Eden Greens started in Surrey as an initiative for sustainable, fresh and indoor-grown produce. The idea was born from a family’s love of plants, gardening and urban farming. Now their ever “growing” urban farm, located in their home, is a part of their family’s daily life.
In early 2020, Eden Greens decided their current grow lighting was not delivering the quality and quantity of microgreens to meet their high standards. They then looked for an alternative with a proven track record of delivering results while also providing hands-on support throughout the installation process and settled on Kroptek.
A positive trial of Kroptek lights for Eden Greens…
After an initial trial period of 3 months, the team at Eden Greens noticed a steady difference in several factors between the microgreens grown under their standard lighting, and their experimental batches grown under Kroptek lighting.
“During our initial months and 3-month trial period we were pleased to see a steady difference in the crops grown.” – Tracey Carter, Eden Greens
The initial difference was yield. Data collected showed a consistently higher yield of 5-10% in the batches of microgreens grown under Kroptek lights. In addition to a higher yield, the microgreens reached their optimum harvesting stage within a shorter duration of time to the batches grown under the standard lighting. This led to an increased number of harvests in the same time period.
“We found the microgreens were reaching their optimum harvesting stage within a shorter duration and often noted an improvement in colour.” – Tracey Carter, Eden Greens
Not only was the yield higher, but the harvested microgreens were also of a higher quality than the batches grown under standard lighting, with more vibrant colours. The team at Eden Greens were particularly excited about the improvement in the health of the sunflower cotyledons, which when eaten delivered a sharper taste and more fleshy texture, leading to a better-quality product to sell to their customer base.
… thanks to the available light spectrum
This improvement in plant health and yield can be attributed to the light spectrum delivered by Kroptek grow lights. They indeed led to increased uptake of nutrients and more efficient photosynthesis. It can also be attributed to the presence of 0.5nm UV in our broad-spectrum LEDs.
Eden Greens was having mould issues, damaging the roots of the plant and leading to lower yields and crop quality. The UV light dealt with this issue and eradicated the fungus without the use of any fungicides. This kept the crop organic while also reversing the detrimental effects to yield and quality. Find out more about our light spectrum here.
“We have enjoyed working with the lights thus far and hope to continue seeing the difference in growth. Our experience with Kroptek in general was very informative and we found Peter [Kroptek horticultural specialist], in particular, incredibly helpful and knowledgeable whilst assisting us. Service of this level is invaluable and appreciated.” – Tracey Carter, Eden Greens