Plant Food for Space Grows Crops on Earth

About this technology

Overview

Florikan’s controlled-release fertilizers had already benefited from a partnership with Kennedy Space Center that generated a more robust polymer coating when Kennedy again approached the Sarasota, Florida-based company looking for a fertilizer to grow tomatoes in space. Flowering plants required a different ratio of nutrients than Florikan’s existing products, so the company developed and packaged a new formula in its signature coating. Here on Earth, it’s the first controlled-release fertilizer to work in vertical hydroponic farming, replacing liquid feed and the need for multiple fertilizer applications.