Things to Consider While Irrigation in Indoor Vertical Farming

29 Dec Things to Consider While Irrigation in Indoor Vertical Farming

Things to Pay Attention About Irrigation

Water is essential for crop production. Water is required for the germination of seeds and as soon as growth starts water serves as a carrier in the distribution of mineral nutrients and plant food. Water, which is very important for the growth of herbal plants, is also of great importance in vertical farming, one of today’s favorite agricultural technologies.

There are four types of irrigation systems a vertical farm can use; Drip Irrigation, Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Flood & Drain and Deep Water Culture. The system to be used should be selected following the type of plant grown.

Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface.

Nutrient Film Technique

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is a hydroponic technique where in a very shallow stream of water containing all the dissolved nutrients required for plant growth is re-circulated past the bare roots of plants in a watertight gully, also known as channels.

Flood and Drain

Flood and Drain is a system involves the periodic flooding and draining of the nutrient solutions. Basically, there are two phases of its operation. The Flood is when the water and nutrients flow the growing areas, flowing over the plants’ roots.

Deep Water Culture

Deep Water Culture or direct water culture is a type of hydroponic farming method in which the roots of the plants are continually suspended in nutrient-rich, high-oxidized water.

After choosing the suitable irrigation type there are other topics that a vertical farmer should pay attention. First of all, all operations should be made by following the special prescription which is prepared for your very special facility.

Since the water demand will change according to the type of plant, the amount of irrigation and the frequency of irrigation should be planned specifically for each plant. When irrigation is done correctly, it can increase the growth rate and protect the plant from diseases. Since the water demand of the plant will vary according to the size it has reached and in what week it is, irrigation amount and frequency should be constantly planned according to the current situation of the plant.

Correct irrigation is very important as over or under irrigation will cause various problems in the plant. While over irrigation cause cotton root rot and leaf roll disease, under irrigation made the plant gets stressed and causes a more slow growth process. In some cases under irrigation can be used as an advantage, this method is used to increase the weight close to the harvest.

The last issue that a vertical farmer should consider is not irrigating when lightning is off. Since the biological activity of the plant is more under the light, it is preferable to irrigate when the light is on.

It is seen to be too much work to do and too many things to consider for vertical farmers. At this point, we are offering you a solution that will become your smart farm assistant; ‘Farmio’.

Farmio is a cloud-based, IoT-enabled software that transforms growing into a streamlined, smart process by providing all needs of your plants with its automated monitoring and control system.

With Farmio’s Smart Irrigation feature you can;

• Set irrigation schedules
• Remotely monitor irrigation cycles
• Minimize crop losses
• Reduce manual work by 75%
• Cut irrigationcosts by 20%

To learn more about Farmio; https://www.forfarming.co/farmio/