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General questions
What is AquaPro?
AquaPro has been founded by Pieter Hoff, a former lilybreeder, grower and exporter. Through his experience in the flower industry Pieter Hoff learned that worldwide ground water levels decline with high speed. If things don’t change, mankind is out of irrigation water within a few centuries. This thought created the foundation of his company that focuses on the development of producing water from air techniques.
What is Groasis ?
Groasis is the protected brandname for the first commercial product that AquaPro has introduced, the Waterboxx.
What is the Waterboxx?
With the Waterboxx one, two or three trees (also bushes, vegetables, or corn) can be planted in the centre of the box in eroded areas, on rocks or in deserts. In general users will plant two trees. The Waterboxx offers the possibility to plant two trees at a time giving the chance to cut the smallest after the first year and taking care that if one of the two planted has died, you still have one left. This way of planting leads to a close to 100% planting result.
What are the metric conversions?
To convert units (Celcius to Fahrenheit, meter to inch) try a converter .
About the Groasis Waterboxx
When do I use the Groasis Waterboxx?
The Groasis Waterboxx can be used in circumstances where a tree does not get enough water to have the possibility to get started. So the instrument is meant to use in circumstances where there is enough water once the tree has its roots in the soil. On most places on earth, for instance in almost all deserts, there is enough in the soil. The problem is that the seed or the young tree needs a few months or a year help to get deep enough with its roots. You can compare the Groasis Waterboxx with a young seed. In nature it is planted on the soil with the manure of the animal that sticks it to the soil and protects it from eating and from drying out. And by sowing it on the soil the capillary is not destroyed and erosion cannot blow away the soil. Once the seed is germinated and its roots are deep enough, it survives and grows.
The Groasis Waterboxx copies that natural process: it helps the seed or young tree germinate and develop its roots into the soil until it can survive by its own.
How does the Groasis Waterboxx work?
It collects water through capture of rain and produces water through production of condensation, it stimulates capillary and prevents evaporation caused by the sun and prevents competition caused by competitive herbs. It provides its collected water to the tree over a long period of time. Because of this it can play an important role in CO2 capture, anti-erosion and anti-desertification programs, food- and wood production.
With the Groasis Waterboxx a tree is planted on top of the soil, so that the capillary is not be destroyed when planting the tree.
In the middle of the Groasis Waterboxx there is space to put a seed, a plant or a tree.
This plant can develop its roots under the Groasis Waterboxx.
The Groasis Waterboxx produces water via artificial condensation.
It collects rainwater.
It distributes the collected water to the plant on a daily base.
It stimulates the rise of the capillary water to the top of the soil under the Groasis Waterboxx.
It prevents evaporation of the capillary water.
It prevents the development of weeds around the plant.
It prevents grazing of the plants by a certain variety of animals.
It prevents erosion of the soil around the plant.
It prevents heating of the soil around the plant.
It stimulates a balanced temperature in the root area.
The advantage of planting on the soil is that the Groasis Waterboxx can also be used for planting on rocks.
How many years do I use the Groasis Waterboxx?
In principle the Groasis Waterboxx is used until the moment that the tree can survive on its own. Normally that is after 6 months up to one year. We expect that the Groasis Waterboxx can be used around 10 years so that you can use it for 10 to 20 trees/bushes.
What are the differences between the Groasis Waterboxx and classic irrigation?
Classic irrigation is not sustainable. It uses groundwater and the levels of groundwater deepen every year. The Groasis Waterboxx is sustainable.
The Groasis Waterboxx is cheap. If you want to start with classic irrigation you need to drill a well, install a pump and a water pipe network and have an electric installation. For the Groasis Waterboxx this is not necessary: just buy a few or a lot and install them.
With the Groasis Waterboxx you can plant on rocks. Drill a well in rocks and install a network of water pipes is almost impossible on rocks.
For classic irrigation in deserts we need to install power installations of electricity. For the Groasis Waterboxx this is not necessary.
For Groasis we need very small trees or even seed. That is cheap too.
Is the Groasis Waterboxx only interesting in deserts?
After 4 years of tests we noticed that trees planted with the Waterboxx in moderate climates also show an average growth stimulant of around 15% to 30% extra biomass.
Why is the biopolymer Waterboxx more expensive than the polypropylene box?
The biopolymer box is more expensive for 3 reasons:
The Volumetric Mass Density of biopolymer is higher: 1,25 kg per liter compared to 0,91 kg per liter. This means that the biopolymer box is 37,3% heavier than the polypropylene version.
The raw material is also 40% more expensive.
The production process of the biopolymere Waterboxx takes 43% more time. The biopolymere box is produced in 201 seconds and the polypropylene in 141 seconds.
Using the Groasis Waterboxx
Does the water in the box become dirty after a while?
The water in the box remains clear and has no problems with bacteria, algae or what so ever.
How long does the tree need the box?
As soon as you see that the trees starts to grow faster –just notice the growing speed of the young branches- it has reached the ground water and it is able to survive without the box. You just lift it to take it off, replace the old wick with a new one, and re-use the box for the next tree.
What do I have to do after I’ve taken the box away?
You take off the box, put a cloth made of a natural material (cotton, hemp, coco, wool, etc.) on the same place as where the box was in order to keep the capillary column intact, cover the cloth with 10 cm of sand (4 inches) to prevent it from blowing away and use the box for the next tree. You can also put no cloth but only sand if there is no danger of the sand being blown away.
How many times do I have to refill the box?
You only fill it one time during planting. The box will then catch enough rain or condensation by itself to supply the plant one whole year.
How many rain does the box need to fill itself?
75 mm (3 inches) of rain is sufficient to fill the box completely.
Will the Groasis Waterboxx be damaged while freezing at temperatures below 0 °C (+32 °F) and being full with ice?
No, it will not be damaged. The Groasis Waterboxx is designed in such a way that the expanding ice is able to find room to expand. This is done by designing all the vertical sides in 8°. So when the water expands to ice between +4 °C to -1 °C (+39,2 °F to +30.2 °F) , the ice can just go a bit higher and find room for the expansion. It is also important to understand that it doesn't matter whether it is -1 °C (+30,2 °F) of -30 °C (-22 °F) . Once changed from water into ice – which happens between +4 °C and -1 °C (+39,2 °F to +30.2 °F) - the ice doesn't exapand any further.freezing circumstances and here.
How can I implement an anti-desertification tree planting project with the Groasis Technology?
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