Hydroponics - why is it not successful?

Farm Questions
1

Hi All,

With all the advantages that Hydroponic setup provides, Higher Yield, Good quality of crop, Year round Production, Consistent quality, No pest fight, Hygienic, Less Resources to operate and more, why Hydroponics is not successful in India. I have been producing High Quality crops for almost 3 years now, and it check all the ticks on check list, in favour of Hydroponics,but why is it not successful.

I am sure every one on this Forum is well aware of Hydroponics, just a quick summary.Hydroponics involves growing crops in a soil-less medium, where the plant is supported either by water or substrate . In order to grow crops under hydroponics culture, a well-maintained Greenhouse is required, whereby the plants are cultivated under a controlled environment (Temperature, Relative Humidity, irrigation, fertilisation, pests & diseases, and other external weather conditions). Since the crops are grown in a soil-less medium, the nutrients required by the plant needs to be provided. This is done through a Control system (irrigation and fertilisation done at the same time). The nutrient solution is automatically mixed by a computer system (depending on the crop nutrient requirement) and both macro and micro nutrients are provided to the crops. In a hydroponics system, more crops are grown on the same area of land compared to the traditional farming since the crops grow vertically and there is more production/area
Advantages of Hydroponics
• Land is not necessary. It can be practiced in open spaces and in protected structures.
• Clean working environment.
• Low drudgery. No need of making beds, weeding, watering, etc.
• Continuous cultivation is possible.
• No soil borne diseases or nematode Damage.
• Off-season production is possible.
• Vegetable cultivation can be done with leisure sense.
• Higher yields with correct management practices.
• Easy to hire labour as hydroponics system is more attractive and easier than cultivation in soil.
• Wide variety of Vegetable and flower crops
• Water wastage is reduced to minimum.
• Free from soil particles for export.

Below are a few plant I have grown Personally

Great Quality

any Thoughts ?????

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2

Hello,

I have just read your post and i think it can be said that you are an experienced person in this field.
Since you yourself have done hydroponics, you must be knowing all the cons and pros of the financial aspect of this farming.

I am a novice in this and i really want to invest in hydroponics. I have some land and some money to spare ;D.
But overall rate of return concept is still far fetched from me.
I am hoping if you could help me in it.
Please share your contact details so that i could seek help from you.
Thanks
Rajit

3

woah! awesome.

is this on experiment basis, small scale or large? and what is the third crop?

Vivek

4

Hydroponis however a lot of advantage but it has some limitations too which hinders farmer to adopt it,

  1. High initial cost in setting greenhouse
    2.Lack of training or awareness
    3.Not many farmers / investors/ agri eneterprenuer are willing to take risks
5

i am willing to take the risk and invest in the setup… can you guide me grow in hydroponics ?
anyone? i am looking for actual hands on experience, not theory based…

anyone??

6

Dear Vivek,
Your good friend Atul Kalaskar is pioneering in this, you should ask him. And his setup is very close to where you are.
Forget older misunderstandings.
:slight_smile:.
There was one more member who used to share good stuff on hydroponics based out of malaysia I think. Member name RamprakashLChandra.
Good luck.

Nikhil

7

Hey Nikhil,

Good friend, what?? was it in the media ? :astonished: how did u know ?
anyways… lets not get into this.

Nikhil, i wouldnt ever go for hydroponics.
there are a lot of myths, there is none with live hands on experience in our region. all the info which is floating around is theoretical or done by someone else, which has come from all around the world, but not from the horses mouth, or the actual grower.

i can claim that in my soil media, i can grow 150 tons of capsicum / acre. and i am open to do tests and compare statistics.

i believe and follow a totally different way of thinking and working. as an individual, how many crops and experiments can i do? so if all come forward and help, the sample size can be more. can results will come faster.

if you are interested, we can discuss this more in depth. can you help ?

Vivek

8

You’re trying to decide which plants to grow in your aquaponics system; something beneficial to your health, and not something as simple as lettuce… why not grow some super veggies?! I’ve found 6 that are not only extremely healthy but delicious as well- nothing better than your own home-grown organic vegetables!

Kale
Kale is in high demand right now, so why not grow some not only for yourself, but to sell as well!? Making a little extra money on the side is always a plus. Plus kale is so so so good for you! How so you ask?

it’s low in calories, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale=36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and zero grams of fat. It’s also awesome for digestion
it’s high in iron; per calorie, kale has more iron than beef. Iron causes the formation of hemoglobin and enzymes, transports oxygen to various parts of the body, and helps with cell growth and proper liver function.
it’s high in vitamin K which helps protect against a range of cancers. It also helps with normal bone health, prevention of blood clotting and with people suffering from Alzheimer’s.
it’s filled with powerful antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids which help prevent against multiple cancers.
it’s high in vitamin C which helps your immune system, metabolism and hydration
it’s high in vitamin A which is excellent for vision, skin and helps to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers.
it’s anti-inflammatory. One cup has 10% of the recommended dietary allowance of omega-3 fatty acids which help fight arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disorders.
it’s high in calcium, per calorie it has more calcium than milk which helps to prevent bone loss, osteoporosis and maintains a healthy metabolism

5 more veggies that may not be as super as kale, but are still pretty super are:
Bell Pepper
They are full of vitamin C and A (one cup a day can provide more than 100% of your daily needs) and work in the body to overpower free radicals. Those radicals can cause illnesses such as high cholesterol and arthritis. Red peppers are especially good for you as they contain a great source of fiber, folate, vitamin k, molybdenum and manganese, vitamin A, C and B6; beta-carotene, and lycopene.
Tomatoes
first and foremost they contain lycopene. Tomatoes also protect against various cancers including pancreatic, breast, endometrial, lung, prostate and colorectal. One serving of raw tomatoes is a good source of vitamins A, C, K, folate and potassium. They also have the ability to reduce chronic pain.
White Onions
for those suffering from diabetes, onions can significantly help cells respond to insulin. Onions also contain over 20% of the daily intake of chromium; chromium is depleted with diets of refined sugar, white flour and lack of exercise. Onions are a remedy for a common cold, cough, fever and sore throat- juice of fresh onion with honey can help cure a sore throat.
Purple Eggplant
many people take medicine on a daily basis to lower their cholesterol levels, however eggplant juice can reduce blood cholesterol significantly as well as improve blood flow. The skin of eggplant can also help in reducing the risk of colon cancer. Looking to lose weight or have better skin tone? Eggplant can do that too!
Orange Sweet Potatoes
this tasty veggie contain vitamins A and C, manganese, copper, B-6, potassium, iron and fiber. These nutrients also have anti-inflammatory properties so they reduce the severity of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. They have also been shown to improve the health of smokers or those who inhale second hand smoke.

9

I have my own agri land in M.P. with a borewell, last year I had contacted Mr Atul Kalaskar for training which I have not done so far!
If anyone interested in investing , we can form a community of two or more people and start the project, Anyone please share !!

10

hey rajeev!

where in M.P ? close to indore ?

MP is a great market, i think there are a very few setups there as compared to Gujarat, maharashtra, and TN yea?

Vivek

11

Dear Vivek,

It is in Umaria Distt, It is not near Indore, Indore may be 500 km from this place,
in fact I have not seen anyone doing Aquaponics here or nearby area, In other states like Maharastra some farmer are doing it successfully
Here Market is readily available Umaria,Katni,Shahdol and Jabalpur are hot market for Veggie

regds
Rajeev

12

hey Rajeev,
i live in maharashtra, and i dont know anyone doing aquaponics. something is wrong, i should try more.

do u know anyone in my region? really stupid that i am asking you about my region :stuck_out_tongue:

and what product do u have in mind to grow?

13

Hello Dear Friends,
Mr Atul Kalaskar in Pune is doing it, I have talked to him on phone, however i have not met him,I will give contacts soon

regds

Rajeev

14

hey Rajeev!
thanks but no thanks. i know that gentleman, and he is spreading the wrong message arround, which are totally against the practises i follow.

so personally, i do not like that, i have friends who visited him and are interested in similar setup, but nothing fruitful happened.

any other grower you know who has hands on experience ?

Vivek

15

Dear Vivek,

thanks for updation, as I told I have only talked Atul Kalaskar on phone and never met him, in fact I am also searching for a person having expert practical experience in Hydroponics and Aquaponics

regards

Rajeev

16

hey Rajeev,
why hydro and aqua? why not soil media?
any specific crop or certain practises you are planning to grow and follow in hydro? or just learning about it?

Vivek

17

Dear Vivek,

I am not familiar with soil media? However I consider aquaponics better as Aquaponics combine Aquaculture and Hydroponics, we can grow fish and vegetables togethor

Rajeev

18

fishes and vegetables together, thats deadly. it might be possible, but chemical nutrients will have to be via the media, so how will the fishes react. or say some pesticide spray, bits will surely settle down and harm the fishes unless its totally packed. or maybe possible if organic practises are followed. cant really say.

oxygen/fresh water system for the fishes. so i am thinking the cost would be high for such setup.

maybe certain crops can be grown, but i doubt if most can. what we need is a real person having hands on experience.

and my plants love soil, and i do offshore fishing in my artificial pond i have to store water. so its more economic, easy to handle and manage and the best part is i dont need any experts help.

Vivek

19

Dear Vivek,

In such system no pesticide or inorganic/chemical fertilizers is used, i in is an integrated soil-less system, fish waste provide food for plant, and plant provide for natural filter for the water that fish live in. some possible benefit of such system are

  1. Low cost after initial set up
  2. Reduce water use
  3. No chemicals
  4. Better than conventional farming

the disadvantage is high initial set up cost

you see a eco pond in forest where aquatic plants, fish and frogs co-exist

regds

RAJEEV

20

hey Rajeev,
low water consumption? how come? say if in the soil, a plant needs 1 litre of water yearly, will it be less in aquaponics?

and how exactly is it better than conventional farming? is it less labor intensive?

there would be many complications, i can list many, but lets list the most important.
what if the fishes eat the good algae, and what is the fish waste doesnt contain what the crop requires? wont the fishes eat the tender roots?

disadvantages are not just high initial cost, but higher running costs, maintenance cost also.
if you have some figures about the investment, returns, we can compare. or we need some expert to help us out here.

aquatic plants are different and have different properties, i doubt if most of the vegetables/flowers/fruits can be grown this way.

Vivek