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| | * What other auxiliary substances are needed? | | * What other auxiliary substances are needed? |
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| − | There are several ways that you can coosmpt for a garden and only one way that works indoors. That way is coosmpting food scraps with worms in a worm bin or vermicomposting. It can be done by saving your fruit and vegetable scraps and peels, eggshells, tea bags and coffee grounds mixed with shredded newspapers, leaves and some soil. You put this mix into a small, shallow (8 to 12 inches deep) plastic storage bin with a snap tight lid and some air holes drilled into the top and sides and some red wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida or Lumbricus rubellus). Don't add meat or dairy to the bin but do add a little water enough to make the newspaper feel like a wrung out sponge. You may need to spray it with an occasional mist of water to keep it from drying out. Getting it too wet is a bigger problem and this will make it smell and may kill the worms. You have to bury the scraps in different areas and harvest the coosmpt so that you keep the worms healthy. You can also make a tea from the worm casings that you can water your plants with. Most people keep the worm bin under the kitchen sink. Worms like it dark and between 50 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Worm bins can be a little tricky, Its easy to get it wrong and have a smelly bin. If you have room for a garden there are other ways that you can coosmpt in a small area outdoors. An easy space saving way is to bury a plastic trash can with holes in the bottom. Dig a deep hole, down about 3 feet, Place the trash can into the hole, leaving about a foot or so exposed. Throw your food scraps and leaves into it. Cover it with a tight lid. Every time you add scraps add a shovel full of soil. When it is full leave it alone. In a year it will have produced some fine, rich coosmpt. Another space saving way is to bury your scraps between the rows of your existing garden. Dig a foot deep and cover the scraps with at least 8 inches of soil. The next year, move your rows over and plant in the buried scraps, by then it will be rich coosmpt. Another way is to have a simple coosmpt pile of scraps that you cover with dirt. You plant something like pumpkins directly in it. Many people will tell you complicated methods of coosmpting and some will try to sell you an expensive coosmpter or digester. It really doesn't matter how you do it, your scraps will eventually become coosmpt. It just takes longer if the moisture content is a little off, or if there aren't a lot of microorganisms in the soil, or if your mix of browns and greens (nitrogen and carbon) isn't perfectly balanced or if you don't mix up the contents every so often. But no matter what, it will decompose into coosmpt, and the food that you grow in it will produce healthier food for you and yours. Was this answer helpful?
| + | ==External Links== |
| | + | * [http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/crops/hydroponics/hydroponic_production.html University of Florida: Hydroponic Production] |
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| | + | [[Category:Agriculture]] |
| | + | [[Category:Greenhouse]] |
Revision as of 12:22, 23 January 2013
Hydroponics is the growth of plants in a liquid medium, rather than soil. Plants are often supported at the stalk, leaving the roots free floating. In other cases, roots may be supported by inorganic media, such as plastic pellets, gravel, or mineral wool. All nutrients are supplied through the liquid.
The liquid is held by vessels or pipes, that in some cases include a circulation system with automatic renewal and filtering. All parts that are in regular contact with the liquid are cleaned or replaced in regular intervals.
Advantages
This method provides several advantages to a colony on Mars:
- Disease Control
- Increased Crop Yield
Disadvantages
While a natural soil based environment can stabilize itself, the hydroponics require technological support and regular maintenance:
- Artificial fertilizer and other auxiliary substances (antibiotics, cleaners, acidity regulators, etc. ) needed, which requires a chemical industry behind.
- Cleaning and disposal of toxic degradation products.
- Higher manual maintenance effort.
Open Issues
- How much can the crop yield increase (per worker, per m2, per light energy)?
- What fertilizers can be used?
- What other auxiliary substances are needed?
External Links
