Indoor Food Farming: Pushing the boundaries of what we know is possible

JamesGatz

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I've been growing indoor plants for some time now and I've really been getting the hang of it - I am getting very serious about growing my own food once I move and would like to start on it now - I would like to become a professional - Now here's the thing:

I've been watching these underground indoor plant farms (where the plants don't have easy access to sunlight) and these set-ups aren't that impressive:

Many times I'm noticing the plants are in plastic pots and the soil they tend to use isn't so good either and they are also fed tap water which is toxic - this commercialized soil I've seen that tends to be popular I don't think is healthy for them at all - It tends to be very high in nitric oxide


View: https://youtu.be/KIEOuKD9KX8



View: https://youtu.be/VDbq7TN4Yrg


As negztive as these set-ups are - the plants seem to grow fine so I know that I and many on this forum could do a better job applying RP principles:

I've seen with my own eyes how fast and explosive a plant can grow when RP principles are applied to it (non-plastic potting, good quality soil, right supplements) and I definitely believe I can push the boundaries of what is generally regarded as true for plants such as how fast I can make the plant grow and what kind of plants I can grow indoors (Pineapple for example people say can only grow in a tropical environment but I really believe that if a similar healthy environment was created indoors its possible) I'm hoping there can be a discussion on these questions:

1) what 3 plants would be most important to grow for survival purposes from an RP perspective?

I already plan on growing potatoes but I need 2 more plants to choose - I'm looking for plants that grow on the faster side that also supply caloric and nutritional density

2) Could someone send me links on good quality soil and possibly educate me more? I really can't deal with commercialized soil - so many of these soils such as Miracle Gro raise nitric oxide in the plant way too high and my plants that I've opted to not use these garbage on have grown way healthier and faster.

3) what type of potting would be ideal for the plant ? All this modern potting is all plastic - even the orange clay mixtures are loaded in plastic - I was thinking of using wood and or clay/ceramic but the issue is that it becomes heavy and difficult for transporting - anything on the lighter side that isn't toxic?

4) is purple light really healthy for plants? I've been giving my plants red light a few minutes a day which they respond well to and I haven't tested purple light but I actually believe it's effectiveness might be BS but I might be wrong - I would rather give my plants natural light from a window

5) any other good tips? I am looking to maximize the health of the plant in terms of growing speed and size that the plant reaches
 
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Grapelander

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I am concerned that the cost of electricity will go thru the roof once oil and gas are eliminated and everyone is driving electric cars.
I have seen videos of folks growing microgreens and selling to restaurants.

Why Is Vertical Farming Bad: 9 Disadvantages (vertical = indoors with lights)

I am not trying to kill your idea - I love gardening but know it takes a lot to grow enough food to live on.
I would find someone in your area that is already doing this and get training from them - even if you have to work or volunteer.

I am thinking mushrooms for protein - that is my future project.

Potatoes grown at my mobile home:
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JamesGatz

JamesGatz

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Crazy Experiment I've been doing with my plants:

I've repeated the experiment 5+ times now and its the same result

Seed A:

For one plant I place a tall stick of wood near the seed ( Not attached or leaning ) - about 1 foot long

Seed B:

For the other plant I place a few shorter sticks of wood (toothpick size) - all adding up to the same weight as the other big stick near the seed (Not attached or leaning)

Seed A grows WAY FASTER and WAY TALLER than Seed B - like if being next to a tall stick inspires the plant to grow TALLER and FASTER

I repeated the experiment using already existing plants and if I place a big stick with it - it suddenly goes into a growth spurt as well - not just growing outward but TALLER and it stops if I take the stick out

This begs the question: does being around taller things trigger some subconscious response for the body to grow taller and not so much for smaller things?

For example - twins seperated at birth with hypothetical same diet

Twin A grows up in a town full of tall people and trees

Twin B grows up in a town full of short trees and short people

Would Twin A grow A LOT TALLER than Twin B? Its an interesting thought
 
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Carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions, garlic, squash (not fast growing, but lots of nutrients). Greens grow fast and obviously make for nutritious broth.

Use canvas grow bags.
 

MaxMaximus

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Crazy Experiment I've been doing with my plants:

I've repeated the experiment 5+ times now and its the same result

Seed A:

For one plant I place a tall stick of wood near the seed ( Not attached or leaning ) - about 1 foot long

Seed B:

For the other plant I place a few shorter sticks of wood (toothpick size) - all adding up to the same weight as the other big stick near the seed (Not attached or leaning)

Seed A grows WAY FASTER and WAY TALLER than Seed B - like if being next to a tall stick inspires the plant to grow TALLER and FASTER

I repeated the experiment using already existing plants and if I place a big stick with it - it suddenly goes into a growth spurt as well - not just growing outward but TALLER and it stops if I take the stick out

This begs the question: does being around taller things trigger some subconscious response for the body to grow taller and not so much for smaller things?

For example - twins seperated at birth with hypothetical same diet

Twin A grows up in a town full of tall people and trees

Twin B grows up in a town full of short trees and short people

Would Twin A grow A LOT TALLER than Twin B? Its an interesting thought
Reminds me of when kids start playing basketball and end up much more taller than their peers and even some/most family members as adults...
 

revenant

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Commercial soil is indeed garbage and will usually result in root rot. Clay pellets work great but are expensive. Ordinary sand works well for some plants.
 
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JamesGatz

JamesGatz

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I have about 40-50 plants in one room in my house - they are AMAZINGLY Healthy - they grow FAST and BIG

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND growing indoor plants, they make a HUGE difference on your metabolism and instill major confidence in what you're capable of

Right now I'm growing an assortment of greens, tobacco, coffee, pineapple, and I'm about to plant oranges and maybe tangerines too

Soil/Pots make a huge difference, I'm using a mixture of coconut fiber soil, mixed with sand, all of them in ceramic with tall baboo sticks to stimulate the tall mentality - I give my plants many nutrients (haidut's supplements, egg shell powder, carrot shavings, etc) and filtered water - I also have given all of my plants some of my rocks and jewelry - they are actually in plant paradise
 
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JamesGatz

JamesGatz

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As s general rule - anything that makes it hard to breathe for you also stresses out the plants and vice versa

Test it for yourself : try holding a ceramic pot then a plastic pot and see how much harder/easier it is for you to breathe with each, thats how your plants feel

Another one: try touching fresh coconut fiber soil then miracle gro trash, see how much easier/harder it is for you to breathe and then you know why miracle gro kills plants

Also, plants definitely communicate WITH YOU if you pay attention, I was giving some of my plants haidut's supplements last night and one of the pineapples in my room asked for a drop as well its crazy how they communicate

As always, don't bother them, don't touch their roots, and make sure their roots can BREATHE - drainage holes, good soil, etc
 

Giraffe

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I am thinking mushrooms for protein - that is my future project.

I didn't hear the guy in the video talk about temperatures. My understanding is that the temperature ranges for growing the mycellum and for the mushroom to fruit are quite narrow. Something to keep in mind when you decide when to start your project.

Button mushrooms are great for growing indoors as they like the temperatures we typically have indoors and they don't need light. Oyster mushrooms are a little more tricky. Their smell is very intense and the spores can cause allergic reactions in some people, so indoor growing (though possible) may not be the best idea.

Have you grown your beautiful potatoes in containers?
 
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Blossom

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is purple light really healthy for plants? I've been giving my plants red light a few minutes a day which they respond well to and I haven't tested purple light but I actually believe it's effectiveness might be BS but I might be wrong - I would rather give my plants natural light from a window
We put purple lights on our yucca plants when they are indoors for the winter and they seem to like it. We also put them in front of a window for natural light. They are about 30 years old.
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770029A5-784D-4550-AFE3-1BD7C2B3107F.jpeg
 

revenant

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I thought the light had to hit the leaves from above, not below like in the picture.
 

Blossom

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I thought the light had to hit the leaves from above, not below like in the picture.
My husband set it up that way and seem to like it fine. I would have never thought it would work from below though either.
 

purple pill

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Cant find the video but someone did post a video a while back from a guy who ran a plant nursery(family run). The gist was that all compost/soil they sell for plants is junk, its very acidic as it decomposes and is teeming with too much bacteria, fungi etc,(they like it more peaty/ sterile 😉 ), and that real soil for plants is mostly sand with some clay and silt but they started switching to compost when potted plants became popular due to the weight issue of real soil. (Sandy soil being very heavy compared to compost). And the markets got it **** backward now..... what they call topsoil should be the main growing medium and if youre using compost just a thin layer on top as which happens in nature (leaves, plants decomposing on top).
 

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