Whatsit Wednesday: Groasis Waterbox

We know what an oasis is. If you are walking in the desert, you are happy to see an oasis - a place where water is to be found. Trees surround it, even in the middle of the desert. One might use the word symbolically to talk about how something gives comfort in the middle of a tough time. Wednesday evening singing was always an oasis for me as a young Christian in the middle of the week. 

So in 2010 Dutch former flower exporter Pieter Hoff won an award for a plant container designed to help trees to grow in dry areas. He called it the “Groasis Waterbox”. You get it - it not only is an oasis, a place to find water and rest, but it helps plants to grow. Essentially the Groasis is a plastic bucket with a lid, but it is much more than that. 

The waterbox is a plant incubator, collects water from condensation which is then  released in measured amounts to help create root structure, and keeps temperature and humidity stable through night and day. The box is installed either manually or with a digging machine, putting one to three plants in a hole. The company has even developed specific drills to make the holes efficiently.

The waterbox can be reused for up to 20 trees, shrubs or vegetable plants. Another version of the concept is called “Growboxx” and is made of compostable material which becomes food for the plant. The box was tested in Morocco where 90% of the plants survived by using the box. It is being used in Colombia, Dubai, Ecuador, Jordan and Mexico, but is also being tested with wineries and in cold mountainous regions.