In a series published by Re-Nuble, the use of biostimulant products to help save soils are being discussed. "One potential facet for saving soils is utilizing soilless production methods such as hydroponics, aquaponics, or aeroponics. As in traditional farming systems, using biostimulant products in indoor farming can promote sustainability and help meet the growing demand for more food", the team says.
"While controlled environment agriculture offers an excellent alternative method for food production, it often has immense energy demands and resource expenditures, including the high use of synthetic mineral salts as a fertilizer source. Implementing biostimulants in indoor farming may help reduce chemical inputs and improve production yields -- just as it does in traditional soil-based production systems -- further driving agricultural sustainability."
Avi Abittan, Re-Nuble’s Horticulture Grower states, “[T]he benefits of hydroponics and controlled environment agriculture are known. For example: being able to produce food in areas where the land is unsuitable for conventional soil farming, minimal water usage and the ability to grow food year-round. Most of the greenhouse industry relies heavily on using synthetic fertilizer salts because it allows for increased yields in a facility that is energy intensive. Industrial facilities are focused on producing large quantities, frequently at the expense of the environment...Implementing biostimulants in the greenhouse industry will help minimize the overuse of mineral salts.”
Supporting plant growth, nutritional quality, and closed-loop agriculture
"When applied as a complementary product, biostimulants such as Re-Nuble’s organic hydroponic nutrients promote healthier plant growth, with improvements in nutritional quality, while using few inputs. Plants grow healthier and more abundantly, with improvements in nutritional quality", he adds.
This is accomplished by:
- Improving nutrient availability in the growing medium,
- Facilitating nutrient uptake and use within the plant,
- Strengthen plant responses to stressors,
- Bolster microbial colonies in the root zone.
"Not only does the use of biostimulants in indoor farming systems help to take the pressure off soil-based systems, but “drain to waste” hydroponic systems can also catalyze soil healing. After the nutrient solution is provided to the plants, any excess wastewater is expelled and applied to soils, adding organic sources of nutrients, bioavailable organic acids, and beneficial microbes back into the soil ecosystem, fostering its health. To some, the practice of disposing of wastewater seems careless, but when enhanced with biostimulants, this innovative approach promotes closed-loop agriculture, a principle upon which Re-Nuble roots its operations. By incorporating biostimulants into our product, we enable soilless farms to recirculate not just food waste, but beneficial nutrients back into the system - and indirectly in many ways, soil. "