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Inexpensive Hydroponics System - Profitable Floating Garden



These types of gardens are useful to grow crops in wetlands, waterlogged areas and difficult soils for growing crops. This is very suitable for areas which are constantly affected with floods, rains and low level areas where water gets stagnant. As a traditional agricultural practice, floating garden is often associated with specific indigenous communities who gave these floating bodies different names; ‘radh’ in Kashmir, India, ‘pontha’ in southeast of India, ‘kaing’ in Myanmar, ‘chinampas’ in Mexico and ‘ dhap’ or ‘ baira’ in Bangladesh.

Materials required for making floating gardens.
  • Floating Bed
  • Seedling preparation
Floating Bed:
Any plant residues like paddy or weeds are used in preparing floating beds. Many areas' water hyacinth plants are invasive and available in abundance, Which is a potential source for making floating beds. Collect those available materials and make 2-4 layers at 8-10 days of interval. The very first layer gives stability and becomes the base for this raised bed. The other layers will become plant supportive and turned as compost in the long run. We can use bamboo sticks to construct base and grow crops on ponds and the areas completely logged with the water. General shape of the floating beds are rectangular for ease of convenience to go surround and view each and every plant. There are no such rules in making beds in terms of shape, size and length, it needs to be designed based on convenience. Length * Width 30ft * 6ft and the breadths are between 3ft and 4ft will be ideal for making floating beds. Strong winds, floods may damage the floating beds. These damages can be minimized by anchoring or fixing the beds with bamboo poles.

Bed should be equally leveled by hitting the bed with bamboo stick 

In the following 20-25 days the bed is left fallow for decomposition of the top layer. It is best to have rains after preparing the bed, else the bed should be kept wet by spraying water twice a day. Important is that the top level of the bed should not dry to assure maximum potential yield. The process can be speed up by applying decomposed compost on the top layer. In this case only 3-4 days enough before sowing the crop.


Method of preparation of seed balls: It involves four steps.

  1. Collect decomposed water hyacinth and prepare the seeding material by smashing it.

  1. The balls are prepared by hand. Excess water is removed by applying light pressure in a decomposed water hyacinth ball.

  1. The size of ball should be 2-3 times bigger than the size of seed

Balls are kept in rows for germination of seeds.

  1. A small hole is pierced into the balls by applying slight pressure with a finger. After keeping the seed, the hole will close again by hand. 2-3 seeds are kept per ball. And let the seeds grow, Its just like nursery.

  2. At the transplanting stage the seedlings are transported to floating beds.

  1. The production and selling seedling is another income generating activity.

  1. The seedlings are transplanted on beds.


Important Points:

  1. Seedling balls need to be kept wet all the time.

  2. Bed will be turned to black color after decomposition and it's the signal the bed is ready to use.  

  3. Beds need to be fixed with bamboo sticks for protecting them from wave action

  1. Other intercultural operations such as fertilizer top dressing irrigation is not required for floating beds.

  2. All types of vegetables can be grown on vegetable beds. Leafy vegetables are more profitable.

  3. A floating bed can be used eight months to 2 years if it is strongly prepared.
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