Comments on Group Blog Posts about Hydroponics thingys (:
Comments on blog post by (http://geographytheearth.blogspot.com/) (Gracia, Tabitha, Kimberly, evangel) :My group's chilli padi also germinated slowly and not all the seeds grew into plants. even so, it took an extremely long time to grow. after waiting for so long, there was still no fruit. we thought maybe it was because there was something wrong with the seeds, like they were infertile or something.
As for the cucumber seeds, all of our seeds also germinated. in fact, if i compare our cucumber plant to those from the other groups as i've observed, ours grew the biggest and the longest, and at one point had 20 over flowers. i know right. but unfortunately, no cucumber.
similarly to gracia's group's spinach, we harvested them after a month and they seemed pretty healthy and strong.
our kang kong seeds also germinated quickly but after a while, the growing process slowed down a little bit. we aren't sure why though, as other groups' kang kong seemed to have grown quite well.
i think all of our groups agree that through this experience of growing hydroponics plants, we learnt that it is acvtually very simple and efficient to farm using technology.
however, in Gracia's group blog post, they wrote that "it grew fast, without maintenance". i somewhat disagree with the second part. yes, our plant did grow fast but it did require a substantial amount of attention. for example, i had to follow the instructions given on the paper to make a pesticide for the plants. at one point, my group's plants were infested but i used the pesticide so the ants went marching away. i occasionally had to top up the water in the box as well. the roots were very fibrous and long. they probably absorbed lots of water.
i have also learnt that such growth of crops can be used in Singapore as well. this type of farming is fast and simple, though the price of farm chemicals, machinery, research and development is rather high, output per unit area is high and thus i guess the money is put to good use.
Comments on blog post by (http://geography-matter.blogspot.com/) (Kimberley Lim, Jiayu, Nicole)Unlike Nicole's group's plants, my group's plants grew faster and germinated more quickly. i'm not sure why, but maybe they did something wrong? or we did something wrong to improve the rate of growth. like they put there, after a week, only some of the seeds had germinated. however, for our plants, at least 2 of each type of seed had germinated. I think that the group people should have paid more attention to their plants and regularly check up on them to make sure that they have sufficient water and nutrients and that there are no pests.
I feel that to help the plants to regain strength to stand up again on their own, maybe that could have stuck some chopsticks into the soil so that the plants can rest against it. this would also help the flowing of liquids and food substances in the plant, therefore it will grow faster and better.
Adding more nutrients into the solution might not be the answer to helping the growth of the plants. Adding more nutrients into the plant may cause the water concentration in the solution to be too low. this will lead to the plant being flaccid and flimsy. the plant will therefore be more prone to wilting and dehydration.
I agree with the statement about hydroponics kit being environmentally friendly. they can be used over and over and overwithout having to dispose any rubbish that may impose as a threat to the wellness of the world. and global warming.
I also agree that attaining the right proportions for the solution is tough as the amounts that are re-added into the box are irregular and inconsistent. maybe a way to simplify matters is to consistently and regularly top up, say about 100ml of water each time and follow the right ratios. However, I disagree with the statement when they say that aeroponics is better than hydroponics. i don't think that hydroponics is better either. i feel that they are both of equal efficient and cost. aeroponics will require labour to harvest the plants from a height, however, as for hydroponics, everything is at a comfortable level to pluck. (:
I think that high tech farming might just be the solution for the world to overcome this great obstacle of food shortage. And it might also be the answer to Singapore's quest to be more independent in the production of food.
Individual Post on Farms (Samantha Samuel 2-1 ACE Geography)
Aeroponics Farm: 
Tropical Aeroponics Pte Ltd is a farming company that grows plants and cultivates vegetation based on aeroponics method. Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or geoponics (soil or earth). This helps to prevent spread of bacteria through soil.The aeroponic plants are grown by placing the pots of the plant in the cover of a styrofoam box. The styrofoam box is then filled with water and the seeds are placed in the pots. The objects (i can't remember what the objects are called) in the pot will absorb the water below them and thus the seeds will start to germinate. Once the plant has become almost fully grown, the roots on the underside of the plant will appear to be like this:
Features of the Aeroponics Farm:
There is a production and packaging area which vegetables are packed into boxes. An example of this vegetable is the butterhead lettuce. These vegetables are usually harvested on the morning itself and then brought to the packaging area for packing and branding. Two of the brands are "Green Rose" and "Sheng Sio". "Green Rose is the well known for their quality organic vegetables.
In the Aeroponics Farm, there are 25 green houses, all of which are sheltered to prevent birds and pests from entering. Out of all 25 greenhouses, only 4 are open to visitors to view. The other 21 greenhouses require sterilisation of the body before entering. This is so as to achieve maximum hygiene for hygienic farming techniques.
In addition, the Aeroponics Farm also has a germination room. This germination room is kept cool, at about 2 degrees celsuis to 3 degrees celcius. The room is also kept completely dark as seeds germinate better in the dark. Although it is said that seeds germinate better in warmth, aeroponics plants germinate better in cold temperatures. This is because normal plants that grow in soil need warm soil to grow well. Aeroponic grown plants do not use soil to grow, thus they grow well in the cold.
Another feature in the Aeroponics Farm is the well. This well is about 3 metres deep. Its water is changed every 2 to 3 days to prevent bacteria or moss from building up as these things affect the growth of the plants. The well contains vitamins, nutrients and organic minerals. Inside the well, there is a nutrients stick to monitor the nutrients. There is a pump that distributes these liquids to the water beds, through sprinklers. The sprinkles will then spray, every 30 seconds, at the suspended roots of the plants. (Below is a picture of the well)
Bollywood Veggies Farm Bollywood Veggies Farm is place with a great diversity of plants with different uses grown in it. Examples of the plants are ke dong dong, sword bean, mimosa, drumstick tree (moringa leaf comes from it), hibiscus, banana, starfruit, roselle, neem, indian borage and all spice.
These plants each have their uses and these are the uses of some of the plants:
hibiscus: its oil can serve as cosmetics, shoe polish, hair conditioner.
banana: parts can be used. leaf can be used as plates in indian restaurants. banana flowers point downwards. banana flowers that point upwards are poisonous. if they don't point upwards, they are not poinsonous.
starfruit: place a small piece of starfruit on a bleeding wound to stop the bleeding.
roselle: the plant that makes our Ribena.
neem: used to brush teeth in the past, "nature's tooth brush".
indian borage: also known as asian oregano, good for sore throat and cough.
all spice leaves: full of flavour and are better for seasoning dishes instead of adding condiments such as salt and pepper.
Pros and Cons of High Technology Farming
Pros of High Tech Farming:
1. Less space is used: High-tech farming such as aeroponics requires less space because the can be stacked on top of one another. This way, less space is used for the growth of more crops.
2. Less time consuming: The growing process of high tech crops is much faster than that of regular farming.
3. More produce: High tech farming has high production rate due to advanced technology. Chemicals and growinf agents might be added to the water given to the plants. This increases economic growth. (Trade and business)
4. Less manpower required: Less work, more efficiency. High tech farming does not require a lot of work to harvest the produce.
Cons of High Tech Farming:
1. Cost: High tech farming is expensive and requires large sums of money to set up. there are facilities, theories and other scientific work to pay for to have a successful and original high tech farm. Maintainence cost is also high.
2. Unsafe: High tech farming requires the use of chemicals, nutrients and fertilisers that are not natural. Some of these chemicals are used for pesticides and some are used as growth agents for the plant.
3. Lack of Support: It may be tough getting workers to work for a high tech farm due to rising costs of food.
Reflections/Thoughts
The two farms we have visited in total are two complete different sides of the story. One is high tech and advanced while another is laid back and traditional. The two farms have different goals and motives when working. The high tech farm, on one hand, is focusing on using chemicals and making use of today's technology to produce
more and provide more to feed and meet the high demands for food and satisfy the customers. On the other hand, the traditional farming method of Bollywood Veggies is focusing more on taking advantage of nature and its gifts to produce
better food, though it might be lesser. Bollywood Veggies is also not attempting to meet the high demands for food, but only the demands for good tasting food.
We can therefore conclude that one farm focuses on
quantity, the other on
quality. It is difficult to compare if quality or quantity is more worth it at this point. But due to the high demands for high quantities of food, quantity matters more.
However, I believe that both types of farming are needed for food supplies. Although the traditional farming method does not produce as much as the high tech farm does, it is still important that we have both types of farming methods to supply Singapore with food. We cannot only depend on one source of food. There must be a backup and reserve plan.
Singapore also cannot be depending on other countries for food supply perpetually, which is where high tech farming and organic farming comes into place. High tech farming has plenty of advantages over organic farming.
For example, high tech farming requires less space and can be stacked on top of each other and still grow as per normal. Organic farming requires large amount of land area. In Singapore, our population is increasing rapidly and there might not be enough land area for organic farming. High tech farming, most probably aeroponics, might just be the very answer to solve the high demands for food. Everything has flaws and so does the method of high tech farming.
Although high tech farming seems like the answer, we have to look ahead into how we can afford the high costs of high tech farming. to build the shelves for storage of plants in high tech farming can cost hundreds of thousands, and imagine if we were to add in maintainence cost? it would incur to about over a million per year. it is a costly price to pay, literally.
In conclusion, i feel that high tech farming so far, is one of the best methods that has been invented to overcome this huge challenge of food shortage, despite all the flaws. i support high tech farming and i think that instead of being particular about the food we eat, we should just be contented with what is placed under our noses and not complain. This way, we can all play a part to reduce food shortage.
Our Hydroponic PlantWe were assigned 4 pots of hydroponic plants (japanese cucumber, chilli padi, kang kong, bayam) and expected to grow them. My group's plant was grown in my garden. As observed, the growth of the plant was interesting. At seedling stage, the growth was extremely slow, especially the chilli padi. The chilli padi only started sprouting on the 6th or 7th day. However shoots could be observed. Growing these plants required a lot of patience and determination because the plants did not grow very fast at first. We also had to take pictures of these plants every few days to keep track of their growth. After the plants had become more or less mature and fully grown, their roots became extremely long and thick. This increased the rate of absorption of water from the roots by more than two times. We had to top up the water in the water beds below every 2 days because they were empty by then. Overall, i think it was a great experience. (:
Samantha Samuel (2-1)
Group Members: Pae En Qi (29), Samantha Lye (33), Samantha Samuel (32) [Sec 2.1]
GROWTH OF THE BAYAM:
BAYAM DAY 4 :Seedlings have grown after four days!
BAYAM DAY 7:seedlings has grown more. More leaves and shoots has appeared after the adding of more nutrients.
BAYAM DAY 12:The plant looks bigger and has more leaves
BAYAM DAY 22:The bayam is at the intermediate stage of its growth. There are more leaves and the plant is taller and is almost reaching adulthood.
BAYAM DAY 23-55:
Not many HUGE changes..
BAYAM DAY 56:
GROWTH OF THE CHILLI PLANT
CHILLI PLANT DAY 5
No seedlings are observed
CHILLI PLANT DAY 9:First seedlings are observed.
CHILLI PLANT DAY 12: More seedlings are observed. Growth is slow.
CHILLI PLANT DAY 22:Chilli plant has grown more leaves and is in the early stages of growth.
GROWTH OF THE JAPANESE CUCUMBER:
DAY 4:Shoots and roots have grown
DAY 6:all of the cucumber plants have grown out of the shoot leaves
DAY 9:The plants grew taller :D
DAY 19:The plants have started to grow upwards.
DAY 40:The plants has made tremendous growth and there are flowers that have bloomed.
GROWTH OF THE KANG KONG:
DAY 2:
Although very little change can be observed from this picture, some shoots have already appeared.
DAY 6:The shoots have grown taller. Seed leaves can be seen.
DAY 12:Leaves have appeared. The plant has grown taller!
DAY 22:The plant is quite tall. It is almost reaching adulthood. The leaves are longer and the kang kong is growing quite fast.
SUMMARY OF GROWTH OF PLANTS:
Comparing all the plants, we can conclude that chilli padi plant grew the slowest and the japanese cucumber plant grew the fastest. Overcrowding occured in the hydroponics box due to the rapid growth of the cucumber plant. This perhaps led to the uneven growth of the other plants. Due to the cucumber plant being a climber, a chopstick was stuck into the pot to provide support for the plant. We learned that perseverance and discipline was key in the growing of the plant. We had to persevere to let the plant stay strong and healthy. Discipline was needed to take consistent photos of our plant.
PROS AND CONS OF HIGH TECH FARMING
Pros:
-Able to provide more food in littler land space
-speeds up the growth of plants
-increase of profits and trade
-improves health state of herd
-fruitfulness is increased
Cons:
-requires a lot of man power
-equipment and processing high0tech farming is expensive and tedious
-requires a lot of chemicals and pesticides which are dangerous
-increases chances of getting cancer and alzimers
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ Commentsssss.
I already commented on the blog posts on the blogs but i'll just put it here too, in case.
Samantha Lye's blog post (about Thailand) (geography-matter.blogspot.com)My comment:The population of Vancouver (the city i researched on) is much smaller than the population of Thailand. Thailand's population is 67 million, while Vancouver's population is only 2 million.
Nothing interesting about it.. :p
The population pyramid shape is beehive.
There are too few children to replace the elderly in Thailand. This shows that there is low birth rate and high death rate. If this pattern continues, Thailand will
suffer the consequences of negative population growth. (there will not be enough children to replace the elderly people).
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Pae Enqi's blog post (about Tokyo) (geographeee-enqi.blogspot.com)My comment:My blogpost is about Vancouver :D The population density of Tokyo is much larger than the population density of Vancouver.
The population of Tokyo is much larger than the population of Vancouver. The population of
Vancouver has a population of about 2.3 million while Tokyo has a population of about 33 million. Vancouver is a small town as compared to Tokyo, but the population growth rate in Tokyo is about the same as Vancouver. (both quite high)
I found that Tokyo and Singapore are somewhat alike because they both have many high rise buildings, except that Tokyo has a much, much larger population.
The shape of the population pyramid is a beehive.
Since there is a shortage of young workers, the country will need more workers probably from the older age groups. This may pose as a problem because older people are not as physically active as young people, and as this age group of older people age even more, they will eventually have too many vacant jobs that no one wants to take up.
BAYAM DAY 4 :
BAYAM DAY 7:seedlings has grown more. More leaves and shoots has appeared after the adding of more nutrients.
BAYAM DAY 12:
CHILLI PLANT DAY 9:
DAY 4:
DAY 6:
DAY 9:
DAY 19:
DAY 40:
DAY 2:
DAY 6:
DAY 12:
DAY 22:
