Increasing Production Capacity of Small-Scale Hydroponic Greenhouse Farmers by Utilizing Greenhouse "Dead-Space"

Small-scale hydroponic greenhouse farmers rely on current products to maximize their production potential. The highest selling commercial hydroponic systems for leafy green crops andstrawberry production are known as horizontal Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems. Though these systems are proven to be efficient and profitable, they limit the grower to a production capacity basedon a 2D plane resulting in "dead-space" along the side-walls of their greenhouses. The Cascading Water Disbursement Tower (CWDT) created by the PI is a unique vertical NFT tower that can be integrated into greenhouse production to utilize the created dead-space when using horizontal hydroponic systems. The product is light, efficient, one-component, and holds up to fifteen plants per tower. The SBIR Phase I will prove the products overall feasibility when integrated with existing horizontal systems. Since the product cannot be made by hand, a 3D printer will be used to produce up to 50 apparatuses to integrate into the research greenhouse at North Arkansas College. The college currently has horizontal NFT systems growingleafy greens making it the perfect scenario to conduct this research. If the product is proven feasible, it could increase existing hydroponic producer's production by up to 30%. This means that a hydroponic producer could have a means to scale up production without further investment into infrastructure resulting in up to $100,000 worth of savings. The apparatus is not limited to the commercial grower, but can be used by anyone who wishes to install a vertical hydroponic tower in an area that gets partial sun. The research conducted will prove its feasibility, perfect the design to become manufacture-friendly, and provide accurate data on its true potential to increase production in greenhouse dead-space.The apparatuses will be 3D printed and installed into constructed wall and ground mounts to hold the towers in place. Once installed, data on harvest dates, plant size, and plant densities will be collected at the time of harvest and throughout the growing process. The results will be used to market the efficiency of the product toward existing hydroponic system producers to gain support in manufacturing the product. GSS Group LLC is looking to patent the design and utility of the product and license it to hydroponic product manufactures.The ultimate goal of this project is to create the first "true" and integrate-ablevertical NFT tower on the market. This product was designed with the current small scale hydroponic farmer in mind. These farmers have made a dedication to producing high quality specialty products with sustainable methods. They should not be limited in product selections due to the competitive nature of current system producers. This product should disrupt the current hydroponic product market and force competitors to invest in further product development to enable small farmers to maximize production potential in greenhouses. Hydroponic systems should be designed to be easily integrate-able with other systems to allow for product diversification within the same grow space. Like the CWDT, they should also be designed for easy cleaning, harvesting, and transplanting.