The Institute of Simplified Hydroponics, Bangalore presents……………..

“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for

its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the

moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations”.

George Bernard Shaw

“The great words above of the inimitable, unforgettable Bernard Shaw inspires the ISH team at the “Pet Bharo TM Project”. A grand vision of

the future. A wish to make change, in best measure while we walk the carpet of this earth. A deep

sense of giving to nature what it has so plentifully provided us. Our dream is for all the people of India and the world to eat the finest, most nutritious food in order that their lives are made most useful, creative and productive. We wish to wipe every tear from every eye in the best way

we can. “

Lt Cdr (retd) CV Prakash, Chief Visionary

FOOD, ‘GOOD FOOD’ IS ‘HUMAN BIRTHRIGHT’

Terrace Gardening-An Imperative for these

modern times

Use that empty space for good health, wealth and happiness…….

The Imperative• It’s a fast paced world, no time to

LIVE, just the time to SURVIVE…• We have all the material comforts

but no peace and happiness.• Many have the money, but poor mental, physical and spiritual

health.• We are highly stressed and on the

very edge…..• WHAT CAN WE DO TO ALLEVIATE THIS ?• “Happiness is where your Garden is”

Gardening- Benefits for the Mind- Slide 1

There are mental benefits that you can derive from growing your very own garden, be it in in your backyard or on your rooftop .

Gardening, according to psychological research, is an activity that mainly uses the right side of the brain, which is the side that handles our creativity, our senses and even is the part that does all the worrying.

That means that when you garden, the constant worrying will stop as the right side of your brain will be preoccupied by another activity. It gives a person a sense of being calm, soothed, and being away from it all.

Inhale deeply and smell the aromatic plants like mint for a subtle yet overwhelming experience. It is like having an aromatherapy session, as the essential oils that are used in aromatherapy are derived mainly from plant flowers and leaves.

Gardening –Mental Benefits- Slide 2

Another one of the mental benefits of gardening is stress relief and stress reduction. Doing the simple chores that taking care of a garden necessitates like watering and pruning helps you to get your mind of things for a little while. The light task of tending to your garden integrates a constant routine and pattern into your life that makes it more stable and normal.

On top of all that, it will give you a sense of happiness, fulfilment, and accomplishment as your garden grows.

The gardening works effectively an anti-depressant, hence the term "Smell the roses". Being in the midst of a beautiful garden gives you a sense of peace and quiet.

Tension and anxiety is relieved by doing the slightly more rigorous tasks that gardening entails such as cutting, digging, mulching and pruning.

Gardening will allow you to enjoy your garden and will give you more peace from the constantly chattering mind.

Let’s say NO to Anti-depressants!!!

In short,

Gardening is a full sensory experience.All your senses are fully engaged. In this technological age where seeing and hearing are used almost to the exclusion of our other senses, gardening has the power to awaken all the senses.

Awaken to Awareness in Real-Time!!!

Physical Benefits of Gardening-Slide 1Growing a garden is great motivation to engage in physical activity. We persist if for no other reason than that we will eat well when the produce is harvested. The fruits and vegetables we nurture, become nurturance for us. Carrying water to the plants is satisfying work when great veggies are the pay-off!Daily physical activity is a prerequisite for good health. Gardening provides a variety of activities to improve the physical health of the gardener. Working in the garden strengthens muscles, while improving blood flow and oxygenation to all the cells of the body. This improved oxygenation along with the release of endorphins (substances in the body that relieve pain), is responsible for the improved sense of well-being common to all exercise programs, including regular gardening.

Physical Benefits of Gardening- Slide 2Weight Bearing Activities for Strength and Bone DensityWeight bearing activities (like carrying water to plants, pushing a wheelbarrow, or moving large potted plants) not only strengthen the heart and other muscles, but also strengthen our bones, by increasing bone density.

•This is important for gardeners of all ages, but especially for women in their early twenties (when most bone mass is acquired) and for elderly people who are concerned about osteoporosis (loss of bone density or bone thinning).

Movement for Improved Muscle Coordination

•Gardening helps to develop muscle coordination.•Learning the various skills and use of tools for gardening involves gross motor and fine motor skills that can be transferred to other situations.•Digging in the dirt not only strengthens the small muscles in the hands, but as the gardener picks out stones and small sticks, she is working to coordinate finger and thumb movements. As she piles up dirt from a hole she has dug, she is gaining core body strength as she challenges the muscles in her trunk and abdomen with the work of pushing the heavy dirt around.

Now “GET PHYSICAL”

Social Benefits

Whether you garden with family or friends, you can experience the same strengthening of relational bonds, shared cooperative effort, and deepening reliance upon one another. Gardening together can help improve your relationships with others.

“Improve those SOCIAL SKILLS”

Gardening For Spiritual Health

What is Green Spirituality?

¥ Green spirituality means living in tune with the sacred land through green living, meditation, organic

gardening, and sacred community.

¥ When you open yourself to the power, the magic inherent in all living things, you awaken to a new

level of spiritual development and growth.

¥ Living things include other people and animals, plants, and even rivers, stones, and mountains.

¥All is interconnected, from the farthest galaxy to the beating of your heart. When you realize this - really experience this reality - life takes on a new meaning.

¥ Green living becomes a way of life, not just the latest fad or status symbol.

¥ True health comes from making decisions that affect you, your family, your community, the planet, and the

universe from a place of interconnection, interdependence, and love.

Home Gardening and Benefits On Financial Health

Having a Home Garden growing Veggies, Herbs and Fruits on your roof top or backyard can be very rewarding as you can grow a variety of fresh produce right at your dwelling. Other than the satisfaction of eating your own produce so carefully nurtured, you also save quite a bit on the runaway spending in the local vegetable or fruit markets which are quite an expensive proposition, especially in these difficult times.What’s more , you can say to most pesticide ridden produce that is available at the market these days.

To sum up, Gardening provides :-

Physical Mental Spiritual Financial…..benefits

What then does the Institute of Simplified Hydroponics have to offer

We offer amongst many other methods of terrace gardening, a Green, Clean, Easy to work methodology of growing using a technique called Simplified Hydroponics. It is so simple for just anyone to learn and practice.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS

ISH has trained more than 400 students in Hydroponics/Soil-less Cultivation since 01st Jan 2009

Many of our students are now practitioners of this method and doing successfully in their own homes.

ISH Bangalore is a subsidiary of Optimus Interweave , Australia, a leader in Hydroponic methods.

The project in India is known fondly as the “Pet Bharo Project”

It takes a small 20 Sq.M garden to produce a minimum of 2 kilograms of vegetables/herbs a day.

The set up costs can be very small, starting from as low as Rs 500 to start off with…….no risk..

The cost to set up a full 20m2 garden can be as low as Rs 10000/- as a one time investment and another Rs 10000/- for its maintenance and upkeep for a year.

Almost all varieties of common vegetables, herbs and certain fruits can be grown using this method.

Hydroponics is a very popular science in most developed countries.

It can be scaled up for commercial growing too if desired by anyone.

What is used in place of soil?

•Coco Peat derived from Coconut Husk•Sand•Gravel•Perlite- a natural ore•Vermiculite•Sawdust•Silex from silica•Rice Husk etc….

How Much Water is required in this method?

Just 1/10th the amount used in conventional soil

cultivation-That’s all. The finest water can be from rain water harvested at home although municipal water may also be used after testing and easy

corrections.

What kind of fertiliser is used in this method?

All plants derive their nutrients in ionic form be they from wholly organic or inorganic methods. In Hydroponics we use inorganic

nutrients that consist of 16 different Macro-Micro nutrients.

The plants are fed just the right amount of these nutrients which help them grow in good

health thus giving great quality and nutritious produce that are far better than conventional produce which mostly lack the right combination

of nutrients.

Presence of these nutrients in a wholesome way creates good health for the humans eating them.

Does Hydroponics address Micro-Nutrient Deficiencies that are

impacting Human health?

Yes, because the plants are grown using 16 Macro-Micro Nutrients that are a must for all plant life. Most soil cultivated fresh produce available today in the market are severely deficient in many nutrients that are important for the consumer’s health.

Health Impact –Micro Nutrient Deficiencies•Nutrient-starved cereals, fruits and vegetables has a ripple effect on human health.•Among the top-20 risks to human life, iron deficiency was ranked as the ninth major risk and zinc deficiency, the eleventh. (WHO report).Nutrient deficiency causes the following problems:

Takes a toll on children’s IQ.Causes physical weakness.Maternal Deaths due to Iron deficiency.Mental impaired births due to Iodine deficiency.Stunted growth in children due to Zinc deficiency.Zinc deficiency also effects human immune system, reproductive physiology, dark vision adaptation, insulin storage, oxidative stress, lower respiratory tract infections, also is a catalyst for malaria and diarrhoeal disease.Copper deficiency causes malnutrition in infants.Magnesium deficiency causes low birth weight, maternal mortality.Calcium deficiency causes osteoporosis and weak bones.Manganese deficiency causes cartilage disorders.Boron deficiency effects hormone metabolism.Correct trace element or micronutrient imbalance NOW for better health using Hydroponics

The Benefits of Micro-Nutrient Balancing are:

• Safer pregnancies,

• Healthier mothers and children,

• Better school performance,

• Improved work capacity,

• Greater productivity and

• Increased economic growth.

It is time to make efforts to ensure that “balanced crop nutrition is made a national imperative .

“ HEALTHY INDIA IS A STRONG INDIA”

Rural Punjab is seeing unusual health complications due to excessive pesticide use. Picture Courtesy:

India Together

THE SLOW POISONING OF INDIA

India is one of the largest users of pesticide in Asia and also one of the largest manufactures. The toxins have entered into the food chain and into our breakfast, lunch and dinner.

India spreads out nearly 90,000 tonnes of pesticides on its fields making it one of the largest users in the world.

Farmers use pesticides carelessly. Some use the wrong chemical, while others overuse. Many harvest immediately after spraying. That is why there are dangerous levels of pesticide in ladyfingers, tomatoes, cabbage and cauliflower“.

"The Indian Council of Medical Research in a study found large amounts of pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables, pulses, grains, wheat flour, eggs, meat, fish, poultry and milk. The daily breakfast, lunch and dinner we relish could actually be a cocktail of chemicals“.

Are dangerous chemical pesticides used?

In one word……………………………

NO

Then how are pests controlled?

Pests are controlled using herbal sprays and mechanical traps and these are highly effective too………….what’s more, they are inexpensive too.

Any weeds to deal with that can be labor and time consuming? I have not much time for this……..

A Big NO again

What about soil microbes?

NONE whatsoever as the medium or substrate that replaces soil is inert and sterile.

How much time should I spend a day in my garden?

For a 20m2 garden you need

spend just about 45 minutes per day.

How about the yields from Hydroponics? Do Plants

grow faster?

Yields from Hydroponics is extremely high in comparison to the conventional method of soil cultivation. No microbes/weeds to deal with, exact nutrition to the plants makes for better yields. Spacing is much lesser between plants growing in Hydroponics so you grow more in lesser space.

Yes Plants do grow faster. Say, 10-20 percent faster in comparison to conventional plants.

Who will provide me my regular supply of hydroponic

nutrients?ISH will provide the same. Note: These nutrients are specially

prepared at ISH’ facility at Bangalore and has been formulated after many years of research in

Indian environmental conditions . These have been subject to vigorous testing and has been substantially

validated.

Can I get references of users in India?

YES, Of Course.………………………………

Where do I go for seeds? What seeds are used?

Every town and city has seed shops that sell seeds for the local

environment. However it is a good idea to buy seeds from well

established companies like Indo-American Hybrid seeds, Advanta,

Namdhari Seeds etc as they are tried and tested over many decades.Does Hydroponics use GM

(Genetically Modified) Seeds?

NO, NEVER. GM Is Our No 1 enemy.

ISH PROJECTS IN INDIAWhat projects have been done by you in India since you started in Jan 2009?

ISH has completed several training projects during which Hydroponics gardens also have been built.

Some of these are as follows:

The Sandra Ricketts Public School, Kothanur, Bangalore

Roof-top Garden project at NGO Kadamba, Jayanagar, Bangalore

Satya Sai Institute of Medical Sciences, Whitefield

Presently setting up a Technology Demonstrator at the EMPRI (Environment Management Policy Research Institute, JP Nagar, Bangalore including an MOU for training in all districts of

Karnataka.

Lal Bagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore.

ISH has been selected to do a very large scale ambitious project in India. ISH will set up Roof Top Hydroponic Gardens

on 108 buildings in an area of 20000m2

Can you show us some pictures?

YES, Of Course!!!

Hydroponic Zinnia

Hydroponic Lettuce Mignonette

Hydroponic Grower Pots

Plants growing in plain nutrient water

Hydroponic Tomato

Hydroponic OKRA in tubs

Hydroponic Racks at EMPRI roof-top

The “Pet Bharo” Banner

Hydroponic Kids

The Legendary Peggy Bradley, ISH Partner with children at Sandra Ricketts School

Hydroponic Eggplants

Hydroponic Cilantro’ (Coriander) and yes…..Lead free too

Men at Work- Hydrating a Coir Block

An Austrian Student in India learns Hydroponics

Rotarian Frank Coelho, Chairman Environment Committee Rotary Dist 3190 and Lt Cdr (retd) CV Prakash, Founder and Chief Visionary , The “Pet Bharo” Project are all smiles after a MOU is signed on 14th Aug 2009. ISH will train Rotarians of the District as a special package of one day programmes till 30th Jun 2010 in Simplified Hydroponics.

Dr Vasant Kumar erstwhile Director of Horticulture, Karnataka, inaugurates the Lal Bagh Hydroponic Training and Garden project in May 2009.

Preparing a nutrient bed

Glimpses of the Chief Visionary –The “Pet Bharo” Project

A Light moment with a student from Manipur at

the Lal Bagh site