Disaster Preparedness For Hydroponics

Disaster Preparedness For Hydroponics

If there’s anything the last few decades have taught us, it’s that storms and natural disasters can devastate homes and local small businesses, as well as the supply chains for nearly any kind of larger corporation. That means that project managers in all industries must be ready for what can happen in any given region and at any given location. That includes hydroponics growers, whether they are in charge of commercial projects or just a large hobbyist garden.

Preparing for Emergency Events

Hydroponics growers should make sure that they have generators or other power equipment in place to run all of their gardening gear if the electrical grid supply is interrupted. There’s also the issue of flooding: if the garden is not in a building that’s built significantly above the floodplain, sump pumps and other drainage equipment can help, but growers must be prepared to transplant items if necessary.

Growers can also take a page from many of the digital businesses that largely use electronic methods to prepare for emergencies. Hydroponics gardens that contain a digital component, whether it’s equipment monitoring, plant cycle documentation, or anything else, can use these kinds of common system backup methods, which are called ‘failover’ and ‘fail back’, to make sure that databases, servers and other equipment can automatically hand over operations to an off-site system as soon as a disaster hits.

Another way to fight storms and other emergency events is to build flexibility and versatility into a hydroponic setup. In some cases this can be as simple as providing vinyl or other coverings for lighter or partially open greenhouses. In others, it means protecting glass or keeping lighter frames from blowing away in a storm. Regardless of your situation, take a close look at your hydroponics project to evaluate the most vulnerable parts of your operation and prepare for any events that may come your way. For more, ask your hydroponic retailer about how new equipment and resources can help you to safeguard your investment in hydroponics gardening.