SNAP, a Modified Hydroponics System

The SNAP technology is very apt for leafy vegetables like lettuce, pechay, mustard and upland kangkong. The main difference between SNAP and other forms of hydroponics system is their complete nutrient solution.

You only need styrofoam boxes and cups, vegetable seeds, coco coir or saw dust, water and a liquid complete fertilizer and voila!—you can have your own vegetable garden in your own houses. This is the idea behind SNAP—an acronym for Simple Nutrient Addition Program, the latest hydroponics system developed at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos’ (UPLB) Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB). SNAP also connotes the literal meaning of the word—easy job, breeze, smooth-sailing, cinch, quick.

In 1999, scientists Primitivo Jose Santos and Eureka Teresa Ocampo, both university researchers, started to develop a low-cost hydroponics system. “That was our objective,” Santos explained. “If we use the imported hydroponics system, farmers really cannot afford it. A small greenhouse can cost you around P4 million. So we tried to explore other possibilities and we were lucky because the DA-BAR funded this project.”

With coco-coir or saw dust acting as the growth medium, Santos said the SNAP technology is very apt for leafy vegetables like lettuce, pechay, mustard and upland kangkong. “Those are the crops that I advice beginners to plant because they’re very easy to grow. But for those who have experience in soil less gardening, you can also plant tomato, watermelon, cucumber and eggplant.”

The main difference between SNAP and other forms of hydroponics systems, according to Santos, is their nutrient solution, which they developed in their laboratory. “This is what we call the complete fertilizer. Normally, the fertilizers that you can find in the market are just the basic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), which we consider a misnomer. The nutrient solution that we have developed contains all the essential nutrients that the plants need. It’s concentrated and in liquid form. It comes in 1.5 liter bottles. If you’re planting on a per box basis, you need only to mix 50 ml to 10 liters of water.”

The SNAP nutrient solution is also cheap. Two liters of water with solution costs only 50 centavos and in Santos’ estimate, sums up to an expense of around P1.00 per plant. “Based on our economic studies, a farmer can easily get around more than 50% of their Return-On-In-vestment (ROI) if they use this technology. In fact, a farm in San Jose, Batangas has adapted this and also came up with that figure.”

Santos declares that in adapting SNAP, one has the option to spray insecticides or fungicides in the plant. “You can actually combine organic and inorganic cultural methods. You can use botanical insecticide or you can merely pick up and kill the insects yourself. It’s really your choice. The only thing I advice is that if you grow your vegetables near the window, make sure there’s morning sunlight there.

Running the SNAP Hydroponics System

Materials needed:

1. Seedling plugs
2. SNAP nutrient solution
3. Growing boxes
4. (Optional) Benches or stand-where the growing boxes will be placed under a shelter.
5. Rain shelter (or roof awning facing east for the earliest and longest sunlight possible)
6. Plastic drum or orocan drum – where the SNAP nutrient solution will be mixed.

Procedure:

1. Arrange the growing boxes on the bench under the shelter. Take off the cover/lid.
2. Fill each growing box with around 10 liters of tap water.
3. Add 75 ml of SNAP A to each box of water then stir well.
4. Add 75 ml of SNAP B to each box then stir well.
5. Put back the cover of the box.
6. Place the seedling plugs on the holes of the cover. See to it that all cups are “inserted” uniformly or level from one another.
7. See to it that the bottom of the box is touching the nutrient solution at most by Vi inch deep, not any deeper. If not, add more water until the desired level is reached.
8. Examine the boxes for leaks and make some troubleshooting.
9. Visit the set up every morning as early as you can to catch any insect larva that may eat the plants (the larva is visible in the early morning. After that, they tend to hide already and harder to find)
10. Expect the nutrient solution level to go down when the plants are much bigger than were they were still small seedlings. Replenish the solution when more than one inch from the cup bottom has been depleted.
11. NEVER allow the level of the solution to reach the bottom of the cup; Replenish until about 1/2 inch below the cup’s bottom.
12. It is more practical to prepare the nutrient solution in a drum and then just distribute the prepared solution to each growing box and use the leftover solution for replenishing.

For more information, contact:

PJA Santos and ETM Qcampo
Institute Plant Breedin-CSC-CA, UP Los Banos, Laguna
Tel. Nos: +63(49)536-2329
Cel. No: +63(917)525-1269
Web: www.uplb.edu.ph/ca/ca_contactinfo

author: Ronald G. Mangubat, Marid Digest.