(designed to meet all your farm, garden & aquarium needs)
Our site is your site - should you have any suggestions for improvements, please click SUGGESTIONS
HPCHydroponics Division
Our
Hydroponics
Division
handles projects based on clear concepts and ideas and promotes the soilless
culture method of growing plants:
HydroponicsSection- sources
the best and quality equipment and materials for hydroponics from around
the world
Organics Section- sources
the best and quality equipment and materials for organic farming from
around the world
Aquaponics Section- sources
the best and quality equipment and materials for aquaponics from around
the world
Designs Section- designs and proposes hydroponic systems most suitable for the customers,
follows up with meetingand finalizes the best design to the satisfaction
of the customer
Constructions Section- executes
the construction of the hydroponic system based on the design approved by
the customer
Training Section- trains
the customer's technicians on the finer points of operating the .
hydroponic system
Maintenance Section- handles
the routine maintenance of the hydroponic systems, supplies,
trouble-shooting and after sales service
Greenhouse Section - sources
the best and quality equipment and materials for greenhouses . from around
the world
HPCResearch & Development Division
Our R&D Divisionconcentrates on developing new products for use in home gardens, roof gardens, small and big landscaping projects, hydroponics, organics, aquaponics and other horticulture and landscape management works.
More information will be posted at a later date
HPCConferences & Exhibitions Division
Our Conferences & Exhibitions Division organizes the Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition on Soilless Culture every two years. This division also focuses on the educational aspect of soilless culture like publication, sourcing and distribution of newsletters, magazines, books, videos, CDs, etc.
The First Asia-Pacific Conference & Exhibition on Soilless Culture was held in Singapore from 29-31 May 2001. It was a big success - 130 people from 31 countries participated. Below are some snap shots of the event:
Conference Stage Paper Presentation Attentive Audience
The Second Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition on Soilless Culture has been upgraded as the "International Conference and Exhibition on Soilless Culture - ICESC2005"
Because of its international status, the event has been postponed to 1-4 September 2005.
The exhibition has been re-named as "Hydroponics + Organics International 2005"
Our newest division, the HYDROPONICS FOUNDATION - a virtual encyclopedia on hydroponics - will be launched, soon. It will give you all the information that you might need or dream on using hydroponics in your home gardens, roof gardens, small and big landscaping projects, hydroponics, organics and aquaponics, at the click of a button.
So keep an eye on this exciting page!
HPCConsulting Division
Our on-line Consulting Divisionoffers consulting services absolutely free. Simply click asknlearn@singaporehydroponics.com type in your questions and e-mail it to us. We shall answer your questions as soon as possible.
This page will open up with a set of FAQ's - the frequently asked questions. It will develop and expand in due course.
At HPC, we do not simply sell things - we help you grow your plants to your fullest satisfaction.
(Compiled below are the answers to the most often asked questions about Soilless Culture)
1.What is
Soilless Planting?
Soilless
Culture or Soilless Planting is a method of growing plants using clean water or
clean organic matter with or without plant nutrients:
*
When clean water and plant nutrients / fertilizers are used, it is called
hydroponic farming or simply 'hydroponics'
*
When clean organic matter like peat, composted manure / organic wastes, organic
extracts, etc. are used, it is called organic farming or simply 'organics'
2. What
exactly is hydroponics?
Hydroponic
technology refers to the application of various technologies to boost crop
productivity
to satisfy the food and other plant needs of the ever-increasing world
population.
The basic principle is to make available all the nutrients needed by the plants
in
an efficient way so that they can grow better and yield better.
What
started off a nutrition experiment in the sixteenth century developed into
hydroponic
farming
in the forties and this has, ever since, gained popularity as a high-technology
farming
method slowly and steadily around the world.
In
fact, hydroponics is just a plant growing technology - understanding and
applying the
natural
plant growth phenomena. We can grow all kinds of plants by hydroponics
-
vegetables, flowers, fruits, etc. any where we like and any way we like.
3. How is hydroponics
different from organics?
In
organics, the nutrient availability depends on the organic nutrient
source, the
environment
and the microbial population that is necessary to convert the organic nutrients
to
inorganic forms. In hydroponics, the nutrients are made available
directly in the
inorganic
forms.
What
ever is said and done, plants can absorb their nutrients only in inorganic
ionic
forms.
The growth and yield performance of a plant depends not only on how much
nutrients
is available in the root zone but also on the root and shoot environment.
Organic
farming is as good as hydroponic farming albeit low and slow productivity.
4.
Could you give that answer in simple language?
Everybody
knows that the whole world is surviving by tolerating, accommodating and
assisting
the fellow creations on the earth - sometimes knowingly and most times
unknowingly.
The whole life in this planet is made up of the plant kingdom, the animal
kingdom
and the intermediate microbial facilitators. The members of these kingdoms
have
their own primary, secondary and tertiary food sources but each group is
generously,
if not graciously, helped by members of the other groups.
Plants
mine their own nutrients from the soil through their root system. We call
these
nutrients
as fertilizer nutrients when they are aided by man and as organic nutrients
when
they
are aided by microbes. The former is hydroponics
and the latter is organics.
Through
not precise, we can liken allopathic medicine to hydroponics and
ayurvedic &
homeopathic
medicine to organics.
5. What is
“aeroponics”?
In
hydroponics, there are TEN different methods of feeding a plant, like the
static method,
flow
method, drip method, spray method, etc. If a hydroponic system is designed to
supply
the
nutrients by the spray method, then that hydroponic system is called “aeroponics”.
So,
aeroponics is nothing but spray hydroponics.
6. Could
you tell us more about the “chemical controversy” associated with hydroponics?
The
air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and all things that we use
everyday
are
made of chemicals - either organic chemicals or inorganic chemicals. They are
ecologically
balanced to keep the earth and the earthlings in a healthy state.
Most
of the fertilizer nutrients used in growing plants are mined from the soil,
hence called
mine-ral
nutrients. Sometimes, they are purified to remove the impurities and sold as
fertilizers.
This is like obtaining free-flowing table salt powder from sea water or from
rock
deposits.
Nobody has ever complained that table salt is a chemical and that the saline
drips
the
hospitals give to the patients, is a chemical. In fact, most medicines are
inorganic
chemicals
and they are more specific in their actions and reactions.
These
nutrient chemicals have been tested world over and have been certified as not
only
natural
but also safe. Fertilizer nutrients and organic nutrients can be likened to
formulated
milk
powder and mother’s milk. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
“Chemicals
that become controversial are those pesticide chemicals”
synthesized in the
laboratories
to kill the pests. The use of almost all the synthetic chemicals and some toxic
natural
chemicals have been restricted and their use is monitored by the government’s
environment
and health departments.
7.
Some of the hydroponically grown vegetables look pale and tastes watery. How do
you
compare this with the soil grown or organically grown vegetables?
The
colour of the vegetables is mainly due to the availability of sunlight during
the growing
phase.
The colour and taste of the vegetables also largely depend on the genetic make
up of
the plant.
Different varieties have different colour and taste. There is practically no
difference
in taste between the same variety of vegetable grown by different
methods. The
feeling
is more psychological than factual.
8. Is hydroponics
a commercially viable technology?
Certainly,
hydroponics is a “green and viable technology” that makes use of the natural
plant
growth
phenomena in obtaining better results from plants. It is a very viable
commercial
technology.
It is being practiced successfully in many countries. Like any other business,
the
success
depends on the management team.
Most
airlines and fast-food chains use hydroponically grown vegetables. The
cut-flower
industry,
nursery and pharmaceutical industries are other sectors where hydroponics is
