Growing without soil

If you take a look at the photo above, you might think that those are just ordinary potted plants. But they are not. That is not our regular soil, it is an artificial soil made from sawdust, coconut husk and rice husk. Yes, it is possible to grow plants in this mixture, which is known as peat dust and it is a growing medium that substitutes for soil. 

Scientists at the Shere Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) have used this mixture successfully and say it works as a soil substitute. It is great for gardening, especially rooftop gardening since it is much lighter than soil and pots filled with it are easier to move around. So, if you are worried about adding weight to your building if you go for rooftop gardening, you can avail this option, said Jamal Uddin, a professor at SAU. 
“It is a common misconception that having a rooftop garden will add to your building’s weight, but it won’t. And if you are too concerned about the weight, you can try the soil alternative peat, as it is lighter and also rich in nutrients. You can add vermicompost (worm compost) to make the mixture richer in nutrient, and it will also be organic,” Jamal Uddin said.
“With rapid urbanisation and less area for planting available, we think green roofs are the way to eliminate or bring under control the heat island effect of Dhaka city. Temperature of the roof surface is reduced through evapotranspiration, and the surrounding air also gets cooler as a green roof provides shade, whereas the temperature of a conventional rooftop can be much warmer. It is possible to have green roofs installed on different buildings, from industrial facilities to private homes, and it can be as simple as a two-inch covering of hardy groundcover,” he added.
“A small personal garden is also a great way to promote healthy development in children from the daily humdrum of mechanical life, which is becoming the norm. I have school children visiting my rooftop garden all the time here at SAU, where I conduct workshops on how to grow plants in unconventional pots, such as old cups, a piece of pipe or an old ceramic mug you have been thinking of disposing. Also, these rooftop potted plants yield fruits faster and it is a great way of having fresh produce for your family at hand.”
Another method of growing without soil is hydroponic culture where plants are grown without soil or even peat. This is a technology that uses nutrient-rich water only and a support structure for growing that requires no soil at all. But it is a highly maintained process and nutrients need to be measured out exactly for it to be successful. Equipment for this process is also very expensive for small farmers and homeowners to use. Therefore, this process is being used for industrial production where it is possible to target niche customers and grow particular items such as lettuce and cherry tomatoes, which cost more than regular produce in the market. 
Md Ruhul Amin, dean of SAU agriculture faculty, said: “For our climate and economy, hydroponic culture is not that practical at present. It is a scientific process and very costly for small farmers as the equipment required to start it is quite expensive. The initial cost is pretty steep. Our climate is wonderful, if you drop a seed anywhere on the ground, a plant is likely to spurt up. These technologies are for places where they have extreme temperatures, sand or less available arable land, such as an urban setting. This will be economic if unemployed urban residents take it up to produce fruits and vegetables for their families, and for industrial production of vegetables for a niche customer base, and also if it can be done in an organic way,” the professor said.
The usual nutrients used for hydroponic culture are chemical based, but Jamal Uddin is using a liquid version of vermicompost in his hydroponic systems, which is making the process organic. “Take a look at this rack of plants over here, their roots are submerged in nutrient rich water that is made with organic substances instead of the usual chemical nutrients used in typical hydroponic culture. This is a much healthier option than  chemical nutrients. Also notice that the water used in this system is being recycled, therefore, not much water is used here, which is a plus point.” 
About hydroponics in urban areas, Ahsan Rony of Green Savers Association said: “In  urban agriculture it can be more pragmatic and sustainable. Harvest is also satisfactory in urban roof gardens. If nutrient management can be arranged perfectly then it can be an effective model for urban horticulture.”
A few hydroponic farms have started operation in Bangladesh, growing fruits and vegetables such as sweet melon, lettuce, tomatoes and bell peppers, and even exporting produce abroad. 
Saiful Islam Rigan Khan, owner of Bengal Hydroponics, said: “It is possible to go for mass scale hydroponic farming if we get assistance from the government as the fertilisers and nutrients used in the process are not available here and the equipment required are quite expensive. Therefore, if the imports of these are made tax-free, we can grow a variety of fruits and vegetables which are available in our market, but are costly since we have to import them. You do not need a lot of space for hydroponic farming _ I have set up a farm for a company on a mere three katha (0.25 acre) of land _ and the expected yield is quite high. We can earn foreign currency for our country if we go for this sort of venture. We just need support from the government to make the necessary equipment and nutrients available for educated farmers. I say educated farmers as it is a scientific process and you need very little man power as many things are automated in this system. It is possible to run a hydroponic farm with the help of a smartphone if you have the right app installed to control your system, it is that modern.”
Other companies that have ventured into hydroponic farming are Maisha Group, it is producing sweet melon, lettuce and tomatoes; and Masawa Agro that is farming tomatoes and sweet melon. It seems that the prospect of hydroponic farming is slowly becoming popular among urban farmers and the possibility of exporting makes it even more attractive. 

Photos: Courtesy

Growing without soil

If you take a look at the photo above, you might think that those are just ordinary potted plants. But they are not. That is not our regular soil, it is an artificial soil made from sawdust, coconut husk and rice husk. Yes, it is possible to grow plants in this mixture, which is known as peat dust and it is a growing medium that substitutes for soil. Scientists at the Shere Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) have used this mixture successfully and say it works as a soil substitute. It is great for gardening, especially rooftop gardening since it is much lighter than soil and pots filled with it are easier to move around. So, if you are worried about adding weight to your building if you go for rooftop gardening, you can avail this option, said Jamal Uddin, a professor at SAU. It is a common misconception that having a rooftop garden will add to your buildings weight, but it wont. And if you are too concerned about the weight, you can try the soil alternative peat, as it is lighter and also rich in nutrients. You can add vermicompost (worm compost) to make the mixture richer in nutrient, and it will also be organic, Jamal Uddin said. With rapid urbanisation and less area for planting available, we think green roofs are the way to eliminate or bring under control the heat island effect of Dhaka city. Temperature of the roof surface is reduced through evapotranspiration, and the surrounding air also gets cooler as a green roof provides shade, whereas the temperature of a conventional rooftop can be much warmer. It is possible to have green roofs installed on different buildings, from industrial facilities to private homes, and it can be as simple as a two-inch covering of hardy groundcover, he added. A small personal garden is also a great way to promote healthy development in children from the daily humdrum of mechanical life, which is becoming the norm. I have school children visiting my rooftop garden all the time here at SAU, where I conduct workshops on how to grow plants in unconventional pots, such as old cups, a piece of pipe or an old ceramic mug you have been thinking of disposing. Also, these rooftop potted plants yield fruits faster and it is a great way of having fresh produce for your family at hand. Another method of growing without soil is hydroponic culture where plants are grown without soil or even peat. This is a technology that uses nutrient-rich water only and a support structure for growing that requires no soil at all. But it is a highly maintained process and nutrients need to be measured out exactly for it to be successful. Equipment for this process is also very expensive for small farmers and homeowners to use. Therefore, this process is being used for industrial production where it is possible to target niche customers and grow particular items such as lettuce and cherry tomatoes, which cost more than regular produce in the market. Md Ruhul Amin, dean of SAU agriculture faculty, said: For our climate and economy, hydroponic culture is not that practical at present. It is a scientific process and very costly for small farmers as the equipment required to start it is quite expensive. The initial cost is pretty steep. Our climate is wonderful, if you drop a seed anywhere on the ground, a plant is likely to spurt up. These technologies are for places where they have extreme temperatures, sand or less available arable land, such as an urban setting. This will be economic if unemployed urban residents take it up to produce fruits and vegetables for their families, and for industrial production of vegetables for a niche customer base, and also if it can be done in an organic way, the professor said. The usual nutrients used for hydroponic culture are chemical based, but Jamal Uddin is using a liquid version of vermicompost in his hydroponic systems, which is making the process organic. Take a look at this rack of plants over here, their roots are submerged in nutrient rich water that is made with organic substances instead of the usual chemical nutrients used in typical hydroponic culture. This is a much healthier option than chemical nutrients. Also notice that the water used in this system is being recycled, therefore, not much water is used here, which is a plus point. About hydroponics in urban areas, Ahsan Rony of Green Savers Association said: In urban agriculture it can be more pragmatic and sustainable. Harvest is also satisfactory in urban roof gardens. If nutrient management can be arranged perfectly then it can be an effective model for urban horticulture. A few hydroponic farms have started operation in Bangladesh, growing fruits and vegetables such as sweet melon, lettuce, tomatoes and bell peppers, and even exporting produce abroad. Saiful Islam Rigan Khan, owner of Bengal Hydroponics, said: It is possible to go for mass scale hydroponic farming if we get assistance from the government as the fertilisers and nutrients used in the process are not available here and the equipment required are quite expensive. Therefore, if the imports of these are made tax-free, we can grow a variety of fruits and vegetables which are available in our market, but are costly since we have to import them. You do not need a lot of space for hydroponic farming _ I have set up a farm for a company on a mere three katha (0.25 acre) of land _ and the expected yield is quite high. We can earn foreign currency for our country if we go for this sort of venture. We just need support from the government to make the necessary equipment and nutrients available for educated farmers. I say educated farmers as it is a scientific process and you need very little man power as many things are automated in this system. It is possible to run a hydroponic farm with the help of a smartphone if you have the right app installed to control your system, it is that modern. Other companies that have ventured into hydroponic farming are Maisha Group, it is producing sweet melon, lettuce and tomatoes; and Masawa Agro that is farming tomatoes and sweet melon. It seems that the prospect of hydroponic farming is slowly becoming popular among urban farmers and the possibility of exporting makes it even more attractive. Photos: Courtesy