Italian greenhouse supplier Lucchini has created a new and innovative form of greenhouse using a wide range of DGT by Senmatic horticultural equipment.
This new type of greenhouse is built inside shipping containers equipped with LED grow lights, fertilizer mixers and climate control from DGT by Senmatic. This concept is called BoxXLand and creates a unique and adjustable climate to efficiently grow a wide range of crops, such as lettuce and herbs.
With the box container, you get a very robust and secure greenhouse that makes it possible to grow delicate crops in even the harshest climates and remote locations.
“The container greenhouse provides revolutionary opportunities to grow vegetables in places where the climate normally makes it impossible. ”
Johnny Rasmussen Key Account Manager at DGT by Senmatic
A perfect example of this is Greenland, where a lot of money and energy is spent on shipping even the most common vegetables. This affects both the range and price of vegetables available in supermarkets. With a BoxXLand, it will be possible to grow vegetables and herbs locally in Greenland.
DGT by Senmatic delivers part of a complete solution
One of the very significant advantages of the Lucchini solution is that it offers a complete solution – from the container, which acts as the greenhouse itself, to the equipment supplied by DGT by Senmatic.
This provides both comfort and security for the buyer because everything is ready from the time of delivery. There will be no problems with combining equipment from different suppliers, no time spent buying products from different suppliers, and full support from the Lucchini service team.
“BoxXLand is a plug-and-play solution that only needs electricity and fresh water. It is unique for very remote locations, spurring 0 km production and production of cultures where logistics or climate is a factor for traditional cultivation.”
Matteo Lucchini Business Strategy Manager at Lucchini
A whole new range of possibilities
This innovative version of a greenhouse creates a wide range of new possibilities from small to large installations. One of the new possibilities is that container greenhouses can be placed in a wide variety of locations, including large cities where space is tight and there are no natural areas with room for traditional cultivation.
“They can be used for any purpose, from acting as the private herb garden supplying fresh herbs to a gourmet restaurant, to large-scale production in climates that require indoor cultivation.”
Johnny Rasmussen
Key Account Manager at DGT by Senmatic
Increased mobility
The container greenhouse offers incredible mobility that is usually not possible with traditional greenhouses because they are usually manufactured as more permanent installations.
This creates great opportunities because it is possible to move the container wherever you need it – and at any time – and it also creates an incredibly easy delivery process.
“It can be delivered in various forms directly from our company via truck or sea container anywhere in the world.”
Matteo Lucchini Business Strategy Manager at Lucchini
It all started at a university in Finland
The whole project started when Lucchini was contacted by HAMK University in Lepaa, Finland. They asked Lucchini to help build and deliver VF box containers for the purpose of developing indoor horticulture. Here, Lucchini customized a BoxXLand container to fit the specific needs of HAMK University.
At the university, they are conducting trials with lettuce and herbs of all kinds – and so far they have been very pleased with the results from the first production cycle.
“We started growing iceberg lettuce 3 weeks ago in the BoxXLand container. The lettuce, especially the experimental variety, is growing really well. We will still experiment more with the LCC4 climate control and also with using the Ami Penta fertilizer mixer.”
Mika Järvinen
Professor at HAMK University
At the university, they continue to test all the different climate settings when growing crops. BoxXLand makes it possible to test on many different and very specific elements that affect production.
Since this project is still new, the university will continue testing for the next few years. After this period, BoxXLand will remain there as a permanent installation and be used as a laboratory for horticultural research.
Products that fit the container
The products used to create this new kind of greenhouse include LED grow lights, fertilizer mixers and climate control from DGT by Senmatic. By choosing an entire set-up from DGT by Senmatic, you ensure that the products are of high quality, that the setup has a long lifespan and that it works as efficiently as possible because it is built to work together.
Read more about the individual products below:
LED grow light
One of the great advantages of our LED luminaires is that they allow you to control the spectral distribution. When you invest in a controllable LED luminaire, you always have the option to change the light, for example due to new research results, (new) cultivation stages, or simply because you want to dim the luminaire when less light is needed. By investing in LED grow lights from DGT by Senmatic, you will not be limited to a specific spectrum, but have unlimited possibilities.
Our solutions fit into most modern commercial greenhouses around the world and are designed to withstand the demanding environment of a greenhouse and continue to function for years. The minimalist design makes the luminaires easy to install and connect using standard technology and they provide a minimal shadow effect.
Our LED grow lights can be fully integrated with DGT by Senmatic electronic climate control systems and enable dynamic control of your greenhouse lighting intensity and spectral distribution.
DGT by Senmatic LED top lights are available in many variations, including luminaires with lens systems. Some of the highlighted benefits are:
- Spectral distribution control and dynamic control of light intensity
- Several variants each with their own special application area, such as vertical farming, greenhouses, enclosed spaces, garden centers, production areas with special lighting needs, hybrid installation, indoor environmental planting, “green walls” – and much more
- Energy savings of up to 50
- Long lifetime with no reduction in light output over time
- Constant light on the plant due to an optical lens system (patented)
Water and fertilizer mixer
DGT by Senmatic fertilizer mixers are built to work together with other DGT by Senmatic horticultural products as a complete package. This ensures that water is delivered to the plants at exactly the right time, which is an important factor in the production process. DGT by Senmatic fertilizer mixers are also highly customizable in all aspects, from the pump, number of fertilizer tanks and return tank. This makes it very suitable for a wide range of installations
- Flexible setup of irrigation groups
- Up to 100 irrigation groups with up to 30 valves per group
- You can set up to 20 of your own fertilizer recipes
- Based on the needs of the plants
- More starting options with the option of multiple sensors
- Always comes with mixer tank – this ensures the right mix of fertilizer and thus greater precision of EC and pH control
- Software for all groups, prescriptions, opening valves etc. is included in the purchase price – so no extra costs in the future
Climate control
DGT by Senmatic provides advanced climate computers that monitor and control the complex processes in commercial horticulture and create an optimal climate for the plants.
The Logic Climate Control (LCC) controls all climate functions. It is operated using a logically structured menu and the display shows the settings most commonly used by growers. The modular system makes it easy to add more sections or climate zones. This means the system can be expanded to handle more functions or more greenhouses.
DGT by Senmatic’s electronic climate control products are highly reliable and withstand extreme environments. They include, among others:
- Logic Climate Control (LCC) products for intuitive and configurable monitoring and control of everything from single greenhouses to 16 climate zones
- Climate sensors of all types from complete weather stations to temperature, humidity and CO2 sensors that can be added and combined as needed
- If you need an analog system consisting of climate and heat controllers for simple control of double or top/side mounted vents, we can also provide this
All systems can be combined and expanded as needed.
Learn more today….
Do you want to know more about the DGT by Senmatic products used in the BoxXLand container, or do you want to hear more about how your production can be optimized? Then you are very welcome to contact us!
