Simple Aeroponics System
Strings of red and blue LED lights dangle inside Freight Farms ’ container at Stony Brook University , Long Island , New York .
The trend toward increasing population growth , coupled with less arable land , has increased global interest in hydroponics , as well as other indoor methods of delivering water to plants such as aeroponics and aquaponics . Aeroponics is a system of growing plants in an air / mist environment in which roots are misted with nutrient-rich water every few minutes . Medicinals made from plant roots , such as coneflowers ( Echinacea spp .) are easily and more quickly grown in an aeroponic system , because unlike a soil-based plant , a portion of the root can be regularly harvested without destroying the plant . Aquaponic systems include fish , such as tilapia , whose waste fertilizes plants . In turn , the plants filter and clean the water .
SMALL FARM IN A BOX The World Bank estimates that we will need to produce at least 50 percent more food by 2050 to feed a projected population of more than 9.5 billion . Companies looking at future food needs have started manufacturing prefabricated modular systems or retrofitting used shipping containers with built-in hydroponic systems .
Freight Farms , based in Boston , Massachusetts , builds hydroponic growing systems inside 40 x 8 x 9.5-foot shipping containers . Stony Brook University on Long Island , New York , has one of these containers placed outside its Roth Quad cafeteria . The farm , known as the Leafy Green Machine , is run by students and all greens grown are served in the cafeteria .
Within the container , high efficiency red and blue LED light strips hang near the vertical growing towers . The dangling strips can be placed close to the plants because they do not cause leaf burn . All the interior conditions , such as lighting , temperature , humidity and carbon dioxide levels , can be controlled remotely with a smartphone application . Perry Tucciarone , operations manager for Roth and overseer of the Freight Farm said , “ It runs on minimal electricity of about 160 kWh and uses under 10 gallons of water a day .” Each shipping container can hold up to 4,500 plants .
STILL A BALANCING ACT There are some limits to these newer systems . Growing grain crops , such as wheat , sorghum and corn , is not yet feasible with these types of hydroponic systems . Large commercial operations have very high startup costs . Extra training in engineering and computer control systems is also costly for growers . And since electricity is of utmost importance , a power failure without a back-up generator could quickly ruin crops .
Yet , there ’ s huge potential for these modern systems to cut food waste , help drought-stricken areas ( especially in Africa and the Middle East ) and provide growing urban populations with pesticide-free , locally grown fresh produce all year round .
RESOURCES
Simply Hydroponic www . simplyhydro . com / whatis
USDA www . nal . usda . gov / afsic / hydroponics
The Water Network https :// thewaternetwork . com
Infinite Harvest www . infinite-harvest . com
Freight Farms www . freightfarms . com
Dency Kane is a garden photographer for books , magazines and advertising , as well as a volunteer Climate Reality Leader trained by former Vice President Al Gore . You can reach her at dencykane @ photographer . net or 631-423-3479 .
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