Inside the hydroponic garden of Kuramathi

Kuramathi is famous for its lush foliage strewn around the nearly 2 kilometre long island. The resort is dotted with tropical plants of all sorts, from the ubiquitous banyan trees, eerie looking screw pine trees and colourful bougainvillea. The plant life is tended to by a team of 100 landscapers, their daily objective to maintain the lives of the well-kept flora is much appreciated by guests. One key feature that is also looked over by the horticulturist is one of the resort’s most sustainably functional facilities; the Hydroponic Garden.

Set in the heart of Kuramathi and established in 2000, the garden produces 6.6 tonnes of fresh salad annually. Nearly 500 kilogram of produce is grown monthly in an area accounting to only 900 square metres; thriving only with water. ‘Hydroponic’ is literally working with water and in this case, it is the core concept, utilizing nutrient rich water to harvest herbs and salads.

The facility now has 20 small greenhouses and one big greenhouse with crops that include lettuce, coriander, arugula, green basil, purple basil, dill, mizuna, lemongrass, mint (a reason enough to try the Kuramathi mojitos) and cherry tomatoes. The greenhouses are categorised by type and is wholly dependent on water supplied with nutrients that make up the solution necessary for the plants to grow. The facility has been running for nearly 5 years and many plants have been introduced during this span of time.

The initiative is a tribute to the eco-friendly concepts the resort follows proudly. Those interested to learn more about the gardens of Kuramathi, may join a guided tour on scheduled days.