Developed by UPLB-IPB researchers Primitivo Jose Santos and Eureka Teresa Ocampo, the new technology is a simple method of "soil-less" growing of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, succhini, watermelon, melon, sweet pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, and celery.
It is appropriate in urban areas where soil or space for growing crops is not adequate. It can be done in apartments and townhouse where small terraces can be used for growing plants.
"Residents in these types of houses can grow crops for their own consumption," said Santos and Ocampo, as reported by PCARRD’s Adoracion Armada.
Snap hydroponics for crop production requires covered containers or pots that can centain two liters of water, snap fertilizer, and seeds of heat-tolerant vegetables.
The four basic producers in adopting this technology are preparation of containers for growing solution, preparation of glasses with seedlings, miring of growing solution, and growing of seedlings.
Adopting snap hydroponics for commercial production of lettuce in a 200-square-meter area requires an initial investment of P66,925 and an annual production cost of P65,555.83.
The investment cost can be recovered in less than two years. –Rudy A. Fernandez