URBAN FARMER

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BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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Hydroponics as hobby and business venture

A simple hobby could become a lucrative business in the field of agriculture.
This is exactly the experience of Robert Iglesias of Gumaca, Quezon. At first, he just tried to venture into the exciting world of hydroponics as a hobby.
Robert found out that through hydroponics, he could produce different varieties of vegetables in his backyard.
Hydroponics is the system of growing plants without soil. The method allows urban gardeners to grow plants in a controlled environment.
Following the method, there will be no problem on growing plants because the “in or off season” could be eliminated because hydroponics could allow you to practice uninterrupted urban farming.
Growing vegetables like Japanese cucumber, upland kangkong, lettuce, and other vegetable varieties can be successfully grown through hydroponics.
He also found out that through simple hydroponics, plants can grow by concocting various plant nutrients which are now available in the market.
Robert said the other things which he used in his urban hydroponics farm include readily available materials like seedling plug, culture pots, nutrient solution, and an improvised shelter or greenhouse.
He mainly uses discarded Styrofoam fruit boxes as the base or culture pot for the plants and nutrient solution. The seedling plugs couldalso be created using Styrofoam cups with holes at the bottom.
And to keep the plant in place, Robert uses a mixture of soil, carbonized rice hull, chicken manure, and coco coir in his seedling plugs.
While the nutrient solution is made up of tap water and fertilizer mix, which is composed of Peters General Purpose, Peters Hi-Nitro, Peters Yield Booster, and Peters STEM or Soluble Trace Element Mix.
The improvised greenhouse could be in the backyard or any available space where sunlight and good ventilation is available because hydroponics needs to be protected from undesirable elements.
According to Robert, hydroponics is simple – a modification of the system has allowed him to expand his hobby into a profitable venture.
From the modifications he has devised, Robert can now produce at least 10 kilos per day of the BR-4 Japanese cucumber variety in his urban hydroponics garden.
Not bad for a backyard industry, considering that he has only about 40 vines of the cucumber variety.
He has also started cultivating other vegetable varieties like lettuce and upland kangkong using Condor Seeds.
But Robert shared that his hydroponics venture prospered with the help and assistance of the technical personnel of Allied Botanical Corporation in the region.
Another advantage of hydroponics is that a person would be able to maintain the system, and it can be used all year-round.
Different varieties of vegetables like cucumber, lettuce, and even sweet pepper could be produced successfully through hydroponics./PN
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