So what is hydroponics, why is that different from regular growing procedures? We interviewed Jared Adamson, the manager over the hydroponics greenhouse, to shed some light on the subject. Traditionally plants get their nutrients from the soil but hydroponics is the use of water to provide the plant nutrients. At our greenhouse we use pearl light for our plants, it basically is there to stabilize the plant but it doesn’t hold any nutrient value, the water is where all of the nutrients are coming from. For hydroponic plants we supply water to the plant, and the extra water is drained off and recycled to be used again, it is very efficient and echo-friendly compared to traditional planting.
Jared Adamson, the manager over the hydroponics greenhouse, loves working with these plants and loves creating a place to see real time food production here at BYU-I. Jared is an agronomy major and got this job by sitting next to the previous manager in a class. He loves the people he works with and the warm and exciting environment, and of course he loves tomatoes.
This greenhouse is a great place to see food grow and be distributed, it’s a cool example of agriculture mixed with technology. Everyone is free to come and see and experience the hydroponics greenhouse, just don’t eat the fruit from the plants. The produce is used here in the university kitchens and sold to students. If you would like to purchase some of the produce they are sold at the Plant Shop, Plant Booth on Fridays and at the farmers markets.