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Vertigrove-hydro is designed to grow the maximum number of vegetables and plants in minimum space with highest productivity consistently. Based on our 3 years of extensive research we have developed various features in Vertigrove-Hydro to address the needs and concerns of an urban farmer.
Vertigrove-Hydro is designed on a vertical structure to grow maximum plants in minimum space (up-to 48 plants in 4 sqft). But crowding plants together will adversely affect their growth and productivity as plants don’t have enough space for root growth and also the amount of nutrients that any of the plants can absorb would be less.
So, we choose to use hydroponics technology as plants can be grown very closely. Also the productivity of Hydroponically grown plants is 50% more and is consistent. Leveraging hydroponics not only ensures maximum productivity of plants in less space but will also lead to faster growth, higher yields and a more nutritious produce.
Vertigrove-hydro can be placed outside under direct sunlight. The pots are made of high-quality plastic resin that ensures all-weather durability and is 100% UV stable to prevent fading and cracking. Also, sunlight comes in patches, so Vertigrove-hydro is designed with castor wheels to make it portable. You could either move it around to ensure plants get maximum sunlight or even move it indoors in case of heavy rains.
Plant roots need oxygen to better absorb nutrients and even water. Without enough oxygen, plants are likely not to grow to their full potential, in part because they aren’t taking nutrients in effectively. In Vertigrove water is constantly falling. This falling water agitates and causes bubbles to form in the water being collected in each pot, thereby it provides aeration to the roots by increasing the dissolved oxygen levels. The height at which the water falls is optimised to ensure perfect aeration. Also, the airtube fixed in the pump will provide additional aeration to the plants. Also protection is provided to prevent heating up of the air bubbles as this is critical for growth of the plants.
The plants receive nutrients through the nutrient rich water in the water tank. The nutrients are to be added as per the chart that we provide.
Most hydroponic systems need to be plugged in 24*7. So, in cases of power failures the system would stop functioning and if the power is gone for longer durations the plants may even die. This would affect the efficiency and productivity of the system. Hence, Vertigrove has a provision wherein a certain amount of water would be collected in each pot as the water flows. This will ensure that even in case of a power cut the roots will have access to the nutrient rich water.
Most hydroponic systems let you grow only leafy vegetables. This is because in these systems, the plant roots do not have much space to grow and leafy vegetables being shallow rooted are the only ones possible. Whereas Vertigrove-hydro is designed such that the roots have sufficient space to grow as long as needed. So, it can easily support deep rooted plants such as tomatoes, okra, beans, cucumbers, etc.
Now unlike leafy vegetables, fruiting plants grow big in size and also could be creepers. To support such plants, Vertigrove-hydro is designed with creeper guards. Thereby you would not need to tie the plants or provide any external support and the system can continue to be portable.
We want Vertigrove-hydro to present to our customers a hassle-free farming experience. The major inconvenience for urban growers is cleaning their balcony or terrace after each rain or taking out time often to water each and every plant.
Vertigrove-hydro is designed to be spill proof and mosquito proof; it can be easily moved around for cleaning purposes as well. Also, because it uses hydroponics there is no question of watering each plant or even weeding. All that needs to be done is to check the nutrient level in the water (TDS Level) and pH levels once in a while.
The pots are aesthetically designed and available in different colours and are attractive hence they can be kept inside the living room or bedrooms of the house.
For busy executives who don’t have the time for this, there is an optional feature of integrating with IOT. In this, the TDS and other parameters can be checked remotely by connecting to the IOT sensors from your SmartPhone using the Vertigrove App. These sensors will read the parameters and display it on your smartphone.
Customers need to follow a standard procedure for providing the nutrients. Pest control solutions to the plants and required nutrients are easily available in the market.
Vertigrove is not just a product, but through it we wish to build a community of urban dwellers who can reconnect with nature and thereby sustainably grow their own food. For this we have a support app that lets our customers stay connected to us. The app has a provision for customers to raise a ticket in case they are facing an issue. They can simply click an image of the problem and upload it. Our team of experts would get back to them immediately with a resolution. The app would also be used as a platform to share the latest advances in urban farming with our community.
Improving customer experience is a constant process and we are always looking for new ways to enhance how our customers would farm using Vertigrove. Our aim is to enable urban dwellers who lead extremely busy lives to experience the joy of growing their own food and reconnect with nature.
With the growing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), connected devices have penetrated every aspect of our life, from health and fitness, home automation, automotive and logistics, to smart cities and industrial IoT.
Thus, it is only logical that IoT, connected devices, and automation would find its application in our own kitchen garden and as such, tremendously improve nearly every facet of it. How could one still rely on plows when self-driving cars and virtual reality are no longer a sci-fi fantasy but an everyday occurrence?
Farming has seen several technological transformations in the last decades, becoming more industrialized and technology-driven. By using various smart agriculture gadgets, farmers have gained better control over the process of growing crops, making it more predictable and improving its efficiency.
What is smart agriculture? The definition and market size
Smart agriculture denotes the application of IoT solutions in agriculture. The same applies to the smart farming definition.
The adoption of IoT solutions for agriculture is constantly growing. Namely, BI Intelligence predicts that the number of agriculture IoT device installations will hit 75 million by 2020, growing 20% annually.
At the same time, the global smart agriculture market size is expected to triple by 2025, reaching $15.3 billion (compared to being slightly over $5 billion back in 2016).
How does Smart Agriculture work?
Real time data is read from the farm like, plant growth, nutrient level, moisture level, humidity, ph of the growing medium and transmitted over the WIFI and uploaded in the cloud from which after analytics notifications are sent to users to take corrective actions.
The Benefits of smart farming: How’s IoT shaping agriculture
Technologies and IoT have the potential to transform agriculture in many aspects. Namely, there are 5 ways IoT can improve agriculture:
As a result, all of these factors can eventually lead to higher revenue.
Some of the IoT applications in agriculture in general:
Applying IOT Agriculture will ensure that mundane tasks like watering can be automated.
Smart farming sensors monitors the humidity and moisture level in the plant roots. This data can help us to intelligent decisions like reducing the water quantity or not to water at all.
Smart Agriculture will monitor the ph of the growth medium much in advance so that it can be rectified rather than wait for post-mortem corrective actions.
Instead of making intuitive and inexact decisions regarding what fertiliser to use and how much, applying IOT in agriculture ensures that accurate Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium levels are monitored and maintained.
Smart Agriculture is the Future!
Applying Data analytics to our kitchen farms will revolutionise agriculture. Farming will not be the same again with powerful data analytics capabilities and predictive algorithms. The future is here.
What is Internet of Things (IoT)?
Internet of Things (IoT) is an ecosystem of connected physical objects that are accessible through the internet. The ‘thing’ in IoT could be a person with a heart monitor or an automobile with built-in-sensors, i.e. objects that have been assigned an IP address and can collect and transfer data over a network without manual assistance or intervention. The embedded technology in the objects helps them to interact with internal states or the external environment, which in turn affects the decisions taken.
IOT enables devices/objects to observe, identify and understand a situation or the surroundings without being dependent on humans. By gathering and processing vast amounts of data its possible to quantify and analyse all manner of things that was once done intuitive and inexact.
What is the scope of IoT?
Internet of Things can connect devices embedded in various systems to the internet. When devices/objects can represent themselves digitally, they can be controlled from anywhere. The connectivity then helps us capture more data from more places, ensuring more ways of increasing efficiency and improving safety and IoT security.
IoT is a transformational force that can help companies improve performance through IoT analytics and IoT Security to deliver better results. Businesses in the utilities, oil & gas, insurance, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure and retail sectors can reap the benefits of IoT by making more informed decisions, aided by the torrent of interactional and transactional data at their disposal.
How can IoT help?
IoT platforms can help organizations reduce cost through improved process efficiency, asset utilization and productivity. With improved tracking of devices/objects using sensors and connectivity, they can benefit from real-time insights and analytics, which would help them make smarter decisions. The growth and convergence of data, processes and things on the internet would make such connections more relevant and important, creating more opportunities for people, businesses and industries.
A few applications of IOT are given below.
Spinach does give you superpowers ! See what I found on the net .
Recently a critical discovery about how bacteria feed on an unusual sugar molecule found in leafy green vegetables could hold the key to explaining how ‘good’ bacteria protect our gut and promote health. Researchers from Melbourne and the UK identified a previously unknown enzyme used by bacteria, fungi and other organisms to feed on the unusual but abundant sugar sulfoquinovose — SQ for short — found in green vegetables. Each year, leafy green vegetables — such as spinach — produce the sugar on an enormous scale globally, comparable to the world’s total annual iron ore production. Bacteria in the gut, such as crucial protective strains of E. coli, use SQ as a source of energy. E. coli provides a protective barrier that prevents growth and colonisation by bad bacteria, because the good bugs are taking up all the habitable real estate,” Dr Goddard-Borger said.”E. coli is a key bacterial coloniser needed by our gut. We speculate that consumption of this specific molecule within leafy greens will prove to be an important factor in improving and maintaining healthy gut bacteria and good digestive health.”
A few years ago a talk by an endocrinologist from Amrita Hospital told us how the traditional Indian Ayurveda practices had applied the principles of good gut bacteria a few centuries ago. Practices such as imbibing herbal medicines , of drinking butter milk after every meal and vegetarian dietary habits with high amount of leaves was how our ancestors were able to lead healthy lives. Gut bacteria had a role to play in our Metabolism, our immunity to cancer, diabetes and even our neurological state!
A survey by WHO says the average Keralite consumes 8gm of green leafy vegetables daily whereas the required is 40gm daily. The onslaught of cancer and sedentary diseases in our state is a direct result of this low consumption. And we all know why. None of us actually farm and to buy green leafy vegetables that might have high pesticide content is not a very healthy option.
This is why we came up with VertiGrove , thirty plus plants consisting of spinach, palak, amarthus , in 4 square feet in your balcony will help provide the magical superpowers we all need to live healthy ! And just in case you don’t know what do with it, try these recipes.
https://www.archanaskitchen.com/11-everyday-curries-to-include-green-leafy-vegetables-in-your-meal
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Working as management representative in software industry has given me an insight into corporate goal setting and achieving the targets. One of the most important aspects of this is about setting a target that is s.m.a.r.t, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. In order to achieve targets in software its important understand what are the relevant indicators of good health of the quality management system, also what that ideal values these indicators should have and more importantly if it’s under constant monitoring and if the deficiencies are corrected before damage .
Farming depends on the most unpredictable factors. We developed VertiGrove during the summer and ensured that the soil moisture was measurable and could be controlled but when it rained the increase in humidity meant that automatic irrigation had to be adjusted according to it.
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for us since then our team had to understand what were the relevant indicators of plant health ie, potting mix moisture, humidity, ph of the potting mix and water , EC of the potting mix and water , the NPK content and the micronutrients in the potting mix. The second task was to understand the optimum levels of the indicators and to measure the real time readings against this standard and fortify the deficiency.
We are currently working on a system that will notify the client on the moisture and the nutrient content so that it is corrected immediately. We believe that the urban farmer will definitely harvest a better yield if she is able to understand the science behind it.
Every June 5th we celebrate World environment day. Our environment defines our very existence and hence should get the highest priority in our lives. Today we collect together , conduct cleaning of our cities, create awareness of best practices of plastic recycling and we plant trees. But since our sustenance is at stake and shouldn’t we be doing consistent sustainable work in this area everyday? How can we live in peace knowing that our only planet is dying because of our irresponsibility and selfishness. Surely we need to put more efforts so that we can reverse this?
These questions bothered me as a student of chemistry and when I read up on global warming way back . As a mother I grew more and more frustrated that I could not contribute at all.
I knew that my small actions today would make or break the future generation and decide to include sustainable activities in my routine. Composting and nurturing a small backyard garden gave me a little peace of mind. Knowing that I was sorting at source, ie segregating kitchen waste from plastic at source and composting my waste changed my perception towards solid waste management. I realized as a homemaker I could make a difference in global warming with this simple exercise. Methane , which is 70 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a green house gas is produced when organic waste is thrown to landfills. Instead if we compost it at home we get manure to nurture a small backyard garden. Composting meant that I was fostering a miniature ecosystem in my backyard. A kingfisher, 2 minnas and an assortment of birds thronged my kitchen garden. Living in the middle of the city I felt I was making a small positive difference.
Sorting and segregating plastic at source at home became part of my kitchen work. Cleaning milk covers , fish and meat wrappers and hanging them to dry near my sink became a habit. Clean plastic didn’t smell bad. Dry plastic didn’t attract flies. It was just another raw material for another process to make another product.
Talking about composting and the relevance of eating green leafy vegetables and sharing good practices of recycling in schools and residential areas came next. Holding collection drives in schools highlighted the fact that with a little care and attention we as a nation can dream of a more environment conscious society. Then we can really earn the right to live in this beautiful blue magical planet.
Growing up in the ‘80s a backyard garden was apart of me. Orchards with fruit trees, a vegetable patch and paddy fields came with all houses in my village. So when we renovated our house in Kochi I wanted a small backyard garden. There was no sunlight in the small backyard I had wedged in between houses so I thought why not try the balcony! I had some terrace area too so we set up 30 grow bags in a space of 200 square feet on the terrace.
It looked good initially but then I encountered a few problems. The first came from my ten year old.
That patch of terrace was his football field and he couldn’t practice his moves there among the grow bags. Living in the city every square feet of space was accounted for!
2 Months into my terrace farming juncture I noticed that the waterproofing was inadequate.
When the yield was low I realized that the sunlight was very low on my side of the terrace. Tracing the sun was impossible and I had to make do with the little sunlight!
Watering the garden seemed fun for the first few weeks but then when I had to go away for a few days I was aghast to find all my plants dead.
Too much of water also proved bad. The monsoon completely killed my garden and the terrace was a mess.
After I set it up again I realised I didn’t know much about farming. And what to get from where. I wished there was one standard process that was followed so that confusions like mine were laid to rest. There were just too much of information on the internet and around me and it just added to my confusion!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As a child growing up in a village in Kerala in 1980’s with grandparents who were passionate farmers, there was always a lot happening in the backyard. You woke up to the sound of grandmother milking the cows; in harvesting season the entire village came together to work as one. The coconut harvesters were a favourite, shooting into the skies effortlessly. And the food that came from our backyard was delicious and wholesome, be it the brown rice, the eggs and thick milk that came from each household farm, the beans, spinach, drumsticks and the array of tubers that were home-grown. Each household had its own orchard of mango, guava, cherry apples and mulberry. My happiest childhood memories were helping my grandparents tend to their farm, watering the plants, helping graze the cows, playing with the dog, and climbing the many trees.
The village was a community knit together by the common thread of working the land together. Pests, irrigation, fertilizers, labour issues and harvesting issues if any were churned out together.
Agriculture broke barriers of caste, religion and culture. My Christian grandmother worked side by side with Muslim and Hindu workers in paddy fields for years, as one family. The familial ties were much stronger as the father, mother and children all tended to the same interest.
When the GYOF initiative started, I tried to recreate this experience for my children, and we invested in a small kitchen garden at first. Setting up a backyard garden in one of the most urbane areas of Kochi was a revelation. My aged in-laws, my spouse, our three kids and our maid fell in love with the vegetable garden. The dining room conversation was suddenly about farming techniques. In fact, the entire community around our house replicated our garden and there were smaller versions on terraces, balconies and tiny courtyards. My neighbourhood womenfolk gathered around the garden with suggestions and enquiries.
In order to improve the yield from the garden and to counter our heavy rainy season, we decided to invest in a poly house – and that was another revelation!
As techies, we had no formal training in setting up a poly house unit. The poly house contractor set up the poly house without considering pre-requisites of sunlight, direction and area. We struggled with finding the right seedlings suited for the poly house. (In spite of attending a lot of training programmes we were still not sure about the right potting mix).
The quantity and periodicity of Fertilizers to be applied was also vague. Coming back after a day’s work sometimes we even forgot to water the plants.
Pests, both seen and unseen lurked in the poly house and the online research fell flat in this area.
In the midst of all this learning, we realised that most of our friends who had also dabbled in farming had given up due to the same challenges. And that’s how we learned the hard way that amateur farming without proper guidance almost always leads to failure, that failure increases our dependence on pesticide-rich vegetables which in turn is linked to the rising incidence of cancer. Also, the lack of accessibility to fresh vegetables meant denying our young generation the right nutrition. So that made us even more determined to make GYOF a community-centric initiative.
To me, it was important to revive our respect for the soil, start taking pride in our land and set a good example for the future generation. But we had to first to educate ourselves.
We had to learn the correct way to construct Poly houses so that just the right amount of sunlight enters it and the temperature inside is made optimal.
We had to learn to how to manage the mundane tasks of fertigation, irrigation and pest control preventives so that it becomes a sustainable model that would suit our busy lifestyles.
Once we got the Poly house under control, we had another challenge to deal with: Waste management. The general public has very little awareness of best practices of waste management, with both wet and dry waste dumped together which attracts flies, mosquitoes, stray dogs and rodents. Add to this the onslaught of the monsoons and a whole spectrum of fevers sprout up in our land. We realised that just the basic act of segregating food waste and plastic waste and composting food waste to get a fertilizer for a kitchen garden allowed us to bring in conservation into our homes.
We have a long way to go still but it has been an amazing ride so far. Our backgrounds and experience taught us that automation can transform unorganised sectors like construction, and raise control and productivity, so it made sense to apply that to the GYOF programme also and that is what we tried to do – we tried to transform backyard farming with technology.
As I look back on the GYOF story so far, two quotes come to mind:
Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
And, “Eat your food like your medicine else you will end up eating medicine like food”, Ratan Tata.
I couldn’t agree more!
Maya Varghese
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Having a kitchen garden on my office rooftop is probably the best thing that has happened in my life. No matter how little space you have, growing your own food has many benefits, even if it means having a small pot of herbs on your kitchen window sill. If dipping your fingers into the earth seems too much of a stretch, this may help you change your mind.
1.You save space
Acres of forest are razed every year, and there is a constant battle between man and Nature. With the human population growing every second, the earth is heaving under pressure from our cities. Growing food in urban spaces, terraces and rooftops is a natural step towards sustainability.
2.Food is truly organic and fresh
Though groceries sold at organic stores should ideally be certified, in most cases they are sold on the basis of ‘trust’ with no formal certification. Growing your own vegetables can guarantee that you are truly eating organic. Also, since your produce is going straight from your garden to your frying pan, it couldn’t be fresher. And tastier.
3.Your carbon footprint shrinks
Most of the vegetables and fruits that we pick up from our city stores usually travel a long way from the farm — first to a wholesaler, then to a retailer’s warehouse and then to a retail store. Not to mention your car journey to the store from your home. Growing your own vegetables can considerably reduce this ugly carbon footprint.
4.You avoid wasteful packaging
“But I carry my own cloth shopping bag to the store!” you may say. To facilitate transportation, fresh produce is packaged in various materials like cardboard boxes, plastic sacks, plastic boxes, and a lot of other packaging material, depending on the nature of the item. Growing your own food can help avoid this mess.
5.It’s a fun family activity
Children of this generation are unaware of where their food comes from. Involving children and other family members in the maintenance of the garden makes it not only a fun family activity, but also educates the future generation more about where their food comes from.
6.You waste less food
Since you and your family members have put your heart and soul into the garden, and have seen how long it takes to grow, you instinctively tend to leave less uneaten food on your plate.
7.You support a mini ecosystem
Having a garden at home will start bringing in many beautiful winged visitors, like bees, butterflies and birds, which are essential for pollination and balancing the fragile ecosystem.
Having your own kitchen garden will also start building a community of friends and relatives who would like to visit your garden, providing more fodder for conversation.
8. It promotes composting and segregation
A good organic garden needs good organic compost. Though you can start by buying compost from a nursery the best way would be to segregate your garbage at home and compost your kitchen waste. It’s an amazing circle of life, where the food that you grow in your garden can be composted to nurture the very same garden.
9. You save money
Setting up your garden the first time may require you to spend a little on pots, mud, saplings and other material. But once your garden is set, over time, there is no major expenditure, and your harvest is your bonus. Fresh flowers and vegetables from your garden also make great gifts while visiting friends and family, so you save some money there too!
10. It’s good all-round: for the body, mind and soul
Growing your own food means you are eliminating a large chunk of pesticides and other dangerous chemicals from what you eat.
Also, working in your garden is great physical activity, along with being an effective stress-buster. It creates a strong sense of connection between you and nature.
– Aby[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]