Member of Science for Society demonstrates hydroponics at the workshop. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, March 30: The concept of gardening is all set to change, thanks to the Science for Society, a steel city organisation, that hosted a three-day-long workshop here today.

Called the Nature Study Camp, it was organised in collaboration with Nature Club of India (Patna), on its premises at Bagbera where homemakers and children were given information on hydroponics or soil-less gardening.

“Conservation of environment is now a global concern. Every body cannot have huge plots of land to develop gardens. And with the mushrooming of multi-storeyed buildings in urban areas, cultivating a green hub has become very difficult. Hydroponics offers a solution here as it helps grow plants in rooms where there is no sunlight,” said Sarita Anand of Science for Society and organiser of the workshop.

Anand also said soilless gardening is very economical as this requires leakproof waste pots (bottle, fused bulbs or tubes), and plants can be grown in water, sand or gravel. Over 40 homemakers and schoolchildren attended the programme.

“Teenagers, housewives can not only conserve the environment through this method but they can also make good income out it. These plants are in great demand for interior decoration,” said Anand adding that the workshop was a part of UN’s environment awareness programme called — Save Planet Earth.

Speaking on the concluding day, Javed Alam, the expert from Indian Council for Science and Technology Communication Network, Patna, said hydroponics is the easiest and the most economical method of gardening.

“Growing plants under this method do not require soil, sun and space. Plants grow in stones, water and sand. For keeping the plants in fine fettle few drops of Bio-Fert-M, can be used once in a year,” said Alam.

“Apart from small saplings, large trees have also been developed under this innovative method,” said Alam. He said in other states fruits and vegetables are being harvested under this method.