With the help of the latest agrotechnical techniques, vertical farming is a method of cultivating edible plants indoors. Vertical farms can provide fresh vegetables, berries, greens, and herbs to growing populations all year round by utilizing vertical space. Vertical farms are environmentally friendly, produce no carbon dioxide, and require no pesticides since they are grown in a completely controlled environment. Furthermore, vertical farming uses 95% less water than traditional agriculture and conventional greenhouses.
How to Start a Vertical Farming in Greenhouse
Choosing Crops for Vertical Farming
You will use a growing method tailored to the needs of the crop you plan to grow. Identifying how much nutrients and light each crop requires daily is crucial. With a hydroponic system, there are more factors to consider than with a regular one. In this system, taller plants typically have less opportunity because they will be grown in layers. People who want to start using hydroponics or vertical farming will benefit from the ability to produce year-round, save water, and maximize their space.
Vertical farming can grow a wide variety of vegetables. Tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, and broccoli are just a few plants you can grow. A succulent is another example of a plant that can grow vertically. Your advanced equipment allows you to grow practically any plant. Particularly plants that prefer high humidity levels or more light exposure than the average plant. Herbs like mints, chives, kale, collard greens, and basil can also be grown.
Choosing Your Vertical Farming Method
Each vertical farming method has advantages and disadvantages and will be more or less suitable based on the crop type, business model, and location. It’s important to remember that no single vertical farm model fits all. Hydroponics is the preferred method for vertical farming. Hydroponic farming is scalable in size and cost, so it is highly adaptable to farmers’ production goals. A drip irrigation system, a deep water culture system, an ebb and flow method, a nutrient film technique, and a wick system are some of the methods used in this class. These methods are just different ways of supplying water to your crops.
Deciding on the Layout for Your Vertical Farm
In vertical farming, the goal is to utilize all the available space. This is where farmers need to maximize their growing capacity per square meter. You can easily accomplish this by planning a layout that maximizes space usage.
Setting up Proper Light Sources
Because vertical farming occurs in greenhouses, you need a different light source than the sun. LED lamps can give plants the light they need to grow by mimicking the light spectrum in the sun’s rays. Natural light sources can be supplemented with grow lights by farmers. Depending on the crop, reflectors, rotating beds, or other methods may be necessary to ensure that all the crops receive the same light. The downside to vertical farming is that it can be electricity-intensive because lighting (and other electric-powered equipment) plays a big role in crop yield.
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Plan and Install an Effective Water and Nutrients Supply
The farmer must supply all the basic light, water, and nutrient requirements for the crops to survive and produce a high yield. It will be impossible to sustain the garden if these steps aren’t taken correctly and in the right amounts. Vertical farming often takes place without soil. You can choose any substrate you like. We use soil, cellulose, fiber, grow foam, perlite or other volcanic rock, and vermiculite as a sustainable alternative. If you grow without soil, you have to add nutrients to the plants differently. This is usually done using growth nutrients mixed into water with the correct pH.
- In hydroponic cultivation, the roots of the plants are usually immersed in water mixed with plant nutrients. It is beneficial for most plants to have direct nutrition contact to grow well. A complete fertilizer that adds all trace elements is crucial to hydroponic cultivation. It is necessary to have a water-soluble mixture that can be used in both hydroponics and soil.
- Water containing nutrients is recycled and reused. As a result, water is used extremely efficiently, with little to no spillage.
- The roots of plants grown in aeroponics are in the air, but nutrients and water are sprayed on them. Hydroponics requires even less water than this.
- The plants receive nutrients from the feces of fish or other marine animals in aquaponic cultivation. The type of fish and the food they consume affects plant nutrition.
Continuous Monitoring of Ventilation and Climate Control
Finding and maintaining the right climate is vital to the success of your vertical farm, especially in terms of temperature and humidity. Keeping the temperature and humidity at the right level requires a good ventilation system. The process of photosynthesis works best under certain conditions. Therefore, researchers have established set values for correct levels. This is called VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit). A well-balanced VPD is very important. In commercial productions, researchers believe that imbalanced VPD is the main cause of ineffective plant growth.
Pest and Disease Control
Infestations of pests and diseases are common in all crops. Vertical farming, however, makes it easier to deal with these issues. Infestations are reduced due to the climate control of the greenhouse where the cultivation occurs. There is, however, a risk that pests and plant diseases may enter the building via unintentional contamination or poor cleaning and maintenance. The most likely place for such an infection is through the ventilation system, brought in by people at work or from open entrances.
There are several measures you have to take to minimize the risk. Air filters and airlock-based systems, for instance, can be installed. After implementing disinfection routines, separate workwear can be used for different facility parts. UV filters, boiling filters, and other solutions can disinfect water before it is recycled into the system to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. A good climate control system minimizes the risk of pests and plant diseases. Keeping the humidity at the right level is especially important.
In case you missed it: Sustainable Greenhouse Farming Practices: Eco-Friendly Growing Methods
Conclusion
Vertical farming is a business opportunity of a lifetime, but it requires know-how. Whether you’re new to vertical farming or moving from another type of agriculture, you’ll need to re-educate yourself. Basically, you need a good location, a suitable building, and a functional farming system to succeed with vertical farming. Once that is done, you need to set up lighting and irrigation and establish a conducive indoor climate. Growth medium, plant nutrients, and disease and pest control should also be considered.
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