The aim of hydroponics4life is to link individuals, schools and organisations with projects in our developing world.

By sharing and developing the techniques and advances in science we can make a difference where it is most needed.

Climate change and the destructive way we devour our global resources is making it more and more important for everyday people to come up with the answers

Education in Hydroponics and Aquaponics is the key

Rochdale in Bloom
Over the years the local community and businesses have shown huge support for the hydroponics4life project. This year for the first time our efforts will also be shown alongside other community groups in the area for Rochdale in bloom. As a result of the support from others we have been able to extend the planting scheme throughout Sudden so many thanks to all involved it has been interesting and motivational.

Sudden village has been bypassed in more ways than one in the last few years. What used to be a thriving close-knit community has, in recent years, been at risk of completely losing its identity and community spirit. Our business has not suffered as much as some as the local, community-based businesses as we sell globally and have customers from far and wide, ranging from advising on aquaponics self-sufficiency in the south pacific, to helping the United Arab Emirates grow barley for race horse fodder or, more recently, designing bespoken vertical growing solutions, which has become incredibly popular. We have taken part in several international growing initiatives including helping to open a girls school in Cambodia, where they have learned to use the aquaponic gardening knowledge we have been able to share with them to become much more self sufficient. It was on this project we discovered that by working with local schools we could develop long term partners for these initiatives. Helping teachers to make the nitrogen cycle interesting whilst supporting worthwhile causes in the developing world. We use the hydroponic bus to demonstrate to schools and the public in general the various methods of growing hydroponically and the ways that advances in science are helping with modern day cultivation alongside many edible crops grown in soil in the alleyway each year and shared among the community which has been remarkably effective in developing community relations in the area.

Open-Top Bus
Moving into the second year of growing on the bus we decided it was time to take the roof OFF. Despite some objection from avid bus enthusiasts, it was always the intention to fully utilise the bus by having an open area, a greenhouse area and a classroom. The aquaponics classroom downstairs now has refreshment facilities and has been used not only as a classroom for the schools but has also been an excellent platform to launch our aquaponics and hydroponic courses.

Get Involved!
We use the hydroponic bus to demonstrate to schools, and the public in general, the various methods of growing hydroponically and the ways that advances in science are helping with modern day cultivation, alongside many edible crops grown in soil in the alleyway each year and shared among the community, which has been remarkably effective in developing community relations in the area. A tank is downstairs with the aquaponics propagator, demonstrating how fish waste can be transformed into plant food in an aim to create a closed-loop growing system, which helps to show how our planets ecosystem works. Upstairs we have kept the roof on the front part of the bus and used the windows to create an upstairs greenhouse, this has been remarkably successful in propagation as the temperature has been optimum conditions for young and rooting plants. Finding a new lease of life for the double decker bus has been great fun but has enabled us to show how it is possible to grow anywhere. It adds an element of nostalgia to the experience, one of the most common comments we get from people is how long it has been since they were on a double decker bus and how many memories it has rekindled. If you have and comments or feedback we would be happy to hear them.

Recipe4life works by us linking local schools with our projects in the developing world. By doing this we are able to provide long term partners able to support these initiatives whilst also helping teachers to make the nitrogen cycle more interesting.
Aquaponics the combination of aquaculture (growing fish) and hydroponic (growing soilless plants) that mutually benefits both environments. Aquaponics uses no chemicals, requires 10% of the water needed for field plant production. In aquaponics the waste from fish tanks is treated with natural bacteria that converts the waste, largely ammonia, first to nitrite and then to nitrate.

Share the Knowledge! Feed the world.

We now work with many local schools who have been so enthusiastic about the project. We are hoping to make aquaponics tanks and lesson plans available nationally.

Hydroponics in Schools
The pilot project to link up primary and secondary schools was a great success. Many thanks to the teachers and pupils of Brimrod primary school and special thanks to Mr Down at Mathew Moss for making the project possible. The visit to Mathew Moss was an excellent way in introduce and inspire year six pupils, allowing them to look forwards to the transition to high school. We would also like to welcome St Edwards to the project The children there showed tremendous interest in the aquaponics lesson and are shortly due to install a second tank

Ecowall in action

Welcome to Holy Family & Oulder Hill

We would like to welcome to Holy Family & Oulder Hill schools to the hydroponics4life project. We are hoping to recreate the success of the pilot project to link up primary and secondary schools, in which the pupils were successfully able to take cuttings from various types of mint and transplant them into the aquaponic propagator, allowing them see which rooted the fastest and which were more able to cope with stress.

Food in the City

We had a superb day at Manchester Museum. Thank you eveyone for coming along and everybody for helping out.

Manchester Botanical Gardens

The Matthew Moss Team went to the Botanical Gardens with Hydroponics4Life, here a few of the pictures

Thank you for coming.

Well done Matthew Moss

The pilot project with Matthew Moss High has been a great success. They now have three tanks and are passing on all they have learned to Brimrod Primary School

Gardens for schools project

Schools across the country are now signing up for to build there own aquaponic eco-gardens. In many cases we have been able to provide free advice and equipment (subject to availability) showing how aquaponics can change the way we grow food and try to help change the lives of children in the developing world.

Educational Resources
Primary Resources Ecology the study of "All togetherness of everything" or "the interdependence of plants, animals and their environment". Ecological accountability and sustainable living are a vital part of living in the 21st Century, and therefore it is important to include these ideas into education of the adults of the future. Exploring Hydroponics from an ecological starting point enables us to encompass many areas of the National Curriculum. It helps children and young people to form an integrated understanding of how hydroponics can contribute to the stabilisation of the world ecosystems. Secondary Education Hydroponics4life aspires to integrate knowledge of the methods and usage of hydroponics and aquaponics into the curriculum of UK schools. By doing this we hope to raise awareness of the need for third world countries to become self sufficient in their own food production. To do this hydroponics4life has produced the Recipe4life with an aim to 'share the knowledge and feed the world'. By integrating aquaponics into education we can make a combined effort to share the knowledge and feed the world. If we can achieve this we will be able to support projects all over the world and help them gain the know how to sustain and feed themselves. For an example curriculum please contact us or visit the webiste

In return, we would be asking for a commitment to the Hydroponics4Life project. Our long term aim is to work to introduce Hydroponics and Aquaponics into as many places as possible in the developing world and integrate these new techniques with local and traditional farming methods. Alongside using our expertise to investigate the possibility of developing a Hydroponic or Aquaponic feed that can be produced from local natural resources and waste products enabling the orphanages, schools and similar institutions to become more self sufficient. We hope by teaching the children new growing techniques enabling them to become self sufficient and sustain themselves and their families for the future and passing on the knowledge to others in their communities.

If you would like more information or to get involved in any of our projects, please contact us info@hydroponics4life.com

Grow Vertically and save space with the Ecowall

An ecowall is a revolutionary system and method of growing plants with limited space. Plants grow out of the wall and upwards, meaning almost anywhere can be turned into one Excuses about having nowhere to grow are out of the window, with a little imagination and knowledge any area even a vertical one can be turned into an area for growing. This revolution has not only taken root with small growers, big business is now investing heavily in vertical growing.

The main advantage is that it can be implented anywhere, from building a tower block to mass produce vegetables or just to provide a little extra room in your garden.Vertical growing space is available everywhere and we consider it a waste not to use it to its best potential. Whether you are applying for planning permission and wish to show how vertical growing can soften an otherwise hostile environment or you wish your business to stand out in the high street or at a corporate event, we have the skills to accommodate your vision. Please contact us with your own bespoke vertical growing idea and we will help to make your vision a reality. A Vertical Garden allows human beings to re-create a living system very similar to natural environments. It is a way to add Nature to places where people once removed it. Thanks to this botanical knowledge and long lasting experience, it is now possible to display natural looking plant landscapes even though they are man-made. In any city, all over the world, a naked wall can be turned into a Vertical Garden and thus become a valuable shelter for biodiversity. Its also a way to add nature to the daily life of city inhabitants.

We are in discussions to work with acclaimed installation artist and botanist Patrick Blanc on his next London installation aimed at improving inner city areas. You can view some of his other work at http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com

Community Farm Project

In one of our latest projects we have joined forces with Cronkshaw Fold community farm, who have dedicated and entire barn to demonstrating hydroponics and aquaponic systems work. Our aim is to create and balance a miniature ecosystem which will be used to demonstrate aquaponics and how it could be used in education and the potential to be used on a bigger scale in the developing world. Since 1991 the farm has become a successful centre for educational visits for nursery schools, primary schools and high schools with many children participating in educational visits.

Education programmes for reluctant learners have been successfully piloted Please visit cronkshaw.co.uk for further information or bookings

Algae saves the world

Spirulina, a blue-green algae that has many applications related to our recipe4life, including production of food ingredients, food, fertilizer, bioplastics, dyes and colorants, chemical feedstock and algal fuel, and can also be used as a means of pollution control. Spirulina has a high carbohydrate content and is a very good bio-product to be turned into bioethanol and used to run cars, generators or farming machinery very easily.

Algaculture
It can be grown in large open tanks (or Algal ponds) or within Bioreactor's (a vessel in which a chemical process is carried out to promote growth) making it adaptable and easy to set up. Hydroponics4Life, has recognsied how this immensly versatile product can be and how it will be beneficial to the whole planet.

Spirulina as a food
Spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs, and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein. Spirulina is a food source and cash crop, this makes it an excellent choice for the developing world. You can add spirulina powder to fruits or vegetables juices or to enhance the nutritional content of dishes. It adds taste to other foods like pasta and soups. But make sure you avoid cooking it because it contains lot of nutrients specially the vitamins which may get lost during your cooking process.

Spirulina growing in a bio-pond(left) and pressed tablet form

Growing Spirulina
Spirulina is grown on amonia-rich water and can be grown in large open ponds (known as raceway ponds) in a special container known as a bioreactor. Pond growth tends to take up a lot of space and water and can be open to bacterial infection resulting in the loss of whole crops. Bioreactors can be expensive but hydroponics4life is developing containers that are very cheap to build, easy to run and can be stored almost anywhere out of direct sunlight. They will help produce food for comsumption and sale in some of the poorest communties in the world.

Pakistan & India Rooftop Aquaponics

We are currently helping to design a solar aquaponics system with our associate Alan Cheshire, who has just taken over a Salvation Army compound in Faisalabad to turn into an Alternative Power training centre for local chrildren. We hope to teach all aspects if wind, bio-gas, solar, hydro and cottage garden. They are using repurposed 25 x 10 x 4 inch PVC pipes and small plastic tanks fed from a big 10,000 Litre tank.

Aquaponics is a massive global industry worth billions, but the people who need it most are being left behind. Share the Knowledge! Feed the world. Cambodia Update
The girls school is located in Kampong Province Speu Ba Set District. We are coordinating with the country director, Nuon So Thero and the director of the Girls Be Ambitious program, Tiann Monie. Chhin Sokna is the program officer for the GBA program and will be the onsite contact. Aside from teaching English and computer skillsis also the monitor for the attendance of these girls, she photographs to students, she the daily attendance sheet and e-mails it to Tiann and Nuon who carefully check it and monitor the progress.

Hydroponics4life Research & Development

Our current research aims to provide food security within a fully comprehensive survival pack. Using cutting-edge hydroponic techniques we are now able to produce hydroponic barley in seven days and mushrooms in ten days providing both fibre and protein. However, there is yet still a long way to go! We are currently trying to develop methods to ensure that the same equipment and growing media can be used again and again. We are also conducting trials to ensure the adaptable to various climates as well as developing different crisis packs based on the different regions of the world. Therefore, making the incorporation of the plant most suited to the environment possible. This enables us to combine the knowledge of more individuals. Thus we have been able to make great progress in research and development and feel we are drawing ever closer to a viable design to work in various crisis situations.

Food Security - Hydroponic Barley - Fodder Production

Following recent developments within our research, and with the help of Manchester University, hydroponic barley production is now a reality. As a result, Hydroponic barley production for emergency food aid as well as for animal fodder is now an increasing in popularity and Hydroponics4life Gardens for schools project has also become increasingly popular in schools around the UK

If you feel you can offer any assistance or useful statistics please do not hesitate to contact us. All feedback is welcome from any level of expertise. We are always happy to share our research in the belief that knowledge is power and together we can change the world.

If you would like more information or to get involved in any of our projects, please contact us