News and Events


«February 2025»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
272829303112
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
242526272812
3456789

For Keiki and Community

For Keiki and Community 6 March 2019

For Keiki and Community

FCS is hiring two junior Extension agents, full time and temporary, to work with intergenerational and youth programs in Lihu‘e and Kona. The new agents should develop, deliver, and evaluate integrated and intergenerational education programs, including 4-H, that meet community needs and enhance the quality of life for stakeholders across the lifespan.

Familiar Faces in New Places: Rosemary Gutierrez-Coarite

Familiar Faces in New Places: Rosemary Gutierrez-Coarite 22 February 2019

Familiar Faces in New Places: Rosemary Gutierrez-Coarite

Welcome to Rosemary Gutierrez-Coarite (TPSS), who began her new career as the Maui County Edible Crops agent on Friday, February 15! Rosemary is right at home in the college, having previously worked as a junior researcher with Mark Wright (PEPS), primarily on integrated pest management of the macadamia felted coccid.

Buy Local Fish, It Matters

Buy Local Fish, It Matters 22 February 2019

Buy Local Fish, It Matters

Fish and other seafoods are integral to the Island diet, but sourcing that fish can be problematic. Aurora Saulo (TPSS) was recently interviewed for Hawaii News Now’s story on how imported frozen seafood can be contaminated with unwanted chemicals, where she explained that antibiotics and other violative drugs are often used.

Man on Fire

Man on Fire 22 February 2019

Man on Fire

Wildfires are a serious concern, in the Islands as well as on the Mainland. Wildland fire expert Clay Trauernicht (NREM) recently gave a presentation on this timely subject on Maui, in which he explained that since 72 percent of wildfires with known causes are accidental, that means they can be prevented, and the time for prevention is now!  

Fifty Years of Nutrition Success

Fifty Years of Nutrition Success 22 February 2019

Fifty Years of Nutrition Success

EFNEP, a successful nationwide community nutrition education program, is celebrating its 50th year in Hawai‘i! The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) helps limited-resource families acquire knowledge and skills and change attitudes and behavior to improve the nutritional well-being of the whole family. 

Make Every Day Ag Day

Make Every Day Ag Day 22 February 2019

Make Every Day Ag Day

O‘ahu Cooperative Extension joined with other CTAHR programs and statewide agricultural agencies to support the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s Ag Day at the Capitol. This educational event allows ag producers, organizations, and educators get to demonstrate just how crucial their work is to community, quality of life, and the economy and the environment of the Islands.

Awareness and Great Taste

Awareness and Great Taste 22 February 2019

Awareness and Great Taste

Agriculture and Environmental Awareness Day shines a light on Hawaiʻi’s agricultural industry and shows keiki how local food production connects communities and the environment. It not only lets kids see where their food comes from; it opens their eyes to possible careers in ag and environmental management, showing them how they can contribute to this important work.

Familiar Faces in New Places: Amjad Ahmad

Familiar Faces in New Places: Amjad Ahmad 14 February 2019

Familiar Faces in New Places: Amjad Ahmad

Welcome to a new role to Amjad Ahmad, who joins O‘ahu Cooperative Extension as an assistant Extension agent in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture. Amjad, a CTAHR PhD alumnus, previously worked for the college as a junior researcher in TPSS. Amjad’s educational background is the area of agronomy, field crops, legume crops production, organic amendments, and nitrogen applications.

Familiar Faces in New Places: Jennifer Hawkins

Familiar Faces in New Places: Jennifer Hawkins 14 February 2019

Familiar Faces in New Places: Jennifer Hawkins

Welcome to a new role to Jennifer Hawkins, who has started her new position within CTAHR as the Edible Crops agent on Moloka‘i! Jennifer used to be the Moloka‘i Hawaiian Home Lands Agriculture junior Extension agent, where she inaugurated a successful program teaching farmers to keep bees as pollinators.

Lettuce Help You

Lettuce Help You 14 February 2019

Lettuce Help You

There have been lots of problems associated with lettuce in the news, from the E. coli outbreaks traced to mainland romaine to local concerns about leafy greens and rat lungworm disease. But O‘ahu Cooperative Extension offered a great way to eat your greens and feel safe about them, too, at the Hydroponic Field Day at the Waimanalo Research Station.

A Fine Day for Swine

A Fine Day for Swine 14 February 2019

A Fine Day for Swine

With their omnivorous appetites and modest housing needs, pigs are an important part of food security in the Islands, and CTAHR Extension is getting swine producers the help they need to keep local pork production safe and sustainable. Livestock Extension agent Savannah Katulski hosted a Kaua‘i Swine Day this month at the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Station.

New Faces: Raquel Stephenson

New Faces: Raquel Stephenson 7 February 2019

New Faces: Raquel Stephenson

Every office needs someone to keep it running smoothly, which is why the Kamuela Cooperative Extension office is so glad that Raquel Stephenson has joined as the new office assistant IV. Raquel is originally from O‘ahu, but she and her family moved to agricultural land in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island several years ago. She is excited about learning more about the Big Island as well as agriculture on the island.

Who Cares? GRANDCares Cares!

Who Cares? GRANDCares Cares! 7 February 2019

Who Cares? GRANDCares Cares!

Grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren face some unique challenges as well as the potential for special joys. Here to help them is the GRANDCares Project, which offers grandparents a variety of useful tools to cope with their unique family situation and added responsibilities. It also provides grandchildren with positive youth-development experiences through its Youth Club. 

What an Impact!

What an Impact! 7 February 2019

What an Impact!

The latest CTAHR Impact Report, focusing on positive community impacts on the island of Kaua‘i, is now up on the college’s website. This issue pays tribute to outstanding faculty, staff, volunteers, and projects on the Garden Isle. Find out about how these initiatives are making life better for Kaua‘i and the whole state!

All Things Coffee

All Things Coffee 31 January 2019

All Things Coffee

Coffee production education is getting into full swing with the start of another coffee-growing season. The Kona Cooperative Extension Service and Kona Research Station are welcoming farmers to attend upcoming coffee events. Coffee berry borer (CBB) 101 workshops will be conducted in Kona on February 5 and 8.

Pop In for Hydroponics

Pop In for Hydroponics 31 January 2019

Pop In for Hydroponics

Hydroponics and other soilless growing systems are the wave of the future: they’re compact, water efficient, and prevent many pest problems. Find out more about them at the Hydroponics Open House in Waimanalo, hosted by O‘ahu County Extension agents and CTAHR researchers. It’s a pop-in event, which means that participants can come by anytime during it for lots of helpful information.

New Faces: Melelani Oshiro

New Faces: Melelani Oshiro 31 January 2019

New Faces: Melelani Oshiro

MS alumna Melelani Oshiro will be the new assistant Livestock agent on the Big Island, based at the Kona CES office. Mele has a wide range of experience, having worked for Mark Thorne (HNFAS) as a research assistant on pasture and cattle production; at a horse stud farm in New Zealand; and as a veterinarian technician. Please welcome Mele when she starts on March 1!

New Faces: Shannon Sand

New Faces: Shannon Sand 31 January 2019

New Faces: Shannon Sand

Shannon Sand (NREM) will be the new assistant Extension agent in Agricultural Finance. Based out of the Komohana Agriculture Research & Extension Center in Hilo, she will have state-wide responsibilities. Shannon has earned master’s degrees in Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, and Food and Resource Economics. Please welcome her when she starts work in June!

Unwilted

Unwilted 24 January 2019

Unwilted

Dig in and add some spice to your life! The Pearl City Urban Garden Center is hosting a Cooperative Extension workshop on “Multiplying Organic Bacterial Wilt-Free Ginger.” Pathogen-free planting material is essential when growing ginger, but there’s been limited access to organic seed pieces. Now you can find out how to grow your own!

Go Bananas

Go Bananas 24 January 2019

Go Bananas

Who doesn’t want more bananas? Learn how to propagate healthy, disease-free banana plants using macropropagation techniques at the Banana Macropropagation Workshop Part 2 offered by Cooperative Extension faculty and staff on five islands! The workshop will show participants how to multiply banana corms using materials generated from Part 1 of the Workshop.

RSS
First1112131416181920Last
27 April 2020

Hydroponics vs. Aquaponics

These soil-less gardens just need a little fertilizer

Hydroponics vs. Aquaponics
Tilling the soil before you plant can be difficult, especially if the land is rocky or paved over. But don’t let that stop you from growing vegetables! Soil-less agriculture is an alternative that requires less physical effort and uses less space. Two good examples are hydroponics and aquaponics. But which one better suits you? That depends on your preference for dealing with soluble fertilizer or live fish.
 
Hydroponic systems may have been utilized thousands of years ago (think of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon!). It may seem contradictory to grow plants without any soil, but actually it often works better than in-soil gardening. For plants to flourish, they need just two things: essential nutrients and water. Thus, if nutrients are present in the water and delivered to the roots, the plant has no need for soil.
 
Hydroponic systems don’t need arable land and consume fewer resources, yet crops can be higher quality than those grown by traditional methods. These benefits are increasing the popularity of hydroponics, which is spawning many inspiring, creative applications in urban gardening.
Aquaponic systems are another soil-less innovation, one that combines growing plants and raising fish. Fish excrete waste, beneficial microbes convert the waste into usable nutrients for plants, and the roots naturally filter the water to provide a clean living environment for fish and microbes. It’s a symbiotic relationship that results in an incredibly efficient system!
 
Design
Hydroponics typically utilizes 6”-deep grow beds, since the roots can easily spread out within the aquatic solution without risking root compaction. Aquaponic grow beds must be deeper, a minimum of 12”, so fish have enough room to swim around.
 
Another difference is the environment. Hydroponic systems are very sterile, since there’s no need for extraneous growing media to support the plants or root systems. Aquaponic environments, on the other hand, must harbor the beneficial microorganisms around the roots.
 
Nutrients
Hydroponics is best for plants with high nutrient needs; you simply adapt the solution to meet the plant’s needs. Aquaponics typically supports plants with lower needs, such as lettuce, leafy greens, and herbs. Or, if you need more nutrients and the tank is big enough, you just add more fish!
Speaking of nutrients, don’t forget to feed the fish in an aquaponic system! How much and what feed depends on the fish you’re raising.
 
Acidity and Salt
Correct water acidity is essential to any aquatic-based growing system. The optimum pH in hydroponics is 5.5–6.5. Be aware that salt-based fertilizers, recirculated over and over in the nutrient solution, will naturally build up salt content, raising the electrical conductivity (EC) of water. Unchecked, it could reach levels high enough to damage the plants.
 
Aquaponic water should be neutral or slightly acidic, with an optimal 6.5–7.0 pH to safely harbor your fish. Fish waste has very little salt, so high EC is rarely a concern for plants. However, fish waste does add acid to the water, so monitor the pH level.
 
Maintenance
With aquaponics, you must feed your fish daily. However, other than checking the pH and ammonia levels weekly, there’s usually no need to flush and replace the nutrient solution, thanks to the naturally occurring symbiosis that keeps the levels in check.
 
With hydroponics, it’s necessary to periodically drain the aquatic solution and replenish with a new batch before the salts become concentrated. This means monitoring the pH, EC, total dissolved solids, and nutrient concentration.
 
As you can see, the systems vary in upfront labor vs. upkeep needed. Which one is better for you? Both are popular, and both provide the grower with distinct advantages over traditional gardening. Have fun trying both of them!
 
Amjad Ahmad, Cooperative Extension Service, Sustainable & Organic Agriculture Program, UH College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources