Growasis Elevated Modular Raft Systems

This will depend on a variety of factors such as available light, nutrients, humidity, water and air temps, pH, oxygen and air flow to name a few! Based upon the size of the systems and the 28 hole raft boards, we can tell you exactly how many planting spaces you will have. For maximum production we recommend seeding, transplanting and harvesting on a consistent basis, The frequency of these activities will depend on the environmental factors noted above along with other potential sales, distribution and market factors.

Short Answer: Some Growasis systems require 3/4″ thick plywood and/or foam insulation panels. These items are not practical to ship.

In the case of Growasis Elevated or Double Decker systems, you will need to pick up one or more 3/4″ x 4′ x 8′ sheets of OSB plywood for the liner support. Only use OSB plywood at the recommended thickness or greater to prevent sagging and potential breakage due to the water weight. The number of boards you need will be indicated by the dimensions you input into the design calculator on each Growasis product page.

Should you require insulation panels for your trough use only 1″ x 4′ x 8′ standard foam board insulation.

Short answer: It depends on which Growasis you choose and the length of the system.

The tools you might need are (Circular Saw, Utility knife)

Our Growasis elevated and double decker systems require you to purchase 3/4″ OSB plywood paneling to support the liner and water weight. Modular systems starting at 8′ lengths and increasing by 8′ lengths (8′, 16′ 24’…) will not require any cross cuts of the plywood. However, modular raft systems starting at 12′ and increasing by 8′ lengths (12′, 20′, 28’…) will require one of the panels to be cut as a 4×4′ section. When you pickup your plywood check with your local supplier (ie Home Depot or Lowes) as they may provide free cuts on site so you don’t have to.

Our 2′ wide Growasis Elevated Raft Systems will require a 2′ wide piece of plywood. In this case a rip cut lengthwise through the plywood will be required. Again check with your local supplier. Otherwise any plywood cuts can be performed with a circular saw following the directions and equipment safety recommendations.

For Growasis Ground Level Systems we strongly recommend laying full size rigid insulation panels (1″ x 4′ x 8′) on the ground between the framing system. This will help to keep your water from losing valuable heat into the ground below. For 8′ wide troughs, the frame is designed to allow for two full size sheets to fit between each 8′ cross bar support without needing to cut the insulation panels.

You also have the option to add 1″ insulation panels into the sidewalls between the vertical support pipes. These panels can be cut to fit with a utility knife according to the directions. This must be done before installation of the liner.

That depends on the size of your Growasis Floating Plant System. When you place your order we will contact you with a freight estimate to your shipping address.

Absolutely!

We’ve made the framing system super easy to install. You can even move the frame around (before water is in) to get it positioned exactly where you want it. We have an installation video and manual to guide you through the process. All pipes are pre-cut and labeled so you know how to fit everything together. The metal fittings secure to the pipes with a simple hex key (supplied) or you can use a drill with a 5/16″ hex bit to make it go even faster. Should you be using insulation panels for the sidewalls you will need to cut those to fit between the pipes following the directions.

The Duraskrim liner installs over the framing system. Depending on the size of your trough it may be helpful to have some extra hands for the liner install so you can carefully guide and position the liner onto the frame. Once the liner is installed (following the supplied directions) you can insert the bulkhead fittings through the liner and endwall panel(s).

Depending on the size of the Growasis Plant System you purchased, you can have yours built and ready to fill with water in less than an hour. As always, we are here to help and want to make sure your installation goes smoothly. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.

There are a lot of ways to grow crops so why grow in deep water?

• Plants don’t die when the power goes out – This cannot be claimed with any vertical or NFT based growing system. In our DWC troughs, plant roots are constantly submerged in nutrient rich water staying hydrated even during an extended power loss or pump failure.
• Precise crop spacing – We use Beaver Plastics food grade lettuce rafts boards that have evenly spaced, pre cut and tapered holes for planting seedlings. For example, a 28 hole raft board will allow you to plant up to 3.5 plants per sq ft. This is important particularly for commercial growers who are producing specific quantities for market. Production and financial metrics can be easily determined. Plant spacing can be modified depending on the type of crops.  
• Thermal Mass and Stability – Water is the best source of thermal mass. In other words, it retains heat extremely well compared to other materials. The large volume of water in a Growasis Floating Raft System provides greater buffering capacity and stability in water temperature, pH and other water quality parameters. A large volume of water can also help to passively heat and cool your growing environment.
• Easy Planting and Harvesting – Crops can easily be transplanted from a nursery directly into the raft boards. Harvesting can be done right on the raft boards at the trough or the raft boards can be picked up and moved to a convenient height and location for harvesting. Our Growasis elevated systems make it even easier by being conveniently positioned at waist height. 
• Proven Technology and Results – Deep water culture growing has been around for decades and has been proven as an excellent growing method through extensive research and commercial applications. Our farms have used deep water growing systems for years and they have been the preferred growing method among all of our farmers producing thousands of crops every week.    

There are a few other DWC systems on the market and usually they are sold as part of a complete farm package. Here are a few features of other systems to watch out for and how ours compare.

The Framing System – Other DWC troughs on the market use way too much expensive metal framing and fittings then are necessary. This increases the cost and complexity of your troughs. In addition, you have to fasten the framing system together with self tapping screws which requires an impact driver and leaves metal shards everywhere.  In some DWC framing systems the sharp metal frame edges are fully exposed on the outside of the trough showing the insulation panels. This is very unsightly and you could easily cut yourself when working along side the troughs.

Growasis troughs have no sharp edges, no cutting or drilling and no visible insulation boards.

Growasis Floating Plant System

Raft Boards

Other DWC systems on the market require you to purchase your own insulation panels to be used as floating plant rafts. There are so many things wrong with this it’s hard to know where to start. Here’s a quick bullet list of issues.

• Manufacturers of insulation panels (like Dow) have publicly discouraged the use of insulation boards for plant or food production yet suppliers continue to promote their use.
• Pink or blue insulation boards are not ideal as they do not reflect the light back to the plants as the white boards do. There are suppliers who even recommend painting the insulation boards so they can be white. This practice is a waste of time and now you have latex paint peeling off your boards and getting into your food production system. Not good…
• When using insulation boards you have to not only cut all the boards but then you have to drill potentially thousands of little holes which creates a huge mess and is extremely labor intensive! This is arguably one of the worst things we’ve ever had to do in our early years in aquaponics. Why drill holes in insulation boards when there is an affordable food grade and pre-drilled solution already out there?

EPDM pond liner

Some suppliers also use heavy duty 45mm black EPDM pond liner for their troughs. This type of liner is extremely heavy and difficult to work with compared to the light weight 20mm structurally reinforced DuraSkrim liner. EPDM is great for lining ponds because it stretches and forms well to uneven surfaces but that feature as actually a drawback in DWC applications. Duraskrim liner is also white which is a good thing because it allows you to easily see your airstones and any accumulation of detritus in your troughs. EPDM is also a petroleum based product which is not recommended in food production applications.

Only virgin resins are used in the production of the DuraSkrim. All resins used in the food contact layer are FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 (c) 3.2 compliant.  “Dura-skrim has been approved as a material in organic farming.”

Jeff Evard
Certification Manager
Ecocert ICO LLC