The arrival of the so-called climate chambers makes it possible to grow plants in a limited space and without the need for daylight. From the outside, the climate chambers look like a kind of sea container, but smaller. Of course, they are hermetically sealed for daylight and in addition, the container is located on top of a light refreshment installation. If you open the door of the container, a purple-blue light comes towards you. This environment offers the cultivation of plants many interesting possibilities!
Hard to imagine
It may seem a bit hard to imagine at first, but a climate chamber offers the perfect opportunity to grow plants wherever and whenever you want. In this specially designed chamber, it is possible to offer plants everything they need. Existing techniques previously made it possible to regulate the temperature, water supply and CO2, but now the optimization of the required light is also added.
Light requirements of plants
It is common knowledge that plants need a certain amount of light. Not only the amount of light plays a role, the light colour is also important. Generally speaking, plants mainly need red and blue light, but also the so-called far red, a light colour that can hardly be perceived by humans, can be necessary. It is common knowledge what light needs plants really have, but we have only been able to really respond to this in recent years with the advent of LED lighting. This type of lighting can be adjusted to the needs of the plant(s) in terms of both colour and light intensity.
Optimal light climate for different plants
Previously, a study was conducted by Plantlab and related to the most ideal light climate for different plants. This was quite time-consuming, but the company was assisted in its search by students from the Higher Agricultural School in Den Bosch. This study was partly the basis for realizing the climate chamber. By applying this method of cultivation, a very considerable saving of 30 percent on the energy bill can already be achieved today. In addition, a lot of space can be saved by having the cultivation take place in vertical layers. In addition, the cultivation chamber is constructed in such a way that it reuses water, which also saves a considerable amount of money in this area.
Healthy plants
Growers who choose to use this new cultivation method will initially be able to count on healthier plants. This in turn ensures that the use of all kinds of pesticides can be significantly reduced. That is not all, because the cultivation can also be structurally accelerated and you are no longer bound to a location. Whether you choose to have the cultivation take place in a garage or under a shopping centre, it is all possible. These new possibilities ensure that the costs for transport can be limited as well as the harmful substances for our environment that this entails. In addition, this makes it possible for everyone to easily grow plants for their medicinal properties, for example.
Social resistance
The industrial approach that is realized by using the growing chamber naturally raises many social questions. For example, is it really necessary to be able to control plant growth to within a millimeter and would we not be better off simply letting nature take its course? The criticism is understandable, but the advantages cannot simply be ignored. By using the climate chamber, vegetables can be grown in a more energy-efficient way. In addition, it also saves space and plant growth does not depend on the time of year. Apart from the above, there are also crops that will never be able to grow in a climate chamber. A well-known example of this is corn and soy. The cultivation of these crops requires particularly large areas.
Source: https://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/Nieuws/article/detail/1186247/2008/09/12/Gewassen-telen-zonder-daglicht.dhtml
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