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Tag: Propagation

Modern Horticulture Technology Boosts Sustainably Grown Heritage Greens 

HydroFarmAs more consumers take an interest in the origin and sustainability of their food, they seek out agricultural companies dedicated to responsible and socially sustainable farming. 

Allwell GreensAllWell Greens is that company. Founded in New York by second-generation Taiwanese Americans, AllWell Greens specializes in growing heritage bok choy, Chinese broccoli, and other traditional Asian greens. The founders of AllWell Greens, spurred by their frustration with issues they experienced using traditional farming methods, spent two years researching, developing and testing farming methods in a 200 square foot indoor facility in downtown Manhattan.

It is in this urban setting that the AllWell Greens founders discovered that one of the main components of their sustainable farming success is the PHOTOBIO LED horticultural lighting system from Innovative Growers Equipment (IGE) Hydrofarm Commercial Division. PHOTOBIO is part of the IGE-Hydrofarm Commercial Division family of products, a company that specializes in commercial growing equipment such as grow lights, vertical grow racks, benches, air flow systems, and other products to support commercial grows from seed to harvest.

HydroFarmIGE-Hydrofarm Commercial Division offers a modular, high-efficiency LED lighting system designed for propagation and vegetative stages, especially for vertical grows. After four separate lighting trials, the AllWell Greens’ founders were thrilled with the results of the PHOTOBIO horticulture lights. Their greens were crisp, flavorful, and disease-free, and they were able to harvest two days faster than in any previous trial! 

Impressed and confident with their results using PHOTOBIO LED lights, AllGreens’ founders took the next step of investing in a 5,000 square foot growing facility in the heart of Queens, NY. This space will allow AllWell Greens to scale up their agricultural operations and bring their heritage greens to market.

This new AllWell Greens facility is equipped with over 1500 PHOTOBIO lights on vertical grow racks. The PHOTOBIO lighting system exposes the crops to the perfect amount of light needed to optimize photosynthesis, resulting in higher-quality greens.

The PHOTOBIO lights are a game-changer for AllWell Greens. “We always knew that light was an important factor in growing greens, but I don’t think we anticipated the impact it would have on grow time and ultimately profitability,” explains John Cari, one of the company’s founders. “The PHOTOBIO lighting is so precise that we reduced our grow time by two days, improved our yields and significantly reduced our energy costs.”

Chris Mayer for IGE – Hydrofarm Commercial Division expressed “We are proud to partner with AllWell Greens on this project. Their dedication to sustainability and responsibility is inspiring, and we are honored to be a part of their journey. We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting them in their efforts to revolutionize the Asian produce industry.”

Visit the Hydrofarm booth at the upcoming February 27-28, 2023 edition of Indoor Ag-Con in booth 707 and more about IGE-Hydrofarm Commercial Division here.

Quick Plug: How BioStrate® Can Help With Your Growing Needs?

BioStrate® from Quick Plug: Biobased Propagation Felt continues to be a Premier food safe growing textile for Commercial Microgreen Growers and Hobbyist alike. Manufactured with 100% Biobased fibers, the BioStrate® Felt provides the optimal environment for dense healthy root development with efficient air and water management.

And after the microgreens are harvested, the BioStrate® 185gsm is certified industrial compostable allowing for sustainable environmental stewardship. With more than 10 million square feet delivered, the BioStrate® Felt is aconsistent media providing ongoing reliable benefits that growers trust.

The patented Hamama® Grow Kit and Seed Quilts® are innovations that incorporate the BioStrate® Felt and makes microgreen and micro herb production success super easy. The Hamama® Grow Kit with pre packaged,fully contained Seed Quilts® allows for the microgreens to be grown clean and safe without using unwanted soils,pesticides or fertilizers. Even for those without a “green thumb,”the grower simply has to add water to the tray and Seed Quilts® andthe seed germination begins! With 10 exciting microgreen varieties ,it is a fun way to eat healthy and fresh superfoods.

 

The BioStrate®: Biobased Propagation Felt was developed and is manufactured by Quick Plug in North America. At Quick Plug, we pride ourselves on finding solutions through close collaboration with the grower.
We design and manufacture stabilized growing media and specialized substrates for most any crop and culture practices.

Quick Plug growing media products are designed to reduce labor, boost root development and increase germination rates.

To learn more about the BioStrate,® microgreens and the Hamama® Grow Kit and Seed Quilts® please visit these websites: Hamama.com or Quickplug.global.