The Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has been a firm fixture in many homes across the world since the late 1800s . But , like everything , it ’s right-hand to take a step back from this much - get laid festive raw material and question how environmentally friendly the Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree industry really is . While real trees are ( obviously ) not made of charge card like their false opposite number , sure aspects of their development do come at a toll . The function of fertilisers in pursuit of the “ perfect Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ” , for instance , can be harmful to the surround through surface outpouring - off , as can be the physical process of shipping Tree across the globe for us to have in our homes .
Vertical farming wo n’t supplant traditional Christmas tree farming , but it could forge alongside it to help reduce associated emissions . We spoke to IGS ’ Head of Science , Tanveer Khan , about how IGS engineering could be used to develop Christmas trees .
Benefits of grow Christmas trees using IGS technologyThe company has work closely with Forestry and Land Scotland to grow Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree seedling in tryout to aid reforestation . The results of the test have been wholly positive , and similar benefits would use when growing Christmas trees – which typically include varieties such as Norway Spruce , Douglas Fir , or Scotch Pine – in a perpendicular farm .
“ The main benefit would be the speed of growth , germination rate , and reducing ( and really eliminating ) potential tree loss , ” Tanveer begins .
“ Another welfare is scale – we can grow 2.7 million seedlings per year using one 12 - meter IGS Growth Tower . Our engineering can be used to grow the tree to the gunpoint where it ’s ready to be uprise further ( this could be outside using other means , such as a tree glasshouse or glasshouse ) . It ’s a seven - month function to grow a tree seedling in an outdoor nursery . This often comes with losses ( as much as 30 % at first , and up to 65 % in a longer period ) . Using vertical farming , the operation takes less than three month , and we could completely eliminate any losses . ”
Using IGS engineering to make the perfect Christmas treeThere ’s a commonly reinforced stereotype surrounding the perfect Christmas tree diagram – tall , slightly slanted branches , with a triangular shape running all the way from the first few acerate leaf at the top , to the denser branch at the bottom . The quest for perfection means that growers often have mellow fertiliser usage and significant wastage as seedling betray to make the grade . But what if we were to instead apply sustainable , planet - friendly technology to help oneself cultivator in their search for the staring tree ?
“ At the moment , we are trying to ramify tree in a vertical farm using different eccentric of light . This is the first time we ’ve done this using IGS technology . Previously we ’ve grown the main prow and then sent them to be planted in an outdoor tree greenhouse . With this conception , we can create the perfect Christmas tree diagram inside a Growth Tower , before set in a more traditional environment , ” Tanveer say .
“ We shuffle different lights to stimulate outgrowth . Our tryout are still in their early stages , but at the moment Christ Within remains one of the main factors for tree diagram growth that we are test . Once we ’ve grown the seedlings to around 30 - 40 atomic number 96 , we double their growing space to increase prow girth and then move them into a polytunnel to continue their increment . ”
bring down transportation costs“Using IGS engineering , Christmas tree can be maturate anywhere in the world , ” Tanveer continues . “ This drastically reduces transport - associate emission . the great unwashed want a Douglas fir Christmas tree in warmer countries such as Australia and Brazil , but these need to be grown in a colder climate . Vertical land means that they can be mature in any clime , located closer to the client and also minimising the risk of infection of trees pall in transportation . ”
“ This could be used in bicycle-built-for-two with other means of growing , as these seedlings would be transport to a greenhouse to end their growth before making their way to live rooms nearby . They would get more light in the initial phase of growing through vertical farming engineering , however as they get large , they take a little less ( remember Douglas firs are native to colder climates without too much sun ) , so they could live in a glasshouse . temperature could be around 20 degrees , and , if the upright farm was powered via renewables , these gene could combine to importantly reduce operating cost . ”
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