Let It Grow Hydro

Gary Hagerty — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:49:38 +0000

I like buying lots of equipment from Let It Grow Hydro in South Wales.

Gardening For Schools – National Curriculum

Gary Hagerty — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:28:25 +0000

School gardening supports many government priorities like sustainability, healthy eating, food in schools and Eco and Green Flag schools. Helping cover all key stages of education.

Contact with the natural world can also be wonderfully nurturing for children, as they make connections with natural environment, learn about the cyclic nature of the seasons, and begin to find out more about where their food comes from. It is often the children who find it hard to engage in the classroom, who really come into their own and are able to shine in the physical activity of the outdoors.

Growing areas in your school can be created with as little as a hanging basket up to more extensive gardening areas. Growing areas offer students the benefit of practical hands on activities, helping to motivate and enhance their learning experience. Gardening has many positive benefits, particularly in increasing younger children’s likelihood of trying new fruit or vegetables that they have grown and all pupils’ understanding of healthy eating. Let It Grow Hydro supports the ethos of the government backed ‘Growing Schools’ & ‘Food in School’ initiatives’ by offering guidance to support schools setting up a successful growing areas and club and developing a positive linkwith the wider Let It Grow Hydro initiative.

Concern that young people have become distanced from nature has increased in recent years, with many not making the connection between the food they see in supermarkets and the land that produces it. This combined with a general lack of interest in food and what constitutes a healthy diet, means many pupils struggle to understand the interdependence between urban and rural environments, and the countryside with the wildlife and people it sustains. Let It Grow Hydro can address this issue by encouraging and supporting and inspiring all schools in the Borough (nursery, primary, secondary and special) to use the outdoor classroom, both within and beyond the school grounds, as a context for learning across the curriculum, weather using traditional methods or hydroponics.

Area of National Curriculum Examples of Gardening Based Activities

English Reading & writing seasonal stories and poems, Making a gardening scrap book, Producing a school garden newsletter.

Mathematics Counting seeds, plants, flowers per plant etc. Using fractions & percentages i.e. Number of seeds that germinate, Measuring plant heights Collecting rainfall measurements

Science Investigating what plants need in order to grow, Observing the life cycle of a plant, Watching and recording changes in the garden through the seasons. Creating habitats for wildlife and watching the results. Making weather observations through the seasons.

Geography Studying the water cycle, Making scale drawings and maps of the garden.

Information & Communication Technology Inputting data into the computer to produce graphs and charts. Investigating topics on the internet. Uploading gardening news onto the schools website.

PSHE & Citizenship Carry out sustainable activities i.e. rainwater collection, composting, recycliny. Develop community involvement in the gardening activity. Carry out activities in teams with individuals having specific roles.

Food Technology Harvesting food and learning how to cook it Discovering which foods can be eaten raw – peas from the pod etc.

Art & Design Making collages using natural materials. Taking inspiration from the outdoors for drawing & painting projects. Creating posters to publicise the garden for fundraising. Photographing the gardening year.

Physical Education Getting exercise in the great outdoors. Learning about fruit and vegetables and healthy eating.

History Study of plants and their uses historically for eating, medicine, making dyes etc. Studies of gardening through history, i.e. dig for victory campaign.

Area of National Curriculum	Examples of Gardening Based Activities
English	Reading & writing seasonal stories and poems, Making a gardening scrap book, Producing a school garden newsletter.
Mathematics	Counting seeds, plants, flowers per plant etc. Using fractions & percentages i.e. Number of seeds that germinate, Measuring plant heights Collecting rainfall measurements
Science	Investigating what plants need in order to grow, Observing the life cycle of a plant, Watching and recording changes in the garden through the seasons. Creating habitats for wildlife and watching the results. Making weather observations through the seasons.
Geography	Studying the water cycle, Making scale drawings and maps of the garden.
Information & Communication Technology	Inputting data into the computer to produce graphs and charts. Investigating topics on the internet. Uploading gardening news onto the schools website.
PSHE & Citizenship	Carry out sustainable activities i.e. rainwater collection, composting, recycliny. Develop community involvement in the gardening activity. Carry out activities in teams with individuals having specific roles.
Food Technology	Harvesting food and learning how to cook it Discovering which foods can be eaten raw – peas from the pod etc.
Art & Design	Making collages using natural materials. Taking inspiration from the outdoors for drawing & painting projects. Creating posters to publicise the garden for fundraising. Photographing the gardening year.
Physical Education	Getting exercise in the great outdoors. Learning about fruit and vegetables and healthy eating.
History	Study of plants and their uses historically for eating, medicine, making dyes etc. Studies of gardening through history, i.e. dig for victory campaign.

The New FishPlant Family Unit

Gary Hagerty — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:39:01 +0000

The FishPlant Family Unit is a great way to get started with aquaponics; large enough to provide a couple, or small family with plenty of fresh salad, and stocking up to 3.5kg of fish. Yet small enough to fit into a small garden, greenhouse or even indoors. Compact and easy to use, it is also ideal as a nursery system or a module in a larger setup. The low height of the system makes it very accessible and easy to use.

The package includes everything necessary to setup the system including the clay pebbles. Full build instructions and operation guide are included. Because of the compact design the fish tank and grow bed can be manoeuvred through normal doorways. The FishPlant units operate on a flood and drain system with an autosiphon which provides efficient, low maintenance operation.

Aerogarden Home Hydroponic Grow System

Huw Rowlands — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:38:39 +0000

The AeroGarden is so simple to use – just pop the growing pods into the appliance, plug it in, add the specified amount of water and nutrients, then just watch it grow. It’s fool proof as the microprocessor automatically adjusts nutrient delivery and water flow and even automatically turns the grow lights (supplied with kit) on and off.
The AeroGarden comes complete with or without a Starter Herb Kit. There is also a choice of nine seed kits and a kit that allows you to chose what type of plant you wish to grow.
This fully automated system has been designed for maximum efficiency, using less energy than a 60watt light bulb!
Imagine year round herbs and salads growing in your own home! with No weeds, pesticides or muddy hands!
Features: *A clever domestic growing kit based on Hydroponic principles. *Built-in Grow Lights allowing plant growth all year round. *Pre-seeded herb pods for fast seed germination. *A micro-processor to automatically adjust nutrient delivery, water flow and light cycles. *An indicator to remind you to add water and nutrients. *Can be left unattended for up to two weeks. *Full instructions.

Why Now May Be the Time To Look Into Hydroponics

Huw Rowlands — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:38:18 +0000

Let It Grow Hydro

There are a number of reasons why getting into Hydroponics might be a good idea. One is certainly the high cost of food, especially when it comes to fresh produce. In addition, you don’t always know where your food is being grown, nor the methods being used. You may never know if harmful pesticides or other contaminants are covering your tomatoes or your apples. Some people want to grow their own gardens, but simply don’t have the space to set up a normal garden, but homemade hydroponics, or hydroponics systems may be the answer.

One of the nice parts about getting into Hydroponics is that there are so many choices when it comes to the different systems and methods that are available. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out, a seasoned pro, or if you have a tight budget, you can get started with hydroponics gardening right away.

If you want to begin with hydroponics, there are several simple hydroponics equipment and hydroponics supplies that you will want to get going using this type of fascinating and helpful gardening practice.

Nevertheless, there are several various ways to garden hydroponically, they all center around the thought of plants getting grown with out soil. All plants demand light, water and food for survival and growth, so these problems should be given by the gardener included in the hydroponics supplies and hydroponics equipment that you will use. The roots of the plants might be suspended over a basin, possibly at intervals the roots are washed finished with a nutrient-rich water answer that drains out of the home. This is actually the ebb-and-flow technique of hydroponics, which is built to be popular with gardeners worldwide.

Deep water culture hydroponics is yet another technique used by hydroponic gardening. The roots of the vegetation is suspended in water which contains nutrients. Water is also oxygenated by way of a pump and air stones. The crown of the plant is held above water normally in the net, to ensure that only the roots dangle inside liquid. You will discover all this hydroponics equipment accessible in many sizes on the web.

AQUAPONICS – HOW IT WORKS!

Huw Rowlands — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:37:57 +0000

Let It Grow Hydro

Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant culture). In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water that results from raising fish provides a source of natural fertilizer for the growing plants. As the plants consume the nutrients, they help to purify the water that the fish live in. A natural microbial process keeps both the fish and plants healthy. This creates a sustainable ecosystem where both plants and fish can thrive. Aquaponics is the ideal answer to a fish farmers problem of disposing of nutrient rich water and a hydroponic growers need for nutrient rich water.

Hydroponics is growing plants in a solution of water and nutrients, without soil. The solution is created by adding the elements a plants needs to water, which is fed directly to the plant’s roots. In some hydroponic systems the roots are in a growing medium which keeps them moist, aerated and helps to support the plant. Hydroponics provides the plant with the ideal water and nutrient ratios and optimum conditions for growth.

In aquaculture, the water quickly becomes nutrient rich due to the fish digesting their food and excreting waste. The waste water is usually filtered and/or disposed of to keep the tank water free of toxic buildups.

Commercially, aquaponics is in its infancy but, as the technology develops and is refined, it has the potential to be a more efficient and space saving method of growing fish, vegetables and herbs. By incorporating aquaponics, hydroponic growers can eliminate the cost and labor involved in mixing a fertilizer solution and commercial aquaculturists may be able to drastically reduce the amount of filtration needed in recirculating fish culture. Although there is currently a limited number of commercial aquaponic operations, many people are expressing a strong interest in this intensive method of food production.

On a hobby scale, aquaponics is catching on quickly. A home aquarium, with ornamental or food fish, can be combined with a mini garden, growing herbs, vegetables or flowers. A hobby system can serve as a beautiful show piece or a food production system, depending on the size. Many backyard gardeners are setting up systems to grow hundreds of pounds of fish and all the fresh vegetables a family needs. so give us a call to set up your very own sustainable ecosystem.

Let It Grow Hydro

Let It Grow Hydro

Let It Grow Hydro

I like buying lots of equipment from Let It Grow Hydro in South Wales.

Gardening For Schools – National Curriculum

Let It Grow Hydro

The New FishPlant Family Unit

Let It Grow Hydro

Aerogarden Home Hydroponic Grow System

Let It Grow Hydro

The AeroGarden Hydroponic Growing System

Why Now May Be the Time To Look Into Hydroponics

Let It Grow Hydro

AQUAPONICS – HOW IT WORKS!

Let It Grow Hydro