Hydroponics

To be honest, this project did not involve much work. The only part which needed much attention was the planting. As this project was hydroponics, we did not need to water it daily, so we left it alone for it to grow. We did not check on it often, but luckily we received moderately good results. The kang kong and spinach could be harvested and the cucumber even produced flowers! Unfortunately, our chilli is still a small plant.

Tabitha Chiam

Bollywood farm

After our visit to the aeroponics farm, we made our way to our second destination: Bollywood farm. Before we set off on the tour, our guide told us to hydrate ourselves and to use the citronella leaves on the floor as mosquito repellent, which I thought was extremely cool! With that, we set off on the tour. We saw many plants like the mimosa tree, moringa(drumstick) tree - contains 4.5 times more calcium than milk, hibiscus - used for cosmetics and shoe polish, banana tree - leaves used to make plates with edible fruits, flowers and stem. Wild pepper can also be used as fritter and it has medicinal properties, the starfruit can be placed on the wound to stop bleeding. Fun fact about bananas: If they point down, they are inedible!( so cool!) All in all, the trip was enjoyable.

Tabitha Chiam

Aeroponics

In the beginning, we watched a video about aeroponics in order for us to gain more understanding about the project. Mr Lee Sing Kong, called the 'king of aeroponics', explained to us, in the video, about the process of growing plants using this unique method. According to what I have learnt, the root system is plays a crucial part. The roots are suspended in the air in order for it to receive plenty of oxygen. Water sprinklers produce mist which contain a lot of minerals for the plants to absorb. The water comes from a well which is 3m deep. This method enables the plants to grow faster, cutting short half the normal time for plants which grow in soil. It also saves 90% less water and is high in nutrients as they refrain from using chemicals. During the trip, we visited 4 (open) out of the 25 greenhouses. These greenhouses take up to 50+ hectares of space. The plants are also sheltered for protection against insects. Some examples of vegetables that are grown using aeroponics are: Kailan, Cai xin, basil and xiao bai cai. The farm also came up with a juice called lettucino. It consists of kiwi, lettuce and lime juice.

Tabitha Chiam