Hydroponics at Hammock Pointe Elementary
The Joseph P Cory Foundation continues to join forces with Hammock Pointe Elementary, Boca Raton, Florida, as they begin a second school year with the addition of hydroponic growing education for students. Mrs. Holly Nilsen’s garden club will be learning about alternative means for cultivating plants that is completely extraordinary; not in soil, but in water! It might sound weird to kids, but like many of the foods we eat, such as tomatoes, this is a very common and utilized method worldwide. Countless thanks to Mr. Joe Torralba, who has mastered this practice, and volunteered to assemble the unit, as well as educate the staff on successful propagating methods.
Plants grow through a process called photosynthesis, in which they use sunlight and a chemical inside their leaves called chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide (a gas in the air) and water into glucose (a type of sugar) and oxygen. There’s no mention of “soil” anywhere in there—and that’s all the proof you need that plants can grow without it. What they do need is water and nutrients, both easily obtained from soil. But if they can get these things somewhere else—say, by standing with their roots in a nutrient-rich solution—they can do without soil altogether. That’s the basic principle behind hydroponics.
Other advantages ensue, such as faster plant growth, a more hygienic growing system with fewer problems of disease, and since hydroponics are also ideal for indoor raising, you can produce plants all year round. With the collaboration and dedication of Mrs. Nilsen’s school, her garden club and Mrs. Nada Cory’s Foundation, it makesthis project a breeze, with a great impact on student health and wellbeing.
For more information on “Gardens of Hope” school grants for 2020, programs, volunteering and events, please visit our website or call 561-501-3538.
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