The short answer is, you can’t. Training is suspended until further notice. Answers to other questions are listed below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When is the training seminar conducted? Is there a schedule?
According to CAFS’ list of IPB Short Training Courses pictured below the schedule is officially to be announced (TBA). Schedule is subject to the availability of the resource speakers. Interested parties are advised to contact UPLB-IPB to inquire about the schedule.
Details about the date of the SNAP Hydroponics training.
Can the training be conducted elsewhere?
A number of hydroponics practitioner, some of whom are trained in UPLB-IPB conducts their own training seminar on hydroponics in different parts of the country. However, only the ones conducted UPLB-IPB or presented by SNAP developers qualifies as authorized resellers of SNAP nutrient solution for hydroponics.
Screenshot of the IPB Short Training Courses Online Registration Form. To sign up for the SNAP training course, please choose the highlighted item.
What is the training like?
It is a one day training that typically starts at 8:00AM and ends at around 4:00PM with a one hour lunch break. Light snack and refreshments are provided for free. Lunch however is not. You can bring your own meal or your can buy your one in the venue. Please see these pictures from the training for more information.
Where can I get more information about the short training courses offered by UPLB-IPB?
Is it really that simple to grow your own vegetables with hydroponics?
Simple Nutrient Addition Program or SNAP Hydroponics is a low-cost, low-maintenance hydroponics system that is designed for household or small-scale commercial vegetable production. It enables growers to utilize small spaces typical in urban settings for food production. Developed in the Institute of Plant Breeding, UPLB, it’s been around for over twenty years and has a flawless safety record and impeccable performance even for first time growers. It is very easy to use and easy to learn because it’s just a Simple Nutrient Addition Program.
“Gabay sa SNAP Hydroponics Mula Binhi Hanggang Ani” by ME. Playlist is composed of comprehensive video tutorials in Filipino.
We are currently working on a new series of videos covering SNAP Hydroponics so don’t forget to subscribe!
Need More Help?
Still not feeling confident to try? Need help getting started? Please join our Facebook Group SNAP Hydroponics Growers. We are a very active community of hydroponics and gardening enthusiasts. We will help you as best we can.
Ang set ng SNAP nutrients (SNAP A at SNAP B) ay Php 225.00 kung sa IPB, UPLB bibilhin. Kung hindi Authorized Reseller limitado po sa 5 sets ang mabibli.
Kung sa SNAP Authorized Resellers bibilhin Php 250.00-350.00 ang kada set.
Ano ang SNAP?
Ang paraan ng pagpapalaki ng halaman sa tubig at walang lupa ay tinatawag na hydroponics. Gumagamit ito ng mineral nutrient solution. Ang Simple Nutrient Addition Program o SNAP Hydroponics ay isang madali at mababang halagang hydroponics system na gumagamit ng mga materyales na madaling mahanap sa paligid. Ito ay ginagamitan ng SNAP Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics. Ang isang set ng SNAP Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics ay binubuo ng 500mL SNAP A at 500mL SNAP B at may kalakip na printed user manual at materials safety datasheet (MSDS).
Iisang klase lang ang SNAP Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics at ito ay galing sa Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), UPLB. Ito ay dini-distribute ng mga SNAP Authorized Reseller. Sila nagsanay sa Institute at may Certificate of Completion mula sa IPB.
Para makatiyak na lehitimo ang pagbibilhan maaring i-verify ang kanilang Certificate of Completion mula sa IPB.
Dapat ang SNAP A clear (‘pag minsan ay white cloudy) ang SNAP B ay dapat clear at may pagkadilaw. May kasama rin dapat itong printed na materials safety datasheet (MSDS) at user manual.
A pair of SNAP nutrient solution.
Kung iba ang kulay sa binanggit ko sa itaas o hindi kahalintulad ng ritrato sa taas, hindi ito SNAP kundi ibang brand o formulation ng nutrient solution. Iba ang kalidad at bisa ng ibang brand o formulation ng nutrient solution at iba’t iba rin ang paraan ng paggamit ng mga ito. Iba’t iba rin ang resulta.
Saan mabibili ang SNAP nutrients?
Sanhi ng umiiral na quarantine sa bansa, nagiging mabagal ang paggawa ng SNAP sa IPB, UPLB. Gayun din nahihirapan makapag-restock ang mga SNAP Authorized Resellers. Dagdag pa dito ang biglang pag-spike ng demand sa produkto. Kaya may kahirapan itong makita sa merkado.
Sa mga SNAP Authorized Resellers mabibili ang SNAP. Hindi pa commercial product ang SNAP Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics kaya hindi ito makikita sa mga karaniwang outlets.
Ang mga SNAP Authorized Resellers ay nag-train sa IPB, UPLB at naipamalas ang kalaman sa paggamit nito. Sila ay pinapahintulutang bumili ng SNAP sa IPB, UPLB para i-resell.
Certificate of completion.
Marami SNAP Authorized Resellers na nagbebenta ng SNAP nutrients sa mga online outlets (hal. Lazada/Shopee/FB Marketplace). Para makatiyak na sa SNAP Authorized Reseller bumibili, maaring i-verify ang kanilang certificate of completion mula sa IPB.
Walang opisyal na listahan SNAP Authorized Reseller ang administrator ng website na ito.
Mangyaring sumali sa SNAP Hydroponics Growers. Maaring may SNAP Authorized Reseller na makakatulong doon dahil mayroon silang partial, unofficial at community sourced na registry ng SNAP Authorized Resellers.
Pwede ba na maulanan ang SNAP Hydroponics System?
Pwede mabasa? ng ulan ang halaman. Ang hindi pwede ay yung mapasok ng tubig yung growbox. Kapag nangyari ito, madadagdagan ng tubig ang nutrient solution at posibleng mapalitan ng tubig ulan. Mawawalan ng sustansiya yung solution at maapektohan ang paglaki ng mga halaman. Masasayang ang nutrient solution. Nirerekomenda na gumamit ng rain shelter.
Mga halamang lumalaki sa SNAP Hydroponics. Protektado sa ulan dahil sa awning.
Paano ihalo sa tubig?
Magismula sa sampung litrong malinis na tubig (hindi distilled o dumaan sa reverse osmosis). Dagdagan ng 25mL SNAP. Haluing mabuti. Dagdagan ng 25mL SNAP B. Haluing mabuti. Kahit po alin sa SNAP A at SNAP B ang maunang ihalo sa tubig. Huwag pagsabayin.
Ten liters of properly mixed SNAP working solution.
Saan ang training/seminar?
Suspended indefinitely ang lahat ng training sa IPB, UPLB.
Sa IPB, UPLB kung saan dinevelop ang SNAP. Kaso nga lang po dahil sa COVID-19, suspendido yung trainings. At sa panahon po ngayon ay talagang mas maganda pong umiwas muna tayo sa mga public gathering as much as possible.
Banner welcoming SNAP Hydroponics training participants.
Paano labanan ang mga peste sa pananim?
Pinakamaganda protective shelter para hindi mapasok ng peste ang hydroponic garden. Kung wala naman pwede rin ang tiricide. Tuwing umaga bago sumikat ang araw nanginginain at gumagalaw ang mga peste. Mas madali po silang makita at tirisin sa umaga. Kapag mataas na ang sikat ng araw nagtatago na ang mga ito at mahirap nang makita.
Dahil sa umiiral na health crisis sa ating bansa nagkaroon ng spike sa demand para sa SNAP Nutrient Solution for Hydroponics. Gayun din, naging skeletal ang work force sa IPB, UPLB at walang dumadating na supply ng materiales dulot ng pinaiiral na Enchanced Community Quarantine.
Mabibili sa mga SNAP Authorized Resellers
Hindi pa commercial product ang SNAP nutrients kaya hindi ito makikita sa mga karaniwang outlets.
Mabibili ang SNAP nutrients sa mga SNAP Authorized Resellers. Sila ay nag-train sa IPB, UPLB at awtorisadong bumili ng SNAP nutrients sa IPB, UPLB ng bultuhan. Sila ay required na mag-set up at mag-maintain ng hydroponics system upang ipamalas ang kanilang natutulan sa SNAP Training. Bilang reseller, sila rin ay nire-require na magbigay tulong at gabay sa mga individual na kanilang pinagbibilhan ng SNAP nutrients.
Ang SNAP nutrients ay mabibili sa halagang Php 200.00 (SNAP A at SNAP B, isang set) sa IPB, UPLB. Limitado sa limang (5) set ang mabibili ng mga hindi SNAP Authorized Reseller.
Marami sa mga SNAP Authorized Reseller ay nagbebenta ng SNAP nutrients sa mga online stores at e-commerce platforms. Para makatiyak na sa SNAP Authorized Reseller bumibili, maari po ninyong hanapin ang kanilang certificate mula sa IPB. Marami sa mga SNAP Authorized Reseller ay sinasama ang kanilang certficate of completion sa pictures ng kanilang product listing.
Happy Grower’s SNAP training certificate of completion.
Ang administrator ng website ay walang opisyal na talaan ng SNAP Authorized Reseller. Hindi siya kontektado sa IPB, UPLB at hindi rin siya involved sa research and development ng SNAP nutsol, manufacture ng SNAP nutsol at training ukol sa SNAP.
In this video Dr. Santos talks about SNAP Hydroponics. A transcription in English follows.
Hydroponics from the Greek word “hydro” or water and “phonos” that means labor. It is a system of growing plants that uses mineral nutrient solution in water and without soil.
We grow plants in hydroponics in order to avoid using soil. Because, there could be issues with your soil. If your land is flood prone or you don’t own land around your area where you can grow plants, you resort to hydroponics.
That means, instead of soil, you grow plants using for example, coconut coir dust, sand or gravel or a mixture of them. And you grow plants on them. However, the problem is, they are almost devoid of nutrients. Therefore, you need to use a nutrient solution. You use nutrient solutions so that they can provide the nutrients that the soil is supposed to provide the plants in order to grow.
Hydropononics is a very useful technology. Particularly to those do not own farmlands. However, traditional hydroponics is labor intensive and expensive. They require a greenhouse that costs millions.
With the goal of introducing hydroponics to the public, Dr. Primitivo Jose Santos and Dr. Eureka Teresa Ocampo of UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding Developed Simple Nutrient Addition Program or SNAP Hydroponics.
We developed SNAP Hydroponics with the help of Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture. It has been around since 1999. Many has already benefited from it because, in my opinion SNAP is very simple compared to commercial hydroponic systems that can cost millions if not thousands. But in SNAP Hydroponics, you can do hydroponics in a box that only costs less than a hundred pesos (USD 2).
What makes SNAP Hydropononics system unique is that, you can build it out of materials around you. Just look around and you can get the materials you need.
Just like these. These, as you can see are just styrofoam boxes that were used in imported grapes. You can get them for free or at a very low price. You can’t do the same if you use other hydroponic system.
You even help in recycling. Because in super markets these are just dumped or thrown away. They are almost non-biodegradable.
That is why this is very useful to us in reducing the waste products of imported grapes.
Secondly, because it is very simple, it doesn’t use electricity. It doesn’t use pumps. So you can save on electricity while still be able to grow plants.
Imported hydroponic technologies depends on electricty. You can’t run them without using electricty. Now why aren’t we using electricity when plants require aeration in their roots.
How are we able to grow them without pumps? Well, we discovered that you can train plants to grow on water when you start training them young. That means, plants can develop floating roots. Floating roots because they float on the surface of water. So they are not underwater and they can breathe. In that situation, the plant is able to breathe that is why it grows. That is the secret of SNAP Hydroponics.
Third, SNAP Hydroponics is very low cost and very efficient. For example, one head of mustard such as this uses less than 2L of water until harvest. Whereas, when you grow them in soil, they’ll use at least 50L. Especially during the dry season.
Being soilless, you don’t affect the surrounding soil while you grow plants. Some use fertilizers as they grow plants. That can ruin the soil environment. Because, we are not not using soil, we can say SNAP is eco-friendly. Because soil stays virgin if it is untouched, yet you produce vegetables.
Those are just some of the advantages of SNAP Hydroponics.
SNAP Hydroponics is suitable for growing lettuce, pak choi, mustard, swamp cabbage, tomatoes, melon cucumber, egg plant and many more.
Many are interested in SNAP Hydroponics because they have seen that it is set-and-forget. Once you set it up you are not required to keep an eye on them because you don’t have to water them everyday, you don’t have weeds to remove, you won’t be exposed to chemical sprays, and your harvest therefore will be pesticide free. In addition, even when you are physically challenged. For example, if you are a senior citizen or you have a disability. You can set this up. In fact, we had trained groups of people with disability and senior citizens. They make projects out of this.
SNAP Hydroponics have huge potential to help reduce food shortage, specially vegetables, for our people.
Is it really that simple to grow your own vegetables with hydroponics?
Simple Nutrient Addition Program or SNAP Hydroponics is a low-cost, low-maintenance hydroponics system that is designed for household and small-scale commercial vegetable production. It enables growers to utilize small spaces typical in urban and peri-urban settings for food production. It can easily be adapted to large-scale commercial vegetable production. Developed in the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), UPLB, it’s been around for 20 years and has a flawless safety record and impeccable performance even for first time growers. It is very easy to use.
“ Gabay sa SNAP Hydroponics Mula Binhi Hanggang Ani” by ME. Playlist is composed of comprehensive video tutorials in Filipino.
Need More Help?
Still not feeling confident to try? Need help getting started? Join SNAP Hydroponics Growers on Facebook. We are a very active community of hydroponics and gardening enthusiasts. We will help you as best we can.
SNAP working solution is a mixture of water and SNAP Hydroponics nutrient solution that is used to grow plants. The working solution provides the nutrients a plant needs in order to grow. This post contains information on how to prepare a SNAP working solution.
A typical use case is to prepare 10L of working solution for a standard sized growbox. To prepare 10L of working solution:
Start with 10L of tap or well water.
Add 25 mL of SNAP A.
Mix well.
Add 25 mL of SNAP B.
Mix well.
The video below demonstrates:
The order by which SNAP A and SNAP B is added doesn’t matter. What is important is that they are not mixed together before being added to water. It is also important that the solution is mixed well before adding the next nutrient solution. SNAP comes in two bottles because it has components that will chemically react with each other if mixed in high concentrations. The components will form soluble and insoluble salts that will render them useless for hydroponics use. The video below demonstrate what would happen if SNAP A and SNAP B is mixed together.
Smaller volumes of working solution can also be prepared if needed. Simply add 2.5mL of SNAP A and SNAP B for every liter of water (diluting in between).
Common Questions
Can I use distilled water?
Using distilled water is not recommended. SNAP is designed to work with Philippine municipal water sources which are typically alkaline (pH values above 7). SNAP is designed to lower that to a pH range that plants require. Distilled water is neutral and using this to prepare the working solution will result in a solution which is extremely acidic.
The pH of the working solution when distilled water is used.
Can I use rainwater?
It depends on the conditions on how the rainwater is collected. Pure rain water is very similar to distilled water and is not recommended for the same reasons mentioned above. The video below demonstrates this:
A 1:1 mixture rainwater and tap water can be used.
How do I use the measuring cup that is included in my SNAP Hydroponics Kit?
Please refer to the picture below:
How to use the measuring cup included in SNAP Hydroponics Kit
I’ve seen an instructional video saying I need to add 75mL of SNAP A and SNAP B. Is that correct?
Old formulations of SNAP Hydroponics uses 75mL. Current formulation requires only 25mL of SNAP A and 25mL of SNAP B.
If you have any questions please leave a comment below. Good luck and happy growing!
Fresh mustasa heads touched only by my hands before making its way to the kitchen.
Yes, SNAP is generally recognized as safe or GRAS. Before I continue I want to affirm that I am not involved in the development, manufacture and sale of SNAP Hydroponic nutrients. The words you read on this blog are the words of a SNAP enthusiast.
SNAP is generally recognized as safe (GRAS). I didn’t make that up. It’s a technical jargon that is used in industry and academia. What makes SNAP GRAS? Because it is self-affirmed. Why? Because:
SNAP is developed with the assistance of the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture. In other words, this is a government funded project. The government would never allow SNAP to be unsafe.
The developers of SNAP Hydroponics, Dr. Primitivo Santos and Dr. Eureka Teresa Ocampo are respected scientists in their fields. They are botanists and licensed chemists. They are ready and able to defend SNAP’s GRAS status should the need arise.
SNAP Hydroponics has been around since 1999. That is two decades and in all those years no incident involving SNAP has surfaced.
Many has reaped the benefits of this government funded project. SNAP Hydroponics? goal of popularising hydroponics and urban food production has made livelihoods for many.
Personally, I find SNAP safe because it doesn’t have soil and how very minimal the food is handled before it reaches your door step. In hydroponics, the nutrient solution only has essential nutrients the plants need to grow. In soil, the nutrients are in the soil along with other stuff that gets in the soil. If you are unlucky the soil could be contaminated with hazardous run offs or with E. coli. The same goes for handling the produce. The greater the number of times the produce exchanged hand the greater the risk of contamination and the more unappealing it seems. I believe the only true way to enjoy clean and fresh food is to grow them yourselves in an environment you can control.
“SNAP is not organic.” is what I always answer when this question is posted in SNAP Hydroponics Growers (SHG). Being “organic” is such a polarizing property it seems. People literally leave the group whenever that discussion is brought out. What is it about being “organic” or having the “organic” label that seems to be so important. In food production what does it mean to be organic?
A long time ago the human population is low. They are hunter gatherers. The population is kept in check by the outcomes of the hunt and gathers. Because of this everybody is required to hunt and to gather for the survival of the group. One day, the gatherers noticed that plants grew out of the seed they toss.
Eventually, they learned that if they keep cultivating the best plant and toss the bad ones they make better plants. This is how domesticated plants happened. A large percentage of the plants we eat are modified varieties of their “wild” counter part.
A wild banana.
This is how agriculture started. Because of agriculture the population spiked. People started to settle down to form civilizations. The increase in population means farmers need to increase their yield by researching new techniques and ideas.
Fortunately for them people aren’t tied to hunting and gathering anymore. There is enough food that some people do other things like crafts, arts and more importantly science. We got better and better at farming and the population grew bigger and bigger still. We learned techniques like cycling crops, using compost to fertilize the soil and we control pests through biological means and utilizing plants and animals and the most sustainable way. Like feeding grazing animals plant material from the fields and using the manure of the grazing animals to fertilize the fields for better crops. That’s what I imagine people would think about when they say a food was grown through organic means and is thus organic food. I like this method. It is sustainable and nature friendly. But why didn’t it just stay that way?
Because of the population. It is growing so fast that agriculturists need even faster methods growing plants and increasing yields. Agriculturists figured out that plants doesn’t really need compost or manure to grow faster it doesn’t even need soil. All they need are essential chemicals dissolved in water (and carbon dioxide and light of course) that are provided by the soil and which can be amended by adding manure or compost. Manure and compost are rich in these essential chemicals and are one of man kinds first fertilizer.
Essential nutrients. Chemicals essential to plant growth.
Because we can now manufacture these nutrients essential to plant growth we have chemical fertilisers. Because we have such good result with it we tend to overdo it and in the process we pollute our soil and water. Our excesses gets the best of us.
I mentioned earlier that plants only needs essential nutrients, carbon dioxide and light to grow which is why we have hydroponics. A method of growing plants in nutrient solution with out the use of soil.
“But you still haven’t answered what it means to have an organic label”, you might ask. I’ll use the definition in Republic Act No. 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010:
Organic refers to the particular farming and processing system, described in the standards and not in the classical chemical sense. The term “organic” is synonymous in other languages to “biological” or “ecological”. It is also a labeling term that denotes products considered organic based on the Philippine National Standards for organic agriculture.
This means that by law the term organic is a label for produce that the Philippine Standards for organic agriculture deemed fit to carry the “organic” label. This mean most of the produce you commonly see on the market is not organic. It is also against the law to label produce as organic when it’s not.
This is just one legislation, definition and standard. Other countries have their own legislation, definition and standard. In the United States, under certain conditions hydroponics produce can be given the “organic” label.
So that settles it. By Philippine law SNAP Hydroponics is not an organic food production method. But even it that is the case, hydroponics is still one of the most efficient and eco-friendly method of food production. Perhaps one day our standards will change and we will be allowed to label SNAP hydroponics produce as organic.
