Agriculture and technology has merged in more ways than one. Technological advancements in the field have revolutionized urban farming. These days, it is completely normal to see LED bulbs contributing to the growth of plants, smartphones controlling irrigation systems and advanced smart systems that let us know when it’s time to water the plants, etc.
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In addition to helping us maintain our gardens better, these inventions help us enjoy gardening even within the confines of our home. Let’s take one such invention that has been gaining a lot of popularity of late into account here.
Smart Indoor Grove Garden
Launched in Kickstarter, Grove is a smart automated indoor garden system and growing station. The bookshelf sized station has three different layers which are integrated with each other to create a beautiful, self-sustaining indoor garden.
- Level I
The first level features the main growing area at the top. This is where the herbs, greens, fruits, vegetables and spices are grown. The growing station contains adjustable, full spectrum LED bulbs that provide the necessary light and temperature to mimic the sun. This allows the plants to grow properly even in an indoor atmosphere.
- Level II
The middle level features a comparatively smaller sized seedling bed. This is where the large plants and microgreens can be started and grown.
- Level III
The third and bottom level of the Grove indoor garden features a 25 gallon fish tank. The fish tank acts as the heart of the entire system. It provides water as well as fertilizer for the plants growing above on the second and first levels.
The fish tank collects the ammonia and fish waste to form nitrate for the plants growing above. The plants, in turn, give back clean water to the fish tank. This forms the basis for a symbiotic environment wherein the plants benefit from the fish and vice versa.
Salient Features
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In addition to featuring a fully functional and self-sustainable ecosystem, the Grove indoor garden comes with a slew of salient features. These include:
The garden can be controlled and monitored using a smartphone app. The app allows the user to choose the type of plant he/she wishes to grow in the garden. Depending on the choice made, the app automatically configures the settings of the Grove garden station to emulate optimum growing condition for those plants.
The app will also provide regular updates to the user, indicating when the plants need to be harvested, whether the tank needs more fish, and other details. However, for the most part, the garden station tends to take care of itself, alerting the user only in case of an unforeseen event.
The creators of the Grove garden station claim that integrating the growing station with the seedling bed and the fish tank will allow users to enjoy a constant supply of their favorite vegetables and fruits. Estimates indicate that with proper use, it would be possible to harvest at least 2 bags of salad greens within a week. They also indicate that the garden station will allow users to harvest at least 8 heads of lettuce within 20 days.
The Grove indoor garden station will be a great asset to urban homes where space constraints force users to grow indoor gardens. The system will also make a great educational piece in a school, educating kids on the importance of self-sustaining ecosystems and the myriad benefits they will offer the earth.
The Grove smart garden is a smart indoor garden station that is eco-friendly and self-sustainable. The smartphone controlled garden offers a symbiotic relationship between the growing station and the fish tank beneath it, thus offering a constant supply of greens for the user.