A more elaborate approach to this is the upcoming Soilless system. The company is an brainchild of West Johnson and Julie Joo, two graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design who developed the system as students. The design is simple: “It’s basically a big bag,” says Johnson. He explains that the bag is made up of two layers that close together much like a swimming pool, except that it is filled with water rather than air. The vertical system can grow up to 23 plants. It hangs on a pole with an LED light attached and looks like something that would hang in a high-end loft. “It’s basically something a normal person can afford and eat from, like a living work of art in your home,” says Johnson. When the system starts up, it will retail for around $ 200.
There is a system for every room
You don’t need a suburban home with lots of space to have a hydroponic garden system. In Atlanta, Greg Crafter founded Produce’d for city dwellers. “For a city dweller, space is very limited and expensive. So you want to use it and maximize it as much as possible, ”says Crafter. People testing his system, which will be rolling out in Atlanta this summer, will keep it anywhere from their office to their living room.
If space is just too tight, there are also table options. Rise has a personal garden system in which 12 plants grow. Others include Edn, which has 10 plants growing in it, to Aero Garden’s dainty sprout which has three plants growing in it (perfect for culinary herbs). These smaller systems don’t replace the products you buy at the grocery store, but they are a great way to supplement things like herbs.
Plants are good for your mental health
When we spend so much time at home, we’ve redesigned our interiors. We are surrounded by square shapes and hard lines that, whether we know it or not, our brains yearn for something close to nature. For this reason, more and more people are turning to “biophilic” design (love of life), which is about incorporating nature into interiors. “There are certain patterns and shapes as well as sights and sounds that we encounter in nature and that give us a positive physiological response,” explains Jennifer Bissonnette, the interim director of the RISD Nature Lab. From the sound of running water to the aroma of basil, biophilic design elements can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve overall happiness, says Bissonnette.
While being a “plant parent” is a familiar Instagram trump card, it also applies to hydroponic plant owners. Hydroponic systems don’t necessarily require the same daily attention as a houseplant, but when we deal with these plants we feel connected to them. “I can’t emphasize this enough: it’s wonderful to have it in your living environment, but it has to do with engaging with another living being and understanding that you are related to it. I think that’s a wonderful thing for us, ”says Bissonnette.
In a continuous loop of zoom calls and iterations from The Office, these systems can also help you feel more grounded. For edmists, checking their plants is part of their daily routine. “It’s just a deliberate escape. The escape doesn’t go anywhere else, it is connected to where you are, ”says Edmisten.
Tech offers faster, foolproof waxing
Do you want to produce quickly? Then hydroponic growing is just right for you. “The plants grow twice as fast because the nutrients are delivered directly to the roots. You can have a smaller garden and still produce a lot more food from it, ”says Johnson.
As an added bonus, many of these systems combine with apps that make it harder to kill your plants. With Rise, for example, users have to enter which plants they are growing in the app. Then the water level and the pH value are recorded and the lighting plan is determined. “We tell you when to do it, how to do it, how much. You really don’t have to be a techie, ”says Adams.
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