioxidant Property:Cucumber is rich with numerous antioxidants which are helpful to our body.These antioxidants will help us to prevent Cancer and Heart diseases.
• Reduce Stress:Cucumber contains Vitamin B which is capable of controlling stress hormones.Eating fresh cucumber during free times will keep you hydrated and less stressed.
• Brain Protection:Nutrients in Cucumber will help you to improve your memory and protect your nerve cells from ageing related issues.
• Release of Body heat:Eating Cucumber during free time will help you to release excess heat from your body.In Ayurveda,Cucumber is used mainly for this purpose.
• Eye Health:Placing slices of Cucumber on eye for two hours will help you to make your eye fresh and remove dark circles around your eye.
• Skin Care:Many skin care products are formulated with Cucumber.Putting two slices of cucumber in water while bathing will help you to nourish your skin. 

Why Cucumber farming inside a Greenhouse/Polyhouse?

Cucumber is a widely farmed vegetable in almost all part of the world.It is a vegetable which is consumed daily.So the requirements are so high the the bulk production of it is must.Here comes the benefits of Greenhouse farming.

• Temperature:Cucumber is a warm season crop.Cucumber grows best at a temperature between 20 and 25 C.Greenhouse helps you to control the temperature in this range and provides suitable environment for maximum production.It very useful in frost areas.
• Soil: Cucumber grows in various soils like Sandy loam soils to clay soils.The PH level should be between 6 and 7.The soil should have proper drainage.All these condition can be arranged inside a greenhouse/Polyhouse and monitored well.
• Pesticide free Products:Cucumbers are usually consumed without cooking.It should be free of chemicals else our health will be in danger.Inside greenhouse,pest attacks are Minimum or Zero.So there is no need of using dangerous pesticides.So the products are Pesticide free.
• Protection from Wind and Rain:Cucumber plants can be easily destroyed during Heavy wind and Rain.Greenhouse/Poly house will  provide necessary protection for Cucumber plants.
• Modern farming technologies like Soil less farming can be used along with Greenhouse farming to increase productivity.

These are some of the reasons why we go for Cucumber farming inside a Greenhouse.This will help us to get High yield,Quality products and reduce the risk of diseases and natural calamities.

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• Greenhouse farming on Terrace
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Greenhouse Tomato farming

Greenhouse farming is highly suitable for producing vegetables especially high value Tomatoes,capsicum and Cucumbers.The selection of Vegetable is based on its market price,profitability,ease of farming,ease of harvesting etc.Considering these facts,Tomato farming inside Greenhouse will be a profitable idea.Tomato is one of the vegetable item preferred under greenhouse technology in almost all part of the world.As a starting greenhouse farmer,it is more easy to understand Greenhouse techniques by growing tomatoes in Greenhouse.As tomato is a highly consumed vegetable,it is having high demand on daily basis.  

If you are thinking of doing Greenhouse farming on Terrace,Tomato will be a suitable vegetable to begin.By producing your own vegetables,you and your family will get benefited with the healthy organic food.So try this today itself.

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Kerala Budget 2012-Government subsidy for setting up Greenhouses

 As per the budget announcement by Kerala financial minister Mr.Mani,an outlay of Rs 45 crore is allowed for setting up Greenhouses all over Kerala.It is a great efforts from Government of Kerala to promote fruit and vegetable production all over Kerala.The plan is to setup three Greenhouses in each Panchayat each costs 4.5 lakhs. 75 percent the cost is given as subsidy by government of Kerala and government of India.Subsidy given by central government of India is through national Horticulture Mission.So it is a good chance for individuals,farmer associations,co-operative societies to begin with Greenhouse technology.It is a good sign that the Government realized the importance of Greenhouse technology and taken initiative to promote it.Big thanks to respected ministers K P Mohanan and Mani for their commendable initiatives to promote the vegetable farming sector.


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Greenhouse Farming-Future Technology in Indian Agriculture

Greenhouse or Poly house farming is a modern farming technology which is the future hope for farmers in India.Over past 20 years,Many researches happened on how greenhouse technology can improve Vegetable,flowers and Crop production in India and now a dozen of companies are doing their businesses in Greenhouse cultivation field.Lots of young farmers realized the possibility of Greenhouse farming,learned how to do greenhouse farming and are willing to invest more in various fields of Greenhouse farming like Vegetable cultivation,fruit farming,flower farming etc. Yes,Greenhouse farming technology made farming a 'complete business opportunity'.Now lets have a detailed analysis of this technology.

Here we are analysing

• What is Greenhouse and Greenhouse farming.
• Advantages of Greenhouse farming.
• Disadvantages of Greenhouse farming.
• Scope of Greenhouse/Poly house farming in India.
• Subsidy by various governments for Greenhouse farming.
• Scams associated with Greenhouse farming.

With the help of Greenhouse technology,Kerala  Government was able to promote Vegetable farming to a large extend within the state.They almost doubled vegetable production this year(2015) compared to 2014.Farmers also earned very well and the People are getting benefited by enjoying pesticide free Organic Products.This is what expected from agricultural sector.The farming should be profitable,but at the same time the products should be harmless,High quality and pesticide free.People should be able to enjoy the benefits of new technologies,that is what exactly Greenhouse farming technology does.

What is Greenhouse farming?

Greenhouse Farming is Farming inside a shelter called Greenhouse.This Greenhouse shelter isolates environment inside the Greenhouse from external environment.It can be partial isolation also.The main objective is to provide a favourable environment to the plants and provide protection.Various issues like Pests,Animal attack,diseases,sunburn etc can be avoided by Greenhouse farming.A high- tech Greenhouse requires Lots of Money to construct,but we can also build our own cheap green house.Poly house Greenhouses are most common in India.In old days,the main use of greenhouses were to protect plants from extreme weather conditions.But now Greenhouses are incorporated with various technologies like automatic temperature controlling systems,drip irrigation systems etc to comprise a complete artificial farming environment.The main importance of this technology is that one can grow any plant at any time(Based on market requirement) at any place by providing suitable environmental conditions inside the green house.As the chance of attack of pests are zero inside the Greenhouse,the products are pesticide free.

What is a Greenhouse

Greenhouses are framed or inflated structures covered with transparent materials large enough to grow plants under partial or fully controlled environmental conditions to get optimum growth and productivity.

Advantages of Greenhouse Technology

• Protection from Heavy wind and Rain. Poly Greehouse protection is very helpful in High wind areas especially Hillside areas.
• High Quality agricultural products.The products are at it topmost quality as the atmosphere is highly favourable inside Greenhouse. 
• Production volume increases more than 20 times than normal production.
• Off-seasonal production possible.
• Disease and pests attacks minimum.As the Poly Greenhouse is fully covered and isolated from external environment,zero chances of pest attack.
• Production of Organic products free from Pesticides and Insecticides.
• Latest technologies can be incorporated to get maximum benefits.
• Plant growth rate and lifespan very high.
• Considering overall performance,it is very cost effective.
• Modern technologies like Hydroponic farming can be applied with this technology for better farming experience.
• Pesticide free Products

Disadvantages of Greenhouse technology

• Initial cost is very High
• Maintenance cost high
• Knowledge of various factors required to effectively control climate inside the Greenhouse.

Scope of Greenhouse farming is very huge.Various leafy greens,spinach and Micro greens which are used in Salads are cultivated inside Greenhouses.Greenhouse tomato farming and Greenhouse Cucumber farming are very popular and profitable.Pepper farming like Capsicum and Greenhouse Chilli farming are gaining more popularity and profit.Fruits like Grapes,strawberries,peaches are also farmed inside Greenhouses.Greenhouse flower farming also having large scope.Commercialized Greenhouse farming of Gerbera and Roses are proven to be successful in many parts of India.For consuming pesticide free Vegetables,Many people started to farm vegetables in their terrace,which is one of the greatest application of Greenhouse technology.

Various State Governments like Kerala,Tamilnadu ,Andra Pradesh are giving Subsidy to encourage Greenhouse farming.Apart from the State government subsidy,Central Government also providing Subsidy for Greenhouse farming.You can get in touch with your local Agricultural agencies for getting more details as the subsidy varies from state to state.Agencies like Krishi Vigyan Kendra,Krishibhavan,National horticulture board can give you more details and training.

Beware of the fake consultants and Agencies working in this field to loot money from farmers.They will collect your money by offering consultancy services and construction of Greenhouses.If you don't have enough knowledge in this field,you will end up will unnecessary expenses.To avoid such issues,you should get proper training from Government agencies before starting greenhouse farming.Investigate more details about the consultancies before approaching them.

  In a country like India,where most of the agricultural practices are depending on seasonal weather conditions,Greenhouse farming got a lot of scope.By effectively utilizing this technology,we can reduce our dependency on external factors and concentrate more on productivity.Your suggestions are very much appreciated.I hope Greenhouse technology can stimulate another Green revolution in India.What do you think?

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