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Hydroponics Info
 Hydroponics
is an intensive form of agriculture that can fulfill the
consumers demand for premium produce and provide the grower
with a profitable business. With hydroponic technology and a
controlled environment greenhouse, you have the ability to
grow premium quality produce using a minimum of space, water
and fertilizer.
Hydroponics
literally means “water working” but, in practical use, it
means growing plants in a nutrient solution without soil.
The science of hydroponics proves that soil isn’t required
for plant growth but the elements, minerals and nutrients
that soil contains are. Soil is simply the holder of the
nutrients, a place where the plant roots traditionally live
and a base of support for the plant structure. By
eliminating the soil, you eliminate soil borne disease and
weeds and gain precise control over the plant’s nutritional
diet. In a hydroponic solution, you provide the exact
nutrients your plants need in precisely the correct ratios
so they can develop stress-free, mature faster and, at
harvest, are the highest quality possible.
In commercial production, the
three primary growing methods are drip (includes the Dutch
bucket system), NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) and the raft (also
known as float) system. The biggest difference between the drip,
NFT and raft systems is the use of a growing medium. In a drip
system, the plant roots are in a growing medium such as perlite
or rockwool and the nutrient solution is dripped onto the medium
to keep it moist. In an NFT system, the plant roots are in a
channel where a thin film of nutrient solution passes, keeping
them moist but not water-logged. In the raft system, the plants
are floated on a raft that rests on the surface of the water.
The plant roots dangle into the water where they get nutrients
and oxygen.
 There are hydroponic growers throughout the United States and
worldwide. Of over 50,000 acres in hydroponic production around
the world, about 1200 of those are in the US. Most of the
hydroponic facilities in the US are family or small business
operations that cover 1/8 - 1 acre, produce premium hydroponic
produce and sell it locally. The smaller operations generally
have the advantage of offering vine ripened, locally grown
produce with minimal transportation cost and damage. It is in
this niche, offering premium produce to a local marketplace,
that a hydroponic grower with less than an acre in production
can earn an excellent profit. Smaller growers can establish
themselves near the marketplace, eliminating the problems and
costs of long-distance transportation.
In addition to the smaller growers in the US, there are several
large hydroponic facilities that cover as many as 60 or more
acres and produce large quantities of hydroponic tomatoes,
peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Often this produce is shipped
throughout the US to help fill the growing demand for hydroponic
produce. Currently there are jumbo jets, trains and trucks that
bring hydroponic produce daily into the United States from
Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Canada. Both US and
Internationally grown hydroponic produce that suffers the rough
handling of long-distance transportation is usually of a lesser
quality and sells for a lower price that that of a smaller
hydroponic farmer who caters to specialty stores and farmers
markets near to their operation.
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