The 4trees guide to choosing the best hydroponics system supplier
Choosing the best hydroponics system for your indoor growing space can be dependant on multiple key factors such as, budget, water access, strain preference and plant count. Luckily, the team at 4trees has come up with a short guide, complete with some of our best, tried, tested and true suppliers below.
Starting with the OG's
While these suppliers may not offer complete hydroponics systems, they are an honorable mention.
- General Hydroponics: General Hydroponics is one of the oldest and most established hydroponics companies. While they are mostly known for their nutrients, you may be surprised to see a small line of home hydroponic systems they make as well, if you can find them!. They have a reputation for providing high-quality and reliable nutrients for hydroponic growing that has helped growers achieve maximum yields and has topped the charts for many years.
- Botanicare: Botanicare is another well-respected hydroponic equipment manufacturer that has been around for over 20 years. They are known for their innovative designs and commitment to sustainability. Their products include hydroponic benching systems, grow trays, and nutrient solutions. The team at 4trees Cannabis Building has successfully implemented countless projects with their custom slide bench systems and tray inserts. We’ve also had excellent results with their entire lineup of nutrients over the years.
Companies that provide pre-built hydroponics systems
There are lots of hydroponic retailers emerging, but these are two examples of complete hydroponics system suppliers that stand out to us, and why that is.
Hydra Unlimited: Deep Water Culture Systems
Hydra Unlimited is a deep water culture hydroponic systems supplier that offers customizable hydroponics systems made in the USA. They specialize in creating customizable deep water culture hydroponic systems for a variety of growing needs, including commercial and residential applications. Their systems are designed to be user-friendly, efficient, and fully scalable, making them a popular choice among commercial growers like ourselves.
Their unique reusable media called TetraBase is brilliant paired with DWC as it will last much longer than traditional clay pellets and provide excellent hold on your root base.
One of the unique features of Hydra Unlimited is their focus on deep water culture which is a fan favorite here at 4trees thanks to its explosive growth and ease of maintenance.
So far we have had a great experience with these guys and we’re excited to continue to partner with Hydra Unlimited on projects and bring their amazing systems to more of our facilities.
Overall, Hydra Unlimited is a reputable and innovative hydroponic systems supplier that offers high-quality products and exceptional customer service. Whether you are a commercial grower or a hobbyist, they can help you create a customized hydroponic setup that meets your unique needs and goals.
Current Culture H20
Current Culture Hydroponics is a company that specializes in creating innovative and high-performance hydroponic systems for both commercial and home growers.
Current Culture Hydroponics has developed a patented version of this system, called Under Current, which uses a series of interconnected modules to create a highly efficient and effective growing environment. Although unique, it should be kept in mind that anything specific to a company will also require specific parts. Anybody who has owned an expensive import vehicle has shared this same pain when fixing it.
In addition to their innovative hydroponic systems, Current Culture Hydroponics also offers a range of nutrient solutions and supplements that are specifically designed to work with their systems. These products are formulated to provide plants with the optimal balance of nutrients and micronutrients, promoting healthy growth and maximizing yields.
Overall, Current Culture Hydroponics is a good brand that offers pre-designed systems. They wont provide much in the way of customizable systems like Hydra, but whatever Hydra can’t do for you we’re sure these guys can pick up on.
DIY deep water culture hydroponics systems by 4trees
While some people may have the budget for pre-built systems, we also understand the need to cut costs when starting your new venture out. Building your hydroponics system from scratch can also certainly come with a slew of other benefits too.
By building your hydroponics systems from scratch you eliminate the need for ordering expensive parts if you need to fix something or add on to it later as they will all be locally sourced. You also have full control over all of the systems parameter’s which is something we like here at 4trees since we always add components to even pre-built systems.
There are many specific perimeters you must cover for successful hydroponics growth such as dissolved oxygen and water temperature along with system revolutions. When the team at 4trees gets to create a customer DIY plans for a hydroponics system these are all parameter’s we get to build right into your system. So not only do you get a cheaper system, but you often have these crucial key factors already worked out.
DIY rockwool drain to waste systems by 4trees
Rockwool drain to waste is a very easy automated hydroponics system to get into for growers. In turn for increased labor and slightly slower growth you get a cheaper grow system to setup. This is because it lacks the requirements for such powerful water chillers. Although water chillers are still recommended you can often get away without even using them with drain to waste systems.
This is because the water is not passing through the warm grow environment constantly, but rather being fed to the plants as needed. That, combined with the reduced grow site construction decreases the initial building cost by quite a bit. However, the ongoing cost of grow medium is higher by needing to purchase more rockwool cubes and slabs regularly opposed to deep water culture hydroponics systems.
Another thing that makes rockwool drain to waste a common go-to for growers transitioning from soil is its similarity in feeding and how the pH and PPM control is similar. When you are mixing your nutrients in your feed tank you will be setting your pH, and your PPM levels to the desired levels depending on the growth phase and health. If you do this in a deep water culture system you know that this requires daily adjustment, where the drain to waste style feed tanks require only maybe a slight pH adjustment over time. It’s much different due to the water and nutrients not passing through roots constantly and having their structure changed, which changes the pH more frequently.
The team at 4trees has been perfecting drain to waste rockwool hydroponic systems for decades along with our deep water culture techniques. We enjoy planning peoples DIY hydroponics systems and would be glad to work with you on your next room!
