Agriculture Without Soil?
Yes indeed. Recent technological advances have answered the many calls of the agricultural world, develloping a form of agriculture that requires 90% less water, 80% less fertilizer, and increases plant productivity by 50%. This is allowing agricultural producers to function at a way lower production cost, with a higher yield, and is doing so in a very “green” manner. The roots of this concept lay in hydroponics, a method that uses only nutrient infused water and no soil to grow plants. These new methods do not stray too far from this fundamental concept, however are executed rather differently. The most interesting of these new growing methods is Stackable Vertical Farms, which is a process that requires no sun, no soil, and little to no water. Instead of submerging the roots in soil and then watering and fertilizing the soil, the roots of the plants are in fact suspended in vertical cylinders, and the roots are sprayed with water while remaining suspended; no root submersion required. For descriptions of other soil-less growing methods, and for an image of a Stackable Vertical Farm, please visit the link below, and let us know what you think of it all on Twitter.
www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2012/05/soil-less-agriculture/
photo courtesy of http://www.public-domain-image.com/plants/fruit-and-vegetable/slides/chilli-plants-green.html
