Chillerponics is a Texas (USA) based hydroponic food research and development project spearheaded by George Ure.
Ure, who publishes the popular UrbanSurvival.com and Peoplenomics.com websites, lives with his wife on their small homestead in East Texas.
After some successes in “dirt gardening” and in small-scale hydroponics, they decided that in a difficult environment, a new kind of hydroponics approach was needed.
With extremely hot temperatures (approaching 110F in the summertime) and very cold winters (often down to single digits) it became clear that their existing (old-style) greenhouse was not suitable for the aging couple to “live out of.”
The result is “Chillerponics” – a radical rethink of conventional hydroponics with an eye towards systemic efficiencies.
Let’s Back Up…
According to the web, hydroponic efficiency may already be improved in several ways, including:
- Exploiting the vertical space above the horizontal surface area to increase the number of plants per unit area1.
- Using LED grow lights that are more energy efficient and can be customized to the specific spectrum of light that the plants need2.
- Testing and maintaining the water quality, pH, EC, and temperature to ensure optimal nutrient uptake and plant health3.
- Implementing a fertigation system that delivers precise amounts of water and fertilizer to the plants3.
- Choosing an effective growing medium that suits the type of plants and the hydroponic system3.
- Cleaning the system regularly to prevent the buildup of algae, pathogens, and pests3.
The objective of Chillerponics is to create and inspire novel small-scale (yet very scalable) hydroponics to feed an increasingly hungry and war-torn world.
If you’d like to learn more, visit the Peoplenomics.com subscriber website where Ure’s new-fangled inventive ideas are presented first.
In time, documents on how to implement Chillerponics will be for sale here, as we roll through the engineering exercise (and financial analysis) of what makes the most sense for low to medium income families.
Thanks!