Discover your recipe for growth

Innovative farming technologies mean that plants can now be grown in indoor environments without sunlight. This cultivation process, known as city farming or vertical farming, is ideal for propagating young plants, cultivating full head crops and growing healthier, pesticide-free crops. It maximizes production by using ground-breaking LED to light multiple layers of crops, achieving a higher yield with a smaller footprint.
With extensive lighting know-how and plant expertise, Philips Lighting can offer vertical farmers the best advice on successful growing with LED, along with the most reliable techniques and LED products for growing indoors.

Possible applications

City farming techniques vary greatly in terms of the space, technology, and investment in time and money that is required to set them up. Here we compare four different applications to give you an idea of which one might be your recipe for growth. Remember, you’ll always need green fingers to make a success of these applications.

High tech plant factories

Plant factory

This large-scale production technique is ideal if you want to cultivate in a customized, closed environment of more than 2000 m2. Plant factories are very high-tech, highly automated, and can be serviced by robots.  They also have fully-automated irrigation, climate control and logistics with a growth process and production line that can be tailored to your crop. You’ll need sensors and data available to help you manage, steer and improve the process.

Size

Level of high-tech

Investment  

Innovatus project

Climate rooms for indoor cultivation

Climate chamber

Climate rooms are for small-scale production. They can be used for a specific part of the cultivation process e.g. propagating young plants or for researching the effects of light on your crop. At 500 to 3000 m2 the enclosed, box-in-box chamber can be accommodated in existing buildings or halls. Irrigation and climate control are semi-automated and light recipes may be measured with sensors.

Size

Level of high-tech

Investment

Brightbox project

Warehouse farm - Philips Holticulture City Farming

Warehouse farm

At less than 1000 m2, a warehouse farm can be placed in an existing building or warehouse for small-scale production. Compared to other applications it requires only a medium level of investment and is relatively easy to start up if you have growing knowledge, with only standard racks and a climate computer needed to start growing. Existing buildings often can’t accommodate robots and fully-automated systems, so the system is only semi-automated.

Size

Level of high-tech

Investment

Ecobain project

Horticulture container garden

Container

For research purposes, standard, ready-to-use containers of 20 to 30 m2 growing surface are easy to start and have a fast turnaround. Containers are suitable for both one or multiple layer applications. They can be placed in a warehouse to propagate young plants before they are transplanted into a greenhouse. Only suitable for small scale projects as production runs are limited.  Low tech irrigation and climate control are available but no automation. Technical knowledge on the total growing system is required to carry out research.

Size

Level of high-tech

Investment