As one of my professors always said: There is no perfect substrate, but a perfect management for each substrate. Many materials can potentially be used as horticultural substrates. There are some quite exotic like rice hull, volcanic rock, coco dust, biochar… In fact the ideal substrate for you is the most accessible, cheap, that covers [...]
Do plants have senses? Most people would say no, but in fact they do. Their senses are not like ours, but plants have been on earth much longer, and have evolved in complex ways to perceive and adapt to the environment. They can not move to escape from danger so they learned to perceive [...]
What does Nanny do? It monitors hydroponic cultures. When something is wrong it sends an alarm and tells you what to do. Hydroponics rookie here. How does Nanny help? Farming is a craftsmanship: it requires time to become an expert. Nanny will gently guide you to avoid catastrophic mistakes and to mature as a grower. [...]
As always, the short answer is “it depends”. We will try to orient you in this first decision. It depends mainly on the climate, culture, substratum and the grower. In warm and dry climates we should choose big containers and a substrate which retains lots of water (rock wool or coconut fiber) They are [...]
Biodiversity is the impressive variety of forms that life takes around us. We use to think of it as the diversity of species, but it gets a bit more complex when experts talk about it. They look at biodiversity at different levels, like ADN, ecosystems, groups, cultural behavior... At a global scale it is [...]
There are many myths about hydroponics. Often there is a bias toward the positive characteristics and disadvantages are ignored, but like any other culture system it has both advantages and disadvantages. Using hydroponics does not ensure higher yields by itself; it is not magic, just science! Anyway, you need not be an expert in [...]
Soilless culture has been known and used by mankind since ancient times. The chinampas of Aztec culture, the Chinese floating gardens and mentions to “crop water” in Egyptian hieroglyphs are all good examples. Detail of the manufacture of chinampas in a mural of the National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico city. However, not every [...]
Farm anywhere Hydroponics is the way to grow plants where there is no soil available. You will find it on rooftops, walls, indoors, rocky islands, deserts and the International Space Station. Use less water In most hydroponics systems, water is recirculated. Every bit of water is reused over and over again so hydroponic systems [...]
Most of us have done that sometime. Now, if the experience feels bad, imagine what is like killing a whole crop. Everyday there are more people who start small cultures at their terraces, backyards or rooftops. Our motives are varied: some want to eat organic food; some to reduce their carbon footprint, to rescue local [...]
