Business Times story on growing plants sans soil draws huge interest
Response leads to research couple conducting seminar for interested parties
The concept of hydroponics or growing plants or vegetables without soil but on special material was further propagated at a seminar in Colombo recently.
Dr. Susil Liyanarachchi, a researcher and his wife Ms. Janaki Saparamadu, a senior lecturer in Chemistry at the Open University, has developed this simplified method aimed at the urban population, students, youth and housewives. The method they developed is in collaboration with three universities - Colombo, Open and Peradeniya and also with the National Science Foundation.
The simplified Hydroponics method was profiled in the Business Times (BT) in its June 21 issue - 'Gardens of rich nutritious vegetables on soilless surroundings on your balcony' and according to Dr. Liyanarachchi it had attracted a considerable response, inquiring into the precise method of involving in simplified hydroponics.
Those who wanted to know more about the method were invited to a workshop at the National Science Foundaton Auditorium (NSF) conducted by Dr. Liyanarachchi and Ms. Saparamadu.
Other than soil alternatives, all the other material necessary for this new kind of growing were demonstrated and Dr. Liyanarachchi and Ms. Saparamadu, in minute detail showed how to do it.
Participants were shown rigiform boxes and how these should be covered with polythene to make them leak proof and how the quantities of water and the nutrients are added to the plants' growth. Absorption of precise quantities was ensured with a hole in the box to drip out the excess.
Dr. Liyanarachchi said that if this method is successfully picked up in urban areas where land space is scarce, landless people could grow their necessary requirements of vegetables in their back verandahs, outside or upstairs in open spaces.
Ms. Saparamadu said that she along with the university research team developed a nutrient solution which is very cheap that suits the local conditions. They prepare the nutrients themselves, packet them and seal them to ensure best quality.
As the growth is small, the pests and insects could be eliminated by disturbing them, but Dr Liyanarachchi said that in the urban surroundings there are a different kind of pests attack such as rats and lizards. He said that it is becoming a problem as some animals are now adapting to the urban conditions and they now have to find new solutions to the problems.
He said that when this method develops in small plots in small boxes with proportionately high yields it would attack the bigger problem of starvation, malnutrition and under-nutrition. Encouraged by the large response through the BT, he said that they would be accelerating their awareness campaigns and they would organise more and more demonstration sessions, preferably all over the country.