Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Revolutionary methods generally raise many questions. Even for us. Below here there are a number of frequently asked questions with answers that will help you understand the revolutionary methods and kindreds. Or if you have a question that is not answered below, you can always send us an e-mail or by filling out the contact form.

Have greenhouses had their day?

PlantLab: in Plant Production Units we can produce irrespective of the outdoor climate. In many parts of the world greenhouses are not a good solution because of the climatic conditions outside. Plant Production Units will be a solution to that shortly. In places where crop growing takes place in greenhouses, we always calculate per crop and cultivation stage whether Plant Production Units are more profitable than greenhouses.

Sunlight is free and it is true that LED light is not expensive but it does cost electricity.

PlantLab: We compare the costs of the entire growing system. They may indeed be more expensive for one part. The profit is in what you save socially speaking. If you are growing crops in a hall of 200 x 200 m and in ten layers you are saving 40 hectares of greenhouses. This can be returned back to “nature”. This does not mean that we do not like to use sunlight. Not to offer it directly to plants but to use it to make electricity for our LED lighting.

Is this not a typical example of the modern illusion that everything in life is controllable or can be made controllable?

PlantLab: We do indeed shut off any influence from outside. That is also our aim. That may seem unnatural. We want to get out of the plant what nature has put into it and ultimately utilize the plant’s potential. On the other hand we put in to these spaces what nature offers us for each plant species, custom-designed. If you look at it this way, this method seems to be more natural than synthetic drugs.

Do these products still contain nutritional substances?

PlantLab: Certainly, just as many as they potentially can contain and that every time and all year round.

What happens to pot and outdoor plants grown this way when they are exposed to real sunlight?

PlantLab: The plant has a past but no memory. As soon as the plant is moved from the conditioned area to a different environment it continues with the environmental factors at that time. Obviously we make sure that the plant is strong enough to deal with climate change.

Do you get a return on investment quite quickly from such a system?

Our answer is simple: we only build a Plant Production Unit once we have demonstrated economic feasibility. Investments in buildings per cultivation layer – assuming multilayer cultivation – are sometimes less than investments in greenhouses. LED systems are still costly but this price will drop once demand rises. Performances of current LED lighting are improving according to the Law of Moore: every 18 to 24 months the output doubles (read: energy need is halved).

Assertion of the month

In our industry we cannot deal with the future without more input from technology and cultivation know-how.

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