Hydroponic Case Studies H2Gro Limited

An NFT hydroponic lettuce and watercress installation was the solution for Sheryl and Bryan Burke who have 11 acres of land in Waiuku needing to earn an income. And after considering a variety of suppliers in the hydroponic industry, including a turnkey franchise, they decided to work with Stocker Horticultural and Hydroponic Supplies to help turn their ideas into reality and are extremely pleased with their choice.

Everything had to be designed and built from scratch. The system they now operate has approximately 5600 propagation plants, 14400 nursery and 14875 growing plants, growing in 39 15m benches. Sheryl seeds all their own seedlings at around 5 and a half beds of lettuce and 2 beds of watercress each week. All of this keeps them both extremely busy, especially as they operate another business as well as the hydroponic installation. However only 12 months after harvesting their first crop, the hydroponics is Sheryl and Bryan’s main income.

Stockers supplied the entire nursery system including two flood and drain benches, lights etc and they supplied all the gullies, tanks, automatic dosers, pumps etc for the growing benches. A computer controller and pump was installed by Neville Stocker to ensure adequate feeding and monitoring of nutrient and water conditions for all the plants. A lettuce/watercress nutrient has been specially formulated by Grenville Stocker to suit Sheryl and Bryan’s crop and water analysis ensuring the best possible plant growth and production.

“Neville and Grenville are both very, very supportive,” said Sheryl, “They are there whenever we need them. We called Grenville at 11pm one night and he calmly told us how to fix our problem. Then he called us back the next morning just to check that we were OK.”

Sheryl and Bryan have had their fair share of disasters and problems over the past 18 months, such as storms putting holes in their plastic and distorting cloche hoops and tanks floating out of the ground, however they consider that the best way to learn. And according to Sheryl “Stockers have always been there to offer us advice along the way“

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