Technology

Water and nutrition

Water quality in, nutrition dialled in, drain water recovered. A closed water strategy is both the sustainable option and the economical one.

Photo: water and nutrition
Water and nutrition

Pre-treatment

Source water decides the whole design. Iron, hardness, salinity, and pathogens all have to be dealt with before a nutrient recipe means anything.

  • Full source water analysis as the starting point
  • Filtration, iron removal, and softening as required
  • Disinfection to keep pathogens out of the irrigation loop

Fertilization

A nutrient recipe is written for a specific crop, stage, and climate. It changes as the plant and the weather change.

  • Recipes formulated from the source water analysis, not a generic table
  • Adjustment by crop stage and by season
  • Verification through solution and drain analysis

Dosing

The dosing unit is where the recipe becomes reality. Accuracy and reliability here show up directly in crop uniformity.

  • Automated dosing controlled to target electrical conductivity and pH
  • Multi-channel injection so elements can be steered independently
  • Alarms and fail-safes, because a dosing fault is a fast crop loss

Post-treatment

Water that has passed the root zone carries nutrients and, potentially, pathogens. Treating it is what makes recirculation safe.

  • Filtration to remove organic matter and particles
  • Disinfection by ultraviolet, heat, or slow sand filtration
  • Verification before the water rejoins the supply

Drainwater recycling

Recirculation is where controlled-environment growing earns its water reputation. It also stops fertiliser leaving the site as pollution.

  • Drain collected, measured, and analysed rather than discarded
  • Nutrients recovered and rebalanced back into the supply
  • Sharply reduced water and fertiliser use per unit of production

Hydroponics and substrates

Growing without soil gives direct control of the root zone, and removes an entire category of soil-borne disease from the equation.

  • Substrate culture on cocopeat or rockwool for fruiting crops
  • Deep flow and nutrient film systems for leafy crops
  • Root-zone moisture, temperature, and oxygen managed as control variables

Ready to talk it through?

Bring us the crop, the site, and the goal. We will tell you what a controlled environment can realistically deliver.

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