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Is there any other markets that the same hydroponic equipment could be used for that's profitable? Or maybe just the greenhouses and gardening equipment, since

by dmix 4y ago

Is there any other markets that the same hydroponic equipment could be used for that's profitable? Or maybe just the greenhouses and gardening equipment, since hydroponic has a limited set of vegetables/plants that it can grow.

rootusrootus 4y ago
Well, it's been a joke (at least around me) for a long time that weed was just like tomatoes to grow. If someone can figure out how to pull off a good quality heirloom tomato variety that works even in the dead of winter, that sure would be nice.
- patmcc 4y ago
  The hard part is finding someone to pay $500/pound for tomatoes.
loeg 4y ago
Tomatoes and peppers grow great in hydroponic setups but good luck in profitability.
DoreenMichele 4y ago
Potentially: Growing veggies in Alaska and other far north places where people have trouble getting veggies at all and typically pay crazy high prices compared to what people pay elsewhere.
lathyrus_long 4y ago
Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, culinary herbs, and many other plant species are grown profitably under hydroponic conditions. This is especially common in colder climates, to maximize the yield per square foot in expensive greenhouses. It's sometimes economic even outdoors though, like in regions with poor soil or scarce water, or to mitigate some (but not all) pests and pathogens. Here's a paper studying the economics of hydroponic greenhouse tomatoes in Florida: https://svaec.ifas.ufl.edu/media/svaecifasufledu/docs/pdf/agribusiness/FSHS2018_GreenhouseTomatoPaper.pdf https://svaec.ifas.ufl.edu/media/svaecifasufledu/docs/pdf/ag... The theory is the same regardless of the plant species, but irrigation equipment and consumables targeting the cannabis industry tend to be quite expensive, sometimes because the higher-value crop justified that, sometimes for no good reason. The lighting requirements for cannabis are also unusual (very high PPFD, controlled photoperiod for non-autoflowering strains), so the greenhouses would need some reconfiguration. So the capital investment doesn't go to zero, but it's a big markdown. A lot of graduates of top agronomy and horticulture programs (Cornell, etc.) also seem to have ended up in cannabis, I assume because the money was good. It will probably be better for society overall if this crash redirects their efforts to the food supply, though sad for them personally--vegetable growers are paid quite badly, even by the already dismal standards of the life sciences.
- dmix 4y ago
  Thank you for this comment, it's very insightful.

by dmix 4y ago

rootusrootus 4y ago

Well, it's been a joke (at least around me) for a long time that weed was just like tomatoes to grow. If someone can figure out how to pull off a good quality heirloom tomato variety that works even in the dead of winter, that sure would be nice.

patmcc 4y ago
The hard part is finding someone to pay $500/pound for tomatoes.

loeg 4y ago

Tomatoes and peppers grow great in hydroponic setups but good luck in profitability.

DoreenMichele 4y ago

Potentially: Growing veggies in Alaska and other far north places where people have trouble getting veggies at all and typically pay crazy high prices compared to what people pay elsewhere.

lathyrus_long 4y ago

Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, culinary herbs, and many other plant species are grown profitably under hydroponic conditions. This is especially common in colder climates, to maximize the yield per square foot in expensive greenhouses. It's sometimes economic even outdoors though, like in regions with poor soil or scarce water, or to mitigate some (but not all) pests and pathogens. Here's a paper studying the economics of hydroponic greenhouse tomatoes in Florida: https://svaec.ifas.ufl.edu/media/svaecifasufledu/docs/pdf/agribusiness/FSHS2018_GreenhouseTomatoPaper.pdf https://svaec.ifas.ufl.edu/media/svaecifasufledu/docs/pdf/ag... The theory is the same regardless of the plant species, but irrigation equipment and consumables targeting the cannabis industry tend to be quite expensive, sometimes because the higher-value crop justified that, sometimes for no good reason. The lighting requirements for cannabis are also unusual (very high PPFD, controlled photoperiod for non-autoflowering strains), so the greenhouses would need some reconfiguration. So the capital investment doesn't go to zero, but it's a big markdown. A lot of graduates of top agronomy and horticulture programs (Cornell, etc.) also seem to have ended up in cannabis, I assume because the money was good. It will probably be better for society overall if this crash redirects their efforts to the food supply, though sad for them personally--vegetable growers are paid quite badly, even by the already dismal standards of the life sciences.

dmix 4y ago
Thank you for this comment, it's very insightful.