What is Vertical Hydroponic Gardening

Vertical gardening, simply put, happens when you grow plants in layers that are one on top of the other. This method is useful for those who are looking to economize on space, since you can grow upward almost indefinitely thereby increasing plant capacity within a restricted space. With the introduction of hydroponics in India , vertical farming has become much simpler since soil is done away with.

Hydroponics farming in India can be done vertically or horizontally. When done vertically, hydroponics farming in India will require the use of grow lights since all the plants will not have adequate exposure to sunlight. With the incorporation of lights in a vertical farming project the cost of setting up the farm will increase drastically which is why vertical hydroponic farming hasn’t gained much traction in India yet.

Vertical hydroponic farming is also being increasingly used to lend aesthetic appeal to indoor and outdoor walls. The primary issue with doing it outdoors is on account of the hydroponic system design , all the plants may not get equal exposure to sunlight hence the wall will have uneven growth. When done indoors once again grow lights are a must and they must be positioned such that the entire wall is covered with light. Ideally indoor greens walls tend to be suitable for growing plants which require less light like ferns and moss.

With developing hydroponic system designs and increasing awareness about Vertical farming and hydroponics farming in India, there is a lot of untapped potential in this market. Get in touch with FutureFarms to get started now!

Environmental benefits of the Hydroponic method

As global warming becomes a bigger issue for the average citizen, consumers and government leaders are always looking for better ways to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions and help the environment. Perhaps one of the greatest ways India can cut back on harmful greenhouse gasses is through examining how we produce and distribute our food supply. Hydroponic growing in India has numerous possibilities to not only produce, larger, better-tasting vegetables, but also help the environment. Here are the main ways that hydroponic growing may be the way to “go green” in the future.

Land – It is estimated that approximately 10 million hectares of arable land is lost every year for a variety of reasons. With farmers being increasingly pinched on the amount of land that can be used for traditional soil gardening, hydroponics, in arid places like Gurgaon, may prove to be the solution. Because every element of this style of growing can be closely controlled, it can produce larger yields, making the same amount of vegetables in just 1/5th of the space.

Location – This is important because it cuts down on the distance that food may have to travel to reach is a destination. Whenever a vegetable is out of season in one part of the world, it is in season in another part. So these vegetables are often created and shipped to those areas where they are not in season, where the scarcity can drive up prices. This means the transportation of the food requires a great deal of fossil fuel because of the transport. With advances for hydroponics in India, we can grow virtually any vegetable in any season in any part of the country, so they can be grown closer to their sale point and use up less fuel. For example, Hydroponics in Gurgaon would greatly benefit the nearby areas as well. Using Hydroponics in India, we will be able to experience produce that tastes a lot better too, because the shorter distance that they have to travel means that they can be picked when they are ripe.

Water – When watering a typical soil garden, much of the water used gets lost in the soil, which means a lot more water has to be used. In a hydroponic garden, the water is recycled. This puts a lot less stress on the increasingly strained water supply.

Pesticides – While pests are by no means completely absent in hydroponics systems, the closed, controlled environment can eliminate many of pesticides that are often necessary to keep bugs from destroying traditional crops. This means much less poison on plants, in rivers, and more importantly, on the food we eat.

All of these factors, plus the improved taste that can result from this style of growing has made hydroponics the choice of many large-scale greenhouses. In fact, as many as ninety percents of the greenhouses in British Columbia use hydroponic growing. As the benefits of hydroponics become more obvious over time, more greenhouses are sure to follow suit.

Beginner Hydroponic Gardening Tips – Part 1

Many beginners attempting Hydroponics in India, usually struggle to grow and we attribute their reasons for failure under three categories:

1.Lack of knowledge: You don’t know how things should be or what you need to do

2.Lack of discipline: You know how things should be and you know what needs to be done, but you don’t take the time or make the effort

3.Lack of support: you do not have the necessary hydroponic equipment or supplies

At FutureFarms, we’d like to encourage more city dwellers to grow at home without worrying about support or knowledge. We believe you are no longer limited by climate or season in the pursuit of clean, fresh food. We can now grow virtually any plant, anywhere at any time of year. With FutureFarms simple, effective hydroponic systems, anyone can save precious resources like water, reduce their carbon footprint, and feed their family and community.

So, How do I get started with hydroponic?

Here are a simple set of questions to ask yourself to help get you started:

How do I choose my hydroponic Kit in India?

A. CROP TYPE

Do you want to grow fruiting vegetables or leafy greens? Depending on the crop type, there are appropriate systems to choose from.
For leafy greens: We suggest the leaf station series and the leaf pyramid series.
For fruiting vegetables: We suggest the Air Bucket series

B. SPACE

Do you live in an apartment with compact spaces to use for gardening or do you have an expansive terrace / balcony that you want to utilise? Based on your space constraints, FutureFarms has the system that works for you.

C. BUDGET

Based on what you would like to currently spend on your urban garden and your level of expertise, there are various solutions to suit your budget. Cost of hydroponic kits range from Rs.2000 to Rs.70,000.

This is the first of a 2 part series on Beginner Hydroponic Gardening Tips. For Hydroponics Farming in India and Hydroponic Kits India, we have an online community that serves as a support group, providing tips to beginners, and a place for advanced growers to share their knowledge with peers on The Indian Hydroponics Club.

How this startup can produce tonnes of fruits and vegetables without soil.

How this startup can produce tonnes of fruits and vegetables without soil

Hydroponics farming in India has been steadily growing over the past decade and is becoming a more viable option in today’s agricultural climate where our reliance on water and pesticides is at an all-time high. This has lead traditional agriculture to become blatantly unsafe and unsustainable.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in channels or buckets of water. This method can be used to grow multiple varieties of crops such as lettuce, basil, spinaches, tomatoes etc.

Future Farms has been one of the pioneers of hydroponics in India and Hydroponics in Tamil Nadu. Future Farms leverages new technology and improved crop production methods to grow multiple crops in their rooftop farm in Chennai using hydroponics. Hydroponics in Tamil Nadu is a difficult proposition with the state’s soaring temperatures and harsh monsoons but Future Farms is able to grow even cold weather crops like lettuce throughout the year with the help of the NFT(Nutrient Film Technique) Hydroponic method and accompanying climate control technologies to enable the year-round production of crops.

Future Farms is able to grow tonnes of fresh veggies and fruits and supply them locally for consumption using hydroponics in Tamil Nadu. They are able to grow tomatoes and melons year round in their rooftop farm in Chennai with the help of the modern technologies used in monitoring and dosing plants as well as IOT based climate control technologies to give the crops the best environment and feeding schedule so as to get the best growth possible. Hydroponics in India can solve two of the biggest challenges to do with soil based farming of which the first is reliance on monsoons and water and the second is the heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Hydroponics in Tamil Nadu is seeing a new lease on life with Future Farms. Being a very Industrial state, Future Farms is using hydroponics in Tamil Nadu to set up farms that work as food factories keeping with the industrial tune of the state.

Hydroponic farming in India is, therefore, seeing a surge in viability due to this company ’s flawless execution of technology and agronomy to tackle the problems posed by soil farming. This has helped them rack up over 5 acres in hydroponic farms in India for corporates and Individuals.

Some Corporates that have engaged with Future Farms to join the revolution of Hydroponic farming in India are Adani Group, Dabur, Mcdonalds and Kalpatharu among other. FutureFarms has also collaborated with land developers, Agro companies, and individuals and set up several Hydroponic farms in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country. They have set up 30 such Hydroponic farms in India.

With Future Farms, Hydroponics in India will surely become a more viable and commonly used method to produce greens, vegetables, and fruits without any of the constraints of soil farming and achieve sustainable year-round farm production.