Hydroponics (mini tubers) Mini tubers cultivated on aquatic culture, also known as hydroponics, provides more guidance to the development of the plant. This allows the hydroponics to be grown exactly as desired in contrast to growing mini tubers in the open air. Years of experience in the field of hydroponics have taught us a lot about the efficiency in cultivation. Besides hydroponics we also have experience with airoponics, a system comparable to hydroponics. Hydroponics cultivation consists of a number of steps.
Output Material Hydroponics are grown from an in vitro plant. You can buy this plant directly from your supplier or you can produce it yourself in a lab. Cultivation table The small in vitro plants should be grown on a growing table in a conditioned environment.
Greenhouse Traditionally, hydroponics is grown in greenhouses. The greenhouse must be equipped with insect netting and access sluices between different compartments in the greenhouse. Climate control The climate is crucial for the cultivation of hydroponics. The humidity and temperature in the greenhouse must be kept optimal to guarantee maximum production. The climate is controlled by the control equipment built into the pump unit.
Cultivation gutters After the in vitro plants have been grown, they can enter the gutters where they will be grown further. The gutters can be hung in sets of two gutters. During the harvest of the mini tubers, the sets can be lifted alternately so that the other gutters that are still hanging at work level can easily be approached, which facilitates the harvest without giving up space.

Water Treatment

Growing in gutters on water culture requires attention for nutrients because the plants extract all nutrients from the water. The amount of daylight at the location determines how many cultivation rounds are possible per year, in the Netherlands these are often 2 cultivation rounds. Because the greenhouse is often divided into different production sets, nutrient control is important to get the right amount and types of nutrients with the right production set. The process starts at the pump unit where the nutrients are mixed with water so that the water gets the correct pH value. The nutritious water is then pumped through the gutters during the hours that the plants assimilate. All the water is collected at the end of the gutter so that no drop of the nutrient water ends up in the soil but is reused by adding new nutrients. The nutrient recipe changes several times during the cultivation round to achieve optimal growth. The daily refilling of the production sets is done fully automatically by the Netafim computer on the pump unit. This computer can be accessed remotely through the internet on your smartphone, tablet or PC.

Storage

Conditioned storage to store material for the next season can be made part of a hydroponics project.

Training and cultivation guidance

Growing hydroponics requires some knowledge. With 10 years of experience in hydroponics we can give you important advice for both cultivation and technique. Before starting with the hydroponics, a training day is a must. During this day, matters are handled that are crucial for a good control before the cultivation begins. After this day you can decide whether you want more or less guidance. Cultivation guidance is a valuable tool to stay informed of the developments in the crop.