Here’s your guide to the most important pests that attack plants in hydroponic systems. Growing conditions in a hydroponic system differ from those in open fields, but most pests attack plants in both systems with equal vigour because the plants’ chemical make-up stays the same, irrespective of the growing conditions.…
Certain diseases can wreak havoc in hydroponic systems – guard against them by following this advice. Plants grown in hydroponic systems are susceptible to many of the diseases affecting field-grown vegetable crops. But because hydroponic systems are grown under shelter (plastic tunnels/shade net), fungal and bacterial diseases of the above-ground parts…
Vegetable farmers, including those using hydroponic systems, have to adhere to Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) if they want to market produce successfully to concerned consumers. Good Agricultural Practice (or GAP) could be briefly defined as a concept that focuses on sustainable agriculture, set out in a range of standards that…
Hydroponic farming can be defined as a crop production system in which plants are grown in an artificial medium rather than in natural soil. All the nutrients are dissolved in the irrigation water and regularly supplied to the plants. Today, hydroponic systems are used in areas where more usual field…
There are a number of benefits to shaping tomato plants by pruning and trellising. Shaping tomato plants will enhance air circulation and ventilation, optimise space and sunlight, improve growth balance between roots, leaves and fruit, and make the most of your working space. PRUNING Pruning simply means the removal of…
We look at more leafy vegetables that are suitable for closed systems. It is very important that a thorough economic viability study be done before a crop is planted to make sure that the market to be supplied is also viable. Crops grown in tunnels should achieve higher prices on…
Vegetables that have a determinate growth pattern are ideal for hydroponic production. Here we look at how to grow lettuce in a recirculating system. Leafy and other determinate vegetables are usually small plants with small root systems. If they are grown hydroponically, production generally takes place in systems such as…
Vegetables are essential for good health, and to ensure you get the best, you have to follow some sound principles for growing them – especially if you decide on hydroponics. Vegetable crops may be seeded directly in the field or planted in seedling beds and transplanted later. Crops that are…
Farming hydroponically is fairly costly and needs close attention, but it’s a method that has a place among those who supply specific markets. Hydroponics is the production of crops in the absence of soil, or “soilless culture”. If no growth medium is used, it’s called liquid hydroponics. If an artificial…
This family’s vegetable farming enterprise in the Gamtoos Valley in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa has expanded over the past nine years from a quarter hectare to nearly 40 hectares of vegetable production. They attribute their success to their willingness to exceed their customers’ demands and expectations. As…
The launch of an agri-park, the first of five in the Gauteng province in South Africa, looks set to fast-track smallholder farmers in the region into the commercial stream. The agri-parks programme was set in motion in 2015, with a purpose to economically transform rural areas, provide communities with jobs,…
