Is scaffolding a step up for your vertical grow rack system?

Vertical grow racks maximize yield by optimizing vertical and horizontal space from a grow operation. But there's a very important question every vertical indoor farm has to ask:

How the heck are we supposed to get up there?

There's been a lot of hubbub in the vertical farming space around scaffolding—collapsible hardware designed to attach to your open-aisle vertical grow racks and allow access to plants on higher tiers.

On paper, the value of scaffolding seems like a no-brainer, but while scaffolding is the right choice for some grow operations, it's not right for everyone.

Are scaffolds right for you and your team? Here's how to find out: 

1. DOES YOUR VERTICAL GROW RACK SYSTEM HAVE MORE THAN TWO TIERS?

If your vertical grow rack system has more than two tiers, or you plan on having more than two tiers in the future, scaffolding is not an option for your facility. Most of the scaffolding systems on the market are cleared only for two-tier systems because any higher would pose a significant safety concern.

2. HAVE YOU FACTORED IN LABOR COSTS AND STORAGE?

Don't forget about the logistics behind assembling, disassembling, and storing scaffolding hardware.

Let's say you have a 30-foot high grow rack, and each piece of the scaffolding platform is four feet long. That's ten pieces of scaffolding to account for, not to mention the ladder and any bracing hardware to keep the platform in place.

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Photo Courtesy of Montel

Source: Agritech Tomorrow