Viemose Driboga, the Danish developer of moving gutter systems, recently introduced a new system as an answer to the growing global demand for cubical vertical farming solutions. We took a closer look at their new Multi Green Grow plant factory system with automated hydroponic NFT gutters at the IPM Essen last month.
The Multi Green Grow is the automated bigger version of Viemose's Single Green Grow System. It's a modular unit system that houses a multi layer cultivation system with automated movable gutters. It can be configured in multiple sizes and widths. "The good thing about this system is that it is possible to design it to any dimensions or by any customer preference, depending on the space that is available in the building that you place it," explained Viemose's Henrik Frederiksen. "It is no problem to make the gutters up to 6 or 8 meters in length, and you can make the system as deep as you like or require."
The system can use multiple types of hydroponic gutters from Viemose Driboga; this makes the system with different plant sizes very suitable for a wide range of crops. "The system is typically very interesting for growing leafy greens and herbs," said Frederiksen. "18 to 30 day crops are extremely suitable for this system."
The Multi Green Grow is designed especially for warehouse production and local urban production settings. "This is becoming an increasingly more important industry for us, every year. Especially in the United States, where efficient, local production is not only gaining popularity due to consumer awareness and their demand for fresher products, but also due to the change of climatic conditions and the extreme drought in California. This creates a demand for more efficient production techniques in urban areas. As well as this, the consistent quality of the product is an important issue. Our cubic MGG plant farm provides a serious solution for this growing demand for responsibly grown local food."
The growing cycle in the Multi Green Grow is semi automated, just like the cleaning of the empty gutters. It's even possible to renew the growing media by means of a machine. Still, the planting of the young seedlings and the harvesting of the full grown crops is done by hand. "A human eye is always needed if you want to sell a good product, we believe that you need to look at it and hold it in your hand to determine if it is ready to harvest."
In the development of the Multi Green Grow, Viemose worked in close cooperation with other suppliers of nutrition and irrigation technology. "We can install irrigation and water treatment units, or LEDs of any preferred supplier, whatever is best for the crop that you want to grow."
