Feeding future urban populations - Introducing the vertical farm

Vertical farms are a very promising and sustainable solution to the growing needs for healthy, local foods in (over)populated urban areas. What’s more, at Grodan, we believe vertical farms will play an indispensable role in our future global food production. So, what is it all about?

Vertical Farming Picture

How it started

Producing more with less is in our roots. Since we invented hydroponic stone wool growing in 1969 we have continuously evolved the Grodan approach to sustainable growing. Our first customers started growing hydroponically to avoid disinfection of the soil which was done with methyl bromide, a heavy toxic chemical. Our growing media enabled them to provide the plants with water and fertilizer much more precisely and efficiently. By doing so the yield per square meter further increased, while at the same time saving water, fertiliser and subsequently saving on costs. Grodan can be seen as one of the Founding Fathers of Precision Growing for the horticulture industry. Today,growers make use of a wide range of innovative products for the entire growing cycle from the start of propagation till harvesting.

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Benefits of stone wool

The use of stone wool substrate offers many advantages. Thanks to the controlled manufacturing process, this growth medium is of a consistently high quality. The sterile production under extreme temperature ensures that the product is clean and sterile. Its unique hydrophilic fibre also makes the cultivation on stone wool substrate very easy to control. The grower can administer the amount of water and nutrients the crops need in a very directed and controlled manner, to achieve optimal growing results. Waste becomes a thing of the past. Efficient use of water and nutrients keeps yield per square metre high, and energy consumption per unit of product low. Additionally, the product is lightweight, making it easy to use. And last but not least, stone wool can be easily re-used. To sum up, it is a sustainable and environmentally-friendly product. 

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Do you want to learn more about Grodan? Feel free to sign up to our newsletter. Grodan ensures that growers can make optimum use of its products and services by interpretting the company’s knowledge of and experience with substrate cultivation in terms of up-to-date, crop-oriented advice. Ranging from tailor-made advice from crop consultants to newsletters, seminars and training courses and articles in trade journals.

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Part of ROCKWOOL Group

Grodan is part of the ROCKWOOL Group and committed to enriching the lives of everyone who comes into contact with our solutions. Our expertise is perfectly suited to tackle many of today’s biggest sustainability and development challenges, from energy consumption and noise pollution to fire resilience, water scarcity and flooding. Our range of products reflects the diversity of the world’s needs, while supporting our stakeholders in reducing their own carbon footprint.