Continued interest

While the drought in some parts of the country seems to be decreasing in severity and some water restrictions have been eased, the need for water-wise growing techniques remains steadfast. Growers who employ more efficient methods in their produce operations create a stronger overall business that’s able to weather market fluctuations more easily.

Hydroponic, or soilless, growing techniques are continually being researched and improving, enabling growers to move into this type of growing with more confidence. Although this method isn’t new — people have been growing hydroponically for hundreds of years — it has been rising in popularity in recent history. Over the past year, we’ve seen an expanded line-up of trade shows for indoor and controlled environment growers such as Indoor Ag-Con’s Asia edition and the inaugural International Conference for Controlled Environment Agriculture in Panama, as well as new hydroponic research project results and educational opportunities being offered.

Over the following pages, we present the second edition of the State of Hydroponic Produce Growing. We worked with Readex Research again to survey Produce Grower readers about their growing operations, specifically crops being grown hydroponically. You’ll find comparisons and analysis of the 2015 and 2016 results, statistics about the hydroponic industry as a whole and a few new questions throughout. Starting here, you can find the third installment in the Hydroponic Production Primer article series by Christopher Currey. This month, he goes back to the roots of hydroponics and looks at best practices for optimal water and nutritional conditions in hydroponic systems.