GyroPlant

From Food Miles to Food Meters... We just harvested (albeit it slightly early) our office mint plant for a fresh batch of herbal tea! 🌿 It's a small but meaningful example of how easy it can be to grow plants right at home or the office using simple DWC (Deep Water Culture) systems— completely substrate-free. Less than 2 meters from plant to cup! Why does this matter? Reducing "food miles" by growing at home or locally eliminates the need for plastic packaging and reduces air pollution from distribution. It’s one way to make sustainable, fresh food more accessible. Sure, there are challenges like time, space and knowledge, not to mention dealing with messy substrates... but we’re working with some incredible companies and startups developing the next generation of home growing kits that simplify the process using clean alternatives to substrates. Exciting innovations are on the way!🚀 #Sustainability #HomeGrown #FoodMiles #Hydroponics #Agritech

Great to be working across the pond with City Greens Community Farm in Los Angeles, USA - growing food locally while also promoting sustainable CEA farming practices in education! City Greens Community Farm was founded in 2020 with a simple mission: to cultivate health and well-being through local food with hands-on community involvement. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, they promote sustainability, environmental stewardship, and grow and distribute healthy food, all while providing students with access to advanced technology and a progressive curriculum in an educational urban farm setting. By bringing agriculture to schools, City Greens educates students on the importance of sustainability and demonstrates how new technology can provide access to local food and promote food security and justice within the community. A fantastic company – thank you, Jen Levy, for all your hard work. City Greens Community Farm is truly an asset to the local area. 🌱 citygreensfarm.org 🌱

Exciting Partnership with Dole plc - Advancing Hybrid and Indoor Farming! After a successful year growing strawberries substrate-free in CEA, we’re excited to officially partner with Dole for our Novel, low-emission food production systems Innovate UK project alongside UK Agri-Tech Centre. Together, we’re innovating by growing strawberries, blueberries, and leafy greens, substrate free using both indoor and hybrid (indoor & outdoor combined) production methods.   Our focus is on developing high-density, high quality, seedlings for container & greenhouse hydroponics, improving efficiency, and delivering higher quality crops. Explore the benefits of hybrid farming on our blog! Sarah Titmuss Dole – “ This partnership will accelerate the search for substrate free propagation and production, addressing a major issue facing our supply chain and the wider industry. Lowering carbon footprint, production costs and ecological impact, whilst continuing to provide quality and consistency. GyroPlant Technology will move the search for COIR FREE substrate alternatives to the next level. SUBSTRATE FREE PRODUCTION-an exciting prospect.” Dole continues to lead the way, blending traditional methods with new technologies and aiming, with the aid of the GyroPlant technology, to eliminate substrate use — a major impactor on carbon efficiency given the large amounts used annually and the distances shipped. #HybridFarming #IndoorFarming #CEA #Innovation #Sustainability #DoleFoods #Hydroponics Innovate UK Dole Food Company

Meet Declan G., the Wizard of the Fyto Ltd. Lab! 🧙♂️ Discover how Declan is working his magic down in Newcastle. Declan’s perfecting GyroPlant recipes for growing just about anything, without traditional substrate in sight. He’s got the code for SUBSTRATE-FREE cultivation well and truly cracked, and now he’s just showing off! Armed with a white coat, a cheeky grin, and more plant knowledge than a Chelsea Flower Show judge, he’s helping make sure our research partners and customers have everything they need to thrive to create clean, sustainable and resilient hydroponic farms. Who needs substrate when you’ve got Declan in the lab?! #CEAGenius #PlantWhisperer #LabLife #SubstrateFreeSuccess #GyroPlant Gregory Short Aidan Brierley Innovate UK

Partnering with RAIZ (Forest and Paper Research Institute) to Revolutionise Tree Propagation! Since our connection to RAIZ in Portugal, led by Danko Tolić - GyroPant has been proud to team up with RAIZ, the respected research institute closely connected with The Navigator Company. RAIZ is leading the charge in the clonal propagation of Eucalyptus—a key species for the pulp and paper industry, yet notoriously difficult to root. Our reusable substrate alternatives are playing a pivotal role in this partnership, providing sustainable, innovative solutions that help RAIZ push the boundaries of traditional propagation methods. These substrates don’t just reduce waste—they’re also proving to be a game-changer in improving the rooting success of challenging species like Eucalyptus. We’re thrilled to see how our technology is making a tangible impact on RAIZ’s pioneering work, which aligns perfectly with the broader goals of sustainable forestry. While RAIZ operates independently, their close association with The Navigator Company Company means our collaboration is having a significant influence across the industry. Thank you Joana Costa for leading the work! #Sustainability #Innovation #ForestryResearch #Eucalyptus #Hydroponics #PulpAndPaper #GyroPant  Universidade de Aveiro, Universidade de Coimbra University of Lisbon Innovate UK

Over the past 5 weeks, we’ve been collaborating with the UK Agri-Tech Centre to trial multiple CEA irrigation systems and test new GyroPlant technology growing protocols for our growers - using seed tapes, gels, and ZERO substrate alternatives. Our R&D builds on our in-house expertise, allowing us to offer a solid starting point for growers, from berries to radishes to trees, who are looking to transition away from substrates. While we can’t perfectly simulate every grower's unique CEA conditions—whether they’re running a container farm in Michigan, simulating farming on Mars during an analog mission, or growing tree saplings for reforestation projects—we can provide valuable insights to kickstart their journey toward substrate-free farming. It’s been fantastic working with companies who, with a little experimentation and fine-tuning, are transforming their farming practices into waste-free systems. This approach works best for those willing to experiment and adapt our research to find the ideal growing protocols for their specific needs. Stay tuned for exciting updates about our work with berries! #verticalfarming #urbanfarming #feedingthefuture #indoorfarming #indoorgrowing #CEA #controlledenvironmentagriculture #kale Lucy Rushton Aurélie B. Innovate UK Innovate UK Business Connect

Innovative Ginseng Cultivation at the Università degli Studi di Torino ! Exciting developments are happening at the #InHortoSanitas lab under the leadership of Prof Silvana Nicola. The University of Torino embarked on a cutting-edge project focused on ginseng sprout production in an indoor farm using an Ultra Density Growing System, utilising GyroPlant technology. Why ginseng? Ginseng sprouts are packed with ginsenosides, compounds known for their health benefits. "By using Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), we can standardise and accelerate the production process of Ginseng, ensuring consistent quality and efficiency" - Silvana Nicola Their research compares various growing mediums like rockwool and GyroPlant reusable growing cups, and so far, going substrate free has been a great success! "Eliminating substrates has the potential to benefit the environment and simplify plant operations" - Silvana Nicola This project is a collaboration of passionate experts, including: Cosimo Matteo Profico Fabiana Marino saeid hazrati Simona Baracco Learn more about their work and collaboration with the Association for Vertical Farming #Ginseng #VerticalFarming #IndoorFarming #CEA

With so much happening, we’ve put together some quick reads on our blog to keep you in the loop! Whether you’re catching up on the latest behind the scenes developments in the CEA world or exploring topics beyond just growing greens, we’ve got you covered. Our latest blog dives into automation in CEA and future possibilities. Think we’ve missed any niche sectors? Let us know! Next weeks will be Centralised vs Decentralised CEA agriculture...stay tuned. Our quick reads for you available right now on our site: - Combining Automation with a Human Touch in Small-Scale Hydroponics - Tree Propagation for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) - Home Hydroponics: Fresh Produce, Year-Round - Exploring Legume Growing with GyroPlant Technology Fyto Ltd. - Introducing The GyroSnap! - R&D Expansion for Space Food Technologies Interstellar Lab - Growing Strawberries with The GyroCup Sarah Titmuss Dole Food Company Silvana Nicola - Advancing Astro-botany with The GyroCup Gil Cauthorn Haley Boles - Tackling Substrate Challenges in CEA and Greenhouses GROWPIPES Naviin Thiaga - The Benefits of The GyroCup - Our R&D Journey with the UK Agri tech Centre - UK Agri-Tech Centre - Unlocking the Potential of Silicone Rubber There’s a lot happening at GyroPlant, and our blog is the perfect spot to explore how we’re leading the way in clean, efficient farming! #CleanFarming #ZeroSubstrate #Hydroponics #CEA #GyroPlant Innovate UK

Well done James Garel-Jones and the team VertiGrow for their latest innovation in seeding technologies for CEA growers! 🇨🇦 Simplicity in design is more than a passing trend - it’s essential. A simple design enhances the user experience by reducing complexity and making interactions straightforward - improving functionality by focusing on what truly matters, ensuring every element has a clear purpose with the user at the center. Simplicity leads to an impactful design! The GyroPlant team look forward to seeing more innovations!

A big thank you to the Fyto Ltd. team in Newcastle for sharing their substrate-free spinach! This batch was grown by germinating seeds on tissue paper at ultra-high densities, then transplanted to GyroCups for full growth. A straightforward approach to keeping Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) efficient and reducing substrate use. Growing spinach substrate-free not only reduces resource use but also allows for more efficient nutrient absorption, leading to faster growth. #hydroponics #CEA Gregory Short Aidan Brierley Declan G. Innovate UK Innovate UK Business Connect