An innovative farm: what is aeroponics and how much does it cost to open such a business
Innovative farms are gaining popularity in Ukraine. Thus, the Green Garden Group company grows greens in greenhouses using aeroponics technology. About what it is and how it works, they told in the plot of the partner of The Page - "Persha Shpalta".
According to the owner of the Green Garden Group, Vadim Tsirul, he has three greenhouses with a total area of 2 thousand square meters, where he harvests mint, arugula, basil, and more than 18 types of salads, blackberries, cucumbers, tomatoes and more all year round.
What is aeroponics (video):
“The cost of such a business is 700 thousand dollars, the payback period is 3.5 years. It all depends on the dollar exchange rate. Also today we have a package of franchises, ”says the entrepreneur.
What is aeroponics and how technology works
The idea to create such a farm came to Tsirul thanks to the European experience of his friend, who worked on such an innovative farm abroad. All plants on the farm are grown using aeroponics technology, thanks to which vegetables, berries and greens can be grown all year round, even in the most severe frosts.
“There is a central highway from which everything diverges to each pipe. Inside the pipe there is a watering pipe, three nozzles that irrigate everything. The excess water is then drained and returned to the container, ”explains the entrepreneur, adding that holes are made in the hexagonal pipes, into which small pots with plants are put. Their horizontal arrangement makes it possible to increase the number of plants per square meter by 6-8 times, and vertical - from 11 to 14 times.
According to him, the farm occupies two thousand square meters, which replaces two hectares of land. “We have two girls working in each greenhouse, that is, only 9 people, while a lot of people are needed to cultivate two hectares of land,” the farmer explains.
He also notes that such a system saves water, because after fertilizers are added to it, it circulates until it ends, that is, three to four days. The liquid enters at regular intervals and moisturizes the roots through the nozzles, while the roots themselves grow in the air. At the same time, the soil for such plant growing is not needed at all, because the seeds are planted not in the ground, but in small pieces of mineral wool.