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How Plenty Grows The Happiest Plants In The World

How Plenty Grows The Happiest Plants In The World

by Plenty | Apr 5, 2018 | Blog

There’s a reason farmers have long relied on guides like the Old Farmer’s Almanac and today use the most sophisticated weather and climate monitoring available.

That reason is unpredictability.

Think about all the conditions necessary for a seed to germinate and survive from a delicate seedling to a sturdy plant in the outdoors. There’s a lot that can go wrong and disrupt the growing process including drought, disease, pests, and more.

For millennia, farmers have impressively navigated outdoor environments to keep crops alive and growing in the face of many adversities.

With the advent of indoor farming, however, we finally get to step away from the question “what does a plant need to survive?” and instead ask, “what does a plant need to thrive?”

Indoor farms are built to create the perfect environment for plants and collapse the unpredictability that plagues outdoor agriculture. It’s pretty amazing what happens when modern farmers are given the ability to give plants exactly what they want (not just what they need).

Let’s look at each factor that affects whether a plant will be vigorous and productive and dig in to how indoor farms like Plenty are able to grow the happiest plants in world.

What makes plant vigorous and productive at Plenty?

Light

Plants use energy from sunlight for photosynthesis, trapping it with a pigment called chlorophyll to make their food. The LED lights utilized at Plenty provide light in the ideal spectrums and amounts for this photosynthesis. These photosynthetic wavelengths controlled in harmony with the phase of crop growth minimize energy use and optimize crop yields.

Water

Plenty’s sophisticated sensor system ensures each plant gets exactly the water it needs in tune with its growing phase. And this isn’t just any water; it’s purified and controlled for pH, fluoride, chlorine, particulates and contaminants. Any excess water is recycled through a closed loop irrigation system resulting in greatly reduced water consumption and zero waste.

Soil

In place of traditional soil, Plenty uses a custom-designed growth medium made from recycled bottles ideal for holding roots in place and delivering nutrients efficiently. Plants thrive in this clean environment because it encourages friendly bacteria, has lots of air circulation, and keeps roots perfectly moist.

Pests

From aphids and beetles, to nematodes and mites, farmers must battle an endless parade of pests. Plenty farms are built to keep pests out and ensures no pesticides of any kind are needed. In fact, the only pest control our indoor farms require is ladybugs. Peek through the green leaves on any given day and you’ll see shiny rubies of ladybugs diligently doing their job to keep our farms clear of pests.

Nutrients

Plenty’s water system delivers a carefully monitored mixture of organic minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients tailored to each plant’s age and needs. A fruiting strawberry plant will need more phosphorus than a head of lettuce so that it has abundant nutrition to grow tastier berries. Seedlings are fed a rich mixture to drive rapid growth and mature plants are nurtured for maximum flavor.

Temperature

Have you ever noticed when you purchase a plant in a nursery its preferred temperature range and zone is clearly listed? Plants are very picky when it comes to heat and cold. No need for Plenty’s plants to wither in the heat or shrivel in the cold; the air inside Plenty’s indoor farms is filtered and kept at the ideal temperature and humidity for our crops.

Disease

Plenty’s controlled environment protects plants from blights, bacterial rot, and the many other diseases that make farmers tear their hair – and get out the sprayers.

And, of course, there are no hailstorms, gale-force winds, withering droughts or soil-depleting floods in Plenty’s indoor farms either.

The end result of all of this is that Plenty’s plants are protected from all the potential ills and threats that afflict their outdoor counterparts.

In fact, thanks to Plenty’s sophisticated farms and patented processes, we’re truly able to manage every aspect of a plant’s existence.

Which means that our plants have everything they need to be perfectly happy – and perfectly delicious – every time.

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