HAMILTON — Many people are accustomed to buying tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers grown with hydroponics, a practice of cultivating plants without soil, but the next wave of consumerism in this field may involve houseplants grown by the same method, if a local nursery has its way.
Hydroponics has carved out a $600 million portion of the food-growing industry and already is the focus of many farm operations in New Jersey. Houseplant production using the same water-based nutrient systems is a smaller, less well-developed industry so far.
A Hamilton home and garden store is now experimenting with houseplants that can put this hydroponic technology into the living rooms and kitchens of local plant lovers.
Dragonfly Farms on Kuser Road was searching for a way to shake up its product selection when its managers stumbled on hydroponic houseplants at a trade show this summer, said Antonia James, a manager at Dragonfly.
Besides the novelty of a plant that grows without soil, James said, Dragonfly’s managers found that the hydroponic plants solved an issue its customers have raised repeatedly.
“Many customers have complained about not having time to water plants and them dying,” James said.
The plants will last longer for many customers because they only have to water them every few weeks, rather than every few days, James said.
Even as the plants last longer, James said, customers are likely to come back because they will be satisfied with their purchases.
“You always want customers to come back and rebuy,” James said. Except “when they come back and say they’re rebuying because it died.”
There are many methods of hydroponic growing. Some plants are grown with their roots exposed, the entire plant hanging in the air for show, while others are grown in highly technical greenhouses, which produce high yields of vegetables and cut down on labor costs.
Dragonfly decided to sell plants distributed by EasyGro Hydro, a company that supplies plants grown in pots full of tiny, porous clay pebbles.
The dracaenas, pothos and mixed variety plants that Dragonfly is selling will all utilize a system that resembles traditional houseplants.
The plant sits in an inner pot, which sits in an outer pot, and comes with a water gauge, said Arlene Macallister, an owner of EasyGro Hydro. Water, mixed with nutrients, provides the plants with sustenance, while the clay pebbles allow the roots to take in more oxygen.
While many Mercer County nurseries said that they do not sell hydroponic houseplants, Macallister said EasyGro Hydro is pushing into the houseplant market and thinks it could catch fire.
“The plant industry needs a new thing to focus on to get people interested in plants again,” Macallister said.
Agiimaa Kruchkin, an industry analyst with market research company IBISWorld, studied the commercial hydroponic crop industry before publishing a report in September.
Kruchkin said that while the real focus of the industry right now is on hydroponic production of vegetables, the benefits of hydroponics could open the door to a growing market for houseplants.
“It’s only recently become more popular,” Kruchkin said. “I can definitely see it becoming more prominent in the future.”
A rebounding economy could provide the opportunity for hydroponic houseplants to take off, Kruchkin said. As more people go back to work, they have less time to take care of their plants, and lower maintenance hydroponic systems become more appealing, Kruchkin said.
Hydroponic growing is becoming more popular among food growers because plants require less time and fewer inputs, bringing down costs, while they can also grow faster and produce greater yields, Kruchkin said.
Similarly, home gardeners and plant lovers may be attracted to hydroponics if they wish to spend less time taking care of their plants or cannot guarantee they will be home every few days to water them, Kruchkin said. The plants can also be healthier and last longer because their roots receive more oxygen, Macallister said.
Kruchkin’s report said that an aging and health-conscious population is driving demand for locally grown, fresh produce, and with that the demand for hydroponic produce.
New Jersey ranks 11th in the nation in terms of the number of hydroponic food producers, most of which are small operations that use an acre or less of space, the report said.
While the benefits of hydroponic houseplants seem similar, they have not caught on in the same way.
Contact Brendan McGrath at (609) 989-5731 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
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