Hydroponics farming is especially gaining popularity and there are several people, wondering how to grow vegetables, herbs & plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil. This method is not only environmentally friendly but also organic. However, getting into the hydroponics market isn’t as simple as starting a terrace garden.
To help you in getting started with the Hydroponics Farming, Dr. Praveen Singh, a Ph.D. holder in Agronomy with over 2 decades of experience in the Hydroponics & Urban Gardening sector is offering 5 simple tips.
Below we have mentioned five tips to keep in mind, before starting your Hydroponics Venture.
Select Right Crop
Depending on the season & after studying the market demands, the farm owners must decide to grow suitable crops. This includes analyzing nearby market demands, the economic value of the crops & their resistance to climatic changes.
Identify Infrastructure
To start a Hydroponics farm, one requires a greenhouse, nutrients, growing systems & a microclimate controller to grow crops. These aspects must be well thought out, depending on the size of the farm & budget.
Convert Produce to Commodity
While starting a farm, it is extremely important not to focus only on selling produce directly in bulk to the consumers. Instead, they should also think o innovative methods of marketing. For example, instead of selling the lettuce by the kilo, it can be value-added by selling it as a salad mix along with the other vegetables.
Essential Skills to Manage Farm
Managing a Hydroponic farm is sometimes a complicated task. Depending on the size of the farm, it is also essential to have 1 or 2 persons to maintain the cleanliness & other processes.
Patience
The process of launching a Hydroponics business may seem long, but it important to stay patient during the whole process, as the initial months are the gestation period before the venture becomes profitable.
PRO TIP by Dr. Praveen:
His advice to those, who wish to start a Hydroponics Business is to test desired crops & grow them as a pilot project, and once the crops show a success rate in a small setup, then the owner can expand into a commercial cropping setup.
