Hash
New Member
Thanks to the unwitting help of a couple of Palm Bay marijuana growers, the Indian River Lagoon has a lot more mangroves along its banks.
Sinjin Smith, executive director of the Palm Bay-based environmental research group Oases, was pleased when the Palm Bay Police Department presented his organization with barrels of hydroponic growing equipment, courtesy of two drug busts.
"I had sat down with the former chief of police, and I explained what we did, that we were using hydroponics to grow species that are native to Florida and that are in decline," Smith said. "Mangrove restoration was one of the things we wanted to do."
After serving as evidence during trials, confiscated pot-growing equipment is usually destroyed. In two Palm Bay cases, however, not only were the items donated to Oases, but the group also received sophisticated equipment the pot gardeners had used to monitor plant growth.
Instead of nurturing pot plants, the hydroponic medium, which resembles fiber and small clay pellets, became the basis for growing mangroves in Oases' lagoon restoration project.
Six months ago, using the densely fibrous rock wool and hydroton pellets as a growing medium, Smith and his volunteers embarked on research into growing mangroves using brackish water-based hydroponics.
The results to date have been encouraging.
After six months of growing in hydroponic medium, and with liquid nutrients to enhance growth, the infant mangroves were ready to meet the Indian River Lagoon.
"We planted all the mangroves on low-energy environments on the east side of the lagoon near Long Point, and I'm amazed at the success rate," Smith said. "We have a 90 percent success rate at the moment."
Mangroves grown hydroponically exhibited significantly higher dendritic root growth than those grown using soil. Dense root growth translates into sturdy young plants.
"Originally, I thought we'd get faster plant growth," Smith said. "Instead, the growth concentrated in the root system."
Guardedly optimistic that the experiment will provide a significantly better way to grow endangered plants, Smith admits that more time is needed.
"In about two years, we'll be able to tell how they are really doing," Smith said.
Smith says he cannot overemphasize the mangroves' importance in the Indian River Lagoon's ecosystem.
"They're nature's apartment complex," he said. "A single tree supports an incredible number of species and also helps to stabilize the land."
Should the baby mangroves Oases planted continue to thrive, Smith has high hopes for the future of his research.
"I'm going to expand the project in several orders of magnitude," he said. "Once we prove that it's a viable solution, I'm going to publish the data for mass consumption. My goal is not to get rich, but to effect change. I really want to see these natural resources maintained and restored."
Source: https://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051119/NEWS01/511190320/1006
Contact: https://www.floridatoday.com/services/contacts/staff.htm
Website: Brevard County and central Florida News | floridatoday.com
Sinjin Smith, executive director of the Palm Bay-based environmental research group Oases, was pleased when the Palm Bay Police Department presented his organization with barrels of hydroponic growing equipment, courtesy of two drug busts.
"I had sat down with the former chief of police, and I explained what we did, that we were using hydroponics to grow species that are native to Florida and that are in decline," Smith said. "Mangrove restoration was one of the things we wanted to do."
After serving as evidence during trials, confiscated pot-growing equipment is usually destroyed. In two Palm Bay cases, however, not only were the items donated to Oases, but the group also received sophisticated equipment the pot gardeners had used to monitor plant growth.
Instead of nurturing pot plants, the hydroponic medium, which resembles fiber and small clay pellets, became the basis for growing mangroves in Oases' lagoon restoration project.
Six months ago, using the densely fibrous rock wool and hydroton pellets as a growing medium, Smith and his volunteers embarked on research into growing mangroves using brackish water-based hydroponics.
The results to date have been encouraging.
After six months of growing in hydroponic medium, and with liquid nutrients to enhance growth, the infant mangroves were ready to meet the Indian River Lagoon.
"We planted all the mangroves on low-energy environments on the east side of the lagoon near Long Point, and I'm amazed at the success rate," Smith said. "We have a 90 percent success rate at the moment."
Mangroves grown hydroponically exhibited significantly higher dendritic root growth than those grown using soil. Dense root growth translates into sturdy young plants.
"Originally, I thought we'd get faster plant growth," Smith said. "Instead, the growth concentrated in the root system."
Guardedly optimistic that the experiment will provide a significantly better way to grow endangered plants, Smith admits that more time is needed.
"In about two years, we'll be able to tell how they are really doing," Smith said.
Smith says he cannot overemphasize the mangroves' importance in the Indian River Lagoon's ecosystem.
"They're nature's apartment complex," he said. "A single tree supports an incredible number of species and also helps to stabilize the land."
Should the baby mangroves Oases planted continue to thrive, Smith has high hopes for the future of his research.
"I'm going to expand the project in several orders of magnitude," he said. "Once we prove that it's a viable solution, I'm going to publish the data for mass consumption. My goal is not to get rich, but to effect change. I really want to see these natural resources maintained and restored."
Source: https://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051119/NEWS01/511190320/1006
Contact: https://www.floridatoday.com/services/contacts/staff.htm
Website: Brevard County and central Florida News | floridatoday.com
