2nd batch this August: HYDROPONIC SEMINAR, Aug 18th, Saturday : 12-2pm

The Hydroponics seminar last Saturday, Aug 11, went really well. An almost full house turned up and it was happy to hear some positive feedback from them.

Since the number of participants went over the capacity of the restaurant, i've decided to open a second batch for the HYDROPONIC SEMINAR this AUG 18th, SATURDAY: 12-2pm at CHEZ TOZTAR RESTAURANT, CAPITOL, CEBU CITY. 

Refer to this link for more info, maps and others: http://www.facebook.com/events/402699673127053/

WHAT WILL BE COVERED:
-What is hydroponics?
-Benefits of Hydroponics
-Materials needed to set up your own hydroponic garden
-Step-by-step process on setting up a hydroponic garden
-Maintenance on the system and plants
-Differentiation between organic & in-organic hydroponics
-Innovating your own system
-Open forum (Q & A)

TO REGISTER:

Text me your full name & contact number at 09393257253 / 09475847023. This is to ensure that we do not go over the capacity the restaurant can cater to. If you are a walk-in participant who did not register in advance, you will need to wait for another participant to cancel his/her registration if all the seats are occupied. :)

Praying for another successful seminar! See you all there!



Ulyssa

HYDROPONICS WORKSHOP / SEMINAR

BASIC HYDROPONICS WORKSHOP

For small scale gardens, home backyards and beginners

Learn this simple, low maintenance, convenient, clean, safe and eco-friendly gardening method. Promote self-sufficiency!

WHEN: August 11, 2012 - Saturday. 12noon-2pm

WHERE: at CHEZ TOZTAR RESTAURANT. Address: 0392 Orchid Street Capitol Site, Cebu (infront of STK restaurant) 

REGISTRATION FEE: Php 1,000

INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

• Starter kit
• Manual & Handouts
• Certificate
• Lunch

COVERAGE:

• What is hydroponics?
• Benefits of Hydroponics 
• Materials needed to set up your own hydroponic garden
• Step-by-step process on setting up a hydroponic garden
• Maintenance on the system and plants
• Differentiation between organic & in-organic hydroponics
• Innovating your own system
• Open forum (Q & A) 

HOW TO REGISTER:

Contact me/ Message/comment or text us with your COMPLETE NAME and CONTACT NUMBER. Payment will be on the day of Seminar.

CONTACT: 09393257253 / 09475847023

Sketch to the restaurant

 

Learn to have this in your back yard!

Space efficient! In 0.5sqm, u can already harvest 40 plants!

Clean, presentable and convenient backyard gardening

Fast & Bountiful harvests at your own convenience

Cheaper alternative set ups to innovate and play around with

Grow expensive crops at home! For exmaple, Cherry tomatoes cost over P400 a kilo in the groceries. Why buy when you can grow? 

FOR MORE INFO, contact me at 09393257253 / 09475847023 or chat with me on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/The.Hydro.Garden 

HYDROPONIC GARDENING FAQs

I just realized after scanning through my entire blog, that it is named, "Hydroponics in Cebu" and yet i haven't covered what HYDROPONICS is exactly. *FAIL!* I realized that most of my blog entries were simply sharing my experiences and so on, but have not introduced hydroponics in general. Perhaps I assumed that people viewing this blog would already have, if not an expert, at least a little information/background on hydroponics. After being approached by several customers who have viewed my blog to know what hydroponics is, and having not been enlightened when coming to this blog, I will dedicate this entry to answering and covering most of the FAQs that i receive on Hydroponics as well as giving an brief insight on what Hydroponics is all about.




First off....

WHAT IS HYDROPONICS?

In my seminars (that i hold once every month), I always use 3 points to define hydroponics. You may find more complex or detailed information in other sites, but in the simplest way i can define it, one should take note of these 3 essential points:

• SOIL-LESS
• PLANTS GROW ON WATER
• WATER IS ENRICHED WITH NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS

(1) HYDROPONICS IS SOIL-LESS!

Hydroponics does not use and or require any soil. Using soil is a NO-NO! In hydroponics, as a growing medium (term used to describe what the plants are planted onto), you can use several alternatives. This includes:

-Vermicompost (this is the one i use)

-Peat moss (or the moss that you can find in the clay pot section in the markets)

-Perlite (a light weight volcanic rock. It's hard to find in Cebu, but you can find them in pet stores since its commonly used as a bedding for pet geckos)

-Rice hull / rice husk

-Coco coir / coco peat (this is dried coconut husk that is shredded. This is one of most commonly used growing mediums in hydroponics)

-Clay Pellets (commonly used with orchids)

-Rock wool (commonly used to insulate or sound proof walls)

These are the many different alternatives to soil that is used in Hydroponics. 

FAQ: Can I mix different mediums up?

ANSWER: Yes you may. I usually mix up Vermicompost, moss and rice hull. 

FAQ: Can I use animal manure?

ANSWER: No. Animal manure is too strong for hydroponic plants since it contains a lot of nitrogen.Since it also contains salts and bacteria, it can contaminate the water beneath the plants, cause rotting in the water and attack the roots. Vermicompost is not a strong deposit (deposits of worms), so it is safe to use. 

(2) PLANTS GROW ON WATER!

Hydroponics literally translates to: HYDRO - Water, and PONICS - Work. 

That being said, yes, hydroponics involves the growing of plants on water. Here is a diagram to illustrate how this works:

A plant cup, holding the growing medium and the plant, is submerged partially in the water. As the plants grow, it looks for nutrients. Thus, the roots start to grow out of the plant up and into the water. 

FAQ: Can the plant grow directly on water without the growing medium?
ANSWER: Yes, it can. You would need a system, however, that can suspend the plant above the water for only parts of the roots to touch the water. If you are familiar with hydroponics, this system is known as NFT (nutrient film technique - in which there is a thin film of water running through the lower part of the roots of the plant).

FAQ: What kind of water can i use? Tap?
ANSWER: Any clean source of water you have is viable. If you are REALLY conscious with chlorine in the water, let the tap water stand still for 24 hours before using. Rain water (if your area is not overly exposed to air pollution) is good as well. I, personally, use deep well water since that's my source of water here. 

FAQ: Is it only water? Or do i have to mix something into it?
ANSWER: This leads to the next point : "Water is enriched with nutrient solutions". 

(3) WATER IS ENRICHED WITH NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS

The answer to the previous question as to if one can use just water without mixing into it -- That would be NO. 

**IMPORTANT** - water enough cannot supply the plants with the food or essential elements that they need to grow healthily. There needs to be fertilizer or in this case, it is known as HYDROPONIC NUTRIENT SOLUTION, mixed in the water to supply the plant with the nutrients it needs to grow.


FAQ: Without the nutrients, will it still grow?
ANSWER: Yes, it will - in the sense where it wont die. It will live, but will be malnourished. Here are some signs of a malnourished plant (lacking nutrients or have no nutrients to absorb):
- Stunting of growth

- Pale yellow or white leaves

- Thin, fragile stems

FAQ: What are the components of a Hydroponic nutrient solution?
ANSWER: "Macro and Micro Nutrients". I already have a blog entry talking about the components. Refer to this link: BLOG ENTRY ON MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENTS

**IMPORTANT** Read the entry to understand the importance of the Hydroponic Nutrient Solution as well as other questions you may have are answered there. 

FAQ: Where can i get the Hydroponic Nutrient Solution?
ANSWER: I sell Nutrient Solution for P350 (good for 2-3 months use). There also other commercial hydroponic nutrient solutions out there. You may also give them a try.


FAQ: Can I mix my own Nutrient Solution?ANSWER: Yes you may, HOWEVER, you will need a chemist or someone licensed to purchase the elements for you as well as mix it. All the elements can be found at a pharmacy, however, only a licensed chemist can purchase them. Mixing them might be too complicated as well (if you're a noob at chemistry like me), so you will need the chemist help to mix it as well as his equipment. 

FAQ: Can I use normal fertilizer as a nutrient solution?

ANSWER: Yes you may, however, since they were not made specifically for hydroponics, some fertilizers might not work very well. Fertilizers (not meant for hydroponics) were formed to work with the components in the soil to be converted as food for plants. Since hydroponics is soil-less, some elements might not be converted and thus not be absorbed by the plants, that could lead to undernourishment or lack of certain elements. You are free to experiment with different fertilizers though. Bring out the scientist part of you! (haha)

AS A SUMMARY, in one sentence, what is hydroponics?

Hydroponics is a SOIL-LESS gardening method in which plants are grown on NUTRIENT ENRICHED WATER. 

Here are some actual pictures of root systems of hydroponic plants as they grow, so that you can have a better idea on how it looks when you look inside a system and lift a plant cup:

Basil plants rooting before placing them into the system

Root system of a mint plant after  1 week in the hydroponic system

Root system of Corn plants

And there you have it! Just a brief, basic view on what Hydroponics is about. I hope this gave you an idea on what it's about. In my next entry, i'll cover the advantages and other questions that i frequently get. I can't drag on this blog any longer since most readers have a certain attention span (a.k.a me). I don't want anyone getting bored now. (haha!)

'Till next entry! Happy gardening!

ULYSSA
09393257253 / 09475847023

CEBU HYDROPONIC GARDEN

http://www.facebook.com/The.Hydro.Garden

Importance of Nutrients for Plants

Hi everyone!


There is a very frequent question that I receive from a lot of customers that I find difficult to answer thoroughly in a single sentence. Actually, the reason is because after that question, follow up questions proceed and it somewhat closes the minds of several customers.


That question is;

"WHAT ARE THE CONTENTS OF YOUR NUTRIENTS?"

Now, since The Hydro Garden is technically, a legitimate business (with Govt. Permits), i would like to point out that i cannot give specific information as to the formula of the nutrients for that would be disclosing a trade secret, which is counter productive. So kindly excuse me if i cannot give you formulas or instructions on replicating my nutrient solutions. 

But my answer this this is:

"The contents in the nutrient solution are MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENTS." 

This leads to the follow up question;

"What are Macro and Micro Nutrients?"

This section needs a bit more information than a single sentence. You might get bored reading the next few lines but to educate one's self about this, keep reading :)


MACRO AND MICRO nutrients are essential (meaning important or a 'must') in the growth of plants. Without these nutrients, plants cannot grow properly or to it's potential. Each element has it's own use and importance:

MACRO NUTRIENTS

H) Hydrogen - Essential for photosynthesis
(C) Carbon - Essential for photosynthesis
(O) - Oxygen - Essential for photosynthesis
(N) Nitrogen - A vital constituent of amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids etc
(K) Potassium - A building block for 40 or more enzymes, and also has a important role in stomatal movement. Potassium also helps to maintain electroneutrality in plant cells.
(Ca) Calcium - A vital constituent of plant cell walls amongst others.
(Mg) Magnesium - This is required non-specifically by a large number of enzymes and is also a vital part of the chlorophyll molecule.
(P) Phosphorus - This is a vital component of sugar phosphates, nucleic acids, coenzymes etc.
(S) Suphur - A vital component of proteins, lipoic acid, coenzyme A, thiamine etc.

MICRO NUTRIENTS

(Cl) Chlorine - This is required for the photosynthetic reactions involved in the production of oxygen
(B) Boron - Used for carbohydrate transport within the plant and also forms complex molecules within certain carbohydrates
(Fe) Iron - Vital for nitrogen fixing and respiration, iron is also a constituent of cytochromes and iron proteins involved in photosynthesis.
(Mn) Manganese - This is required non-specifically for a large number of enzymes as well as for the production of oxygen during photosynthesis.
(Zn) Zinc - This is a vital constituent for a number of important enzymes such as glutamic and alcohol dehydrogenase.
(Cu) Copper - This is an essential component of - amongst others - ascorbic acid oxidase, tyrosinase and monoamine oxidase.
(Mo) Molybdenum - This is an important constituent of nitrate reductase and is essential fornitrogen fixation.

NOW THAT THAT'S FINISHED, (haha), here come's the next question:

"Are these nutrients poisonous? Or in other words, does this mean that your nutrient solution is poisonous?"

The answer is, "No". My nutrient solution does not consist of any steroids or excess of these nutrients. Take note that all the elements mentioned above are essential for plant growth. These elements can also be found in the ground, where the plants outsource their food. It is only dangerous if there is an excess (leaves will burn) or if there are extra elements added in as steroids to push the plant's growth. My nutrient solution doesnt have any of that, so there's nothing to worry about. It doesn't contain any excess or any less than what's needed by the plants. 

"Why are the food of the plants chemical? Why aren't they in organic form?"

Do take note, that plants cannot absorb organic matter. The roots of the plants convert organic matter into chemical forms before absorbing them. Therefore, the macro and micro nutrients are stated as thus above. So why are they in chemical form? Because plants cannot absorb them if they arent. 

And that covers it. Now you understand why it's a little difficult for me to answer if one day you ask these questions in person. You'll probably see me stuttering or trying to find layman's terms to explain the whole thing. Haha.. 

I hope this opened your mind to Hydroponics more. Most customers tend to black out or stop listening since it get's too complex. It's safe and controllable. 

'Till next entry!






ULYSSA 

09393257253 / 09475847023

The first HYDROPONIC-THEMED Restaurant in Cebu

My first RESTAURANT COLLABORATION! 


GREETINGS! It's been quite a while since my last blog entry. If you're subscribed or friends with me on facebook, you'll notice just how busy i've been for the past few months.


On June 15th, I ventured into the start of a large leap in the Cebu Hydroponic Garden enterprise so far. In collaboration with a friend who set all his efforts in opening his very own restaurant, we both agreed to make his restaurant different from the others out there.


THE FIRST HYDROPONIC-THEMED RESTAURANT IN CEBU! The restaurant "CHEZ TOZTAR-House of Roasts" is the very first restaurant in Cebu to have its very own Hydroponic Garden in its premises and a mini set up inside the restaurant itself. The garden will be used as a source of the restaurant's salads and other veggie needs in it's dishes, harvesting it in front of you to guarantee a fresh and healthy meal.


All the vegetables grown there are guaranteed ORGANIC and PESTICIDE-FREE as well! How do i know? this is where i come in. All the veggies in the restaurant are grown by the Cebu Hydroponic Garden and transported to the restaurant when they are ready for harvest. All the plants are live and also available for sale for those of you who would like to take them home to replant or use in your cooking. Simply ask the waiters/waitresses to call up on the chef for you to inquire.

Hydroponic Set up

The restaurant opened this JUNE 15th, and so far, it is doing incredibly well. The cuisines range from American, Asian Fusion, Brazilian, Chinese, Diners, Burgers, French, Mexican, Sandwiches, Seafood, Steakhouses and Thai.


Personally, my favorites are the PASTA! Specifically the Zitti and the Tuna Pesto. You must definitely give it a try.










PRICE RANGE:
The dishes range between 160-180PHP in average. one dish is enough to fill you up, really. "It creeps up on you". You may not think that you'll get full with it, but trust me, you will! This is coming from a person who has a big appetite, yours truly. hahaha 

Restaurant Interior

Indoor mini Hydroponic Set up under LED lights

Hydroponic Set up

CAN WE GET SOME HYDROPONIC SUPPLIES FROM THERE?

Since my garden is located in TALISAY CITY, which may be quite far for most of you to travel to, the answer is, YES, you can pick up Starter Kits, lettuce plants, seeds and materials from the restaurant. I have left several kits there at the restaurant in which you may pick up at the restaurant at your convenience. Kindly ask for the chef to inquire. if you would like to order specific items, you may text me at 09393257253 to order in advance and for me to make sure that it is at the restaurant before you pick it up. 

WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

032 Orchid Street Capitol Site, 6000 Cebu City, Philippines

MAP

OPERATING HOURS:

10.30am-2.00pm (lunch), and 5.30pm-9.30pm (dinner)

So stop by and enjoy a meal or view the simple yet beautiful hydroponic set up! 

'Till next entry!

Ulyssa 

Cebu Hydroponic Garden

09393257253 / 09475847023

www.facebook.com/The.Hydro.Garden

HARVEST TIME!

It's been 3 weeks since my last entry - i mentioned then that i was going to go back to growing lettuces. So how are they looking after 3 weeks? I'm glad to say that this batch of lettuce is my biggest so far! I've grown lettuces before, but this time around, they're A LOT bigger. It could probably be because of the variety of lettuce im growing now is bigger. hahaha... so here they are!

I'm amazed on the little time they took to grow as big as they are now - in the hydroponic system, about 3-4 weeks. Growing lettuces in the soil here in Cebu city is quite a challenge. But it comes to show that with hydroponics, you can grow expensive and hard-to-grow plants in your own back yard!

I took a video this afternoon of part of my garden, i call it the "salad corner". Here i grow lettuces (green & red), cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and arugula. If you're a chef or someone who eats salads just as us asians eat rice, then having a garden like this would definitely save you a lot of money from buying the ingredients from the market. Not to mention the fulfillment from growing your own produce :) 

if you own a restaurant, this could be good PR for you as well. Good to let people know that you're into being self sufficient and that everything that they are eating is fresh and safe. 

 In all honesty, this entire set up's materials (pipes, wooden frame work & roof) cost php10,000. It's capacity is 105 plants. 

But the money i spent to grow all those plants (seeds/growing medium and solution), and all the solution they consumed, hasn't reached php200! 

So what's my point exactly? If you do you own grocery shopping, you'd understand completely what i'm trying to emphasize here. Growing your own goods, hydroponically, can save you a lot of money. Sure, it involves a bit of effort on your side, but considering how much returns you'd get is more than what you need to spend. You save money, increase your health, improve your life style, develop a healthy hobby and enjoy delicious salads whenever you want to.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a try! I'm sure you'll be hooked, just as i am. haha 

You can contact me through my phone 09393257253 . if i don't answer (since i'm a student and i cant answer the phone most of the times), just leave a text and ill get back to you asap.

Or you can chat with me via facebook : http://www.facebook.com/The.Hydro.Garden

If you want to come over for a visit to see these lettuces still in the system (i'll be harvesting on wednesday), kindly schedule it with me before then. :) 

Happy gardening!

Ulyssa

Back to tomatoes & lettuces i go!

It's been a while since my last entry -- i've been so busy lately with school and managing this little business of mine. The teachers at school are pounding us with field projects while my defense for this business is coming fast! This March3rd! Gah!


So anyway, what have i, and my garden, been up to? Aside from my herbs, i've decided to go back to growing tomatoes & lettuces. If you go back to my previous blog posts last year, you'll see a lot of pictures of that, but i stopped for a while since i was concentrating on herbs. But i've come to realize just how much attention the tomatoes and lettuces get from my readers and customers. I have to admit, they ARE the prettiest in pictures and   are the 2 most-wanted-to-be-seen when people visit the garden. Plus, i miss the salads and the sweet cherry tomatoes, so why not?


I sowed a couple of seeds around Mid January, 2012.( i dont remember exactly what date). I only started counting the days when i transplanted them into the system, but more or less, they were about 1-1.5 weeks old when that happened. Upon transplanting, this is how the little babies looked like:

After about a week, i transferred them into my new system to test if it did well there. To my surprise, they did better than i expected.

Approx. 1 week after transplanting into system - Feb 10, 2012

Approx. 1 week after transplanting into system - Feb 10, 2012

Approx. 1 week after transplanting into system - Feb 10, 2012

2 weeks after transplanting into system - Feb 17, 2012

2 weeks after transplanting into system - Feb 17, 2012

2 weeks after transplanting into system - Feb 17, 2012

They were doing ALOTTT better than i expected them to. Sure, my first batch of tomatoes were fast, but i didnt think it would be THIS fast. On the third week, after transplanting into the system, i was surprised to find them already flowering! Normally, in the ground, tomatoes take approx 2 months to start flowering. So this came to a shock to me. i thought it was a premature thing, but the plants were big as they are. 

3 weeks after transplanting into System - Feb 23, 2012

3 weeks after transplanting into System - Feb 23, 2012

3 weeks after transplanting into System - Feb 23, 2012

The plants were getting longer and longer, and most of them started to droop forward. Now, one thing you should take note about tomatoes - they are vine-plants. That being said, they need support or else theyll fall over, either snap or look horrid. Since my system didnt have the space for me to put a piece of thick, straight wood behind every single tomato plant, i decided to do what i did the last time i grew tomatoes  - i tied a piece of string ( in my case, it was a plastic string that they call straw here) onto each tomato stem and hoisted them up, tying the other end of the string to the roof of the system. This way, theyll stay up and grow towards that direction and now topple over.  --- i used pink coz its my fav color. :D 

Feb 26, 2012

Feb 26, 2012

Feb 26, 2012

Mid December, 2011, i grew several cherry tomatoes that i planned to use for myself. And i just harvested from them this afternoon. Cherry tomatoes bear SOO much fruit by the way. you harvest one bunch, and above it, another bunch is getting ready. 

So far so good, i'd have to say. as for my lettuces, i had a bunch of green lettuce seedlings, but they were purchased less than a week after i put them into the system. I've only got a few left, but heaps of red curly lettuce (lollo falbala) and red romaine lettuce. They've been in the system for about a week and a half. 

LETTUCES NEED SUNLIGHT!

Lettuces are the fastest hydroponic produce that I've grown so far in my hydroponic experiences, but they are also the most 'involved' plants i've ever grown. What i mean by involved is that, unlike other herbs and plants, you cannot just leave lettuce be for a few days and hope to find a massive bunch thriving. With the city climate, lettuces are very very very difficult to grow since they do not grow well in heat. In my case, hydroponically and under the shade, this makes it possible to grow them but i still need to have sunlight touch them for several hours in order for them to grow properly.

Remember! "Lettuces don't grow well in the heat" doesnt mean that they dont need sunlight! They DO need sunlight - if they are lacking sunlight, they turn pale and its main stem grows long, a way for the plant to look for sunlight and the leaves become long, skinny and leggy (healthy lettuce leaves are stubby & wide).

Therefore, you have to 'involve' yourself to its growth as much as you can, especially when mother nature has those mood swings that heat up the place like a sauna. You do this by placing it under the shade during specific times of the day and controlling the environment.

WHEN ARE THE BEST TIMES TO EXPOSE LETTUCES TO THE SUN?

If you have set your hydroponic system or garden near a tree that casts a shade over your garden after 12noon, then THAT'S PERFECT! The best times to have sunlight touch the lettuces are before 12noon. In lots of cases, the sun becomes really hot by 10am. So you have to make a roof of a thin blanket or plastic to buffer the rays of the sun. 

WHAT HAPPENS TO LETTUCES UNDER INTENSE HEAT?

(a) Tip Burn - this is what they call the condition where the lettuce leaves begin to wilt or droop downwards from too much heat. THIS IS NOT GOOD! if you ever encounter this happening, quickly get some ice water and spray the lettuces to keep them cool. They'll go back to normal after an hour or so if you get there in time

(b) Stunting - i've had many customers complain that their lettuces are about 2 months old and are still 3inches tall. This is a common case when you leave the lettuces out in the hot sun. if they do manage to live through the heat, their growth will be stunted. 

(c) Bitterness, BE CAREFUL! - if you managed to control the heat around the area well enough to the point where the lettuces grow beautifully, don't drop your guard just yet! continue managing the heat until you harvest. If not, you're in for a bitter crunch when you dine in to your salad. Lettuces turn really REALLY REALLY bitter if under the heat for too long. 

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If you've got a busy schedule and cannot be there for your lettuces all day, make sure to plot the location of your lettuce garden  before anything else. Observe the areas of where the shade is cast after 12noon or build a small transparent roof over the lettuce garden. 

If you are around most of the time, make sure to check on the lettuces everyday, spraying them with ice water occasionally to cool them off. 

And that ends my entry for today. If you want to view more pictures, go to my Facebook account: http://www.facebook.com/The.Hydro.Garden or the direct album: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.233837220026904.55614.100002018836945&type=3  . 

'Till next entry, HAPPY GARDENING everyone! 

Ulyssa 

09393257253

Hydroponic Starter Kits for Beginners, for sale Php550 only!

Many have asked me, "How did you start this?".


Now, believe me, when i started hydroponics, i had absolutely NO experience with plants or hydroponics before. All the pictures you see in this blog of my pipes and systems, i didnt start like that. So how exactly did i start off?


I'm taking this opportunity to give that start to you, dear reader. Hydroponics is not something that u can master at a go. It takes practise, patience and a lot of trial-and-error. I started off with this:

I started off with this styrofoam box. Simple, yet very very easy to deal with. i used the bottom half of this box as a tub to carry the nutrient solution. The top part, i cut holes for my plants. Then i used cups to hold my plants. Thus, my system looked like this:

My first batch of lettuces on this were horrid! Not because the system wasn't working, but because i didnt know about how much sunlight it needed. I ended up growing it with no sunlight, under a shade and it crawling around looking for light. The second time around, my lettuces were perfect!

And with this, i want to give you the opportunity to start off the way i did. As you get used to it, you may want to innovate with different systems, like i did, and who knows! You might just have a garden bigger than mine. 

The starter kit includes the following:

-1 styro grow box: 8 holes

- 8 Styrofoam cups : holes cut underneath

-1 kg vermicompost

-1 set Hydroponic Nutrient Soltuion

-1 Pack of seeds of choice

So how exactly does this look like when being used? Here are some sample pictures taken by some customers and individuals who have tried the system:

If you'd like to give this a try, then contact me @ 09393257253 , or message me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/The.Hydro.Garden

Think about it... if i was able to do this on my own... SO CAN YOU! And i'm pretty sure you'd do even better! 

.

New Hydroponic System finally constructed!

It's been quite a while since i have last posted an entry. LOTS have things have been happening lately.


First of all, i'd like to introduce my finally constructed hydroponic system! If you recall, my previous hydroponic system was flat and rectangular. Picture below:

This system was great! But i have to say that it took up a bit too much space. If you are one of the people who came over to visit, this garden took over more than 1/2 of my entire lawn! Since this is a residential garden, thats not a good thing. No one wants to wake up to see a pile of pipes outside the window.

Besides, my childhood friends would peep over the fence and comment that my house looked like a drug factory with all the pipes and herbs growing. hahaha

So i took about 2 months to design and get some help in designing a better system. I wanted something presentable that would make someone say "i want this in my garden." Something pretty and inviting, as well as space efficient. Previously, i had experiment with a-frames. I got one built for me to try on: 

(this photo was posted on a blog by a customer who visited the garden earlier this year

 http://tropicalpenpals.com/blog/things-related-directly-about-the-philippines/sustainable-living/hydroponics-in-cebu-philippines/) 

I noticed that the sun would rise and set from the east-west ... well.. my east and west that is... 

If you dont know yet, but sunlight is a crucial element in photosynthesis for plants. They need it for food :) 

So regardless if your plants like hot/cold climates, sunlight IS essential. 

So with all that thought and design in mind, plus taking advantage of the fact that my parents who work abroad are here and can help me boss people around easily, we got started on a new system. Finally, after a while, we finished it! 

It's quite a big change if you compared it to my previous systems. But i'm happy to say that it's doing really well. It's taking up lesser space than the previous system, a lot easier for me to handle, cleaner, more organized and not to mention presentable! :) With this, i can easily promote hydroponics as a garden that can be adopted in our very households.

The plants currently growing are my culinary herbs: Sweet basil, thai basil, lemon basil, purpl basil, Ashitaba (green tea), tarragon, vietnamese corriander, italian corriander, and my cherry tomatoes. 

Tarragon

Sweet basil

Spear mint

Purple Basil

Lemon basil

ASHITABA - Green tea
An excellent herb for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high sugar levels, diabetes, cancer and anxiety. Eat 2 leaves every day, raw. Personally, it tastes like guava. :)