Agricultural Investments
The agricultural sector has been important for the nutrition of people throughout history. It is a very important sector in terms of meeting the food needs of people, ensuring the continuity of economic activities, import and export potential, creating employment areas.
As Arfas Agricultural Group, we play a leading role in the transition from Traditional Agriculture to Technological Agriculture, thanks to our Technology-oriented investments in Turkish Agriculture. We contribute to the food supply security of our country. We are working with our ultimate power in transitioning our country from the “Self-Sufficient Agriculture Country” model to the “Technological Agriculture Country of the Geography in which it is located”.
Activity Subjects
As Arfas Agricultural Group, we play a leading role in the transition from Traditional Agriculture to Technological Agriculture, thanks to our Technology-oriented investments in Turkish Agriculture.
Hydroponic Greenhouse Investments
Soilless agriculture or hydroponic agriculture is a form of agriculture that is practiced in stagnant water culture without soil. Plants use a nutrient solution that contains minerals that the plant needs instead of nutrients in the soil. Therefore, instead of looking for minerals in the whole soil, plants can easily get the nutrients directly and directly from the nutrient solution. Growing media such as coconut, rock wool or expanded clay aggregate are used and are likely to retain moisture around the roots. The growing medium itself is not a source of food.
In recent years, the importance of hydroponic agriculture has been understood in our country. The number of greenhouse areas created by this agricultural method is increasing gradually. In addition, hydroponic agriculture has been a frequently used method in Space research in recent years. Especially people who will live in permanent human colonies such as Mars and the Moon will grow vegetables and fruits with this agricultural method. Hydroponic agricultural method or products grown with this method have no negative side effects on human health.
What are the Advantages of Hydroponic Agriculture Against Soil Agriculture?
Plants grown in hydroponic systems have an optimum level of nutrients and moisture. Therefore, they grow faster and healthier. The absence of soil means the absence of weeds and pests and diseases from the soil. Another advantage is that the root systems are smaller in hydroponically grown plants, and this plant concentrates its growth energy on the growth of the plant more than the roots. Also, since the roots of hydroponic plants never mix, the pots need not be replaced. There is no need to fertilizer a hydroponically grown product and squeeze insecticide. Crops grown with hydroponic system have a longer shelf life than those grown in soil. Hydroponic cultivation is easy, suitable for the environment in terms of growing healthy plants.
It provides countless benefits, including: Plants grow 50% faster than in soil because they reach food and water more easily. It is possible to grow crops all year round in a closed place without sunlight or with artificial lighting. Foods are available in a direct reach of plants and do not belong to the growing environment. Very little insecticide is used or not used at all. Plants begin to grow in a disease-free environment. Smaller pots can be used, they can grow before the roots mix. It is possible to grow in places where gardening is not possible, for example, where the soil is poor, rocky areas, even balconies. It is possible to create a garden even in a room or garage that you do not use with the use of artificial light. Less labor is required than cultivation in the soil because there is no need to dig or weed. Greater control over excessive growth conditions facilitates the best possible environment for plants and leads to better quality crops and agricultural returns. Fast growing healthy plants grown with hydroponic methods are more resistant to pests and diseases. You will also notice the improvement and appearance of the flavors of hydroponically grown fruits and vegetables.
What kind of plants can we grow with hydroponic agriculture?
All plants with herbaceous stems. Plants with woody stems make it difficult to grow with hydroponic agriculture, as they are multi-year plants and cover a lot of space. Some vegetables and fruits that you can easily grow are as follows; vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, green onions, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, peas, beans, spinach, lettuce, arugula, parsley, hot pepper, bell pepper and broccoli, eg corn, wheat, sugar beet, tea and cotton industrial crops, fruits such as watermelon, melon and strawberry. You can also grow all kinds of medicinal plants, flowers and houseplants in your hydroponic garden.
Are Plants Grown with Hydroponic System Organic?
Definitely yes. Although it has been said that the two breeding methods are incompatible, they have a common denominator. Hydroponic cultivation depends on the nutrients that need to be found 100% instantly. If the seed used is nutrient organic, the product will be organic. There are many hydroponic nutrients on the market made of organic ingredients, and as science advances, even more organic options are being released.
What are the Flavors of Plants Grown with Hydroponic System?
Do not be surprised if the vegetables grown with the hydroponic system are more delicious than the vegetables grown in the soil in your garden. Because hydroponically grown plants get everything they need when they need it and without stress, and they grow healthier than their organic relatives. Keep in mind that important micronutrients are usually stored in the soil and your plants cannot take full advantage of them. That’s why hydroponics are so perfect. You have complete control over the variety and quantity of minerals that meet your plants’ nutritional needs. This advantage allows you to grow fruit and vegetables, which are generally superior to organic crops in terms of taste, color, size and even nutritional value. You will get even more than the best you have ever had ..!
How to Install Hydroponic System? What is Required?
First you need to decide where to install the system in the house. The place where you will install the system can be a garden, balcony, basement, terrace or a closed room. However, in all of these, you will need a different system and equipment. For example, you do not need artificial lighting according to the plant you will grow in the system you will install on the terrace, but as in greenhouses, you may have to cover it with glass to keep the temperature constant. However, when you put the system in a basement or closed room that does not receive light, you can also grow crops with artificial lighting. It is important to decide how the system will be as much as where you will install the system. Generally, there are two types of hydroponic systems in the market. The first is tubular hydroponics (also known as fluid hydroponics), the second is container-type hydroponics (also known as drip-shaped irrigation hydroponics). The tubular hydroponic system is much more useful. You can feed it to more plants, but it costs a little more. For this reason, I will describe the installation of a container type hydroponic system which is much simpler in this article.
Before proceeding with the installation of the container-type hydroponic system, I would like to briefly mention the working principle of this system. As is known, plants live in their natural life depending on the soil. It continues when the seed develops under the ground, sprouts and rises above the soil. Plants get all the nutrients it needs, minerals and water from the soil. In the hydroponic system, a plant without soil receives the nutrients and minerals it needs from water in solution. We can start by putting a certain amount of ready-made plant food into a little water in a container. This water is transferred to the growing medium in the upper part of the container where the plants are located with a water pump and a thin water hose. Thus, the plant will take all the nutrients it needs from this solution of nutrient water. However, there are a few important details to be considered in the system. It is very important that the pH of the water, the temperature and the water is not exposed to light. We will address these issues again in the future. Now let’s tell you how to install a container-type hydroponic system where we can grow a simple 6 plants. First of all, we need the following materials for the system.
1- Dark colored, covered Water Pool (This may even be a closed plastic laundry basket.)
2- Water pump (Special water pumps designed for Hydroponic Systems are sold)
3- Air Pump (A simple aquarium air pump will do your job)
4- A black hose, suitable for the nutrient water pumped by the water pump. A 2 meter long hose will do our job.
5- A hose multiplexer to multiply nutrient water from the pump. It is sufficient that it has one input and six outputs. However, this multiplexer should be the same size as the hose you will use. There are plenty of them on the market. If you can’t find them, you can get them done by a plumber.
6- Mesh hydroponic flowerpot. Also known as hydroponic perforated flower pot. For now, 6 of us will be enough. Only each fish pot should be the same size. You can easily find it in many seed-seedling producers and on the Internet.
7- Drill and saw round drill bit. Make sure that this drill bit is the same size as your fishnet pots.
8- Hydroton, Vermiculite or perlite. Just take one of them. We will use one of these materials instead of soil after putting the seedling in the pot. However, I would recommend hydroton because it is cheap.
9- Liquid plant fertilizer. You can easily find it in many seed-seedling producers and on the Internet.
10- PH-Temperature Meter (optional)
First of all, let’s start by drawing a small circle on the upper floor of the indoor water pool, and 7 on the size (i.e. diameter) of the pots. It is also important that the spacing of the circles are the same size. You can put the circles, that is, the flowerpot slots, in 2 x 3 format. In the meantime, when the circle is narrow, the flower pot will not fully enter its nest. When the circle is wide, it will fall down without stopping in the pot. For this reason, it is really important to draw the circles in the size of your flower pots. After drawing the circles, you can drill them with a drill with a round drill bit or cut these circles with a utility knife. However, drilling will take much less time.
Aeroponic Greenhouse Investments
Soilless farming techniques, independent of climate conditions, emerge as an alternative production system all over the world. One of the new techniques that have started to be implemented in soilless agriculture is the aeroponic production system.
Aeroponics (aeroponics) system is a technique of growing plants suspended in the air, which are fed with nutrient solution in the form of fog or vapor.
Looking for effective ways to grow plants in space, NASA developed the aeroponic method in the 1990s and used the term “aeroponic”, which is defined as “plants growing in an air / fog environment with no water and very little water.”
Plants grown in aeroponic systems have been shown to take more minerals and vitamins, making them healthier and potentially nutritious.
Growing medium in aeroponic agriculture
The aeroponic system does not use any growing medium. While the plants are suspended in a dark casing, a nutritious solution is sprayed at certain intervals on the roots.
Advantages of the aeroponic system
Since the plant roots are isolated and there is no planting medium, plants that are grown with this suspended steam system achieve maximum nutrient absorption. Just like hydroponic systems, an aeroponic system can be installed at home.
Disadvantages of the aeroponic system
Suspended systems such as aeroponics are sensitive and require constant attention to pH and nutrient density ratios. This particular type of application is difficult to understand for beginners and should only be tried by people familiar with such systems.
What is grown with the aeroponic system?
In theory, everything but in practice, aeroponic systems are used primarily for the same applications as hydroponic systems, including leafy greens, herbs, hemp, strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Apart from this, they are root crops that are not practical in a hydroponic system but are suitable for aeroponics as they have enough space to grow roots and are easily accessible for harvesting.
