home Ideas Is it possible to make money with hydroponics? Indoor hydroponics business

Is it possible to make money with hydroponics? Indoor hydroponics business

If you want to start an agricultural business, but do not have a large plot of land, then consider the option growing hydroponically . This method allows you to grow greens and vegetables outside the ground in several tiers, saving free space and achieving high yields. In this article we will look at what hydroponics is, what its advantages and disadvantages are, and also provide calculations of the efficiency of such a business.

Introduction

Traditionally, greens and vegetables are grown in the ground in the garden, in the field or in special boxes. The seeds are buried in the soil and moistened, after which they germinate under the influence of heat and light. Sprouts obtain nutrients from the soil through regular watering. It's called hydroponics innovative way growing seedlings and crops in which soil is not used at all. Plants receive the micro/macroelements they need for growth from the nutrient solution that bathes the roots.At the same time, they do not need to be planted in the ground and soil used, which significantly reduces labor costs and investments in the purchase of soil.

Hydroponics is a method of growing crops without substrate

To organize a small business growing herbs or vegetables you will need a minimum investment. You don’t even need a plot of land for this: you can adapt a separate room in an apartment or private house for a “farm,” but if you want to do this seriously, then you need to think about building a full-fledged greenhouse with an area of at least 60 m2. Accordingly, in order to extend the season for vegetables and herbs, it needs to be heated. The easiest way to organize air heating is with the help of modern solid fuel stoves, but in fact it all depends on the region in which you live. Let's look at the advantages of this technology:

There is no need for a large plot. 10 acres is enough to organize a full-fledged farm.
The risks when growing hydroponically are practically reduced to zero (you will get a harvest in any case if you do not disrupt the technical process). With classical cultivation, the risks are much greater.
Plants will not die from drought even during hot periods, since they are in a nutrient solution.
There is no need to use fertilizers or products like Roundup that kill living plants.
Your crop will not be destroyed by pests, since they usually live in the soil. With this kind of cultivation there is no soil.
Yields will be higher and more stable than with classical cultivation.
Greens grown using hydroponics are stored 30–50% longer than classically grown ones.
Possibility of organizing vertical farms on several shelves to save space.
Lack of seasonality. If you have heating, you will get stable yields all year round.
High income due to low expenses and high growth productivity.

How to register

If you decide to get serious about business, then you need to register as self employed or LLC. This will allow you to enter into contracts for the supply of herbs and vegetables with shops, supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets. If you do not plan to work on a large scale, then at first you can do without registration. This will save you a few hundred rubles and simplify the process, but remember that the government and tax authorities They are gradually catching self-employed people, imposing sanctions, fines and reducing their rights.

Since our hydroponics business plan is designed for a serious approach, then we will consider the option of registration. To do this, you need to visit your local tax office, write a corresponding application and pay the state fee. There is an option to register as a self-employed person: this opportunity appeared in 2019. To register, you don’t even need to visit the tax office: you just need to use your smartphone. To grow greens you do not need licenses, certificates or other permits, so you just need to register by selecting the appropriate activity codes (KVED 01.12.1).

Hydroponics allows you to organize modern greenhouses

How exactly to register: as an individual entrepreneur or LLC? Since you need to simplify your reporting and reduce costs as much as possible, choose the option with individual entrepreneurship. It is quite enough for full-fledged work with counterparties. It is recommended to choose options with an LLC only when you are organizing a business with someone and want to divide the investments officially, or in the future you plan to sell the business/develop it into something bigger. The easiest way to work is on the Unified Agricultural Tax, that is, on the unified agricultural tax, which implies taxation in the amount of 6 percent of net profit.

What equipment is needed

Looking at hydroponics as a business, you need to figure out what kind of equipment you will have to purchase and how the process works. Let's start with the equipment. First, you will need a room or greenhouse to house it in. Secondly, you will need lighting, heating and watering. If you do this in a house or apartment, you also need good ventilation with recovery to remove excess moisture and prevent the walls from becoming damp. The equipment itself is divided into two large classes:

Flow-through, which is powered by a special motor. The motor supplies a stream of water that runs and washes the roots of the plants.
Drip, which supplies the solution to the base of the stem.

Attention:There are also mixed systems that operate simultaneously on the drip and flow principles. They are used for growing berries and other crops that require moisture.

The classic flow system is used for growing greens and those crops that do not consume a lot of moisture (with low stems). Drip is great for tall plants and vegetables. It is used for growing eggplants, tomatoes, etc. Mixed systems are used in cases where one or another method is not suitable in its pure form and does not provide adequate nutrition. In any case, whichever option you choose, you will need:

Racks with 2–4 shelves to accommodate the system. The number of shelves depends on the height of the plants: for radishes or low-growing dill you can put 3-4 shelves, and for tomatoes 1-2.
Room heating system. Needs support constant temperature so that the seedlings grow with maximum efficiency.
Filter for purifying water from mechanical particles. It is selected depending on the total volume of water passing through the system.
Lighting system. It is necessary to provide full daylight for plants. It is recommended to use not ordinary incandescent lamps, but special phytolamps operating in the required spectrum. Because of them, plants grow many times faster, becoming more voluminous.

In addition to the above, you will need special equipment for packaging products, refrigeration chambers for storing them, as well as an electric generator in case the electricity goes out for 12 hours or more. If we talk about consumables, then you will need to purchase substrate and seeds of the crops that you plan to grow. Also think about how you will package finished products. It can be sold simply by weight or packaged in convenient containers.

High-quality lighting increases productivity

What to grow

What crops can be grown using this technology? Practice shows that there are practically no restrictions. But in general, beginners are advised to focus on those crops that are familiar to them and that are popular in your region so that you can establish constant sales of them. You must understand that it is better for you to sell goods not in small quantities at retail, but in bulk, handing them over large stores, networks, resellers, etc., because working with retail itself takes a lot of time and requires extra expenses. Therefore, focus on wholesalers. To choose what exactly you will grow, focus on the following indicators:

What temperature can you maintain?
Will you be able to install modern systems lighting.
What humidity will the room withstand (in residential buildings the humidity cannot be kept at 98–100%, as they will quickly collapse and develop mold/fungus).

Attention:no need to focus on exotic plants. You can, of course, grow pineapples, but in most cases the costs will not be comparable to the income.

The emphasis should be on mass participation, and not on high prices. Although you can keep the price of your products a little higher than the market price, justifying this by the fact that you are offering people environmentally friendly products that grow without chemicals and nitrates.What exactly to grow? You can deal specifically with greens, supplying customers green onions, parsley, lettuce, dill, basil and other popular plants. You can start growing wild strawberries, strawberries and other berries. Radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers grow well in hydroponics. In short, you can grow almost everything that can be grown in conventional greenhouses. The main thing is that you can sell everything you grow, and at the same time automate the process as much as possible.

Where to sell

Above, we already looked at sales options and said that it is better to sell everything wholesale than to build a retail store. hydroponics business. Business plan should be built solely on these considerations: you won’t be able to sell greens and vegetables on your own. To do this, you will need to hire a seller and bring him to the market, and his sales will be scanty. In principle, you can sell products on your site, but this will be more like an addition than a full-fledged sale. Look for contacts of wholesalers, which are:

Local vegetable stores and markets. You don't need to sell the products yourself, just sell them in bulk at the purchase price.
Wholesale warehouses. The best option, but you won’t always be able to conclude an agreement with wholesalers. The fact is that they need stable and large supplies, and if you don’t have a name and recommendations, then no one will really want to work with you. Unless you can conclude temporary contracts, and if everything goes as expected, the wholesalers will conclude permanent contracts with you.
Restaurants and cafes. Many greenhouse growers ignore these establishments, and completely in vain. You can organize delivery to several points: they will take several kilograms of fresh produce every day.
Shops and retail outlets. Not a bad option, especially if the store is located in a crowded place. You are also required to independently deliver goods as requested by the owners.

Try to sell your products in bulk

Profitability of the idea

So, let's look at how profitable this idea is and how much you will need to spend to get your first income. It is impossible to give exact figures, since everything depends on many factors: the chosen hydroponics, whether you have a plot or a greenhouse, the crops grown, the volume and number of sales. Therefore, let’s consider average values that have been repeatedly confirmed in practice.

Purchase of hydroponics (drip or flow) - 20 thousand rubles for a room with a volume of 25–30 m2.
Filters and tests for water - 10 thousand rubles.
Purchase of seeds and other consumables - 15 thousand.
Purchase of shelving - 10,000 rubles.
Organization of lighting, ventilation and heating - 50,000 rubles.

If it is necessary to build a greenhouse, then another 50 thousand rubles (polycarbonate version) or 20 thousand (film) should be added to the consumables. But it is better to choose polycarbonate, since it holds heat better and lasts at least 10 years, while the film has to be changed almost every year. In total, your total expenses will be approximately 160 thousand rubles, but this amount can be reduced almost three times if you start a business in a private house or apartment (the costs of a greenhouse and heating are eliminated, but ventilation costs are added).How much can you earn? On average, from 30 m2 you will receive approximately 30 thousand rubles in profit every month. Thus, all investments will pay off in about 5–6 months: the main thing is to organize the process correctly so that you do not have failures with the harvest and you can collect it continuously.

In contact with

The hydroponics business is becoming increasingly popular - growing crops in special liquid substrates containing all the necessary nutrients.

How much can you earn from hydroponics?

Hydroponic cultivation differs from that in that it does not require large material and labor costs in the process, but at the same time has high profits. What are the savings due to?

there is no need to cultivate, fertilize, or water the land;
there are no costs for pest and weed control, plants get sick less;
plants grow faster and bear fruit better, because all nutrients are supplied in full to the root system;
there is no factor of influence of weather conditions;
small areas are expected to be used;
no crop rotation required;
water consumption for irrigation is several times lower than when growing in open ground.

Hydroponics has its own specific risks. Firstly, a hydroponic business requires . Secondly, there is a high dependence on power supply: when the light is turned off, the supply of the nutrient medium stops. This threatens the death of plants. Third, great importance has a technical side: it is extremely important to keep the equipment in working order. To work at such enterprises, highly qualified workers are required. Fourthly, it is necessary to have an uninterrupted supply of water. Hydroponic growing as a business will be successful if you think through all the details of production and solve logistics issues.

How much can you earn? It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously. We can draw conclusions knowing that, at low costs, the yield in hydroponic production is many times higher than when cultivated using traditional methods.

Where to start a business?

Organizing a business requires planning. The business plan should include the following aspects.

1. What to grow

The priority is the issue of choosing a crop for cultivation. This:

ordinary vegetables - most often tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers;
greens: parsley, dill, cilantro, lettuce, onion;
, except for large bushes;
flowers;
seedling;
medicinal herbs.

Hydroponic installations are successfully used for germinating grain, solving the issue of providing animals with green food in winter time. Like a business in any industry, hydroponics must take into account the needs of the market of this region. The future harvest also largely depends on the chosen variety.

2. Where to sell products

You can sell your products to stores, wholesale centers and markets. But then it will have to be sold at a low price, which is not profitable for the farmer. It's better to open your own point of sale. It's a good idea to establish connections with a processing plant. In any case, we need to solve the problem in such a way as to do without intermediaries.

3. Where and how to grow

Knowing which culture to take as a basis, you need to choose a room. You can use any, but the unsuitable one will require extra costs related to lighting. Most best option- greenhouse.

With hydroponic production, it will be most cost-effective to grow produce year-round.

Therefore, to maintain the required temperature during the cold season, it is necessary to insulate the building or provide heating inside.

It has been verified that heating costs will be reduced by a third with high-quality thermal insulation.

4. Production management

It is necessary to combine theory and practice. Solving problems that arise during production process, monitoring the operation of all systems, establishing and maintaining connections with business partners are the tasks of the manager. Success in business depends on how competent his actions are.

5. Financial analysis of production

It is necessary to take into account expected and actual expenses and income, which will help make proper planning for the future.

Which hydroponic equipment should you choose?

Hydroponic technologies are based on irrigation. They are the ones who determine what equipment will need to be ordered. Distinguish passive systems, where the process occurs independently, and active, when the substrate is supplied using a pump.

Wick - the simplest passive way growing. The nutrient medium is supplied through the wicks independently. There is no outside intervention, so the system is cheap and simple. Requires substrate container and wicks.
The most common is drip irrigation. Using a pump, the nutrient liquid is supplied to the roots in drops. This is mainly how vegetables are grown.
Flow hydroponics is most often used for growing greens. A life-giving solution circulates in the channels where the roots are located.
Drip-flow or combined. The device is complex, but progressive. Cultivates delicate crops, such as berries. With this system, plants can be arranged in tiers.
Aeroponics. She has a great future. There is no soil or liquid medium here. Plant roots hang freely in an opaque empty container, into which a liquid substrate is periodically supplied in the form of aerosols or mist. In addition to the pump, you need a sprayer and a timer.

Successful cultivation of plants requires solving three problems: lighting, watering, temperature regime. The correct selection of lamps, sufficiently powerful and reliable, is necessary. To heat greenhouses, you can purchase a fan heater, a convector, or a stove for heating with wood (you will need a fan to distribute the warm air evenly). If long and frequent power outages are real, then you will have to provide for an autonomous generator.

How much money do you need to start a business?

In order to organize own business in hydroponics, a decent investment is required. Even if you decide to create a small farm with retail point of sale with it, you will need from 10-25 thousand dollars.

The main expenses of a hydroponic business are:

or rent of the relevant premises;
hydroponic installation;
seeds and substrate;
shields, containers;
lighting;
systems for water purification and space heating;
backup electric heaters;
refrigeration units;
fuel storage tanks;
electric generators.

In addition to the listed costs, you need to pay for business registration, conduct advertising campaign, as well as solve all administrative issues, which also require certain financial costs.

Which OKVED code for a business should be indicated in registration documents

If you decide to engage in intensive agriculture using hydroponic technologies, then for the project in question it is best to use the OKVED code 01.13.

What documents are needed

List of necessary documentation that each organizer must prepare of this business, includes standard papers Individual entrepreneur or LLC, as well as SES permission, fire inspection and (in some cases) local authorities authorities. In addition, you need to conclude agreements with all counterparties, obtain laboratory test reports confirming the quality of the grown products and sign labor contracts with the staff. The last document must contain a clause on non-disclosure of information related to hydroponics.

Which tax system to choose

At the initial stage of organizing a business, it is best to pay a single agricultural tax or work on the simplified tax system (your contributions to the budget will not exceed 6% of gross income). If in a year or two you reach a level where the volumes of grown products allow you to enter into contracts with supermarkets and large wholesalers, then it would be more rational to pay taxes on a general basis. Begin

Hydroponic strawberries

Step-by-step opening plan
How much can you earn
Which equipment to choose
- conclusions

Strawberries are a popular berry that is loved not only in our country, but throughout the world. Strawberries are consumed both fresh and used in processing to make jam, jam, juices, etc. With the appearance of the first harvests in the spring, the berries are literally sold out. And sometimes it doesn’t matter what the price tag is. A kilogram of early strawberries in large cities costs at least 250 rubles...

You can start your own mini-business growing strawberries with summer cottage. To sell the first batches of berries, no documents are needed, since the products are sold from personal plots. Registration of individual entrepreneurs, tax deductions, all this later, when industrial scale appears. At first, berries can be sold through fruit shops and kiosks, as well as by handing over berries in small wholesale quantities to resellers. Do you want to learn more about business and earn stable money? We offer you new free marathon pro passive income And smart investment money. By choosing the method you are interested in, you will be able to receive good income, doing the obvious thing.

Growing strawberries in open ground

Growing strawberries in open ground is the most common method. There are a number of objective reasons for this:

Low investment. No buildings of any kind, in the form of greenhouses (read more about growing in a greenhouse) and hydroponic setups are not required. You can start with your own garden, and then, as necessary, either rent a plot or buy it. Main investments: fertilizers, planting material and drip irrigation (not counting the land plot).
The technology is simple and clear. A little literature - and you can get a good harvest.
Strawberries grown outdoors are juicy, sweet and more “natural”. Selling such a product is much easier.

In open ground, strawberries are planted in rows, at a distance of 35 - 40 cm from each other. The soil must be covered with spunbond-based agrofibre. This material protects the plant from direct sunlight, while retaining moisture, allowing air to pass through and accumulating heat. The most common varieties for open ground: Gigantella, Elizabeth II, Albion, Honey. The fruits of these varieties are large and appetizing. Thus, the fruits of the Gigantella variety grow up to 100 grams. Just 10 berries - we get a kilogram of marketable strawberries.

The disadvantages of open ground are obvious:

Seasonality. Depending on the climatic conditions of the region, strawberries can be grown exclusively between May and September.
Dependence on weather conditions. Drought, frost, etc., and you can lose almost the entire harvest.
Diseases, pests, and weeds, which are present in abundance in open ground, will haunt the farmer.
Harvesting - you have to pick berries by literally crawling on the ground, which is extremely inconvenient. Hence we get higher costs for labor during the harvest period.

With all its pros and cons, growing in open ground is the surest way to start a strawberry business. Firstly, it is cheaper and therefore less risky. Secondly, you don’t need to have any serious knowledge to plant a field and reap the first harvest. Finally, this will allow you to try to sell the berries. And sales in this matter, as practice shows, is the most difficult stage. Having learned to sell, you can think about how to increase production volumes. There are others on this score, more expensive, but also more effective ways growing strawberries.

Video about a successful farm growing strawberries in open ground:

Hydroponic strawberries

Hydroponics is a very popular method of growing plants indoors. Thus, in Israel, hydroponics is used by more than 80% farms. This method involves planting plants in a thin layer of organic substrate (peat, for example), laid on a mesh and placed in a tray with a nutrient solution. Speaking in simple words In hydroponics, the plant is fed not from the soil, but from a mineral solution, the composition of which is formed depending on the type of plant. Strawberries are also actively grown hydroponically, although there are few such farms in our country. What are the advantages of hydroponics:

The plant always receives the right amount of nutrients, much more than from solid soil. Hence faster growth and faster harvest.
There is no need for daily watering.
Pests and diseases that are typical when grown in soil (mole crickets, fungal diseases, nematodes) are completely absent.
There is no need to purchase soil for transplanting strawberries and spend money on its delivery.
It is much easier to replant a plant without damaging the roots.
The resulting berry is environmentally friendly, since no toxic chemicals or pesticides are used during the growing process.

Particularly successful farmers manage to produce up to 45 kg of strawberries per 1 sq. m. using hydroponics. m., or 450 tons from 1 hectare! The hydroponics method is extremely popular among homeowners who grow berries as a hobby. People plant strawberries this way not only in greenhouses, but also on window sills. And fresh berries, when choosing the appropriate varieties, grow all year round. Ready-made hydroponic installations and systems can be purchased from specialized companies. You can also construct a hydroponic installation with your own hands; fortunately, there are many videos on this subject on the Internet. For example this:

As the basis for the installation, you can use ordinary plastic containers placed on racks. If we talk about large planting areas, then the obvious disadvantages of the system include the high cost of structures and high energy costs, because plant growth requires a continuous supply of oxygen to the solution. Moreover, if an entrepreneur decides to grow strawberries in this way industrial scale, will require the construction of greenhouses, which makes the project very expensive. Discount costs. A hydroponic installation for 30 seats will cost about 10,000 rubles, for 3,000 bushes - 1,000,000 rubles. In terms of area, this number of installations will occupy about 50 square meters. m. A fully equipped greenhouse of this size will cost about 150,000 rubles. In total, the total cost of the project exceeds a million, excluding the costs of planting material and substrate.

Trukars - growing strawberries vertically

An interesting device called “Trukar” was invented by Alexander Naseichuk from Leningrad region. Trukar is a pipe with pockets, installed vertically. A strawberry bush is sown in each pocket and connected to a drip irrigation system. What are the advantages of Trukar? Firstly, the greenhouse area is significantly saved (by about 300%). One trukhar occupies only 0.5 square meters. m. and holds 90 strawberry bushes. That's only for 1 sq. m. we can place 180 strawberry bushes, thereby increasing the profitability of the entire greenhouse. Secondly, the trukar is very convenient in terms of planting plants and subsequently caring for them. You can watch more details about growing strawberries in trucers in the following video:

During the season (2-2.5 months), up to 12 kg of strawberries are harvested from one farmer. Accordingly, from 500 trukars (500 sq. m.) you can get 6 tons of strawberries. IN in monetary terms this is approximately 1.2 million rubles. revenue if you sell strawberries for an average of 200 rubles/kg. This is if we take into account ordinary varieties. With remontant varieties, the yield and income, accordingly, may be slightly higher.

Growing strawberries in bags using Dutch technology

A variation of the vertical method is growing strawberries in plastic bags using the so-called Dutch technology. The essence of this technology is that seedlings are planted at a certain interval, after 2 - 3 months. This allows you to harvest continuously without using remontant varieties. In order for strawberries to begin to bear fruit, regardless of the time of year, they must be preserved, that is, sent into hibernation, as happens under natural conditions. To do this, well-developed strawberry bushes are cut in the fall and stored in a refrigerated place. A regular refrigerator is suitable for these purposes. The result is seedlings called "Frigo". Such seedlings can be “awakened” at any time by planting them in closed ground in a greenhouse (Recommended reading business plan greenhouse farming ). And it doesn’t matter when you do it, in January or May. The main thing is that the greenhouse is ready for planting. A couple of months after planting, the strawberries will bear their first harvest.

The best varieties for Dutch technology are Elsanta, Darselect, Maria, Sonata, Gloom, Polka, Tristar and, of course, Albion (the most popular greenhouse strawberry variety). Strawberries are planted in bags made of white plastic film. The length of the bag is 2 meters and the diameter is 16 cm. The bag is filled with a substrate, including soil and fertilizers. Next, holes of 7 cm are made in the bag in a checkerboard pattern in four rows, at a distance of 25 cm from each other. Then the bags are hung on special supports, 2-3 bags per square meter. You can do it a little differently by placing the bags horizontally on regular racks. In this way you can make several tiers. Plants are fed using droppers, which are supplied in three parts of the bag every 50 cm. Strawberries are pollinated by hand, using a soft brush or using a fan.

Step-by-step opening plan

Having a certain amount of money to start with, you need to decide which method of growing strawberries is right for you. Based on this, choose: · Place (or room) for planting strawberries; · Equipment for growing berries; · Planting material - the variety that is most profitable for a given growing method; Product sales plan

How much can you earn

When grown in open ground, by the second year, 10 acres provide both seedlings and enough berries - 700-800 kg. In this case, all costs of the first year are covered: planting material, drip irrigation system, film or agrofibre. You can expand the planting area. But the third year already gives a clean and good income. I guarantee up to 2 tons of excellent berries from approximately 5 thousand strawberry bushes. The profitability of growing strawberries in a greenhouse exceeds 100%, and the payback is usually predictable in the first season. But, starting investments costs for organizing and equipping greenhouse farming are 30-50% higher than for agricultural production in open ground. When grown in the Dutch way (in bags) from one square meter you can get up to 30 kg. garden strawberries. When selling berries in the summer, with an average price of 70 rubles. per kilogram, from one square meter you can earn more than 2 thousand rubles. And in the cold season, the price for a “vitamin product” will be on average about 200 rubles/kilo, the benefit accordingly will be up to 6 thousand rubles. With a berry yield of 50 sq.m and taking into account expenses, the profit will be under 300 thousand rubles.

How much money do you need to start a business?

On average, to build a greenhouse with a planting area of 1 hectare, you will need 1300-1450 thousand rubles. To set up a 1 meter square room for producing berries in bags you will need about 300 rubles (including planting material). If you have problems with starting capital, we offer the opportunity to earn at least part of the money. The one we offer is suitable for this purpose. set of 50 ways. From it you can choose starting options without investment.

Which equipment to choose

Equipment for growing: · in open ground - drip irrigation (pipes, fittings and filters, drip tape), mulching film or agrofibre; · Dutch method - room (barn, garage, etc.), polyethylene bags 200-220 cm long, 15-16 cm in diameter. For each bag there are 3 irrigation pipes and a mixture of peat and perlite; · for hydroponics - trays, pumps, tubes and nutrient substrate; · for the trukar method - a pipe with pockets, a substrate, an irrigation system.

Which OKVED code to indicate when registering a business?

Code 01 is responsible for strawberry agricultural production. Agriculture, hunting services in these industries, namely 01.1. Plant growing. And its clarifying subclause 01.13.21. Growing fruit and berry crops.

What documents are needed to open a business?

Registration of peasant- farm(peasant farm) is necessary when there is sufficiently voluminous work and a processing area (more than 1 Ha). Otherwise, farming on a personal plot is allowed without any taxes.

Professional business plans on the topic:

Farm business plan (14 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇

conclusions

We looked at the 4 most well-known methods of growing strawberries on an “industrial scale”. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages and requires careful study before use. Which method is best to choose is up to you, because a lot depends not only on the growing conditions, but also on the available financial resources for the implementation of the project. You can also consider the option with raspberry growing business.

We also recommend that you read articles about TOP 5 business and investment methods, which the author of this blog, Andrey Merkulov, tested on himself. There you will also find valuable advice based on the experience of an entrepreneur.

Starting a hydroponic business requires opening small business, whose activities are based on intensive crop production. A successful development project is impossible without a carefully drawn up business plan.

About everyone important nuances, which need to be mentioned in this document, and will be discussed in our article.

Market and competition analysis

One of the most important components of the plan is the assessment of the product market depending on the characteristics of the general state of the industry. Only after this can you start talking about the market need that the company can satisfy.

This section should contain the following information:

market sales statistics;
classification of users and distributors;
assessment of annual product consumption.

The results of the market analysis should answer a number of questions that every novice entrepreneur inevitably faces:

what size is the market;
what stage is inherent in it at the present time (there are 3 main stages: growing, static or contracting);
what share the company can take;
what can contribute to increasing market share over time;
whether there are circumstances that may disrupt the intention to enter the market or expand its activities in it;
who is the company's main competitor, what are its main advantages.

You can see the procedure for organizing this activity in the following video:

Production plan

Hydroponics is growing plants using a soilless system, while nutrition is carried out using a special aqueous solution.

A hydroponic system can be "passive" or "active". The first option involves delivering the nutrient solution to the roots only through capillary force without the use of mechanical force. Otherwise, such a system is called “wick”. And any “active” system is based on the fact that the nutrient fluid is moved by special pumps. Many of them have a parallel aeration system and saturate the nutrient solution with oxygen.

A hydroponic system is usually based on one of the following principles:

You can grow plants using hydroponics such as: anthurium, ficus, sheffler, philodendron, hibiscus, etc. In addition, you can grow cucumbers, eggplants, strawberries, peppers and herbs.

To start such a business, you should stock up on the required number of special hydropots. Each includes a decorative and inner vessel. Plastic is used to make the inner vessel. The bottom and walls must be equipped with special holes that provide the root with oxygen and minerals. The space in the inner container must be filled with a substrate into which the plant will be planted in the future.

The substrate is expanded clay, the granule size of which ranges from 2 to 16 mm.

It is chemically neutral and has a porous structure, which allows it to achieve good water and breathability. The internal vessel must also be provided with a liquid level indicator. The pot is placed in an outer vessel containing a liquid nutrient solution. The outer container must meet characteristics such as waterproofness, stability, convenience and beauty. The most common is the plastic option, but you can also find ceramic, wood and metal.

The liquid level indicator is a plastic tube, inside of which there is a scale indicating the level of the nutrient solution in the outer vessel.

Financial plan

The document must contain information about the funds required to start.

So let's get started:

a finished greenhouse in which you can grow plants all year round will cost about 30 thousand rubles;
seeds – 5 thousand rubles;
gardening tools and fertilizers – 4 thousand rubles;
heating system – 12 thousand rubles;
50 meters of polypropylene pipes – 12 thousand rubles;
fuel – 10 thousand rubles;
drilling a well necessary for irrigation - 2 thousand rubles;
payment electrical energy– 15 thousand rubles;
pay wages assistant – 120-180 thousand rubles. in year;
rent – 100 thousand rubles.

Organizational plan

Even ordinary cultivation of greens for sale requires an official registration procedure. The most suitable option is. Optimal system taxation is . The single agricultural tax requires payment of 6% of net income.

If you plan to hire personnel, you should register with pension fund and FSS.

Sales markets

The prosperity of this business can be ensured through the sale own products at the best prices.

Sales channels include:

Wholesale vegetable warehouses. The main advantage is fast implementation. However, the purchase price differs low level Therefore, one cannot count on receiving high profits.
Wholesale warehouses offering pickup. The purchasing price is slightly higher than on a wholesale basis.
Point practicing retail trade . This is exactly the place where you can get maximum income.
Processing company: restaurant, cafe, cannery or other enterprise.

Risk analysis

The specific and main problems are:

death of plants as a result of power outages;
infestation by pests, as well as the development of various diseases and fungi as a result of landless housing;
The complete evaporation of the substrate or its too strong concentration has a detrimental effect on plants.

Careful monitoring of activities allows you to avoid the troubles described above and quickly reach a decent and stable level income.