Growing plants in hydroponics is one thing, but operating a viable hydroponic farm is altogether another. Commercial hydroponics is not just about setting up and operating hydroponic systems. If you are to be successful and run a viable operation you must learn to do a number of other things:
🍓 Select the right crops to grow
🍓 Manage your staff and finances properly
🍓 Market your produce properly
🍓 Have a workable physical layout
Deciding the Plants You Should Grow
When deciding what plants to grow in a commercial hydroponics farm, consider the following:
Ease of propagation/cost of transplants. What will it cost to get your initial plants (in time or money)? If you plan to propagate yourself, how easy are the plants to propagate? Are the plants readily available? Is the recommended planting time the same as the time of year you plan to start your operation?
How easy are these plants to grow? Do you or your staff have the expertise to grow these varieties? Difficult plants may be more costly to grow, and riskier to get a profit from, unless you have better than average skills.
How long will the crop take to grow? Some plants produce a crop ready to sell within months, others take many years.
Suitability to your facilities. Do you have the right buildings, equipment and other facilities to grow the particular plants under consideration? Do you have the money and space to provide those facilities?
Suitability of climate. What plants are most suitable to grow in your climate?
Your environment. It is always more efficient to work with the environment rather than trying to recreate different environments.
Are other competent growers already producing the crop you would prefer to grow? Can you establish a fair share of the market?
Distance from potential markets. Transport is costly and can be risky. What other alternatives are available?
Are profits (in addition to wages) likely to be an adequate or reasonable return on your investment in terms of time and money?
The skills of your staff. Don’t try to do what you are not skilled to do. Someone with better skills will probably do it better and cheaper.
What Is Needed?
A thorough understanding of hydroponic growing systems is a must. This includes knowledge of different types of growing, grow bed materials and design, how to mix nutrient solutions, and reservoir tanks.
Awareness of optimal growing conditions and nutrient solutions for specific crops is also required.
A grower will also need to understand different growing techniques such as succession planting (growing plants together at different stages of maturity), and control of pests and diseases.
It is also necessary to know how make daily monitoring checks using equipment to keep abreast of changes in the alkalinity level (pH) of the nutrient solution, electro-conductivity (EC), and strength of solutions to ensure that crops are not exposed to toxicities or deficiencies of nutrients.
People working in this industry will need to have a good general understanding of plant physiology and requirements which may be gained through studying a general horticulture qualification. On top of this some specialised knowledge is required which may be gained from studying individual modules in hydroponics or specialised certificate or higher level courses.
Those working on the retail side will need to have some knowledge of how to set up systems and repair and maintenance. They will also need to demonstrate how to use specialised equipment.
Author John Mason, ACS Distance Education Principal, Dip.Hort.Sc., AdvCertMgt, FCIH, FAIH
Visit our online course page: Advanced Certificate Applied Management (Horticultural Technology)