It’s September 1st, the first day of the first “-ber” month of the year. The Christmas season has officially started in the Philippines. Christmas truly comes early for SNAP Hydroponics growers because it also the start of the styrobox months. Ber months signals the coming of imported grapes from the USA.
What is a Styrobox?
In the Philippines expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is colloquially known as Styrofoam. Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of extruded polystyrene (XPS) by the Dow Chemical Company. EPS foams are commonly known as packing foam in other countries. Boxes made of EPS foams are known as styrobox.
What are the Styrobox Months?
During the months of September, October, November, December, January and February styro boxes that are used to transport imported grapes from the US enter the country.
These grapes brings with them the styroboxes that carries them. The standard styrofoam box with the standard size of 24″⨉16″⨉6″ which is typically used in SNAP Hydroponics systems.
Identification Guide
Styroboxes that enter the Philippines from the US typically comes in two brands and a number of box types. Please see the video below for a guide on how to identify them.
Arrangement and Stacking
Here’s a guide on how to arrange and stack them. They can be arranged in such a way that they fit in a 1m⨉1.2m area. They fit a standard size pallet. This arrangement can be used for vegetable production. With SNAP Hydroponics one can grow 40 heads of leafy vegetables in an area only 1.2 sqm in size. This same arrangement is at the core of the design of MJ Garden’s EZ Grower.
The same arrangement can be used for storage. When empty these stryroboxes are strong enough to be stacked almost indefinitely.
Here’s a quick tip. You can use standard sized (1m⨉1.2m) wooden or plastic pallets as benches for your styrofoam boxes. All you need to do is elevate them to a desired height. This is just another way that SNAP Hydroponics is helping the environment by reusing materials that are meant to be thrown away.
That’s it for today. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Good luck and happy growing!