Climate system for indoor plants

Due to the high content of nutrients, microgreens are considered a very promising product, and their consumption is growing steadily. Microgreen * has evolved from a fashionable trend into a nutritional philosophy.

Broody Company ^® has introduced an apparatus for growing microgreens and sprouts at home. The principle of the device is simple: with the help of Phyto light and a humidifier, favorable microclimatic conditions are created for optimal plant growth.

The GreenCap L microgreen sprinkler has: 

Frame

The collapsible / collapsible frame is made of lightweight aluminum tubes with a diameter of 12 mm. The kit includes polypropylene fittings that are used to assemble the frame. The structure is easily assembled in 3-5 minutes. The assembled frame has dimensions 60x30x21cm and is designed for installation on a window sill.

Light fixtures

There are 2 LED lamps built into the frame (600 * 19mm). The luminous flux of 41.26 μM / m2 * s is provided by 2 * 8 full-spectrum Samsung LM301B LEDs. Additional 2 * 4 LEDs can be used to enhance the spectrum in the growing zones of plants and are optional. Phyto light in the GreenCap L microgreen germinator performs the function of “additional light”, i.e. designed to increase the daylight hours of plants, as well as to increase the intensity of plant illumination when there is a lack of natural light. Despite the secondary function of “sunlight”, their luminous flux, in most cases, is sufficient for growing microgreens without sunlight.

The spectrum of GreenCap L lamps is as close as possible to the spectrum of sunlight and is a universal source of Phyto light for microgreens, seedlings and adult plants. Efficient plant growth is guaranteed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. LM301B SMD LEDs. with luminous efficacy: 220 lm / W and 80% color rendering index. It should also be noted that Green Cap does not contain an irritating factor of pink, blue, and red. The use of LEDs in inexpensive “bicolor” and “multicolor” luminaires negatively affects human visual perception. In the case of combining the light environment of a person and a plant, light is preferable that provides not only the needs of the plant, but also the visual comfort of a person, that is, white light of high color rendering.

Humidifier

The aluminum body of the luminaires serves as a support for placing 2 humidifier tanks with a volume of 0.6 l each. The tanks are equipped with nozzles for spraying water and provide a specified level of humidity in the humidifier for 2-5 days. At a given humidity of 75% and a fully closed germinator, the tanks are replenished every 5-7 days. With a humidity of 95%, the tanks must be refilled once a day. 
The required humidity level is set using an electronic humidity control unit. In most microgreen growing applications, the humidifier functions as an irrigation.

Electronic humidity control unit

The control unit is located on the top of the sprout. It has 2 control buttons with which the humidity value is set, and a display showing information about the set and current humidity and temperature. Temperature and humidity readings are transmitted to the control unit by a high-precision industrial sensor based on low-potassium polymer dielectrics. The sensor does not need to be calibrated for its entire life, as the factory calibration is stored on the sensor chip. The control unit is powered from a 5V adapter, which can optionally be included in the device kit. If necessary, the humidity control unit can be connected to power through any 5V adapter with a power of more than 12 W (for example, a charger for a smartphone or tablet)

Awning

The awning of the device is made of silicone film (“flexible glass”) 250 microns thick and has a high degree of transparency. This makes it possible to visually observe the plants. The twisted fastener around the perimeter allows for quick access to the plants. There are ventilation holes (perforations) in the walls of the awning, which provide the plants with the necessary air exchange.

Presentation of the germinator with phyto light and humidity control GreenCap L

Climate system for indoor plants

The research carried out by Broody allows us to speak of a higher efficiency of the Full Specrum climate system GreenCap L in comparison with similar systems Bicolour and Multicolor phytolight.

The advantages are manifested both in the field of microgreen cultivation, and in the cultivation of garden seedlings and the care of adult house plants. GreenCap’s “sunshine” has a positive effect on all types of plants, thanks to the effects not only in the field of red and blue radiation, but also across the entire spectrum. Until now, among scientists around the world, there is a debate about the influence on the development of plants of green and other components of the spectrum. It has been proven that the plant consumes light from absolutely all parts of the solar spectrum to one degree or another, which affects the final properties of the product, including the appearance and taste.

Technical characteristics of the climate system GreenCap L