Our Flor y Campo farm in Ecuador is home to Esmeralda's exclusive, beautiful hydroponically grown roses where we use state of the art Dutch technology to cultivate these flowers. Hydroponics, derived from the Latin "water working", is simply growing plants without soil. In Hydroponics, the rose plant is placed in a pot with a natural substrate (instead of the soil). The substrate used is cocos dust, which is the byproduct arrived at after removing the fibre from the cocos husk. It has been proven that this substrate gives the best growing medium for roses, and a lot of other plants as well.

Using only the latest technology, Esmeralda's Dutch irrigation system is all computer controlled, which assures us that every plant receives exactly the same amount of water and fertilizers at the precise moment the plant needs it. With greater control over the growing process, we will be able to achieve more production per plant, and, even better quality. We will also be able to control disease much easier, resulting in less use of pesticides.

Another notable advantage is that we recycle the drain water coming out of these pots. In hydroponics, 50% of the total water amount you irrigate is recycled back into the system. This recycled water, now containing large amounts of fertilizers, is then used to irrigate other crops still growing in the soil.

In Hydroponics, also referred to as "Controlled Environmental Agriculture", you can control: light, temperature, water, CO2, oxygen, pH, and nutrients. After studying different options, we found this to be the best method for our rose production. This system will give us a big environmental advantage towards other growers, using less water, less fertilizers, as well as fewer pesticides. We provide our customers even better quality than before.