New technologies to support indoor and hydroponic cultivation

The indoor cultivation as well as the hydroponic cultivation are becoming increasingly popular among growers, the quantity and access to information available on the internet mean that more and more people are beginning to approaching these cultivation methods for various reasons.

First of all, the possibility of cultivating everywhere, any place can potentially become a vegetable garden or a greenhouse for cultivation. Plant growth is no longer strictly linked to the seasons , in indoor cultivation it is possible to create favorable environmental conditions for plant development and completely manage temperature, humidity and light.

Full control on the feeding of plants and water quality, to guarantee a supply of specific nutrients for each type of plant and for its developmental stage and to develop in a targeted way the production of sugars, oils and terpenes.

The operation of an indoor greenhouse as well as a hydroponic cultivation system require various equipment that performs different functions. We will therefore have lamps with specific spectrums for horticulture, aspirators for the exchange of air, humidifiers, fans, heat generators etc .., which will have to work together in order to obtain the ideal environmental conditions for plant growth. In the same way, a hydroponic system needs tools for controlling the nutrient solution, for regulating the water temperature, pumps for managing irrigation cycles, etc.

When setting up an indoor cultivation, as well as a hydroponic plant, particular attention must be paid to the design, in particular the choice of location, its size, the type of plants that it is intended to cultivate and the equipment needed to carry out that particular project.

A famous advertisement a few years ago said: “power is nothing without control”. They talked about car tires but this phrase lends itself equally well to the world of indoor cultivation and hydroponics.

What are the most commonly used control tools?

Having the best equipment available on the market is certainly very important but it is not enough to guarantee the success of an indoor cultivation if we do not know how to control them to make them work at their best.

Among the control instruments that are normally used inside the indoor cultivation rooms are the timers for controlling the light / dark phases, the thermo-hygrometer to measure temperature and humidity, thermostats to control the aspirators or air conditioners, hygrostats to control humidifiers or dehumidifiers.

New technologies such as domotics, automation or remote device control that in recent years are increasingly entering our lives find valid uses also in indoor cultivation and in hydroponics.

The most advanced control systems also offer the control through software with algorithms able to manage the data coming from the probes and to regulate through an app the functioning of lights, aspirators, humidifiers etc … in order to always keep constant each environmental parameter .

Cultivators 4.0: Data acquisition for cultivation

But there is more, that is the acquisition of a whole series of data coming from the cultivation that can give fundamental information to make our cultivation space ever more efficient. Data collection allows you to analyze your garden for a long time of time and to make changes or forecasts based on such data, which can be used to increase production.

Having data from previous garden cycles also allows you to experiment and compare results with previously recorded data. By monitoring data, it is possible to solve problems more accurately, to predict seasonal environmental changes more accurately and to develop more factors that contribute to the success of an indoor garden or hydroponic greenhouse.

Today all this is becoming reality, the new 4.0 growers will be more accustomed to the use of a smartphone that controls a control unit rather than a hoe.

A control unit is essentially composed of a measurement probe that controls a series of devices based on the specific parameters set by the grower.

For example, a thermostat will detect the air temperature and based on a set value of degrees and will activate an electrical socket to which we could connect a heater. In this case, if the temperature falls below a certain threshold, he will autonomously switch on an electric heater and switch it off when the desired temperature is reached.

In hydroponics, on the other hand, we could have a probe that measures the pH and, if necessary, activates a dosometric pump that releases a certain quantity of acid to lower the pH of the hydroponic solution until the set value is reached.

There are various types of control units on the market, from those that intervene on a single parameter or multi-parameter control units that allow you to coordinate multiple devices in a single solution.

What is a climate control unit for?

The ideal solution is always subjective, and depends on the needs and the budget available. The use of a climate control unit in an indoor cultivation as well as an ec and pH control unit in a hydroponic system can be an excellent investment, as they allow to regularize the environmental parameters or the solution with the aim of always maintaining the optimal conditions for plant growth allowing it to express its full potential by growing healthy and productive.

Remote cultivation: all information in one device

Thanks to ever smaller components and technical solutions that are increasingly available to everyone, various control and regulation devices are coming onto the market, which offer the possibility of having a complete management of all the equipment in the grow room in a single device.

Imagine at this point you can have on a single device a temperature and humidity sensor, one of pH and one of EC, all connected to a control unit that commands a series of wireless sockets for switching light on and off, aspiration , humidifiers, heating, fertilizer administration and pH regulation.

Imagine also being able to manage everything remotely through an application that allows you to be able to intervene at any time on your cultivation room.

In short, it would be like having a person who constantly works to make sure that everything works at its best and that it warns you if something goes wrong … too good not to try.

Nido-Pro: the new control unit for remote cultivation

Driven by curiosity, we wanted to test the new unit Nido-Pro , recently released on the market and which promises a series of interesting features including:

• measurement and regulation of EC and pH values of the hydroponic solution
• measurement of environmental temperature and humidity values
• automatic management via wireless light sockets, aspirators, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heaters, ventilation and irrigation cycles
• can also be used remotely via app
• graphical display of EC, pH, temperature and UR values over time
• VPD value measurement( Vapour pressure deficit)
• water temperature measurement
• possibility to create personalized recipes and a cultivation calendar on which to plan fertilization

For this test we used theGROWBOX COMPLETA HOMEBOX Q120, ORTOLED TITANIUM 360W, che è composta da:

• Led cultivation: ORTOLED TITANIUM 360W
• TT125 two-way output aspirator 220-280 mc / h
• Vacuum inlet VK01 flange 125mm capacity 190mc/h
• Growrilla hydroponic system RDWC 4
• Nido-Pro control unit

We are going to grow four chili plants that we will document the growth of, from planting within the system, to the vegetative growth phase up to maturation.

This test will be published on the site once it is finished, but you can start to see some preview by following us on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

For more information write to info@growrillahydroponics.com