|
Work . . . Currently, I'm the Scientific Director for SUNTEC Hydroponic Consultants in New Zealand, a business I started with my partner, Simon a few years ago after completing my Ph.D. Initially, we were hydroponic lettuce growers, but this was not all that profitable since there was a huge oversupply of hydroponic produce in general in New Zealand. We then started taking on consultancy clients for all over the world and now run an International Hydroponic Consultancy Service, which is based in Tokomaru, New Zealand. Our clients are based in all sorts of interesting places including the Caribbean, North Carolina, Canada, Australia, Texas, California, China, Iran, and a few here in New Zealand. Later on we also set up our property with a number of greenhouses and now carry out research trials for manufacturers and growers who want a product or idea scientifically tested. I also enjoy writing and contribute on a regular basis to a number of industry publications (one being The Growing Edge of course!) and have written a couple of books, Hydroponic Lettuce Production and Hydroponic Capsicum Production. At the moment, the main focus of our research is into organic hydroponic methods and ways of making hydroponic production systems more efficient.
Family . . . I married Simon Lennard in 1994 (we met in the lab at Massey University) and we now also work together. Simon has a degree in horticultural science and a Masters Degree in plant physiology from Massey University. Our daughter Tara was born in 1998 and the rest of the family consists of a dog, a cat, birds, a turtle, and a small flock of domestic ducks. We live on a "lifestyle" property in Tokomaru, a small township in the Manawatu (lower North Island of New Zealand). Tokomaru is mostly surrounded by dairy farms and potato and process crop growers. We have a steam engine museum, a river, and lots of beautiful scenery. The water and climate here is also excellent for hydroponics. Brief Biography . . . 1970 Born in Wellington, NZ Work Experience . . .
Presentations . . . One of the nice things about contributing to such high quality publications as The Growing Edge is getting invitations to speak at conferences and seminars overseas. So far, I've had the pleasure of presenting at the conferences of the Hydroponic Farmers Federation, the Australian Hydroponic Association, the Hydroponic Merchants Association, the Hydroponic Society of America, the Gold Coast Hydroponic Club, and a few others here in New Zealand. This is such a good way to gather information and met heaps of fellow "hydroponickers" from all around the world. I thoroughly recommend that people try to attend these events. Prizes and Awards . . . 1986 Excellence in Horticulture, National Dairy Association Prize for Horticulture Community Involvement and Interests . . . Lions International. I'm currently a member of the Manawatu Town and Country Lions Club. Before this I was a Leo Club member for about seven years. Our club carries out all sorts of community projects to help those in need and to raise money for local charities. One of our major projects is the Giant Pumpkin Growing Contest for which I am (and always seem to be) coordinator for. This year we are attempting to grow the biggest pumpkins ever (hydroponically). I will post a photo on this site when they get big enough to impress you all! Toastmasters Clubs. Public speaking is another interest of mine. I was a member of our local toastmasters club for over eight years and really learned a lot about communication (I hope!). Hydroponics Club. So far I have been president, vice-president, secretary, and newsletter editor (many times) for our local hydroponics club. While our club is mostly hobbyist growers, we have a great time going on visits to the properties of local growers, running seminars, and socialising in general. Interests . . .
Past Research Projects SUNTEC Has Been Involved In . . . Here is a list of some of the research we have carried out over the last few years. Most of these reports have been published in various places.
Current Research Projects Being Carried out By SUNTEC . . .
Interesting Goings-on in Our Greenhouses . . . At the moment we have a small "hydroponic orchard" in one of our greenhouses, growing a number of fruiting plants including dwarf preach and nectarine trees (which are in fruit), raspberries in NFT, and loganberries in media, which will be grown through winter for out-of-season fruit; dwarf olives, which have a good fruit load on and are in a coconut fibre media system; cranberries, grapes, limes, and blackcurrant in coconut peat; peanuts in a drain to waste, heated system; pepino fruit in NFT, along with a giant tomato variety (just to see how big they really do grow); some tropicals such as babaco, guava, coffee, and blueberry bushes in large media containers; and I also have some native NZ (Maori) potatoes in a hydroponic media bed, purple-skinned and yellow-fleshed tubers that taste delicious. Recommendations for Hydroponic Growers, Large and Small . . . The Growing Edge magazine My books Hydroponic Lettuce Production and Hydroponic Capsicum Production can be purchased from The Growing Edge Web Site Store or http://www.hydroponics.com.au. Another good book I recommend is Hydroponic Crop Production by Lon Dalton and Rob Smith. This book has some of the best hydroponic photography I have ever seen and the information contained within it is invaluable to anyone involved in hydroponics. The Nutron 2000+ software, a nutrient formulation programme for the serious hobbyist or commercial growers, developed by SUNTEC (http://www.suntec.co.nz/nutron.htm). Pyrosol silica additive. Silica has been proven to be beneficial to plant growth in hydroponics, provided you use the correct source. Pyrosol is a silica additive developed by SUNTEC and manufactured in the United States by General Hydroponics (http://www.genhydro.com/prices.html). A good hydroponic system is the General Hydroponics Aero-flow System, in which we have been growing cucumbers and tomatoes. This has proven to be an excellent design for getting maximum oxygenation into your nutrient solution and maximising plant growth. Check it out at http://www.genhydro.com/systems.html. Computerised water conditioners. The CALCLEAR computerised water conditioner has been proven to remove the lime scale from irrigation and hydroponic pipes and emitters as well as having beneficial effects on plant growth Foliar feeding of nutrients. Spray N Grow have a foliar nutrient complex that can be used by hydroponic growers to boost plant growth (http://www.spray-n-growag.com). A good Web site for information and to find retailers of hydroponic gear: Hydromall (http://www.hydromall.com). A good consultant: Me! I can be contacted at suntec@suntec.co.nz or check out our Web site (http://www.suntec.co.nz/consulants.htm). SUNTEC Hydroponics Consultants E-mail: suntec@suntec.co.nz
|
|||||
Dr. Lynette Morgan
