An enquiry for a grow tent to demonstrate a bio diesel plant to financial investors lead to an amazing adventure for Adam and The Greenhouse Effect in Borneo.

When we received the initial enquiry for a grow tent from Trees4Good Adam was quick to identify that this really wasn’t the solution that they required. Trees4Good had a wonderful proposition to offset carbon in Borneo, providing a cooperative with the local farmers to irrigate and prepare waste land for use again after the devastating destruction of the rainforest. This land would be planted with Jatropha Curcus which produces a large seed that can be processed for Bio diesel, providing the farmers with an income. However, in order to launch this project they needed investment from the financial sector and hence the demo grow tent to show off the plant.

That grow tent enquiry turned in to The Greenhouse Effect designing, building and maintaining a demonstration grow room at the Trees4Good offices which they could show investors exactly what was going to happen. Trees4Good had historically been struggling with propagation rates and methods in Borneo. Through R&D lead by The Greenhouse Effect we were able to significantly improve propagation rates and bring in new methodology and SOP’s for the team out in Borneo.

Adam was then asked to actively get involved with Trees4Good accepting the role of COO and taking full responsibility for the role out of their first polytunnels and the complete project in Sabah. The Greenhouse Effect provided all equipment and consumables required to roll out 100,000 plants per month.

All plants were grown from seed, using peat jiffy forestry pellets on flood and drain tables. All water used was harvested rainwater (when in a rain forest!) and the large rainwater barrels were kept oxygenated using our own O2XS dissolved oxygen stacks.

Crop rotation within the nursery polytunnels was 28 days from seed to sapling. The saplings then planted and maintained by the local farmers and landowners who would then, in time, sell the seed back to the company for bio-diesel production. Over 1.2 million plants were planted.

After the success of the nursery polytunnels we were then invited by the Forestry Commission of Borneo to upgrade their own nurseries, and host a seminar to their horticulture students on the benefits of hydroponic methods used in 21st Century agriculture. We also provided advise on their own reforestation projects throughout Sabah.

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