3-D printed gardens can grow in any shape

maybe permies should embrace technology
there's nothing to say these gardens couldn't be permaculture ones
if the goal is to spread permaculture ideas this should speed that up


http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/3d-printed-gardens-can-grow-in-any-shape-141027.htm

3-D Printed Gardens Can Grow in Any Shape

"You’ve probably seen stories about the myriad uses for 3-D printing technology, in which specially-designed printers spray layers of material onto designs to create objects: chocolate candy, transplant organs, entire houses and guns, to name a few.

Sony computer scientist Yuichiro Takeuchi has figured out a way to print entire gardens filled with herbs and flowers, which can then be planted in empty lots or on rooftops, or on vertical surfaces such as building walls. Or pretty much anyplace else for that matter.

Takeuchi told Business Insider that he foresees the new technology as a way to add a little green space to cities, without labor-intensive landscaping and planting that he thinks discourages some would-be gardeners."

duane hennon wrote:
maybe permies should embrace technology
there's nothing to say these gardens couldn't be permaculture ones
if the goal is to spread permaculture ideas this should speed that up

I think many permies are very tech savy. Not necessarily hi-tech though.

I have even defined permaculture as an amalgamation of sustainable techniques (technology) developed over time and used all over the world. The problem with hydroponics is that it require external inputs (the chemicals) and energy (for pumps) and produces waste which is considered toxic if dumped directly into waterways.

Aquaponics is much more of a permaculture technique because the only input is fish food and that could be produced by another system (using sheep/rabbit manure instead of purchased fish food) and there is no waste. According to Geoff Lawton the food produced in AP are nutrient dense whereas HP food is not.

Low tech? I'm into carbon-based self-replicating multicore solar nanotech autonomous food printers. My kid calls them apple trees.

As for the article, I'd be wary of the use of the terms printing. Automatic sowing and pre-packaged planning, maybe. They are not "printing" like a 3d printer or an organ printer.
Permaculturists do a similar thing when we do those nutrient balls for seeds. Now imagine instead of a ball it's a thick bedsheet/blanket of sorts, and you have seeds and nutrients embedded in a non-random layout to bootstrap a little guild. Maybe you get 3 sheets, one for year 1, another for year 2 etc to have a growth strategy over time. It'd be a tough thing to balance labor savings vs lack of context-based decisions and observation if you have the time to do it manually. But as a fast bootstrap seems like a useful idea.

Eduardo Jezierski wrote:Now imagine instead of a ball it's a thick bedsheet/blanket of sorts, and you have seeds and nutrients embedded in a non-random layout to bootstrap a little guild.

Ha! I glanced at that and saw something like "imagine you had seeds emedding in your boots..." That'd be a cool way to plant! Like those lawn aerators but with hollow spikes filled with seeds you plant every time you walk.