8 Economic Benefits of Commercial Hydroponics

When it comes to any kind of agricultural endeavor, everything is economics.

It may not appear that way to some people, but if you look at the entirety of the
scheme of things, everything will boil down to the economic aspect.

Even when you’re just a hobbyist who is just fascinated with running a soil-free
system, you would want some return from all your efforts and investments, right?

The great thing about all of this is when it comes right down to it, hydroponics is
fairly practical and it can match what conventional farming can offer. Here are eight
economic benefits of commercial hydroponics.

1. LAND NEEDED – Conventional farming requires just so much land to even get
started.

It becomes even more problematic when you have zero knowledge of farming and
you have to condition the soil and roll with all the difficulties associated with
traditional farming.

When you are using a hydroponics setup, things are more controllable. Each factor or
element in the system can be configured and fixed, depending on what you’ve been
observing and what you think would work best.

There are also options for literally maximizing the actual yield per square meter of
space.

Vertical farms are a crowd favorite because you can pack so many plants into a
vertical frame and distribute light so efficiently that your yield will be comparable or it
can even exceed what traditional farming can offer.

2.LESS WATER NEEDED – It has been estimated that square meter by square
meter, a hydroponics system uses only one-twentieth of what a traditional farm
requires in terms of water.

This is a big deal when you are a farmer because water costs money and delivering
water constantly to an existing system will burn up resources.

The great thing about hydroponics is that is very conservative when it comes to water.
You will only have to replenish the water when natural evaporation has taken place
and the topping up of water will not be as drastic compared to the regular watering of
plants in a regular farm. You won’t be irrigating your plants that way, no.

3. FASTER GROWTH – It has been shown time and time again that with proper 
system management, hydroponics systems can generate twice the amount of yield in
the same amount of time.

Bigger yields means more money and more profit for the grower. The period of
growth has to be taken into account, too. And the good news here is that plants tend
to grow bigger and faster in hydroponics systems.

The most likely reason for this is the improved oxygen exchange in the root system of
the plants. The root mats are naturally aerated and constantly at that, leading to much
better results.

4. NOT LABOR INTENSIVE – Labor intensiveness definitely figures into the
computation of the economic aspect of a hydroponics system.

If you are planning to expand or scale up, just how many people do you need to
monitor and take care of the entire setup? Actually, it’s fewer than you’d imagine.

The reason for this is that the adjustments needed for a hydroponics system are
different from the adjustments that are known in more traditional setups.

For the most part, the daily duties of a caretaker would be monitoring the quality of
the water and adding buffering agents or nutrients to ensure optimal pH levels and
EC levels, too.

5. YEAR-ROUND GROWING – We feel that this is the best aspect of commercial
hydroponics. When the winter months come in, you definitely do not have to close
shop.

Add heaters and more lighting perhaps, and your hydroponics system will still be
operational. Maybe not as operational as it was in the heat of summer, but you can
expect fairly excellent yields nonetheless.

6. HIGH WEATHER CAPABILITY – There have been many case studies done on
commercial hydroponics setups and many of them show the same thing – that despite
challenges, the difficulties associated with farming in general (not just conventional
farming or hydroponic farming) can be overcome by a hydroponics system.

All it takes is better management, an eye for detail and technical know-how to weather
the storms.

7. FEWER ADDITIONAL COSTS – Herbicide and pesticide use is drastically
reduced when you’re using a soil-free system, and believe it or not, by simply
controlling the humidity of your system, pests and diseases can easily be swayed from
bothering your crops.

This translates to fewer costs and healthy plants, and you won’t be exposed to the
toxins yourself.

8. FAST UPGRADABILITY – When you are finally making money and you want to
upgrade, you will encounter next to no challenges.

After proper investment in additional grow frames, medium, and lighting you’re all set
to grow more crops. It’s really that easy.

What does it take to make a successful hydroponics setup? For us, what you really
need as a grower is a genuine love for cultivation and endless curiosity. Why curiosity?

You need to be a curious cat, because not all hydroponics systems are made equal,
and growers who tweak the most are able to balance their systems in such a way that
they are able to create the perfect conditions for better yields.

If you are a commercial grower, all you really need to look at is the yield. The trip to a
higher yield, however, depends on the steps that you take now.

Another important factor for improving yield and profitability is to grow market-
ready crops that have high demand.

This should come as to no surprise as people will buy crops that are local to a
particular region and are considered staple ingredients for many dishes.

You can also conduct feasibility studies to make sure that you’re on the right track
with what kind of crops you’re going to plant.

Just keep the demand in mind and you will arrive at the right mix of crops that will
allow you to recuperate your expenses in the shortest time possible.

Author Bio

Heather Fitzpatrick is someone who enjoys gardening & also teaching others about it. She runs OriginHydroponics.com, a site focused on teaching others how to garden without using soil.