Reflections on hydroponics (Gracia Lee 2-1)

When we started on the hydroponics kits given during class, it was very difficult to set it up. That is because we had to fill up the entire styrofoam box with 9 litres of water mixed with a certain amount of nutrient that must be measured carefully. This is to allow the seeds to germinate and for the plant to grow properly. After that, the japanese cucumber, kangkong, pinach and chilli seeds are planted in tiny pots and left alone at the school's shed to grow. The seeds germinated in about 5 days time and no maintenance was needed. For example, we did not to replenish the amount of nutrients or water in the box and only needed to visit it once a week to check how well it's growing. The first crop ready to harvested was the kangkong, followed by the spinach then the japanese cucumber. However, the chilli padi did not really grow at all. Its seeds germinated many weeks after the germination of the other kinds of seeds but there was no progress. The kangkong and spinach grew easily and could be harvested fast because it was not like the cucumber that needed a bloomed flower to develop into the vegetable itself. The box used also did not take up much space in the shed and many other groups could also place theirs there. To save more space and to look neater, I felt that we could make use of a shelve to put the boxes though it might be hard to check on the plants later on. However, this can be done, as it requires very little maintenance such as not needing to water the plant or fertilising it manually. From growing the hydroponics, I learnt that it is a fast and good way to grow vegetables in Singapore since we do not have much land available here. Also, hydroponics is a form of high-tech farming. This, it is better than the traditional way of farming and requires little maintenance. The crops are grwon fast and saves space. Therefore, I feel that growing hydroponics in Singapore is a good idea and should be implemented further in other countries and seen more often in Singapore. Overall, I enjoyed the hydroponics-growing project, foung it interesting and lernt many useful pointers from it.