I work in a hydroponics store in charge of dispay what should we grow?

[NorCalFor20]

so your a hydro store customer , 99.9% of our customers are here for the same reason i am but for legal reasons we can only grow edible fruits in our store displays, the basil display is getting old and we need something new, to attract customers so also they would have something they can pick and eat... we are running botanicare leach trays 3 stacked on a shelf 6-8 inches wide 3 feet long... drains down to res at the bottom with t-5 lights

 

[puffin fresh]

Bok choi - easy
chillies - easy
saffron - works well in perlite dont know about rockwool
Bay leaf - more like a tree/large bush you can keep short
curry leaf - beautiful aroma
piper varieties - some have huge leaves and extremely vigorous (root beer, pepper)
thai corriander - prehistoric looking
Vanilla orchid - mmmmmmm

all require some more work than basil tho to keep in hydro except chillies IMO

 

[eddie.saw]

Strawberries!! mmmmm

 

[Sleepy]

you mean you guys don't have a shriveled up Norfolk island pine under 2 1000 watters??

 

[smokeymacpot]

tomatos, chillis, strawberries.

 

[IamNug]

Tomatoes. awwz gheah. like a few kinds. let customers pick the ripe ones.... like me.

 

[MedCo]

Strawberries for sure, add some blueberry plants as well! All types of fruits are wonderful, especially if grown correct!

Hey, you can even harvest the fruits and make free smoothies for the customers, get them in there for the smoothies, and get them leaving with some 1000 watters, that's my moto! LOL

MMM Smoothies... can't wait for my plants. I can save up to $300 a month just in fruit!

 

[generalgrievous]

Fava bean and lemon cucumber.... Awesome flowers.... Unique.... Insanely vigorous ... And yummy raw....

 

[Bulldog11]

I also suggest barley. My hydro store has a flag pole out front that they have barley (or is it hops, grows like a vine?) growing up like 20 ft. I will try to take a pic next time I go there. Then tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini.

 

[poking smot]

I also suggest barley. My hydro store has a flag pole out front that they have barley (or is it hops, grows like a vine?) growing up like 20 ft. I will try to take a pic next time I go there. Then tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini.

Word. Grow some hops.

 

[Bulldog11]

hops, thank you poking smot. Hops is very close relative to cannabis, so the people in the know will smile.

 

[MediRI88]

PEPPERS mmmmh

 

[Lazyman]

Plant some bulbs in pots (gladiolis is one of my faves) or some other pretty flowers, and cut/give flowers to the women and little girls their daddies bring in.

I also like snow peas, they need a small trellis to grow/climb, and will produce lots of sweet peas for kids to eat too.

 

[Weird]

wheat grass

 

[NorCalFor20]

thank you guys for the reccomendations so far i am cosidering a few things

the strawberrys sound great although ive done a little reasearch and i can't come up with any ideas as to how to start from cuttings or would we start from seed, that would take a while to grow them from seed to bear fruit, i read that some people take "runners" from there existing strawberry plants, but prior to growing, the runners must be refrigorated 4-6 months to simulate the winter time so they will bear fruit....

peppers are a good idea, i think we should grow some of those peppers that have the record for hottest spice tempature and challenge our custoemrs to eat one for a discount LOL

hops would be a good idea but im not sure about the size or structure of the plants how they will work in our systems...

i love the smoothie/milkshake idea, we might have to get that going!

 

[Scottyboycx]

chillies, tomatoes and peppers are all the rage these days grow these well and i'm sure they will sell your systems

 

[smokeymacpot]

just buy a strawberry plant or a few, when they chuck out runners, you can either cut them off and throw them or pin them down to a small pot of compost and they will root themselves.
*edit* are you wanting them to grow in a hydro system? in that case pin the runner down so it roots into those hydrotron balls or whatever it is you use. i would guess tho that a drip would need placing where the roots would emerge as without moisture they wont root.

 

[ShroomDr]

Stawberries, Cool looking peppers, and cherry/grape/currant and unique looking heirloom tomatos.
Bitesize items that will really grab someones eye.

Purple basil would be different than the traditional green, and I would love to see oregano, or lemon balm right at the front door. I would imagine you could get them to get real fragrant. Someone stops to admire, give them some fruit or a sprig.

And A Hydroponic Green Bean Trellis!
(I'm not sure about nutrient needs, but a possible perfect companion for strawberries? I wish had room.)


As for strawberries, i bought 25 off of ebay about 3 months ago, and i know ive already gotten 25 runners; they are real prolific. When they come, the look all dried out, and possibly dead, but they are not. I think i read that 25 plants will support a family of 4, so once they start flowering, you will have plenty (mine are all for me!).
Im pretty sure ive been over feeding mine, they have humongous leaves, no burn just gigantic, but no blooms, from what ive been reading, they bloom below 85F and when not pumped full of nutrients. Plenty of runners though!

 

[007.]

While I like the ideas of growing fun flowers and fruit smoothy fodder, I'm not sure it appeals to your customer base. As you mentioned, your customer base is there for one reason. Do you really have to grow edible plants in your displays? I'd grow something that looked kind of like weed if I was creating the displays.

I say you need to find two plants, one that has forked leaves and looks kind of weed-ish. And one that has something that looks like a top cola. Now decide if each display is appealing to a customers vegging or flowering needs, and assign plants accordingly.

Although I suppose one could make an argument that you shouldn't be too obvious as your customers will smell heat.

PS: I've always found that anything purple bud-wise will sell for a premium. Maybe grow some purple plants to lend the air that your equipment will create purple buds?

 

[WasntMe]

strawberries are good because they replenish quickly, easy to grow and are interactive to a customer. They can be boring, though, if it's your only plant. Have at least 3 different things growing to show the easy of variety growing and give visual interest.


lemon cucumbers ... they are easy enough to grow, great to eat, visually interesting and most important: odd and unfamiliar enough to get people to ask "what is that?"

easy to grow but odd and unfamiliar plants cause questions .... getting the customer to ask questions causes the customer to start the conversation.... giving the customer a reason to approach you and start the convo puts the customer more at ease then you approaching him asking "can I help you?" repeatedly .... this opens up opportunities to show your knowledge and even tell a fun/funny story .... this means a comfortable product description/discussion for sales with the customer which ultimately means higher sales.

look for easy to grow odd plants, not gross or offensive plants, there is a difference.
IE.do not grow durian

If you have a high female clientèle in your store then you need to vary the plants with somethings that are fragrantly appealing ... like lavender. Women respond more to cleanliness and good smells in that type of environment.



good luck