The steady stream of visitors.....

Part of the role of The National Precision Growing Centre is to educate both industry practitioners as well as the wider public in how precision growing is undertaken.

This week we had a diverse range of visitors from those with a hobby background in horticulture, right up to one of the leading exponents of precision growing.

We firstly welcomed 34 members of the Springvale Garden Club to observe first hand how a commercial glasshouse operates. The group recieved an explanation of both climate and irrigation management from staff member Tony Bundock, whilst our trainee Sara Nour, gave a guided tour around the crop growing area.

 

The group finished their tour with an opportunity to buy some of our wonderful fresh tomatoes!

At the other end of the scale, we welcomed Grodan's Andy Lee to Cranbourne this week as he tours Australian as part of his customer support program. As ever, Andy was a wealth of knowledge and gave us some great guidance in terms of crop and climate management strategies.

Andy Lee and Tony Bundock inspecting the crop

GRODAN introduces new wireless, multi-sensor measuring system for substrate growing

Based on professional growers’ needs for higher accuracy and reliability in monitoring water content (WC), electrical conductivity (EC) and temperature in substrates, GRODAN is now introducing a state-of-the-art innovation: the GroSens® wireless, multi-sensor measuring system.

When GRODAN asked its customers what challenges needed to be overcome to achieve precision irrigation, it quickly became apparent that there was a need to measure WC and EC more accurately and at multiple locations in the greenhouse. “The current WCM meters still work well and are used a lot; however in the past 15 years a lot of technological developments have taken place.” explains Vincent Deenen, Director Marketing and Development at GRODAN. “After intensive research, we have now designed a solution to precisely match the growers’ needs, the GroSens system”.

 

The newly introduced GroSens® system: making precision irrigation possible

The GroSens benefits The wireless GroSens system enables 24/7 real-time insight into the WC, EC and temperature of the stone wool substrate. It contains multiple sensors that are designed with double the number of measuring points compared to its predecessor, the WCM II. Based on statistically reliable trials, GroSens measures the WC and EC at least 5 times more accurately than existing Water Content Meters (WCM). The fact that there are multiple sensors, and thus more measurement points in the irrigation section, leads to more reliable and representative WC and EC figures. The wireless sensors allow tremendous flexibility in where you can measure in the greenhouse and they are easy to install. The GroSens system is modular; the basic set consists of 3 Sensors and can be extended with more Sensors, to suit each grower’s needs. In short, GroSens is an ideal measuring tool for growers who want to take Precision Growing to the next level.

 

“The GroSens system, in combination with GRODAN stone wool substrate products and advice, is the best way of achieving optimum results in production and cost savings. Launching this system is another step in the GRODAN Group’s strategy of making Precision Growing possible for growers,” concludes Deenen.

The patented GroSens system will be introduced to the market gradually and will eventually replace the current GRODAN WCM’s. For more information, please visit he GroSens page   

Just over two weeks until our IPM Masterclass - Thursday 14th November 2013

Following the success of our Fertilizer seminar, our next event on our seminar calender is the IPM Master Class with Dr Paul Horne.

The seminar is appropriate for anyone who is wanting to find out more about IPM, and offers you a great chance to source information from one of the countries leading experts on IPM - Dr Paul Horne.

Joining Paul will be Jessica Page, who is also a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the area of IPM.

The session promises to be of great interest, and to secure your position at this seminar, please contact Tony Bundock either via phone on 03 5990 7163 or e mail at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

Haifa Fertilizer Seminar

Tuesday saw us co-hosting a seminar with Haifa Australia at our Cranbourne Campus, which focused on the use of soluble fertilizers in hydroponic growing.

 

The event was extremely well supported with over 35 delegates attending from a wide range of industry practitioners, and many of the delegates also came from Interstate -  with South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria all being represented.

The seminar focused on the technical aspects of fertiliser choice and in particular, the need to formulate recipes that not only meet specific fertilizer values, but also provide a 'balanced' recipe in terms of +ve and -ve ions.

 

Shaul Gilan

Haifa staff members, Shaul Gilan and Peter Anderson were the presenters and provided some challenging and thought provoking content for the delegates, whilst promoting a relaxed learning atmosphere.

Peter Anderson

The morning sessions culminated in some fairly hefty mathematical and chemical theory before the delegates were given a demonstration of the SMART software that has been developed to aid growers in formulating recipes.

In the afternoon the delegates moved to the glasshouse facility where their theoretical skills were once again challenged, along with some practical demonstrations of fertiliser mixing at differing water temperatures.

Delegates from DPI Bundoora check their maths!

The delegates were also able to take a first hand look at the fertigation system and water recycling systems utilised within the National Precision Growing Centre, to see best practise in action.

Following the success of this event in Melbourne, we are now looking to take the seminar 'on the road' and we are now making plans to showcase the seminar in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

If you are interested in attending a future event in one of these states, we would invite you to express your interest by sending us an e mail via tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

Recycling of our Stonewool

At the recent Protected Cropping Australia Conference, Chisholm and Grodan held an informal meeting for growers to look at potential recycling options for growers who are using stonewool as a medium.

Whilst our European colleagues are well served in this area with Grodan recycling their product for producing bricks, the Australian market is hindered by the lack of critical mass of growers in localised areas. 

The meeting soon identified that whilst a Nationally based total solution would be great, the reality was that growers are seeing local solutions to recycle the product. And the recycling issue is not just limited to the stonewool, with growers looking for whole of enterprise solutions that will allow them to process crop trash as well.

On a more local level, we have been looking at how we might utilise our old stonewool slabs for a secondary use. Trainee Sara Nour and Diploma student Marcus Long have been looking at trials involving adding increased percentages of green matter to shredded stonewool with the aim of producing a composted green waste product with stone wool as an additive. These trials are in the early stages and we will be looking to publish their findings as time develops.

After we had removed the plastic, the initial issue was how to shred the slabs. We did investigate using a commercial tree chipper, but the trials with this style of machinery were varied to say the least! The action of the chipper was very aggressive and the dry slabs turned to dust - and blew away!, whilst slabs with a SMC of approx 30% or greater just clogged up the machine.

Our second attempt at shredding the product involved a more agricultural solution. Certificate 3 students Mark Lim, Robert Bounday, Graham Elsworth, Aaron Jackman and Di Lester have been involved in this process, and this saw them running a tractor mounted rotary hoe across the slabs with a PTO speed of 540 RPM. 

 

The rear shield was initially kept up to allow for a more open breaking process of the slabs and then lowered to mill the product.

The results were promising in that we were left with a fairly fine product that we now believe we can utilise as either a generic mulch for tress and shrub beds, or a potentially useful product that we can use in relation to 'vertical wall landscaping' as part of our Landscape students developing project.

 

So our 'local solution' seems to be working well in terms of processing, and we will keep you posted on the results of the 'secondary use' viability. 

For further information on any of the processes that we are experimenting with, feel free to contact us via e mail at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

 

Meet our students

This week we have introduced a new link to our blog site where you can gain a perspective of student life at Chisholm through the eyes of our students. 

Each of the students will be placing their own story on the site, and these are 'job ready' students who are looking for work! 

Just click on the link on the right hand side of this site and read all about them.

Don't miss out on our Fertilizer Seminar!

Chisholm Institute of TAFE and Haifa Fertilizers are holding a technical seminar for growers on the calculation and use of fertilizer recipes for hydroponic systems.

This seminar will deal with a wide range of issues and will also be examining software applications that are available to assist you in both the preparation of your stock solutions, as well as calculating restocking values for feed solutions when recycling.

This seminar promises to be highly informative, and is guarenteed to assist you in managing your fertilizer management in the future.

If you would like to participate in the seminar, you will need to book your place quickly. 

To secure your position, please e mail Tony Bundock at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au as soon as possible.

Open Day coming up soon!

On Thursday the 19th of September we will be holding another of our Open Days so that you can see first hand how the facility operates, as well as being able to talk to our staff about training opportunities.

Come and see what we have to offer!

The Glasshouse will be opening its doors from 12.00pm onwards, and our friendly staff will be on hand to give you the guided tour, as well as advising you about forthcoming courses.

We are now taking enrolments for both the Certificate 3 and Certificate 4 courses, and with our flexible delivery arrangements, this means that you can commence your course at any time starting now!

These courses offer you the chance to choose your days of attendance as well as duration of the courses. So feel free to discuss these options with the staff members on site.

There will also be some of our existing students present at the open day who will be available to tell you exactly what it is like to be a Chisholm student at the National Precision Growing Centre!

Interested? Well either come on down on the 19th, or pre book your tour time by e mailing tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

We look forward to welcoming you to Chisholm!

Benefits of controlled environment horticulture

We are often asked what are the benefits of using a controlled growing environment? 

Well there are many benefits which include having full control of your growing environment, which ultimately enables you to manipulate the various climate factors within a greenhouse to give your plants optimum growing conditions. This includes the ability to produce internal climates that allow you to grow crops out of their 'natural' season. For example, long term Tomato crops are now grown across a 51 week period, and this sees fresh tomatoes being on the market all year round as opposed to just the warmer months.

A structure, such as a greenhouse, also protects your plants from external 'infuences' such as rain and wind.

In Melbourne last night we had some very high winds which placed a high cooling effect on our greenhouse. However with the use of our energy screens and heating system we were still able to provide a stable climate for the plants, which were kept safe and warm within the greenhouse itself. And we are pleased to report that the structure is still in one piece as well!

The winds we experienced at the Cranbourne Campus last night peaked at 16.8 metres per second, or the equivalent to 60 kilometres per hour. And in the scheme of things this wasn't to bad. Gusts of 96 km/h were recorded in the inner city suburb of St Kilda and winds reached 92km/h at Melbourne Airport.

The graph shown above was generated on our Priva Intergo climate management system this morning and you can see the general wind speeds across the 24 hour period that we have just experienced.

With the strong winds set to return on Sunday we have our fingers crossed that neither ourselves or other growers suffer any structural damage.

GroLog App from Grodan

With technology changing almost daily, we have been alerted to a new App from Grodan called GroLog. The following explanation is from GroLog website and gives you an overview of this technology.

The GroLog from Grodan is an app that assists growers in effectively managing their crop areas. Keeping a detailed crop log is vitally important to a successful crop and with the GroLog it has never been easier to keep your crop dialed in! 

Do you have several crops you need to track at the same time? No problem - simply create a separate ‘grow’ for each of your crops. The GroLog allows you to select exactly what data you would like to monitor in each grow, such as:
-Nutrient Solution: pH, Parts per Million (ppm), Electrical Conductivity, Temperature, and Nutrient Dosages
-Room Conditions: Temperature (single readings or High/Low readings), Temperature Differential (DIF), Humidity (single readings or High/Low readings), CO2 (ppm), Plant Height
-Lighting settings
-Daily photos and notes

The GroLog also enables you to set a schedule and receive reminders for tasks you need to complete in the crop. Simply plan out your tasks and your device will alert you when it’s time to get to work, even if you aren’t in the GroLog app at the time.

Other features include:
-Customizable graphs
-Comprehensive reports that can be e-mailed or printed directly from the app
-Photo gallery

Note: Grodan neither obtains nor shares any information, data, or pictures entered in this application; all data is private to the user’s device.

Fertilizer Seminar - Book your places now!

Chisholm Institute of TAFE and Haifa Fertilizers are holding a technical seminar for growers on the calculation and use of fertilizer recipes for hydroponic systems.

This seminar will deal with a wide range of issues and will also be examining software applications that are available to assist you in both the preparation of your stock solutions, as well as calculating restocking values for feed solutions when recycling.

This seminar promises to be highly informative, and as such there is very strong interest in the event.

If you would like to participate in the seminar, you will need to book your place quickly as seats are in demand.

To secure your position, please e mail Tony Bundock at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au as soon as possible.

The event itself represents excellent value for money and is sure to enhance your skills in this area. 

What is Precision Growing?

If you are new to our industry and are wondering exactly what Precision Growing is all about then this post is aiming to help explain the process.

Precision Growing is the most efficient and effective form of growing, and is focused on the use of minimum input materials to generate maximum output. The results are that growing costs decrease and crop yield and quality increase. In addition, this form of growing actively contributes to sustainable horticulture.

At the National Precision Growing Centre we aim to encourage all growers to embrace the concept of Precision Growing via training and demonstrated best practice.

The Grodan company have produced a great new video to help explain the process so we hope that you will find this useful.

 Enjoy the video by clicking on the link below! 

Helping to develop Hydroponic Growing in Mongolia.

Chisholm Institute, The Hydroponic Farmers Federation and Protected Cropping Australia have been working with representatives from Family Agricultural Resources Mongolia to look at developing a cropping systems that will allow Mongolian Growers to extend their natural growing season by 100%.

Due to the cold nature of the Mongolian climate, external growing is limited to approximately 100 days of the year. By establishing a hydroponic growing system within simple plastic growing structures and a heat source, it is anticipated that the growing season could be extended to 200 days, and help provide an ongoing food supply to many Mongolian communities.

This year saw two representatives from Mongolia, Turkhuu Yadmaa and Altankhuyag Ganbaatar, attend the PCA conference as a fact finding mission with the HFF paying for airfares and the PCA paying for registration to the conference.

Chisholm's Tony Bundock has also spent two days with Turkhuu and Altankhuyag, and the time was spent looking at possible working solutions for Mongolia as well as providing some basic training.

The project is one that will hopefully see Australian knowledge and technology being implemented in Mongolia. 

If you would like to become involved in this project and feel you can assist in any way, please e mail Tony at tony.bundock@chisholm.edu.au

 

Turkhuu, Tony and Altankhuyag

PCA Delegate visit

Wednesday saw us hosting some 40 delegates from the PCA conference as part of the farm visit program. 

The delegates came from all states and there were also some overseas visitors within the party, which was largely made up of growers. The delegates were given the general tour by our glasshouse Manager, Tony Bundock, and trainee, Sara Nour.

PCA Delegates at Chisholm

The visit allowed the delegates to see our great facility first hand, as well as hearing how the facility runs and the training opportunities available to them.

PCA Delegates inspect the plant room

Finally the group donned the full PPE and spent some time looking at our March planted crop and our brand new crop which was started last Friday.

The visit to Chisholm was just one of several tours that the delegates undertook today, and we know that they enjoyed the experience.

Protected Cropping Australia Conference and Award

 

 We have just completed a two and a half day term at this year's PCA Conference in Melbourne. The conference was a fantastic event and allowed for some great networking and discovery of new ideas and concepts.

The conference is run every two years and part of the program includes a gala dinner and awards ceremony.

This year we were delighted to be awarded the prestigious Industry Training Award. This award recognises all the hard work that the team at Chisholm have been doing in developing training solutions for the industry.

 

Glasshouse Manager Tony Bundock with the PCA award

The conference itself featured many prominent industry players including overseas speakers such as Andy Lee and Stuart Lambie from Grodan.

Andy Lee gives his informed opinion on the use of Grodan substrates

Stuart Lambie gave great information on moves towards sustainability

This morning the delegates are participating in industry site visits and will be visiting Chisholm as one of the tours. More details tomorrow!