Author: marco

[Link to the original newsletter]

Many things happened at aponix since our last newsletter in March 2021. Aponix has been very active to create new solutions that you can find more on in this newsletter but also had the time to sharpen the definition what aponix’ purpose actually is – create component based urban farming equipment and set up an ecosystem of users and product partners.

New components – Wall System, Tray Set, City XL, Prices:

1. Foreword from Marco
2. New living WallSystem
3. New Young Plant Tray Set – Available on Amazon
4. Extended City XL Substrate Barrel
5. Solution Brochures
6. Special antimicrobial parts / ESA Spark Funding project
7. Pricing and Working with Product and Implementation Partners
8. Selected articles
9. Book a Demo

1. Foreword from Marco

Hey Growers, Urban Farming Enthusiasts and Friends!

With time the aponix’ mission has become clearer and can eventually be defined as:
a) Design of urban farming components that are not being provided by the normal professional horticulture sector.

b) Provide inspiration to interested stakeholders on multiple levels to start thinking in a systemic way on how and where to integrate and use more plants in their space.

c) Coordinate and facilitate the creative process from inspiration to technical interest, validation of potential use cases and support of collaboration between the users and product partners.

Interestingly this very much reminded me of the way successful open source software tools are developed in the software development space just around plants and with less ego.

One thing that is really funny with regard to my personal entrepreneurial journey here is, that with the first solution I have designed and brought into series production – the Vertical Barrel / 3D-NFT I started with the most complex and technical solution that needs a lot of explanation, good implementation planning and thus is also not easy to be sold in the needed amounts to drive a startup on its own. It is available in Version 3 and has been improved and extended into a real vertical alternative to racks.
So I added the living Wall System in 2021. With that aponix made an important side step covering new plantable area with a simpler and more widely usable solution. It still requires explanation and implementation planning and can be used in larger and creative projects. Like with the Vertical Barrel there is quite some variability hidden in the design to promote and support many use cases. And it is also usable in tiny setups for the prosumer and is easier to understand and install by the DIY user.

Early 2022 and there is another solution! This time a Young Plant Tray Set. I discovered that we do not have standard sized trays in the EU and usable ways to grow young plants with substrate and also for your soilless systems including our Vertical Barrels if you do not have a flood table and a greenhouse at hand. I also wanted to cover microgreens really well. Professional horticulture equipment to grow young plants is not well accessible within the EU. Usually you get the cheapest plastic or you have to buy a palette.

And the best: Our partner EcoSprout is starting to sell the elements via Amazon FBA in the EU. See section 3 for more.

2022 half way through and there is the next project, this time funded by the ESA Spark Funding program to bring space technology into new areas such as horticulture. See item 6 for more.
All components that aponix designs combine a ton of features spiced with the renowned German engineering. This has only become possible through a key cooperation of aponix with our local German manufacturer. The engineering from CAD draft through detail iterations, complex assemblies and simulations, the quality of the production setup, creation of the tooling, material selection and logistics have developed into a key asset for aponix that will probably be used for even more solutions to come. As a consequence I get involved in new product or solution designs more often also of other players.

Apart from collecting new ideas for solutions, coming up with potential designs, validating them and finally bringing them into large series production, my second most important focus became inspiring urban farmers by showing them the variability and modularity of my designs and the creative ways other users use these solutions even finding completely new use cases. I think part of it is the right timing but also the insights that people get from discussing their potential and possible applications and solutions freely in a playful and inspirational way. I am convinced that the real innovation is created in these brainstorming sessions with pragmatic users. Aponix just provides some solid modular infrastructure components for them.
Most of the technology needed to grow more plants in the urban and peri-urban areas is already existing and usually used by commercial growers. Once we learn to combine proven methods, equipment with the awareness that more vegetation and hyperlocal edible plants are able to solve a multitude of planetary and social issues, my hope is that users will come up with new ways and formats naturally. This is where the concept of the component based urban farming equipment of aponix tries to be a catalyst: Once interested users are given modular equipment that can be implemented into the urban context well and policy makers and communities give room and incentivize participatory projects, we will see a multitude of creative innovation.

As always… Grow as many hyperlocal plants as possible ^^

Yours,
Marco

2. Living Wall System

We were wondering what could also be a good and mostly vacant spot to grow more plants in urban areas. Walls and fences were the ones that caught our attention. As we were looking into different types of existing wall systems, it became obvious that there are many functional requirements to be met in order to make it a usable and simple to maintain solution. An ideal aponix play ground to add some modularity.
The system uses a Module element that provides an optional liquid reservoir separate from plant and substrate and a Pot Insert that makes replacing plants easy. Modules work like shingles and will cover a wall in the form of rows and columns. The top most row is covered with a Lid element to hide the irrigation.

Here is a video that shows how the liquid cascades through the levels.

Some more properties:
Rows are mounted onto horizontal rails or wood (simple example).
Material is V0 flame resistant PP to make indoor use safer.
The Insert holds two standard supermarket basil pots.
Each Pot Insert can be equipped with a 4mm stainless steel trellis.
Additional drainage and irrigation lines with fresh liquid can be used in between rows for high walls.
Substrate selection is flexible according to the conditions.

[Click for more details]

3. Young Plant Tray Set

All plant production begins with strong and healthy young plants. That is why we wanted to provide a solution to grow susbtrate based and soilless seedlings with a set of 1010 and 1020 trays. We also wanted to cover microgreens well.

Properties:

• Function first: Shape for stability, best aeration, efficiency and usability.
• All elements are heavy duty, from recycled raw materials and recyclable.
• Made in Germany.
• Can dry when stacked.
• Exact 1010/1020 inch measures.
• Make your own holes as needed with drill or soldering iron.

For end-users the trays will be available in packs via Amazon from within the EU starting with these countries any day now: Czeck Republic, Poland, Germany.
Please support our sales partner EcoSprout with their visibility on Amazon by looking for the trays and providing a product review. With that you would be supporting aponix and the urban farmig component mission. If you consider meeting me at a future trade show or anywhere else I owe you a big drink for that ;). It will be available any day and I will post it to my LinkedIn network.

[6-pack of 1020 Trays on Amazon]
[4-pack of 1010 Trays on Amazon]

4. Extended City XL Substrate Barrel

The City XL is the larger and robust version of the normal Substrate based Vertical Barrel. This version is thicker (3.3mm) and provides areas to combine the parts using rivets or cutting screws horizontally and vertically. It uses 9 ring segments per level and has a total diameter of 95cm.
The elements require professional integration and always start from a locally made metal base. We can also provide measures for custom closed level parts.

There will be a completely closed part as with the smaller Substrate Barrel, but it will have a replacable area where a region or city can get their own logo injection molded into the elements. This could be done for individual production batches. With that, material and color can be selected individualy too.

There will also be an optional Planting Pot Insert, that is inserted from behind / inside. This simplifies organisation of the internal logic and provides room for irrigation and technical equipment.

We are looking for implementation partners and cities/regions. Let us know what you think!

5. Solution Brochures

Vertical Barrel / 3D-NFT in Version 3 – Can be run in standalone mode or chained into multiple units with irrigation via central reservoir. Accessorie spot light:
Reusable Plug Pot with optional metal trellis holder.
Netafim irrigation adapter for pressure irrigation.

Living Wall System – Modules that can be flexibly arranged in rows and columns. Each Module provides its own reservoir separate from the substrate. The plants are inserted into a removable thinsulated Pot Insert. Recirculating setup possible.

Youngplant Tray Set – As of July 2022 the 1020 Trays and the 1010 Trays are available. The Substrate Cell Insert, the 2″ Netpot Holder and the 1010 Dome and the 1020 Dome will follow.

6. Special antimicrobial parts

Yay! Aponix has been supported by ESA Space Solutions and the ESA Technology Broker Germany through the ESA Spark Funding initiative. We are building some Vertical Barrels and Wall System setups that are being made with the antimicrobial compound AGXX from our technology partner Heraeus. The setups will then be tested, examined and compared to the normal version of the solutions. The focus will be on biofilm and how it will affect cleaning procedures and plant development. Especially when we are in open urban farming setups, contamination and sanitation can become an issue. Reducing or even eliminating biofilm on all surfaces in a soilless system might not even only speed up cleaning but also save chemicals, time and reduce waste.

Let us know if you are interested in this topic or like to trial such an experimental Wall System or Vertical Barrel. If the trials in Q1/Q2 2023 reveal some promising aspects for antimicrobial surfaces in hydrponics/terra ponics, we will definitely think about offering such a version within our regular product range.

7. Pricing and Working with Product and Implementation Partners

We are often asked how aponix does sales. In short, we ship to anybody who requests parts.

Preferably we work B2B with product or implementation partners. It is important to us that it is always clear to the outside world who is the designer and manufacturer of the components and who is the owner of the product/solution that implements aponix parts.

Product partners do usually not sell individual aponix elements, but rather their own individual and more finished solutions or at least DIY sets implementing these elements well under their own solution branding to their own customer base independently. We love to see that such solutions implement our components in a ready-to-use and targeted way. The idea is that the partners’ solutions are unique and adapted to a target group that we do not need to discuss exclusivity for the bare components. Let us know if you would be interested to brainstorm some potential solution ideas.

One thing that is criticized often, is that there are no prices on our website. There is a price list that you can download. We just saw in the past that especially end-users do not understand the modularity, which parts are required in a setup and the implications of setting up a lot of grow spaces and that our offer is international and B2C/B2B. Depending on the buyer’s status and location the gross price might be different than the net EXW Heidelberg/DE prices from our list. BTW, prices have been stable since 2017. We are making the parts in Germany always using the most ideal material. With that, the part prices are very reasonable and compared with what users get and especially other solutions well and fair priced.

[Download our price list]

8. Selected Articles

2022-03 Ways to grow more plants in urban areas
~ Once interested users are given modular equipment that can be implemented into the urban context well and policy makers and communities give room and incentivize participatory projects, we will see a multitude of creative innovation. ~

2021-08 Have an Idea? – Aponix and The Entrepreneurs Providing Solutions
~ It was at this point that I started to re-evaluate how I actually wanted to be living and contributing. I set up my own aquaponics farm from scratch in a rented basement and just learnt ‘by doing’. ~

2021-09 Innovative Urban Micro Farming Solutions
~ We’ll see many more green areas, together with local production of edibles in urban areas, and more citizens participating actively in the maintenance of this jungle. ~

9. Book a Demo

If you are curious and intersted in our components or how aponix is doing things a bit differently or if you are interested to learn more on becoming a product/implementation partner you can always book a demo with Marco using our book-a-demo page: [Book personal video demo]
Please make sure to select your time zone from the dropdown and let us know what elements you are interested in.

[Link to the original newsletter]

1. Version 3 vertical barrel components available now! Foreword from the inventor Marco.
2. Offer to all existing V2 users.
3. Components overview and function description.
4. Focus on the new V3 ring segment piece. What is different now?
5. New product: Living WallSystem coming April/May 2021.
6. Shout-out to our existing users please add comments share production images.
7. Looking for partners to share part of their booth with aponix as co-exhibitor.
8. US product partner EcoSprout with standalone setup and consumables.
9. What is an aponix vertical barrel?

1.Version 3 vertical barrel components available now!

Foreword from the inventor Marco

We are honored and proud to offer our extended and improved 3rd generation of the initial design idea of a lego based modular and versatile set of components to set up 3D soilless grow spaces that make it possible to use natural sunlight in small and medium sized farming setups: aponix vertical barrel, now Version 3 ready for your order.

In this newsletter we like to show the different components in more detail and update you on the design changes we made in the central Version 3 ring segment piece. This part will probably be most interesting for the existing Version 2 users who already followed us on our journey and in turn made Version 3 possible. We have a special reward for our longterm supporters later in this newsletter.

From the last years of observing the larger ‘PFAL setups’ (Plant Factory using Artificial Light) we learnt that using multi layer rack based indoor setups, restricts these installations to crop classes like micro greens, baby leaf lettuce and leafy greens unless we attach them directly to a clean and very cheap energy source clearly below 0.10EUR/kWh. Don’t get me wrong, we will need those farms and they are spectacular and technically awesome, no question. But they still have some way to go and evolve. There are many more applications and use cases especially in urban farming that need to be integrated into the wider smart city context and your daily urban life that also add focus to social and educational aspects. Our core mission at aponix is and stays to provide easy to use, robust and very modular infrastructure components to empower urban entrepreneurs to do exactly that.

To give you one more interesting perspective: Whereas the focus of PFAL ambitions seem to automate production and remove human labor from the value creation, we intentionally want to create a pleasant space of purposeful work spaces as part of a sustainable urban life with our products and use natural sunlight as much as possible. In that tradition we have just extended our vertical barrel to be able to grow also fruiting crops inserting an optional metal plant trellis into grow spaces and switch crops as needed. We also designed a new modular living WallSystem that will be available from April/May 2021 (for more details see below) that makes unused walls also farmable or just beautifully contributing to urban microclimate, storm water retention adding more jungle to your life and urban biodiversity.

I would like to encourage and invite all prosumers, consumers, educators and citizens to become an active part of this much more integrated way of living and like to remain with my promise to inspire, empower and encourage everyone I see and meet in that same direction.

Stay strong ^^
Stay healthy ^^

Yours,
Marco

2. Offer to all existing V2 users.

We decided to offer a 30% discount (regular net price 5.20EUR) on the new Version 3 ring segment pieces to all users who supported us in the past by purchasing and using Version 2 in case they like to upgrade.

All large components are perfectly backwards compatible. You could even stack complete V2 ring segments with V3 ring segments. We also added some backwards compatible new components that you could integrate into existing setups even without upgrading:

Grow Space Cover, reusable Plug Pot with optional metal trellis, Sprinkler Dome with any sprayer or our Netafim adapter integrating Netafim 4/7mm tubing and nozzles, Lid-Base. Shipping just ring segment pieces without the large parts is also very compact, since you can and should continue to use all your existing larger components.

3. Components overview and function description.

The first step to understand the modularity is to learn about the different options to take configuration decisions for A) the entry of the liquid nutrients on the top, and B) what to do with the liquid when it reaches the bottom of a unit.

Between Version 2 and Version 3 we kept the major metrics like diameter, grow space size, stacking mechanism so all existing large parts are still usable. You could even stack fully assembled V2 and V3 ring segments in a mixed barrel. The material stays the same: ASA with highest UV resistance, food safe and still valuable raw materials after its end of life.

To get a quick component and arrangement intro, please check our 4 page 3D-NFT info sheet.

• At the center there will only be one V3 ring segment piece: See section 4. for a full list of all the changes. This will make production and logistics much simpler compared to the different types in V2.
• The V3 revision piece is just the regular piece with one grow space sacrificed to a larger capped opening to reach inside during operations. So in V3 you have 1 remaining and usable grow space in your revision pieces.
• Unused grow space cover: Instead of using ring segment pieces with different grow space configurations, we decided to offer a nice green grow space cover. In larger setups you can use it to adjust for high or lower grow space density according to the size and shape of your crop. In hobby setups, where there are usually unused grow spaces it can be used as a flexible means to close these openings.
• Aponix Plug Pot and metal trellis ‘Fox’: We wanted to integrate an optional metal plant trellis insert to support larger crops and fruit with flexible trellis shapes. Engineering around this feature request we discovered that it would be much more useful to do a separate young plant holder or ‘Plug Pot’ to provide an alternative to the single use standard netpots. The aponix Plug Pot has an exact diameter of 5cm and can also be used in other systems. Of course it works best in our vertical barrels. We also provide one shape of a galvanized metal trellis (same like a tomato hook), model ‘Fox’. But you could use or bend your own. The metal needs to have a 3mm diameter.
• Sprinkler dome: Our normal lid never really worked well with any sprinkler. In order to enable reliable sprinkler usage we designed a dedicated sprinkler dome that you can use with any sprinkler mounted on top that suits your desired flow rate. We still can provide the small inverted Senninger sprinkler. But you could also attach any other one with a flow rate <=2l/min.
• Netafim adapter: We like the concept of adapters to use other existing and proven components. In this case we built against the egg-like Netafim drip stop component you might know from overhead seeding irrigation in greenhouses. It clicks tightly onto our sprinkler dome lid and can be attached and run with the existing Netafim irrigation equipment including a bunch of different spray nozzles.
• Waterbuffer: In order to go with low pressure in your circulation and much simpler pumps mostly in smaller hobby or solar powered setups you will need to put a waterbuffer on top of your barrel(s). This will be covered with our normal lid. For standalone units where we use a closed base as reservoir we drill a center hole to attach an internal hose for liquid circulation. Without this hole you irrigate from the top through the center of the lid.
• Lid: Still the old lid to cover the waterbuffer. It can also be used as base for a hanging setup adding stainless steel ring hooks at the end of the 3 ridges or it is used as insert into the new lid-base.
• Lid-base + Lid: This new base was the result of a co-operation with a product partner, who needed a way to make units rotate. The lid base is much smaller than the old and much bigger (discontinued) multi barrel base and provides space underneath for a standard 40mm PVC draining pipe that is put into position just by placing the lid-base on top. You always need to insert an upside-down lid so your liquid drains to your drain piping from its center.
• Closed Base: This is still used for standalone setups as reservoir or as spacious base to set up the substrate version, which will keep the Version 2 connections.

4. Focus on the new V3 ring segment piece. What is different now.

Many changes taking more control and improve what is happening inside the vertical barrel.

• Many users were reporting frequent leaks using V2 between the ring segment click connections and the grow spaces. So we completely reinvented the connection mechanism with everything we learnt in the meantime about adhesion and cohesion in the behavior of liquid and by literally observing liquid flow patterns inside for many hours. The click connection design is now based on a hexagon. This closes much more tightly with more overlap closing out light completely now and made the ends more robust. 2 users actually managed to break off one of the teeth in V2. So this change was important to us.
• We are also taking much more control over liquid flow and liquid distribution on the inside now to prevent any potential permanent liquid film from forming on connecting elements during irrigation. This was the main cause for frequent V2 leaks (sorry in retrospect for this). Additionally the new inside wing structure provides much more stability stacking higher units without becoming less compact to ship and store.
• The above design changes tightened up the connectors to the maximum and reduce the leaks by ~80%. Since we are working with humid air inside the units during irrigation cycles we wanted to provide an additional way for users who wanted to make the units completely liquid tight. The new hexagonal shape provides 2 areas with surfaces where users can apply a liquid sealant if they really need it. See this Facebook Usergroup post. Basically when assembling your ring segments you place a pea sized spot of food grade silicone/sealant in these two spots and then connect the pieces. This forms a flexible seal that will wash away when you disassemble the pieces any time later. In order to provide this function, the upgrade to the hexagon was also critical.
• In V2 we had 3 different pieces: Completely closed, one center net pot and our the most popular piece with two netpots. This made production and part logistics complicated. In V3 there is only one piece with two net pot inserts. Unused grow spaces can be capped with our new green grow space cover or any other practical home made option. The revision piece is also based on this part with a sacrificed grow space but one remaining grow space.
• Many users stacked the V2 ring segments differently because there were 4 stacking options but most of the times only one of them was ideal. With V3 there are only 2 stacking positions that make a clear difference in the vertical positioning of the grow spaces. Two other small but effective improvements for stacking are: We switched the positions of the dent and the tooth so the bottom of a ring segment can always be inserted into a perfectly circular base. This could also be a custom base of a more integrated use case for our vertical barrels. This was actually an idea from one of our product partners. And we added an additional support in the center of the pieces to make high units more stable.
• The material choice for the more UV resistant and more durable ASA instead of any other like the usual ABS was confirmed by the users. This material also has the nice property that in its pure form, it can be 100% cycled cradle to cradle style to make new pieces after the end of their life with exact the same material properties like new ones; making it a real cradle to cradle technical cycle product. That is why we looked into an official c2c certification but soon discovered it is very expensive and time consuming to later just use a logo. So we engraved this reminder to the backside of every V3 ring segment piece: “This material is valuable quality ASA, optimized to become raw material again by upcycling. Sort and reintroduce into the technical cycle after end of life. Never dispose to landfill or trash, even prevent downcycling.”
• We also changed the shape of the backside behind the grow space insert to force liquid to fall to the next level. In V2 when liquid was coming down at a certain angle it could adhere to the inside of the grow space insert, crawl up and end up on the outside of a unit.

5. New product: Living WallSystem coming April/May 2021.

As initially with the vertical barrel in 2015, it seemed to us like there are already many wall systems out there but most of them use felt/fabric that look awesome freshly installed but become often problematic over time. Some crucial functions for maintenance and growing different types of also edible plants and variabilities for use in very different conditions and for different substrate types could not be found – especially not within the same system as options. So we did it again… we just designed our ideal component for the job.

Difference to other living wall systems:

• Only 3 pieces. Anything else needed are standard building components like 32mm PVC pipe and drip emitters for irrigation from the top row and drainage – standards horticulturists already know and use.
• No fabric/felt.
• Module based, organized in rows and columns, 25 modules cover 1sqm.
• Very competitively priced.
• Water retention with adjustable water level per module and even complete delayed draining possible.
• Removable/replaceable pot insert (22x11cm opening) with air pot root design shape and air insulation for automatic internal thermic cooling.
• For indoor and outdoor installation.
• Flame resistant, highest quality material, safe to grow edibles.
• Individual mounting on square rails to have control over wall ventilation and dryness of the mounting wall.
• Different modes: substrate variants to hydroponics utilizing the internal reservoir per module.
• Use different irrigation methods (recirculating, drain-to-waste) and liquid sources (roof, reservoir).

Please check our new 6 page info sheet with a much more detailed view of the components showing the installation options and metrics. If you are interested also in the component pricing, please send a request. Parts will be available in April/May 2021.

6. Shout-out to our existing users please add comments share production images.

Our user base is growing! That is fantastic to see. Also that some start using it in very creative ways.

Please add comments, share images and your experience and learnings using our components. We always like to see application images and they might also help others.

• For active users here is our Facebook UserGroup for any practical solution or discussion of any issue. We will be systematically adding cases and solutions there.
• Leave us a Google-Review.
• Comment or share directly to a suitable post on our general facebook page if you think it could also be interesting for other users.
• Send them via email or ask for assistance on WhatsApp.

Any of those options are simple, quick and have tremendous value.

7. Looking for partners to share part of their booth with aponix as co-exhibitor.

We are looking for larger partners to share small part of their booth with aponix as co-exhibitor on trade shows in 2022. If that would be interesting for you as a representative of such a company, please get in touch with us. We did this in the past and it always was beneficial and fun to recommend each other’s range of products in a dynamic way, especially if the solutions complement each other.

8. US product partner EcoSprout with standalone setup and consumables.

If you are located in the US and you are interested in a complete standalone version of our vertical barrels, please say hello to our US product partner EcoSprout.

They also offer other useful soilless horticulture consumables like jute substrate plugs and mats, heavy duty 1020 trays and dry hydroponic nutrients.

www.ecosprout.biz

9. What is an aponix vertical barrel / 3D-NFT

If you are new to the aponix vertical barrel, here is a quick summary of why aponix components exist:

The mission of aponix is to make hyperlocal edible plant production easy, productive and robust – for commercial operations running urban farms and for the advanced prosumer or hobby enthusiast. The aponix parts can be used to set up grow spaces for all these types of applications in very flexible and modular ways.

The idea is to pose an alternative to building racks or go super and still be able to use natural sunlight and reach plants with standard mechanical equipment like rail trolleys instead of using a scissor lift.

From April/May 2021 on there will also be an aponix living WallSystem.

Remember: Height = number of grow spaces = always variable.
Plant spacing and plant shape = configurable.
No fixed or blocking elements (tables or racks) needed.
Highest quality materials possible, made in Germany.
Exciting product partnership scheme. You want to know more about this? Please visit our product partner page for more details and conditions

Check out these aspects: Decision Process Vertical Barrel Configuration | Integration Examples | Key Features and Metrics | FAQ | Product Partners | Bundles

[Link to the original newsletter]

Another exciting year has passed. This is the summary of what aponix has been working on between 2019-08 and 2020-07:

1. Changed the strategy from looking for resellers/distributors to product partners
2. Product partner online in the US with his products / ECOSPROUT5 + 10
3. New parts:
   • a.) One-net pot ring segment piece
   • b.) The lid-base (created through a product partner co-operation)
   • c.) Substrate based City XL Barrel
   • d.) Netafim Micronozzle Adapter
4. Testing and planning for a more advanced ‘Version 3’
5. Increased capacity and ‘projects’
6. DLG Award
7. Looking for co-exhibiting at larger horticulture tradeshows
8. Shout-out to our existing users: Please add comments/images on your experience with our components
9. What is an aponix vertical barrel / 3D-NFT

1. Changed the strategy from looking for resellers/distributors to product partners

Aponix has tried to find and bind ‘distributors’ for >1 year now and most of the times it was about ‘margin’, cheapest possible pieces, unproductive competition on prices and most of the times this was also combined with insufficient hydro / horticulture experience on the reseller side and missing of marketing/service creativity. Post some links or make a quick call, drop ship stuff you are not particularly interested in and make a quick buck. No, thank you. That was not what we were aiming for from the beginning and certainly not our intended target audience.

We would rather have seen clever solutions from the perspective of the pragmatic gardener’s mindset mixed with urban guerilla/activist type of characters who grow food in new ways, in new spots, are organizing distribution in new formats having profound impact on social aspects, promote horticulture education as a basic skill, integrate into the smart cities making them more resilient and sustainable, provide healthy and fresh plant based food, look delicious and make gardening sexy again at the same time. In other words – it was about time to change the strategy and attract these types of partners / customers / like-minded urban warriors / friends.

It seems that we made a promising step in that direction by changing our boring distribution strategy into a more interactive product partner strategy. The product partners we are currently working with are all versed engineers eager and energetic to design the most suitable solutions for their target clients. Aponix pieces are just the beginning to start engineering. This results in many more real world solutions made possible by the mutual discourse around the existing aponix components and ideas discussed. We even already created new aponix pieces through these virtuous cycles and shared many ideas, energy, knowledge and inspiration that way and will continue to do so.

Usually interested product partners start with a testing kit so they have the parts physically to play with and get a better impression on how it presents and performs and figure out how they can integrate it into a real useful product partner solution – like a cannabis chamber, a complete end-user version or a supermarket shelf solution for living plants. So we can start brainstorming about a potential larger solution the product partner later sets up and markets independently on his own account. In some cases we also started to design missing components on our side to make such a new solution even possible and easier to realize.

• SDG address to the students of the University of Warsaw for SkyFarms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB487fmJjfE
• Marco talking about urban farming in a group chat: https://youtu.be/G1Q_Jbyl24A?t=1580 (starts at 26:20)

2. Product partner online in the US with his products / ECOSPROUT5 + 10

Yay! Here is the first product partner serving the US market with a ready-to-run end-user version of the vertical barrel:

Ecosprout launched its website in the USA improving access to aponix growing systems, components, and many other hydroponic-based products for growers in the Western Hemisphere. They are a Veteran owned company focused on selling quality growing components. For pre-ordering and contact information visit their site www.ecosprout.biz.

There are other vertical barrel applications in the pipeline coming up with interesting and specialized solutions in different areas of applications and territories. Stay tuned!

3. New parts / Highlights

a.) With the one net pot piece, the closed spacer and the piece with two net pot inserts you will have more flexibility with regard to plant spacing. You will even be able to configure for your individual plant shape apart form the square spacing between the 2 inch cups on your vertical barrels. We also added some general improvements to the new one net pot piece like sharper ‘teeth’ behind the pot to prevent the liquid from running around the cup. We also changed the angle of the pot and added a 4th position for stacking the ring segments.

b.) As a result of a very fruitful product partner co-operation, where we needed to solve a long standing ToDo of being able to rotate the vertical barrel units, we designed a new part against the requirements of the product partner and at the same time added also another important feature: Being able to use standard 40mm PVC pipes coming from different directions to build drainage underneath the units and fix that pipe at the same time by putting the vertical barrel directly onto this pipe. The result is our new ‘lid-base’. It uses one of our existing lids turned upside-down as base for the barrel and at the same time holds this lid in place and connects it with the draining pipe underneath. If you were using our initial multi-barrel base you might want to take a closer look at this new component. It also solved the problem of needing an oversized package on smaller shipments that increased shipping cost. Using the lid and a lid-base as new multi-barrel base helps to decrease the space required around a vertical barrel unit down to the actual diameter of 60cm and at the same time have a flat area as contact surface to the floor or a rotation mechanism being just a flat table with that diameter.

c.) A cooperation with our local city council led us to venture into the area of plantable urban furniture translating the aponix vertical barrel modularity to a bigger special version. This was tested at an event in 2019 (Link: Lebendiger Neckar Heidelberg/DE), where the city of Heidelberg used our substrate based white version to add a few functions building their own prototype. The material for this new public use case also needed to be a different one compared to the ‘white’ greenhouse version. The highest priority here was uv-resistance, hardness and durability. The major properties of a City XL version were prioritized differently: We needed flame protection (UL94, DIN75200/FMVSS 302), ability to break without sharp edges and having a food-grade material at the same time. So we chose a custom mixed PA here.

The pieces are available in series now: Currently we are looking for pilot projects using the first City XL piece to integrate it into plantable and movable urban furniture! If you happen to be a decision maker in a city council or responsible for plants in the urban area we are looking for the next series of pilots with our novel plantable urban furniture. Please reach out for us!

d.) It looks like a green Mickey Mouse, our new Netafim micro-nozzle adapter that is clipped on to our top lid. It holds a Netafim drip stop component to which a Netafim VibroNet or a SpinNet sprayer (and others) can be attached. This enables the use of Netafim’s 7/4mm micro tubing equipment for pressure for irrigation and provides simple to install irrigation at a flow rate of 40 or 70l/h.

• Aponix-Netafim adapter: https://www.aponix.eu/shop/netafim-aponix-drip-stop-adapter
• Aponix irrigation options: https://www.aponix.eu/barrel-irrigation

Download our updated catalog with all available parts: https://www.aponix.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/aponix_catalogue_202006-min.pdf

4. Testing and planning for a more advanced ‘Version 3’

As we are improving constantly we also opened a hidden experimental side development project for a ‘Version 3’ of the vertical barrel where we plan to
a) integrate all important collected improvements and also
b) add some exciting new features and capabilities.

Thanks to some close relationships into Dutch horticulture and good friends from there who support our product development with expertise, contacts and insights, we started to finally go this path collecting the missing ideas for standards in lighting, ventilation, processes, added robustness etc. From the beginning the aponix components were meant to be usable in commercial and also larger professional setups.

The requirements and robustness needed here are from another professional category compared to providing another ‘grow tower’ serving mainly end-users, even if they are so exited to grow their first plants and use multiple units in a small greenhouse.

We can not show closeup details here, since we have understood that the sector is being monitored and despite existing IP, copies are coming fast and we want the copy cats to be at least one season behind with their crap so we can come out with version 3.1 when they still try to figure out what’s inside version 3.

5. Increased capacity and ‘projects’

Since demand for our components has increased significantly since the beginning 2020 another area apart from a) shipping direct to testers and skilled first time users and b) the product partner co-operations we re-organized and scaled the way we manufacture materials to make sure we have the parts required available and shippable in a timely manner. Larger shipments/orders are organized in timed ‘projects’ that are stored and collected separately until pickup is due. We do this in a close relation with our manufacturer who provides the infrastructure including forklifts and storage and a yard to load trucks and prepare palettes for international shipments.

We also installed an outline contract with minimum amounts of available pieces per component in storage, that trigger automatic re-orders directly into the production. That way we managed to scale from individual packages, to palettes, to containers/truck loads. We also improved the way we do CAD designs much closer to the actual production tooling, with experienced and efficient external engineering know-how, increasing the speed and the quality of adding new components or designing new components for our product partners – made in Germany.

6. DLG Award

The aponix vertical barrel is very proud to be amongst the 8 winners of the 2019/2020 DLG / Deutsche Rentenbank award for ‘Urban Farming’. Prize money is already re-invested in new pieces.

7. Looking for co-exhibiting at larger horticulture tradeshows

Somehow aponix is not regarded as a start-up anymore by exhibition organizers. But without using any external funding so far, we are practically still in startup-mode. That has a painful effect on the ability to pay the prices currently quoted for exhibition space in the fantastic shows we appeared regularly during the last years.

So we are calling out to our horticulture friends: If you see the possibility and synergy of co-exhibiting with us using one or more vertical barrels at your booth, please get in contact with us! We did this in the past and it was fun and worked great both ways. The vertical barrels shown could of course be used to demonstrate products/solutions from the main exhibitor in the space.

• Attended: 18-20 Feb 2020 HortiContact, Gorinchem (https://www.aponix.eu/aponix-at-horticontact-gorinchem-2020)
• ~ ~ ~ The big void of virtual meetings and social distance ~ ~ ~
• Planned: Green Tech Festival Berlin, 16-18 Sept 2020
  Check out their post about aponix attending.
• Seeking co-exhibition space for the upcoming (2021): GreenTech/Amsterdam, HortiContact/Gorinchem, IPM/Essen, SpogaGafa/Cologne and others.

8. Please add comments/images on your experience with our components

The experience and knowledge that has accumulated around our existing users over the past 2 years is a powerful asset that might help and inspire others. If you like to support aponix and the other aponix users on their mission, please engage and share your experience using our components. Here are some channels you can do that:

• Google reviews are very valuable! Please take the time leave us a rating and ideally also upload some images from your vertical barrels(s) and leave a comment about what you like best about the product in your environment. (https://g.page/aponix-vertical-barrel-3d-nft/review)
• In the meantime there are many users using our components in diverse ways with numerous own tweaks, additions and solutions with outstanding results and also for very different kinds of crops. There is a practical user group to add your ideas and issues, solutions and questions so we or other users can answer them to help, inspire and empower other users.
• Send us images and info on your usage of your vertical barrel(s) so we can share them onto our social media channels. Please also let us know what details we are allowed to share like location, climate or some details about your application and success and progress.

Thank you!

9. What is an aponix vertical barrel / 3D-NFT

If you are new to the aponix vertical barrel, here is a quick summary of why aponix components exist:

The mission of aponix is to make hyperlocal edible plant production easy, productive and robust – for commercial operations running urban farms and for the advanced prosumer or hobby enthusiast. The aponix parts can be used to set up grow spaces for both types of applications in very flexible and modular ways.

The idea is to pose an alternative to building racks or go super high with thinner tower solutions and still be able to use natural sunlight and reach plants with standard mechanical equipment like rail trolleys instead of using a scissor lift.

Remember: Height = number of grow spaces = always variable.
Plant spacing and plant shape = configurable.
No fixed elements (tables or racks) needed.
Highest quality materials possible.
Exciting product partnership scheme.

Check out these aspects: Integration Examples | Irrigation Options | Key Features and Metrics | FAQ | Product Partners

[Link to the original newsletter]

Summary:

Another exciting year has passed. Thanks for your patience! This is the quick summary of what aponix has done so far in 2019.

We have been active to show the aponix vertical barrel at trade shows in still mainly in Europe. Quite some testing units have been shipped (see locations). Thanks to all active users!

Our focus has been to improve and extend our parts. Logistics and exporting capabilities have been extended too to make quoting, ordering and shipping easier.

There are many interesting perspectives evolving at the moment, that we will certainly reveal in our next newsletter(s). Stay tuned and have your daily hyperlocal bowl of greens. It is good for you!

1. The new one netpot piece is available

The new one netpot piece will be available from mid September and will give you more flexibility with regard to the configuration of the plant spacing on the vertical barrel surface. Evenly equipped with only these pieces your plants can become 30cm wide and 30cm high. In combination with the other existing pieces like. the closed spacer and the piece with two net pot inserts you have now more flexibility. You can find more images on the target page.

One example of the continuous improvements we are implementing: On the left image you can see the ‘teeth’ behind the netpot have been modified to make sure the liquid can not run to the front side of the net pot anymore. That caused some liquid to reach the outside in the past.

We also extended our website and added the metrics more visually on a metrics page.

2. Another irrigation option: The Netafim-aponix adapter

To make the irrigation more versatile and give more options and robustness regarding flow rates, we are currently building a Netafim-aponix adapter to be clipped to our top lid. It holds a Netafim drip stop component where a Netafim VibroNet or a SpinNet sprayer (and others) can be attached. This enables the use of 7/4mm (sometimes also called 6mm) micro tubing with >2bars pressure for irrigation at a flow rate of 40 or 70l/h. This is the perfect flow rate for aponix units.

It is planned to have the adapter available as of November 2019. Here is a preview on our Future Pieces page (2nd item from the top). You can also see some 3D renderings in this facebook post.

3. A vandalism proof substrate based City XL version is coming

Another product based on the vertical barrel concept has been co-created – a XL City version of the substrate based version. In cooperation with the City of Heidelberg we have been watching and learning the requirements building prototypes using our existing smaller substrate based pieces and designed a much larger and more robust version.

Setting it up requires integration into other components. In our case this will be a large (square) base that can hold 100+ liters of water plus a concrete base inside. Another custom round metal base is built to start with the base ring segment and subsequent ring segments.

Ringsegments will use 9 pieces in this case and they can optionally be combined by using screws or rivets. The prototype also had an integrated solar panel that powers a small pump to make sure each unit is independently irrigated once a day. Check out the prototype at an event in June 2019 ‘Lebendiger Neckar‘ showcasing the autonomous solar irrigated substrate version.

If you are involved in city planning and you think this could be interesting equipment for your city too, please contact us or forward to your colleagues. We are looking for test cases!

4. There is a technical user group

With more users all over the world we opened a new technical user group on Facebook to show special solutions or setups for the benefit of active users.

If you are an active user we like to invite you to use this group to show others how you solved certain issues you faced the pragmatic gardener style.

5. Shows 2019

Trade shows with presence of aponix this year:

• IPM 2019, Essen, 22. – 25. Jan 2019
• HortiContact GO 2019, Gorinchem, 19. – 21. Feb 2019
• BuGa (Bundes-Gartenschau), Heilbronn, 17. Apr – 6. Oct 2019
• GreenTech 2019, Amsterdam, 7. – 10. June 2019

Past events, media presence and interviews can also be found in our news section and on our Facebook page.

6. TASPO award ‘Innovative Product’

The aponix vertical barrel is very proud to be amongs the 5 finalists of the German TASPO awards in the ‘Innovative Product of the Year’ category.

The winner will be announced on the 25th Oct in Berlin at the 14th TASPO Awards Gala.

7. Test package 7 ring segments

For folks who like to test run a smaller setup 7 ring segments high / using one (41 plants) or two netpot (82 plants) piece.

Materials are always on stock and can be ordered and shipped any time. Parts pricing and shipping cost for different regions can be found on the page.

Let us know if you like to test a different setup.

8. Help! Google reviews!

We found out that Google reviews can have quite an impact. So we like to ask our existing friends and users who use our equipment successfully or like the responsiveness, support and service aponix delivers to leave us a Google review on any aspect they like the most.

It will be of great value!

The review is also a good source to browse production images.

9. Value adding resellers wanted

We are still looking for value adding resellers. If you are a horticulture consultant or active in plant production giving advice and recommendations to clients on how to plan, setup and equip their farms this might be for you.

Resellers commit to a territory/area, address a defined target group or application and become the face to their own customers regarding aponix components they offer.

10. Alternative to racks / scissor lifts

The mission of aponix is to make hyperlocal edible plant production easy, productive and robust – for commercial operations running urban farms and for the advanced prosumer or hobby enthusiast. The aponix parts can be used to set up grow spaces for both types of applications in very flexible and modular ways.

The idea is to pose an alternative to building racks or go super high with thinner tower solutions and still be able to use natural sunlight and reach plants with standard mechanical equipment like rail trolleys instead of using a scissor lift.

Remember: Height = number of grow spaces = always variable.
Plant spacing and plant shape = configurable.
No fixed elements (tables or racks) needed.

[Link to the original newsletter]

Summary:

It has been a while since our last newsletter. Thanks for your patience! This is the minimal summary of what aponix has done in 2018.

Our focus has been to improve our parts and extend the production of materials and our direct sales including logistics and exporting capabilities. We are also coming closer to finding and binding dedicated distribution partners that can add their services and expertise to sell our products to their customers. And of course we have been busy showing and promoting the aponix vertical barrel at tradeshows and events.

Get the video version of the update, learn about the aponix ‘why’ and see some interesting barrel versions in Marco’s talk at this year’s Seeds&Chips conference in Milan. Duration: 15min, starting at 38:17 of the overall session on ‘Controlled Environments, Future of Indoor & Vertical Farming’.

System and content updates:

We rearranged our page, explaining the irrigation options more clearly: There are quite a few options to ensure irrigation of the barrels for soilless use – multiple barrel or standalone operations. Once the liquid attaches to the inside surface gravity will do the rest for you. Explained in more detail on this new page.
Liquid flowing, vertical drip.

This is a reverse compatible change to our major ring segment piece holding two net pots. If there was too much liquid running on the inside, some of it could have been pushed to the outside in the past. We closed these gaps now by changing our series tooling.

The new manual page now shows the basic assembly and disassembly in more detail with the current building blocks. We have also updated the manuals.

Exporting, material prices and distribution:

Since Feb 2018 aponix can declare ‘preferential goods’ to make use of international free trade agreements between the European Union and other countries when exporting materials outside the EU. This enables buyers to save the standard import taxes on consignments from Germany. [more]

We had to remove the prices from our website this year. Interest is coming from end users, resellers and potential project partners globally and the published pricing details created too much confusion. For price details please use our shop pages to collect a parts list that you are interested in and request an individual quote including shipping on the checkout.

In the meantime we have set up a more consistent pricing strategy and a more reliable production with a higher stock. We also decided that a one-time set of testing materials up to 4 barrel setups can be shipped for the reseller price to businesses direct from aponix Germany. On average the cost for one grow space is around 4 and 6EURs (depending on the setup), which is well below any other solution out there especially if you also consider the quality and usability of our solution.

We also changed the packaging for shipping. The standalone version with the closed base is now being shipped in a more compact 70x70x45cm box, which reduced shipping cost and made it possible to ship with standard carriers.

Aponix is looking for resellers and distribution partners. If you are interested to resell the aponix vertical barrel please check this page. There is still plenty of space left on our reseller map. [more]

Impressions, testing and media:

Images from our vertical barrels on the open doors day at Heidelberg’s LVG with focus on urban farming on 1st July 2018 showing the substrate based version and the standalone setup:

Images from a growing test without plastic net pots and rockwool just in foldable jute sheets from HollandPlug growing lettuce, mustard greens and basil in a small standalone vertical barrel setup on a terrace. There are partnering research facilities working on alternative net pot-substrate replacements too.

Kevin from Epic Gardening testing and reviewing a small setup of our vertical standalone barrel – ‘Vertical Hydroponics: Awesome Modular Barrel System!‘, 17min. Really cool to watch him explain the steps you need to take to set up and run one of our systems.

After visiting Kevin’s place one of our favorite gardening youtubers John Kohler from growingyourgreens.com also did a short review of the system vertical barrel. The video covers the whole tour, the aponix section starts at 18:22.

Some impressions from this year’s shows and events. It has been the most active year so far:

Past trade shows with presence of aponix this year:

• IPM 2018, Essen, 23. – 26. Jan 2018
• HortiContact GO 2018, Gorinchem, 20. – 22. Feb 2018
• Seeds & Chips, Milan, 7. – 10. May 2018
• Bitcom digital farming conference, Berlin, 22. March 2018
• GreenTech 2018, Amsterdam, 12. – 14. June 2018
• Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture (GFIA), Utrecht, 20. – 21. June 2018
• spoga+gafa, Cologne, 1. – 3. Sept 2018
• Smart & Green / talenteco, Berlin 17. – 18. Oct 2018

Upcoming:

• Sustainable Development in Action Conference (SDiA), 1. – 3. Nov, Heidelberg

Past events and media presence can also be found in our news section and on our Facebook page.

The mission of aponix is to make hyperlocal edible plant production easy, productive and robust – for commercial operations running urban farms and for the advanced prosumer or hobby enthusiast. The aponix parts can be used to set up grow spaces for both types of applications in very flexible and modular ways.

Remember: Height = number of grow spaces = always variable.
No fixed elements (tables or racks) needed.

Open the full web version…

[Link to the original newsletter]

Summary:

Today aponix needs your support! Please check out our crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. You will find new details about the vertical barrel concept – peek into manufacturing, hear why we are doing all this (see video) and learn how it all began.

Sharing is caring!

Mission of aponix is to make hyperlocal edible plant production easy and productive – for commercial operations running urban micro-farms (B2B) but also for the prosumer or hobby enthusiast (B2C). The aponix parts can be used to set up grow spaces for both types of applications in very flexible and modular ways.

Remember: Height = number of grow spaces = always variable.
No fixed elements (tables, racks) needed. 3D-NFT

There are still a few missing parts that would make setups even more versatile. The funding we can generate through our campaign will be invested into design and tooling for these parts:

Missing: Adapter piece with one centered net pot. This is a missing part for more flexible assembly of ring segments and setup of the cultivation area for more diverse crop sizes. It requires a new dedicated injection molding tool and will look like this:

Missing: A rolling metal triangle for the standalone barrels. Substrate based barrels can become heavy. Also the soilless standalone barrel still needs a good solution to move it around. If you look closely, the bottom of the closed base already has some placeholders for a triangle metal structure. It is a simple welded 3-piece structure that we can equip with rolls.

Missing: The metal base for rotation of the multi barrel setup. The idea here is to use the top lid upside down. It already can be used as base for the hanging barrel. We need to have sort of a christmas tree metal base that can hold such a turned lid and provide a bearing underneath and at the same time let the liquid drain.

This would also make up the base for future automation and (auto-)rotation and solve lighting issues.

There are many more ideas for extensions. With your support we will realize as many of them as possible. If you are inspired by the design and have ideas for a useful extension you like to use yourself or share with us, we are happy to hear them.

Here are the perks we are offering for your support:

Suspended Barrel Do you know the concept of a ‘suspended coffee’? It is when you go to a bar and pay for 2 coffee, drink one and the spare one can be picked later by someone that can not afford it.

This is the same for the barrel parts! Your contribution helps give a school or institution that could otherwise not afford the parts access to the latest hyperlocal growing equipment for education or self-sustainability.

Standalone Soilless Barrel Provides an integrated reservoir in the base, 10 plantable ring segments, assembled using 60 of our 1/6th parts each providing two 2-inch net pot inserts (120 in total), a top water buffer and a top lid.

You will need a simple 20-30W submergible pump and a 3/4″ hose to operate it. Get more info in our website about this bundle.

Standing Substrate Barrel As a raised bed alternative the vertical barrel can also be filled with substrate (soil or other medium). Or it can be used for your pond as bio filter.

In this case the 1/6 parts for ring segment assembly come with 18 shelf parts and 18 closed parts. The closed base provides a wicking tank for irrigation. Get more info on our website about this bundle.

Standing Soilless Multi Barrel If you plan to run multiple barrels with an external nutrient reservoir or aquaponic sump this setup provides 144 grow spaces

using 72 of our 1/6th parts each providing two 2-inch net pot inserts. The top lid comes with a sprinkler for irrigation. Get more info on our website about this bundle.

Have a drink with Marco ;) This is an experimental perk in our campaign. Get it and Marco owes you a drink. Thanks! Looking forward to post the pictures on Facebook! Prost!

If you are new to the aponix vertical barrel component, this is what it looks like and how it works:

The aponix vertical barrel enables you to set up vertical grow spaces in a very flexible and modular way. By chosing from a range of different parts you can assemble ring segments and stack them into a vertical cylinder or barrel (diameter 57 centimeters). Cultivation area is the surface of the cylinder and it can provide differently sized grow spaces for your crops. Irrigation is done from one entry point at the top either by using a standard inverted sprinkler, an aeroponic spray nozzle or our own irrigation buffer that can be operated by a simple pump. You can use it as a single barrel with the base being the reservoir or arrange multiple barrels in a production line using a central nutrient reservoir. The system works just the same as a normal NFT but in 3D.

This is how the de-facto standard in soilless edible plant production looks like: It is done on a horizontal plane in 2D using up a lot of space. Most vertical systems use racks or multiple layers to stack production – introducing new challenges. The aponix vertical barrel translates the horizontal cultivation area to the surface of cylinders. A lot of thought and iterative improvement has gone into the parts and the design to make the vertical barrel easy to use and handle in your day to day production.

This is how it looks when it is ready for harvest! Your cultivation area is defined by the number, the position of the cylinders, their hight and surface configuration. Get creative to figure our your individual setup for your urban micro-farm plot! Check out our integration examples. Don’t hesitate to ask for help!

Upcoming trade shows where aponix will be exhibiting / Opportunities to meet and get a demo of the new parts and setups:

• IPM 2018, Essen, 23. – 26. Jan 2018
• HortiContact GO 2018, Gorinchem, 20. – 22. Feb 2018
• Seeds & Chips, Milan, 7. – 10. May 2018
• GreenTech 2018, Amsterdam, 12. – 14. June 2018
• Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture (GFIA), Utrecht, 20. – 21. June 2018

Past events and media presence can be found in our news section and on our Facebook page.

If you like to get an insight into the latest results of the soilless research here in Heidelberg/Germany including 2 NFT solutions and our vertical barrels, please let us know.

Support aponix! Extend the system!

Open the full web version…

[Link to the original newsletter]

Summary:

• If you have been following the progress of aponix and the vertical barrel in the past – now the time has come to really get excited! With the new parts , the real versatility of the vertical barrel starts to unfold the real magic behind the concept. We have created a few bundles for specific applications:
  • Soilless multi barrel setup:
    • If you are professional commercial grower planning to operate a larger facility with multiple soilless barrels and centralized reservoir, you will set up quite a bunch of these. Regardless how high ring segments are stacked, irrigation will always be from the top. You can find integration setups on our website showing how you can arrange your cultivation area.
  • Soilless standalone barrel:
    • Of course there are already other tower solutions. In the end the product should be of the highest possible quality and be maintainable, easy to handle and provide a maximum number of grow spaces. We have dedicated a whole page to usability and quality.
    • Remember: Each 15cm of height can add 12 more grow spaces for seedlings pregrown in 2-inch net pots. In this case you will need an additional submergible pump to push the liquid from the base to the irrigation buffer on the top.
  • Full standing substrate-based barrel 6 ring segments:
    • The most simple and pragmatic way for prosumers (end-consumers) to grow their own food is to use substrate or soil (http://www.aponix.eu/vertical-barrel-soil-based/) . In this case the barrel setup provides a simple raised bed alternative with a minimal footprint. Ring segments are assembled alternating with a closed part (http://www.aponix.eu/shop/closed-part/) and a shelf part (http://www.aponix.eu/shop/shelf-part/) . The base serves as a tank and has an overflow valve to prevent over watering.
• These new parts make it all possible:
  • The new shelf part provides a large opening that can be worked on with a garden shovel for substrate based setups. It can be arranged with the closed part to configure more vertical space for your plants.
  • A closed part can be used to add horizontal or vertical space for plants for soilless or substrate based applications. It even serves as a base for the next part.
  • Sometimes it can be handy, if you could just reach inside a planted or running soilless barrel to clear out something or reach for your submerged pump. Here is a part with a revision opening.
  • For soilless irrigation so far you needed a strong pump. With this new part you can connect a simple small pump to the black valve. The top irrigation buffer is filled with liquid. An overflow hole prevents over watering.
  • A closed standing base serves a) as reservoir for the standalone soilless setup, b) as tank for the wicking bed in the substrate based setup, and c) as a general base for grey water filtering.Stay tuned for more extensions!Aponix already has some more very useful parts in the pipeline. If you happen to have another idea yourself, be it a specialized growing adapter for a certain crop or a completely new application – please let us know or contact us via Facebook.
• Testing under professional conditions: Check out how the aponix vertical barrels have done in the nearby research facility here in Heidelberg Germany during late summer:
  • 5 days after transplantation into the barrels
  • 14 days into production
• Images show top and bottom plants during different stages in the cycle:
• Aponix is still looking for resellers and distribution partners!
  • With the new parts ready to ship and the extended versatility we are at the ideal point in our development, where we need outside partners to help us set up global sales. If you like to learn more about that, please click here.
• Trade shows and events:
  • Weltkongress Gebäudegrün DESIGNING WITH NATURE (WGIC) June 2017, Berlin. We are also currently looking into possibilities to exchange the raw material from plastics to ceramics in order to be able to integrate the vertical barrel directly into buildings and architecture.
  • Upcoming: IPM 2018 Essen
  • Upcoming: GreenTech 2018 Amsterdam
• Meet us in September 2017 at AgTech Week NYC and at the AVF Summit in Washington.

Open the full web version…

[Link to the original newsletter]

Summary:

• The series production for new parts extending the vertical barrel concept into a soil-/subtrate-based variant and also a standalone soil-less barrel are on the way! All new parts will be available in late Summer 2017 and can already be pre-ordered from our website’s order area.
• Here are the new parts:
  • A shelf part used to add grow space for the substrate based setup.
  • The closed part also extends the soil-less version. For larger crops as spacer on the cultivation area or barrel surface.
  • The closed standing base can also serve as a reservoir for a standalone soil-less barrel >100 grow spaces.
  Another missing part is the low tech water buffer for the irrigation of the soil-less version. It will be placed under the top lid to hold ~8 liters of water to gradually irrigate the inside. This part will be used in the future standalone soil-less version or if the irrigation using the standard sprinkler is not an option in larger low-tech setups.
  Click here to see how a soil-based setup will look like.
• Acceleration in progress!
  Since April 2017 we are an EIT Climate-KIC Startup for ‘Urban Transitions’. We are proud to receive substantial support, shaping the aponix story and mentorship, extending into soil-based hyperlocal equipment and also receive additional financial support that way.Thanks Climate-KIC!
• Aponix is looking for resellers and distribution partners!
  After 3 years of development and setting up the first series production in Germany, manufacturing and shipping the first parts for our soil-less barrels, we are at the ideal point in the development where we need more mature outside partners to help us set up strong global distribution channels.

  For more information please click here

• Recent press:
  • The Garden and Greenhouse Magazine wrote a product review about our soil-less vertical barrel.
  • Hortidaily wrote an article about the vertical barrel system. There has also been a Spanish version on Freshplaza.
• Own press release content:
  • A general English article about the aponix vertical system including an image download.
  • The announcement of the soil-based version in German including an image download.

  If you like to write about aponix please let us know if you need additional content, materials or an interview partner!

• Trade shows:
  • Global Forum for Innovation in Agriculture (GFIA) May 2017, Utrecht
  • Seeds & Chips May 2017, Milan
  • Food Invention Finals June 2017, Düsseldorf
  • Upcoming: Meet us at Weltkongress Gebäudegrün DESIGNING WITH NATURE (WGIC) June 2017, Berlin
• Quality and usability

  It has long been overdue that aponix points out the key differences between our equipment and philosophy and the various other ‘tower’ solutions out there.

  If you still think aponix is just another hobby tower system __please__ check out our page on quality and usability with regard to operations and materials used.

  Aponix has put a serious amount of effort into its design regarding many different dimensions of the product to make it as simple and robust as possible.

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[Link to the original newsletter]

Summary:

• The series production of the 2. generation of our barrel parts is now up and running and we are ready to ship!
• Improvements of the last two years of development:
  • Inside wing structure, directing the liquid to the root areas of your plants, allowing for much higher barrels.
  • New connection mechanism between the adapter parts ensuring a tight more exact fit, easier assembly, facilitating to stack and handle barrel ring segments.
  • New irrigation – inverted sprinkler, new lid.
  • Materials used: ASA for the 1/6th parts, being the most robust and uv-resistant option and PVC for lids and stands.
• Future parts will come in 2017: Extension into new soil-less adapter parts, that can be used for bigger plants and more versatile grow space set-ups. And also parts for movable soil-based wickerbed version.
  PCT announcement of patent has been published (WO2016/156334) ready to localize IP internationally to protect new partnerships. Aponix is looking for partners to manufacture and/or set up sales channels outside Germany/Europe.
• Trade shows and events 2016/2017
  • GreenTech June 2016 in Amsterdam
  • AgTech Week NYC September 2016 in New York City with demo of the aponix vertical barrel.
  • CropWorld October 2016 in Amsterdam
  • Upcoming 9-10 May 2017 Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture, Utrecht.
• Latest mentions
  • Marco’s and other opinions on the upcoming agri-food revolution.
  • UrbanAg News: Aponix extended the NFT idea into the 3rd dimension with their vertical barrel
  • National television visiting the aponix underground testing farm (5min video, German).
  • Aponix winner at Green Product Award, category freestyle
  • Staatliche Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Gartenbau Heidelberg (LVG) testing barrels in parallel to NFTs (prototype and generation 2).

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