Researchers grow crops on super thin film, put off that pesky soil stuff

Here’s the issue with plants : they require dirt that’s, well, dirty. Japanese researchers at Mebiol have discovered the way to grow small crops of Earthly flora on clean sheets of hydrogel (commonly present in diapers), called Imec, that measures just tens of microns thick. Roots grow along the membrane, absorbing water through it, however the material is in a position to block out bacteria and viruses which could harm the plants. After all , there are downsides. Water is absorbed at a miles lower rate throughout the gel than with traditional soil, so plant size is restricted and only the strongest and healthiest varieties can truly thrive at the flexible sheets. As a result of carefully selected plants and advantageous fertilizer though, researchers were capable of grow tomatoes, spinach or even melons, and hope to bolster the film enough to support trees. Not bad for a substance normally used to take in baby pee. Take a look at the video after the break.

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This post is tagged: bacteria, clean sheets, high quality, japanese researchers, quality fertilizer, small crops, thick roots