@patkaushal
An informal group comprising some like-minded people, have come up with an idea of getting intelligently engaged as well as ‘fruitfully’ productive by starting hydroponics farming on their terraces.
Hydroponics is a high-tech method of growing plants in water rich in mineral nutrients without soil.
The idea is the by-product of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has restricted people’s movement and has raised doubts about anything and everything that can infect them with the deadly virus.
The group members who are drawn from engineering, management, health and academic background meet regularly and informally call it a ‘Hydroponic Club’. They sit and discuss the nuances of hydroponic farming.
Among the ‘Club’ members, the idea of starting hydroponic farming clicked first to Roylan Bade, nicknamed Asus. He has been successfully growing lettuce, eggplant and tomato in his 11metre/6metre greenhouse, which he calls a ‘farm’.
He does it as a matter of hobby, but grows so much of lettuce that he is not able to consume. He shares them with other ‘club’ members and guides them how to set up a greenhouse for hydroponic farming.
“The technique is not new and in practice in many parts of the world, including Oman. Still many people don’t know about it. The best part here is farming without soil. We use minerals the plants need. Add them in water and make base for plantation,” he said.
There is a simple yet perfect technique to plant the saplings in some containers that are used for plantation purposes.
Since Asus has technical background, he does everything on his own, from setting up of the greenhouse to putting the saplings in mineral mixed water.
“For others who do not have knack of carpentry and basic skills of cutting and fixing, need assistance to set up the greenhouse, as this is the basis of starting greenhouse farming... I am open to guide people who want to start hydroponic farming,” he said.
Commenting on advantages of hydroponic farming, Asus says, “It is clean, plants takes less time to grow and most importantly there is no use of pesticide....Your fruits and vegetables are organic.”
The ‘Club’ is very small in terms of members. The active members who already have started the farming are: Asus, Rayan, Israel and Vandana.
Asus advises the beginners to start plantation in small boxes first and then with proper technology in which one small water pump and big size pipes are involved. This technique works better than the plants done containers.
He is happy that he is able to learn something special during the pandemic.
His new skill keeps them ‘fruitfully’ engaged, as he is able to pluck something from his ‘farm’ for daily use in his kitchen.
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