Banana pupils find hydroponic gardening appealing
Published on 10 February, 2012
Banana Primary School pupils have completed the first step towards creating a 'Reduce Reuse Recycle Hydroponic Garden' to grow their own fruits, vegetables and herbs.
CQUniversity research worker Kylie Hopkins recently travelled to Banana as a 'technical advisor' to help teacher Courtney Hamilton and her primary students begin part one of their garden, funded by a Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grant.
Banana Primary students display their pots
Kylie is based at the Centre for Plant and Water Science within CQUniversity's Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability (IRIS). She says the students were required to find a recycled item to be used as a pot.
Teacher Courtney says the students were very resourceful "with items such as broken buckets, juice and soft drink bottles, ice cream and dog food containers and jam and cookie jars".
"The clear containers were painted black to block out the light, a piece of recycled pipe was placed vertically into the container and then they were filled with perlite," she said.
"A two-part hydroponic nutrient was mixed up and used to wet the perlite in each pot and then seedlings were planted."
Kylie says the students will dip a stick into the pipe every day to see the level of nutrient in the bottom of their pot.
"If there is no reservoir of nutrient in the bottom, they will water their pot. It is as easy as that," she said.
"This first part of the garden encourages students to ‘think outside the box' and teaches them to not regard old or broken items as ‘useless'."
Courtney says that preparing the pots, handling the small seedlings and tending to their own plants every day will give the children a sense of responsibility and ownership.
"They will be able to watch the plants as they grow and learn about each plant's water requirements depending on its age and the weather."
