Farms, nurseries take extra steps to reduce effects of dry spell

Channel NewsAsia 26 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: With the early onset of the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon, workers at farms and nurseries are taking steps to ensure the quality of their products is not affected.

Chinese New Year is less than a month away and workers at some nurseries have been installing sun shades to ensure imported festive plants and flowers do not dry up.

Some nurseries told Channel NewsAsia the prices of such plants will not change as they have been negotiated with suppliers prior to the onset of the dry season.

At vegetable farms, leaves of products such as butterhead lettuce have started turning yellow because of the weather change.

One hydroponic farm is sending nutrient-enriched water to the roots of vegetables, every 20 minutes instead of 30. In addition, the farm has had to lower the temperature of the nutrient-enriched water as even moderately warm solutions can affect the growth of plants.

- CNA/ek