New Technology Combines Hydroponics and Aeroponics
Preferred Produce, an organic and kosher greenhouse in Deming, New Mexico, is raising the bar for produce growers with a new patented technology that combines hydroponics with aeroponics.
The company’s new hydroponic growing container includes tubes for circulating oxygen directly to plant roots. Preferred Produce founder and co-owner Matthew Stong said this is important because submerging plants in water can restrict their oxygen supply.
The patented system, which Stong invented in partnership with Russian scientists, is contained in what is essentially a large plastic urn filled with water and includes tubing inside to circulate oxygen. The plant sits on top of the system, with the roots growing downward into the urn through holes in the lid.
Stong has tested the system with strawberries, tomatoes and bell peppers, and the results showed faster and hardier harvests than with other techniques.
“I’m growing evergreen strawberries, which would normally take about four months for an initial harvest, depending on the growing zone and weather,” Stong said. “With this system, I’m getting two pounds of strawberries in two months.”
Are you looking to cut your harvest time? This new technology may be worth a try. What new techniques have you been using in regards to produce? Shoot me an email and let me know; I’d love to hear from you.
— Jasmina
Lettuce Dream Breaks Ground
A groundbreaking ceremony took place last month in Maryville, Missouri, marking the start of construction for Lettuce Dream, a community-based effort to create a hydroponic greenhouse complex. It will provide employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities. When phase one is completed this summer, the 3-acre campus will consist of two 35×96-foot greenhouses and a 32×62-foot operations building. Lettuce Dream will provide restaurants and food retailers with fresh, locally grown produce while aiding citizens who face special challenges when it comes to finding and holding a job.
John Deere Foundation Donates $25,000 to Tenco
The John Deere Foundation recently awarded a second gift of $25,000 to Tenco, in Ottumwa, Iowa, to assist in the construction of a multi-purpose building adjacent to the four-bay hydroponic greenhouse, which is in its final stages. The 64×40-foot building will provide an area for grading, washing, packaging and loading produce for delivery. The new greenhouse and multi-purpose building will allow Tenco to address three main goals: 1) provide employment for people with disabilities, 2) provide a local source of fresh, pesticide-free vegetables for local community, and 3) provide opportunities for educational tours in a hydroponic greenhouse.
HarvestSquared Aims to Make Farming Easy
Steve Hough and Mike Motyka, co-founders of new hydroponic technology company HarvestSquared, recently finished building and cultivating a container farm, which is a commercial-scale farm in a shipping container. It uses vertical hydroponics, LED lighting and climate controls. While hydroponic farming is nothing new, HarvestSquared looks to offer a solution for would-be farms, using less water because of its vertical format. An added bonus: the system has sensors for air, temperature and humidity, all connected to an app Hough wrote (currently on Android, but the iOS version is being developed). The container farm currently has a standard 40-foot size, but the design can be scaled to the needs of each customer.
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