Japan Just Debuted The World's Largest Indoor Farm Using LED Lights

I'm not seeing what the breaking news is here :/ It's called hydroponics. I've been growing ghost pepper chillis indoors for the best part of a year using an LED lamp that's designed to emit various spectrums of light to promote growth etc.

It works really well, no need to worry about whether your unit gets enough sunlight or lament that you don't have a backyard to start a vegie garden in.

I'd say that it would be a mistake to become too reliant on this type of technology. It has it's place, but we as a society are asking for for trouble if we were to throw all of our eggs into one basket, as it were. Just my opinion of course.

These lights may grow lettuce but I doubt they're any good at growing flowering plants....Not compared to a 600 watt hid anyhow.

a reply to: ATSmediaPRO

Considering they import a lot of there food sources, and that there on an islands which is slowly sinking into the sea each and every year, and seeing as they dont necessarily have the huge land masses like say the USA or other countries have to grow food or farm land. I would say this is a good step in the right direction for japan and the Japanese people, and not only that but its pretty nifty and colorful as well and with time like everything else it can be improved on.

originally posted by: ken10
These lights may grow lettuce but I doubt they're any good at growing flowering plants....Not compared to a 600 watt hid anyhow.

Actually the LED's are far superior to HID lights. They can have their wavelength of light custom tailored to suit a plants needs and per watt efficiency is much better and they don't degrade nearly as quickly as most HID bulbs. There is also much less heat output from the lights cutting down on cooling costs for the building. vertical indoor gardens are the future. If u do a little research on how the whole system works you come to realize that this method is just a much better way then what u get from our outdoor farms where pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used in abundance. I cant wait for this to catch on and become more mainstream.

originally posted by: NthOther

originally posted by: TheComte

No different than working in any food manufacturing facility. When I worked in a chicken factory we had to wear white coats, boots, hairnets, and we had to *gasp* wash our hands! I know, crazy stuff eh?

Yes, it is crazy. Food is supposed to be grown from the earth, not "manufactured" in a lab.

Is this unsanitary?

I don't see any hairnets or nitrile gloves, but I would rather eat that than the frankenfood you're "manufacturing" in your chicken-factory-o'-death.

I think you might be throwing the baby out with the bath water on this one.

I agree that organic is best but if used properly science and technology doesnt have to be a monster. Its only when greed plays a part in it that we have the problems.

That picture you posted could just as easily be GMO crops doused with toxic insecticides and the warehouse grown food could be all non GMO and free of pesticides.

One should be careful not to jump to conclusions.

Also there is no mention of chickens in the video so you might be ranting about another thread about vertical chicken farming.

originally posted by: TDawg61
Man will have to master these kind of technologies if we are serious about colonizing places like the moon and mars.Which at the rate we're polluting and using up natural resources will eventually become necessary, imo.

I agree 100% Dawg. These are the types of indoor systems that we can eventually improve even more on for places like Mars, and who knows, maybe even one day on Titan.

LEDs are the blue print for an even more advanced replica to use on another planet. Without a doubt the energy saved, and the life of the bulbs, are currently unmatched.

I can speak for my own 5 year old LED Christmas lights from Sweden that I ordered online. Not even one of these lights have burned out yet.

Before with the old style, it was an endless nightmare replacing the bulbs, let alone trouble shooting in order to find out which bulb was burnt out, cause they all go out when just one does. ~$heopleNation

a reply to: TheScale

LED growlights-Do they actually work.

originally posted by: ken10
LED growlights-Do they actually work.

Interesting, But I did notice that the top performer in the growing test was not much larger than the LED grown subject.

When it comes to space colonization, as well as being more environmentally responsible here on planet Earth, we should expect to compromise some growth time in exchange for conserving power, and longer efficiency.

~$heopleNation

This is really great news as this type of approach has long since been cited as one way to feed World's bursting population. However, I look at this type of farm with horror. Sterile and tasteless food grown by people wearing sterile clothing and face masks.

I am more of a traditionalist who thinks my food should have seen the light of day.

Regards

Interesting thing though, this is the kind of farming you'd want if some near-global scale disaster happens. Asteroid or super-volcano might block the sun for a few years, but as long as you can keep the power running, you can keep food growing.

I understand the clean-room aspect too. Keeps all pests, weeds, etc. out. You don't want that any of that stuff tracked in. Means no money spent and wasted on herbicides, pesticides, or GMO. It's likely they even got an near ideal microbiology in the soil with controlled source composting, so you also get good plant growth without any risk of rot or fungal problems.

It's not like other farming, and may be more expensive to start out, but Japanese are smart about this kind of stuff and I think they'll be successful.

54a reply to: NthOther

I can. It controls human dander.

a reply to: DimlyLit
Can it be done with trees yet?

a reply to: ATSmediaPRO

Simply awesome!!

If I had the money and the space, I'd be growing my own as much as possible.
Imagine being able to have great Romaine lettuce year-round....instead of the anemic stuff they sell in the midwest in January

Cool thread. S&F to keep an eye on it

originally posted by: paraphi
This is really great news as this type of approach has long since been cited as one way to feed World's bursting population. However, I look at this type of farm with horror. Sterile and tasteless food grown by people wearing sterile clothing and face masks.

I am more of a traditionalist who thinks my food should have seen the light of day.

Regards

I understand how they can look that way but these plants being grown are actually going to be of higher quality then what u would get growing in soil outdoors. these plants are given a more perfect growing environment then u can get in nature. they are kinda like the kobe beef cows of the plant world, being pampered and given constant care and attention so as not to stress the plant out in any way so it can yield the biggest and best product possible. it may look a bit creepy but once u learn about it or even give hydroponic gardening a try, your whole attitude changes towards it.

a reply to: cavtrooper7
it can be done on tree's but in most cases they are smaller tree's. the local hydroponic store I go to has a lot of 20 foot trees that have been grown indoor under artificial light for their entire lives. they even have the biggest indoor ficus tree I have ever seen.

a reply to: TheScale
So wouldn't a jump into vertcal farming solve issues like organics and even reindustrialization in the pursuit of feeding people?

a reply to: InFriNiTee

He could have used the blue wavelength LED's instead of the fluorescent lights.

The fluorescents are also very efficient, and depending on the phosphor mix they use, can put out some of the desired wavelenghts in greater quantities at a lower cost per photon than LEDs. I'm sure the engineers weighed the options and costs before going with the flourescents.
This facility in Texas does use blue LEDs:
www.dailymail.co.uk... .html

There are studies out there that say that fluorescent lighting puts out some amount of mercury vapors (neurotoxin, etc).

The mercury vapours can only get out if you break the tube, otherwise only light is emitted.

originally posted by: ken10
These lights may grow lettuce but I doubt they're any good at growing flowering plants....Not compared to a 600 watt hid anyhow.

Do you mean "flowering plants" or plants that produce buds of a special purpose?