Photo: Lionel Rookwood

Somewhere before sixth grade, children are introduced to photosynthesis ... plant growth is fuelled by soil, sunlight and water. But what if this equation were revised, sans soil?
Enter Hydroponics - a method of growing plants in nutrient-enriched water instead of soil.

A method that thrives on the mineral-rich plateaus of Manchester and engineered by recent national honour awardee Richard Khouri.

Hydroponic farmer Richard Khouri displays the Perlite or volcanic rock used to slow the water's movement as it runs along the roots of the lettuce.

"It's all just a construction of valves, water pipes and pumps controlled by a high-tech system," explains Khouri, surveying the expanse of land on which he hydroponically grows gourmet lettuce.

But the hydroponic technology Khouri employs is comparably different from the less effective system where lettuce float atop water in constant need of oxygenation ... his is smarter, albeit one which is energised by a 50KW generator (enough to run two farms).

The small farmer and principal of Jamaica Hydroponics Limited tells Thursday Life that the 'smart' irrigation system is monitored by the Bluelab Dosetronic device, which not only feeds nutrient-rich water to the greenhouses, but ensures the nutrient compounds are homogenous (the same at all times).

Havelok 'Alf' Thomlinson adjusts the hoses connected from the Bluelab Dosetronic device to the tank, while Richard Khouri looks on. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood)

"The sensors in the tank send signals (that the nutrient content needs to be balanced) to the main control room and feed more nutrients into the tank, and the process is repeated," Khouri outlines.

It's an elaborate pumping system, where water is transported from a master tank - with the capacity to store 80,000 gallons of water - simply through PVC pipes before being evenly distributed among 72 rows. The farm, which Khouri claims cost approximately US$1 million to establish, features four greenhouses across one acre, a seeding unit and a cold room.

Explaining the production cycle, the photographer who first cultivated roses (1984-1999) before pursuing this precise science, notes that a bed of lettuce becomes adult over four weeks.

The green team, front row: Samantha Smith, Havelok 'Alf' Thomlinson, Patrick Smith and Jennifer Willacey. Back row: Yvonne Thompson, Yola Daley and Ivan Casanova.

Though there is no soil, Khouri outlines that Perlite or volcanic rock - which slows the water as it travels among the roots of the edible organic plants - is used. Each week at least 18 rows of the plump, bright green heads of lettuce are harvested; and subsequently new seedlings are planted.

"Reaping, cleaning, sterilising and replanting occur in one day," Khouri notes, his employee Patrick Smith interjecting that the process usually begins at 8:00 am and ends around 6:00 pm.

"Hydrogen Peroxide is sprayed on the lettuce to kill anything that may be in the water," Khouri adds, noting that the nutrient-rich water is pure, and that spraying is simply a precautionary measure. With spraying complete, the heads of lettuce are moved to the cold room, where sorting and packing are done.

"These lettuce never leave the cold, they come straight in here (he was standing in the cold room), then to the refrigerating trucks... from the supermarket fridge before going into yours," Khouri quips, emphasising the reason his produce are always "fresh, crisp" eats. Speaking of which, Khouri says the farm produces 8,000 lbs per week - all consumed locally.

Khouri outlines that though he's not quite ready for the international export market, he will, by the first quarter of next year, expand the farm to include other varieties of lettuce.

"We're gonna have a bigger cold storage unit and hopefully by March, we'll be harvesting Iceburg lettuce," shares Khouri, speaking to Thursday Life from the Hurricane Ivan-damaged section of the cold room he intends to expand. He notes that Hurricane Dean - which hit sections of the island on August 19 - did minimal damage to his farm, since the greenhouses are simply metal framework covered in sturdy plastic.

"Before the hurricane we took off the plastic, and so, we didn't suffer much," Khouri shares, speaking to the farm's ability to supply lettuce despite a shortage of the vegetable in recent weeks.

The farm's ability to supply, however, is not only based on Khouri's efforts. In fact, he has a dedicated eight-member team, two of whom have worked for Khouri nearly 25 years - Jennifer Willacey and Havelok 'Alf' Thomlinson.

Praising his staff, Khouri outlines that, "they keep things running" even as he mans the main office in Kingston. The office in Kingston, Khouri says, serves as a hub which receives orders mainly from the corporate area, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril.

A successful distribution channel, he reflects, is dependent on communication.

"It's important to be in communication with your suppliers. should anything happen, the truck breaks down or whatever, we call," Khouri says. "We're having a problem, but we won't fail you."

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