Hydroponic Farming Business Plan, Hydroponic Yield

Introduction: Hi farmers it is great oportunity today to learn hydroponic farming business plan. A hydroponic farm business grows plants, vegetables, grass, and other forms of greenery to businesses and individuals. Examples of such businesses contain grocery stores and restaurants.

The style of business is water solvent is used to grow the plants rather than soil. Hydroponic farm businesses are generally located indoors. In many instances, these indoor environments are greenhouses. This business is an excellent method to give back to the community. Hydroponic farm business owners could provide people with high-quality, nutritious, and tasty produce. These businesses grow lovely flowers and other forms of greenery that beautify the local community. Also, hydroponic farm businesses benefit the local environment as they are environmentally-friendly compared to conventional methods of farming. Waht are we waiting for? Let’s jump into hydroponic farming business plan for maximum yield and profits.

A step by step guide to hydroponic farming business plan

Hydroponics farm business includes growing plants, greenery, flowers, and herbs, etc. by providing them the optimal environment and necessary nutrients without indulging yourself in the draining and actual lengthy procedure of growing plants in soil. Hydroponic farms are mainly perfect for indoor spaces. Plants are grown in a water-based nutrient solution instead of soil, making it far easier to produce crops in a stable environment with minimal risk of pests. In these we also cover all the following topics;

• Different types of hydroponic systems
• Hydroponic system maximum yield
• Cost to make an acre of a hydroponic farm in India
• Profitable Hydroponic Farming in India
• Factors affected in hydroponic crop yield
• Process for hydroponic crops growing

Hydroponics is growing plants in water or sand, rather than soil, which is done using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. Additionally, this indoor farming induces plant growth, making the process 50 percent faster than growth in soil and the method is cost-effective. Mineral nutrient solutions are mainly used to feed plants in water. You must prepare a proper hydroponic farming business plan to achieve desired profits in hydroponics.

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Types of hydroponic farming

There are different types of hydroponic farming. Hydroponic farms can be set outdoors, as well as indoors within greenhouses or completely controlled environment by using artificial light.

The most popular hydroponic farming types are;

Wick system – The Wick system is by far the simplest kind of hydroponic system. The nutrients are stored in the reservoir and moved into the root system by capillary action using a candle or lantern wick. In simpler terms, the nutrient solution travels up the wick and into the root of the plant.

Water culture system– The water culture system is the simplest of all hydroponic systems. The platform that holds the plants is generally made of Styrofoam and floats directly on the nutrient solution. Water culture is the system of choice for growing leaf lettuce, which is fast growing water-loving plants, making them an ideal option for this type of hydroponic system.

Nutrient film technique system – The Nutrient Film Technique or NFT system is an active recovery kind hydroponic system. N.F.T. systems have a constant flow of nutrient solution so no timer necessary for the submersible pump. The nutrient solution is pumped into the growing tray usually a tube and flows over the roots of the plants, and then drains back into the reservoir. The nutrient solution flows over the roots 24 hours per day.

Aeroponic system – In aeroponic system crop roots hang in the air; the timer controls the nutrient pump which provides nutrients to the crops via mists every few minutes.

Drip system – Drip system is probably the most used hydroponic system; the nutrient solutions and water are pumped from a reservoir to each plant using a small drip line; the pump is controlled by the timer.

Maximum yield explains hydroponic crops

Plants grown in a hydroponic system are usually grown in trays that are slightly angled in order to allow the nutrient solution to flow back to the holding tank through gravity. The plants, which are grown without soil, are anchored in the trays with an inert material that is the clay, sand, rock wool, or coco coir.

Hydroponic crops should be closely monitored and pruned specifically to produce high yields. Hydroponic crop yields can be up to 100 times higher than conventionally grown several plants when things like vertical systems and controlled environment agriculture are taken into account.

Hydroponic crops are those varieties that don’t need a lot of space and don’t take an overly long time to grow. Lettuce, tomatoes, and beans are excellent hydroponic crops, as are squash, melons, cucumbers, and leeks. Crops such as corn or wheat, which require a lot of acreage in order to produce noteworthy yields, are simply not practical to grow in a hydroponic garden or system. Carrots are unsuitable for hydroponics because they would require deep grow beds.

Hydroponic crop yields are cleaner and less likely to have contaminants or pesticides. Because hydroponic gardens are most often grown inside, they are not subject to the same pollutants or pests of a conventional garden or field.

India is currently importing more than 85% of its exotic vegetables, creating a growth rate of 15 to 20% per year. Certainly, the hydroponic system can help fuel this growth given the farming expertise that exists in India. When the land is already owned, capital costs per acre every 5 years are approximately Rs 30.5 lakhs.

1 acre of land is approximately 43,600 square feet and for hydroponic farming, we can best use 30,000 square feet of land. Roofing will cost you at the rate of Rs.200/square feet. Thus Rs.60 Lakhs for roofing.

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Hydroponic crops yield per acre

Different crops yield per acre when it’s grown hydroponically;

Lettuce – The yield for hydroponic lettuce is about 300 to 400 tons per acre.

Tomato – The yield for hydroponic tomato is about 180 to 200 tons per acre.

Potato – The yield for hydroponic potato is about 60 to 70 tons per acre.

Cucumber – The yield for hydroponic lettuce is about 200 tons per acre.

Beans – The yield for hydroponic beans is about 21 tons per acre.

Beets – The yield for hydroponic beets is about 12 tons per acre.

Cabbage – The yield for hydroponic cabbage is about 10 to 12 tons per acre.

Bell pepper – The yield for hydroponic lettuce is about 120 to 150 tons per acre.

Steps to start or plan a hydroponic farm business

Hydroponics crop farming is a line of farming that is classified under hydroculture; it is a method of cultivating crops by making use of mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without the support of soil. As a matter of fact, crops that are essentially cultivated on terrestrial soil can successfully be grown with their roots in the mineral solution only, or in a torpid medium, such as perlite or gravel. The nutrients in hydroponics farming can be generated from fish waste, normal nutrients, or duck manure. Basically, players in the Hydroponics crop farming industry engage in growing different plants by using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil. Farmers in this industry normally grow food crops under glass or protective cover.

Hydroponic crop farming shows that the revenue generated in the industry has maintained positive growth due to the fact that more people are embracing this type of farming. In recent times, a growing number of households shifted to healthy eating and also consuming organic produce, resulting in high demand from hydroponics farmers. So as well, extreme weather conditions generally damaged many crops for fresh field farmers, hence grocery stores and farmers markets quickly turned to hydroponic farmers to meet their supplies demand.

Hydroponic farming business plan management

The first step before you start a hydroponic farming business is to make a detailed hydroponics business plan. As hydroponics business will involve establishing an indoor area generally a greenhouse, providing plants the essential nutrients, establishing the whole system of power, and drainage alongside packaging and selling the grown foods. Then, in order to manage all these tasks, you have to devise a detailed management plan before you take a startup.

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Costs involved in opening a hydroponic farm business

You need space to grow your plants. Most hydroponic farms need a greenhouse. Greenhouses can be as small as a couple of hundred square feet or as large as some thousand square feet. The cost hinges on the size of the facility you have in mind. Your hydroponic farm will want seeds, water solvent, and lighting; grow tunnels, climate control systems, UV filtration, racks, towers, and nutrient reservoirs. Plan on spending at least several thousands of dollars for these supplies. Furthermore, your hydroponic business will require office supplies, a computer for research, a high-speed internet connection, a desk, chairs, and possibly a cash register. You will need a vehicle to transport your plants and produce to customers. 

Promote and market a hydroponic farm business

If you plan on primarily selling your produce and greenery to supermarkets, traditional marking will not suffice. The relationships you form with the owners and managers of such facilities are of importance. Attend food-related conferences, and other get-togethers to establish relationships with local business owners who need to produce flowers, plants, and other items you grow at the hydroponic farm.

Hydroponics yield factors

Year-round gardening means more crops per year

One of the important factors influencing hydroponics yield is its ability to grow different crops indoors and year-round. Field crops are often limited to one harvest per year because of frost and weather variations.

Higher plant density allows for more crops per acre

The hydroponic system allows for higher plant density in one or more of the following ways.  Hydroponic crops can be grown;

• Closer together than in soil,
• Grown vertically as opposed to horizontally,
• In layers, and
• With much less walking space between rows.

Employing any one of these methods can increase crop yields, however, incorporating several can result in even more plant density.

The crops you choose may increase yield

Which variety of crops you decide to produce can influence the hydroponics yield. While you can cultivate nearly any crop in hydroponics, some will give you better results and a higher yield. For example, leafy crops such as lettuce, chard, kale, and arugula produce great results, as do herbs like basil, chives, parsley, and sage. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers can result in high yields with hydroponics

Water plays an important role in crop yield

Water is clearly one of the important factors influencing crop yield. After all, the water-weight of fruits and vegetables is about to 86% and 90%, respectively. Water can be managed more efficiently with hydroponic and greenhouse crops.

The efficiency of hydroponic fertilizer

In a hydroponics system, a fertilizer is mixed with water to create the nutrient solution. This nutrient solution is pumped into the grow bed to feed the plant’s roots. Hydroponics allows plants to get the correct nutrients they require when they need it. Soil grown crops don’t have it as easy. If they don’t get the good nutrients at the right time, crops will suffer. Hydroponics provides a much more efficient method of delivering nutrients to plants.

Growth potential for a hydroponic farm business

This hydroponic farm business is quite popular at the moment. The plants grown at hydroponic farms are in heavy demand. There is an emerging trend toward purchasing produce from hydroponic farms as they are environmentally-friendly. Establish enough relationships with local buyers to produce high-quality products and other forms of greenery, and this business will prove to be a raging success. If you make enough money, you can add additional greenhouses or other indoor growing environments in your town or adjacent towns to gradually grow the hydroponic business.

Step by step instructions for sprouting seeds in a hydroponic system

The first thing that you’ll want to do is to soak your starter cubes in clean water for an hour. After they have been given a chance to soak, put a few seeds into the cube’s hole. You will want to add several just in case you have some seeds that don’t germinate. Once the seed sprout, you can thin out the weaker plants to allow the strongest to grow.

Prepare your grow tray with an inch of clean water or nutrient solution that is at half strength. Arrange the light source and heating mat as required. And you can keep the lid on to keep the heat and moisture in the tray. Put these planted cubes into the grow tray and add water or half-strength nutrient solution as the level goes down in the grow tray. After about 4 days, you’ll start to see some sprouts emerging.

Main ways for hydroponic plants growing

Hydroponic growing in India has numerous possibilities to not only produce, larger, better-tasting plants, but also help the environment. Here are the major ways that hydroponic growing may be the way to “go green” in the future.

Land – It is estimated that 10 million hectares of arable land are lost every year for a variety of reasons. With farmers being increasingly pinched on the amount of land that can be used for traditional soil gardening, the hydroponic system may prove to be the solution. Because every element of this style of growing can be closely controlled, it can produce larger yields, making the same amount of plants in just 1/5th of the space.

Location – This is very important because it cuts down on the distance that food may have to travel to reach is a destination. Whenever a vegetable is out of season in one part of the world is in season in another part. Thus, vegetables are often created and shipped to those areas where they are not in season, where the scarcity can drive up prices. This means the transportation of food wants a great deal of fossil fuel because of transport. With advances for the hydroponic system in India, we can grow virtually any vegetable in any season in any part of the country, so they can be grown closer to their sale point and use up less fuel.

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Water – When watering a soil garden, much of the water used gets lost in the soil, which means a lot more water has to be used. In a hydroponic garden, the water is recycled and this puts a lot less stress on the increasingly strained water supply.

Pesticides – While pests are completely absent in hydroponics, the closed, controlled environment can eliminate many pesticides that are often necessary to keep bugs from destroying traditional crops.

Hydroponic system grow lights

Artificial lighting for plant growth has been one of the best additions to the agriculture-technology. Replacing the sun as the light source has been a long and hard journey, juggling efficiency and power consumption and cost. In the current scenario, lights exist in adjustable and plant-specific spectrums with customizations obtainable in all aspects. The current research into lighting technologies has brought forth more regulation and improved standards to look for when discussing the right lights for a setup. We will discuss these specifications and power that hydroponics and lighting offer growers in this post.

Lighting for indoor growing has 3 major bulb types;

• Metal Halide or High-Pressure Sodium bulbs
• CFL and T5 fluorescents
• LED

Light from the spectrum which mainly consists of IR-VIBGYOR-UV is emitted in grow lights. These are emitted in different ratios usually 60:40 Blue to red or 80:20 red to blue, the former is used for leafy growth and the latter for flowering growth.

The general rule for lights being put in hydroponic system design is that leafy plants get 30W per sqft and flowering plants get 50W per square feet. This is a rough figure and even the actual wattage output from an LED light is hard to monitor. The accuracy of these values is overstated by manufacturers. The important values are the Photosynthetic active radiation that plants can take in which is measured in Micromoles per cm.

Hydroponics Technology in India can greatly advantage from the introduction of artificial lighting to enable year-round growth in indoor farms. Productions with lights ensure much lower turnaround times, 24X7 growing ability, ability to grow without any constraints of climate and cyclic seasons. It would be able to provide the ultimate in a protected environment to grow plants without the use of any kind of pesticide or insecticide.

That’s all folks about business plan of hydroponic farming. You may be interestd in How to Grow Peppers in Hydroponics.