The popularity of vertical farming, which involves growing plants indoors, is steadily rising. However, many investors have been disappointed after assuming that all it takes is buying an empty warehouse, installing some grow lights, and effortlessly producing impeccable lettuce heads for profit. In light of this, city farming expert Roel Janssen has compiled a few crucial lessons on achieving success in vertical farming projects.
Part 1: Ensuring the Optimal Climate, Lighting, and Spacing
The most vital aspect of starting an indoor farm is to have a skilled grower who understands the intricacies of cultivating plants indoors. While new technologies like sensors and the internet of things provide excellent opportunities for indoor farming, the absence of an experienced grower will hinder the full potential of your operation. While impressive packaging and appealing marketing tools are important, the ultimate determinant of success lies in the quality of your product. With that said, the following factors play a significant role in determining the outcome of your vertical farm investment:
· Crop selection
· Lighting selection and design-in
· Airflow design and climate control
· Spacing strategies for plants
· Crop logistics and automation
· Irrigation and nutrition
· Data, sensors, control and software
· Substrate choice
· Target audience and sales channel
When considering how to maximize returns on investment in a vertical farm, it is crucial to focus on creating an efficient facility that can produce the highest crop yield per unit of light. LED grow lights are a significant expense in terms of city farming infrastructure and operation. With this in mind, here are some valuable tips gathered from research conducted at the Philips GrowWise Center and various commercial projects worldwide to increase crop yield per unit of light.
Step 1: Optimize the climate conditions
Many new growers overlook the importance of maintaining optimal climate conditions in the indoor farming environment. It is essential to manage the heat generated by the grow lights, as well as the humidity resulting from the crop's evaporation process. A proper ventilation and air handling system is necessary to control humidity and temperature levels in the vertical farm. Neglecting to install an effective climate control system can lead to decreased yields, additional costs, and the need to resolve inefficiencies after installation.
Step 2: Fine-tune the lighting
Once the climate conditions are optimal, achieving the highest crop yields becomes the next focus. Extensive research has been conducted on the optimal light intensity for specific crops or varieties. However, yield is not always the sole determining factor. For example, red oak lettuce grown outdoors tends to yield less but turns red due to sunlight or temperature stress. In contrast, when grown indoors with limited UV light, it stays mostly green but grows rapidly. At Philips Lighting's GrowWise Center, plant specialists develop tailored light and growth recipes for specific crops. For instance, a specialized light recipe can transform a mostly green head of red oak lettuce into a dark red lettuce in just three days. By applying such recipes as a pre-harvest treatment, growers can significantly increase yields and achieve desired appearances. Collaborating with breeding companies allows for the development of crop varieties that enhance differentiation based on taste, quality, or color.
Step 3: Optimize plant spacing
Another strategy to improve crop yield per unit of light is by optimizing plant spacing. Proper spacing ensures that each plant receives an optimal amount of light, effectively illuminating the plants rather than the shelves they are grown on. Understanding the ideal spacing strategy can help determine whether investing in spacing robots is cost-effective by comparing the additional yield achieved to the automation investment required. Our vertical farm projects offer advice on the best spacing strategy and light recipe for each crop, enabling growers to decide between manual spacing or automated solutions. Additionally, our collaboration with leading breeders in the industry facilitates the selection of crop varieties that meet specific requirements.
By carefully considering and implementing these steps, vertical farm operators can maximize their return on investment by increasing crop yields while using the optimal amount of light and resources.
