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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. For more information about Pieter and his family, take a look at 'History' AquaPro BV Franseweg 9 4651PV Steenbergen Holland Tel +31 167 547554 Fax +31 167 547555 info∗groasis·com Chamber of Commerce Breda 20103738 V.A.T.: NL81.01.73.529B01 Bank account: ING 66.48.10.306 Swiftcode/BIC: INGBNL2A IBAN: NL20 INGB 0664810306
Groasis is the protected brandname for the first commercial product that AquaPro has introduced, 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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
The biopolymer box is more expensive for 3 reasons:
The water in the box remains clear and has no problems with bacteria, algae or what so ever.
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.
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.
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.
75 mm (3 inches) of rain is sufficient to fill the box completely.
If you have more questions, please send them to Pieter Hoff . In this way we can answer you and improve this document.
Groasis, let's green the world!
