This document provides an overview of hydroponics, which involves growing plants without soil by instead providing nutrients through water. Some key points covered include: - Hydroponics uses an inert medium like coco peat and provides nutrients to plants through water rather than soil. - It has benefits like efficient water and nutrient use, reduced labor costs, and higher yields. - Various methods exist like deep water culture, nutrient film technique, and ebb and flow systems. - Common crops grown include lettuce, tomatoes, berries and herbs. - Setting up hydroponics requires substrates, nutrient solutions, irrigation systems, and has initial infrastructure costs but long term savings.

1. Hydroponics
Overview Gouri Jadhav

2. Hydroponics - content
1.What is hydroponics ?
2.Why hydroponics?
3.Benefits of hydroponics
4.Myths and Reality
5.Crops, which can be grown in Hydroponics
6.Material needed for hydroponics
7.Different Methods: DWN, NFT, Aeroponics
etc.
8.Physical Set up
9.Costing of project

3. Hydroponics
• Hydroponics : Hydro = Water , Ponics = work
Hydroponics is growing plants in inert
medium like coco-peat, Perlite, vermiculite
and providing essential nutrients through
water i.e. Nutrient solution.
• Inert material means it does not provide
nutrition.
• Unlike soil which provide various nutrients to
plants.

4. Why hydroponics?
• Water scarcity at certain location.
• Labour availability problems or labour cost.
• Undulating land. Tillage not possible with
tractor/bullocks
• Soil is not cultivable (Barren Sodic soils-Kutchh).
• Automation of cultivation for efficiency.
• Cultivation on Roof top – terrace gardening or
urban farming.
• Recreation/hobby like Living wall.

5. Sloppy, uneven and rocky land

8. Benefits of Hydroponics
• Efficient use of water and fertilizer. Reduces
water consumption by around 80-90 %.
• Better and efficient control on macro and micro
nutrients application.
• Recycling of water is possible.
• Reduced labor cost on land preparation, compost
, fumigation and inter-culture – removing weeds.
• Better control on EC & PH.
• Efficient control on soil borne diseases like root
rot.
• Better quality, shelf life and Productivity.

9. Myths and reality
Myth - Hydroponics should be
done in polyhouse only.
Reality –
NO
It can be done in shade net / open
cultivation.
Myth-
It uses harmful chemicals.
Reality –
No
It uses pure water soluble
fertilizers.
Myth-
Only For Salads
Reality:
No It can use used for all vegetables

10. Crops grown
Crop Method
Cabbage family Grow Bags
berries Grow Bags
Cucumber/ Dodka / Karle
creepers Grow Bags
Chilly and capsicum family Grow Bags
Tomato and cherry tomato Grow Bags
Mutter / ghevda - bean family Grow Bags
Methi, pala etc – leafy family Trays
Flowers –Rose Pots / grow bags
Gerbera Pots / Grow Bags

14. Methods
SUB IRRIGATED : watering from bottom
1. DWC – Deep water culture
2. Wick Method
3. Aeroponics
4. Ebb and Flow
5. NFT – Nutrient film technique.
TOP IRRIGATED : watering
from top
Drip method

15. Material required
• Substrates.
• Nutrient solution.
• Drip irrigation/grow trays/NFT/grow
bags/pots.
• Mulching- Polythene mulching paper/ground
net.

16. Substrates.
• Substrates provide support to roots and holds
nutrients solution.
• Coco peat – Obtained from coconut husk.
• Vermiculite – Treated mineral
• Perlite –Treated mineral.
• Sand/pine bark etc.

17. Fertigation
• Water quality
– Water PH. management
– EC – Electrical conductivity. management
– EC of substrate. Management
 Nutrient solution
 Fertilizers: Macro and Micro Nutrient
 Use two separate tanks: Tank A and Tank B
 These tanks has the macro and micro nutrients
solution which is scientifically designed for its
right combination and proportion.

18. Set up design
Tank A and Tank B, has the macro and micro nutrients solution which is
scientifically designed for its right combination and proportion.
Water line
Drip lines
Grow bags
Nutrient
Solution Tanks

19. Costing
Infra structure cost
• Small grow bag 30-35 rs
• Long grow bag : 80-100 rs.
• 3 year life of each grow bag
• Drip irrigation : 15k – 55k per acre
Operation cost : Fertilizer cost 10000 to 30000
for 10 gunthe (40 k – 120k per acre / annum)
Savings : no Weeds, Reduced labour, no soil
born diseases/ pests, water 80-90% saving

20. Grow bags arrangement method
Single grow bag arrangement
big grow bag arrangement
2 bags row
big grow bag arrangement
1 bags row

21. Costing Example
• Data
– Crop Zucchini
– Plant to plat distance 3 feet
– Row to row distance 2 feet
– Walking path between rows 2 feet
• Calculation
– Since distance between plant is high use single grow bag
– 100 feet x 100 feet L x W = 10000 sq feet area
– In one row place 33 grow bags at distance of 3 feet centre to centre
– You can make 50 columns
– 33 x 50 = 1650 grow bags (small size)
– Price per grow bag 30, 1650 x 30 = 49500

22. Material Sources
• Ebay.in , flipkart: Seeds
• Seeds , Cocopit blocks, fertlizers
• Neutrients : A2Z chemicals Raju Shah 9890084001, Rajeev
Gandhi Chemicals Fadke haud chawk
• Sheti Udyog Bhandar Swargate : 020 24473615 ,
9370749049 /59
• Ovhal trading Market yard Ful bazzar Pune, namdeo Umaji
Market yard Ful bazzar Pune
• Coco Peat grow bags : Saswad Mr Ashok jamdade
9324439414
• Coco Peat grow bags : Indiamart.com: tamilnadu, kochi
suppliers for bulk requirement.

23. Opportunities
• B2b : Cost is not justified, Brake even post 5
years
• B2C :
– Own direct sales
– farm visits
– Branding of salads
– Home kits for urban farmers

24. Thanks
Gouri Jadhav : 7276464488
mail@Gouri.jadhav.com
Earth Alliance
77 580 111 74