Disney Horticulture

Highlight of our trip #4

These people know how to do it right. Of course the parks are clean, filled with beautiful flowers and exciting things to do, it is after all DISNEY ~ but for two horticulturists from the high deserts of the west ~ one of the highlights of our day at Epcot was the horticulture tour. A lot of the herbs and vegetables grown in the greenhouses are used in a Disney restaurant and there are no worries over pesticides on the produce because they don't use any. They utilize what is known as Integrated Pest Management,(IPA) which means that they release "good" insects into their gardens to control "bad" insect populations. For a large area of their greenhouse, The Land as they call the experimental area, uses a system called Aquaponics - a cross between Aquaculture and Hydroponics. This form of dual-farming is becoming increasingly popular on a smaller scale as well, including a few that I know of in the Fallon area!  In this system, a pond filled with certain beneficial fish (in Fallon most are using Tilapia) is used as a reservoir, and the water from that pond, containing vital nutrients that are by-products from the fish, is filtered and used to water the plants. This symbiotic relationship could be the key to more successful hydroponics in the future. Another innovation they are using is called sand-culture. By using sub-surface irrigation, they have been able to grow a variety of products, from cotton to giant citrus fruits, in desert sand. Think what we could do with that in our valley.Take a look at some of what they are up to......we were absolutely fascinated!