Future Farms: Hydroponics Course

Examine nutrient film technique systems, where a constant nutrient solution flows through tubes, feeding roots and recycling water in a closed loop for efficient, oxygen-rich hydroponics and reduced water use.

Understand NFT plant spacing in hydroponics, including five plants per metre, 100 mm pipe spacing, and a two-phase cultivation approach with a one to four capacity ratio.

discover the dutch bucket system, a scalable bucket-and-plate hydroponic method linking multiple media beds via a single waterline and drainage line for indoor, containerized farming and living walls.

Explore media-based hydroponic systems where nutrients in a water tank feed a drip manifold to irrigate multiple crops with timed, customizable nutrient delivery.

Explore aeroponics, which suspends plant roots in air and feeds them with a fine mist of nutrients without substrate, enabling precise microenvironment control and reduced water and nutrient use.

Deep water culture systems suspend roots in an oxygenated nutrient solution, oxygenated by an air pump, enabling fast growth and stable nutrient levels, while requiring large reservoirs and reliable power.

Identify climate- and market-driven crop choices for hydroponics by researching seasonal variations and system types to optimize yields, with examples like basil, spinach, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Monitor electrical conductivity to manage nutrient strength in hydroponics, adjusting water or nutrients to maintain target EC. Calibrate meters regularly and group plants by feeder category for best results.

Understand pH, the acidity or alkalinity scale from 0 to 14, and why hydroponics favors about 6 to 6.5. High or low pH reduces availability of essential nutrients.

Mix hydroponic nutrients with Part A and Part B (calcium nitrate), dissolve, dose into the main tank, and monitor nutrient availability and electrical conductivity to understand antagonistic relationships.

Boost root health by managing dissolved oxygen in hydroponic solutions, targeting nine milligrams per liter. Monitor temperature at 21 degrees Celsius and employ air pumps, air stones, electrolysis, and ozone.

Identify nutrient deficiency symptoms with charts, adjust nutrient strength carefully to avoid over fertilisation, and maintain solution pH around 6.5 while using charts daily to diagnose and fix crop issues.

Growth hormones regulate plant responses to light and gravity; auxins elongate cells, enabling phototropism, while cytokinins drive cell division, and stimulants boost early root and shoot development.

Maintain a clean hydroponics system to protect human and plant health by preventing disease and pathogens. Implement legally compliant, industry-specific disinfectants and a clear cleaning schedule.

Explore pest management by identifying types of pests, from spider mites and thrips to aphids, whiteflies, fungus gnats, and leaf miners, and learn detection and prevention tips.

Eradicate pests using sticky traps and cards to identify problems early. Manage environments indoors, in greenhouses, and outdoors, and apply biological or organic methods with careful pesticide timing.

Identify and manage common greenhouse pathogens, including rust, powdery mildew, gray mold, and leaf spots, using cultural practices, preventative fungicides, and targeted removal of infected plants.

Develops essential disease prevention and control in hydroponic greenhouses through sanitation culture, entry foot baths, coats, gloves, beard nets, tool sanitation, and in-house seed propagation to minimize outbreaks.