fee
from the editor
I
While water remains
inexpensive and
accessible for most,
it still needs to be
used wisely.”
16
first feed
t has been said that future wars will be fought
over water. While that may seem a little
extreme in 2017, it does serve as a reminder
that good water conservation practices today
will serve us well in the future. We only have
to look at the drought conditions in California
over the past five years to get a sense of what
may happen if we don’t heed the warnings.
While a good mountain snowpack has provided
drought relief for some areas in California,
experts say it’s just a matter of time before it
returns. Needless to say, some unusual methods
to conserve potable water have been introduced,
including the bizarre “shade ball” approach
used by the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power to reduce evaporation in its drinking
water reservoir. The LADWP spent $32 million to
buy 96 million shade balls to cover the reservoir,
with expectations of saving 300 million gallons
a year, or enough water to serve about 8,000
people. Extreme times call for extreme measures.
As hydro growers, water conserv ation is an
inherent trait, with typically only two to seven
per cent of water loss experienced, mostly through
evapotranspiration, a necessity for plant life. In
hydroponics, every bit of water is reused over and
over again. Compare that with traditional agriculture,
which requires 20 times the water use of hydroponics
due to evaporation, run-off, and other inefficiencies.
For home growers, there are a number of actions that
can be taken to preserve water. While water remains
inexpensive and accessible for most, it still needs to
be used wisely. In this issue of Maximum Yield, Cory
Hughes explains how a few simple ideas can make
the difference between a lush, healthy crop and a
dried-up disaster. Kent Gruetzmacher also examines
the pros and cons of straight drip systems and hand-
watering in an effort to best utilize H 2 O.
Water conservation is just one more
reason why hydroponics continues to
grow as an industry. As climate change
dries out some areas and floods others,
how we use and control water in the
future will be vitally important.