Hydroponics has really grown over the last few years. Owing to environmental and health reasons, as well as increasing consumer awareness, there has been a lot of emphasis on exploring alternative agricultural mechanisms.
As a result, hydroponics has evolved from a geeky hobby to an extremely lucrative business idea. In fact, forecasts suggest that the worldwide hydroponics market is expected to reach a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 8.5%, during the period 2021-2027.
When hydroponics became popular, there was an influx of literature covering the various aspects of this farming technique. If you’re looking for a commercial hydroponics book, scroll down to see a list of 7 of the best commercial hydroponics books, including Hydroponics (Richard Tyler), How to Hydroponics (Keith Roberto), DIY Hydroponics (Richard Bray), and Hydroponics Gardening (Richard Bray) (Raina Cain).
Commercial Hydroponics Books
1. Hydroponics – The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Quickly Start an Inexpensive Hydroponic System at Home to Grow Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs in Your Own Garden (Richard Tyler):
This commercial hydroponics book, as the comprehensive title suggests, covers everything you need to know about setting up an inexpensive hydroponics garden, even if you do not have any prior experience in this regard. In addition, Richard Tyler also talks about the way in which you can optimally use the available space in your house to set up a hydroponic farming system.
The commercial hydroponics book also covers the steps that you need to take to establish and build your own hydroponic business. You will learn about selecting, growing, and maintaining your hydroponic plants and deriving excellent vegetable and fruit produce.
2. How to Hydroponics (Keith Roberto):
As we mentioned, different books cover different aspects of hydroponic farming. In Keith Roberto’s How to Hydroponics, you will learn everything about the equipment involved in establishing and running this system.
Through this commercial hydroponics book, you will obtain the knowledge that you need in order to go about either making or buying your hydroponic equipment, confidently.
3. DIY Hydroponics – 12 Easy and Affordable Ways to Build Your Own Hydroponics System (Richard Bray):
This commercial hydroponics book is for anyone who wants to build a hydroponics garden but without spending big bucks on the equipment (or wants to experience the pleasure of developing the system right from scratch). In DIY Hydroponics, Richard Bray walks us through the six different kinds of hydroponics systems and covers detailed instructions related to establishing and maintaining a hydroponic farming garden.
From easy and simple methods for smaller plants (like creating a Wick System using soda bottles) to more comprehensive techniques like NFT (Nutrient Film Technique), this commercial hydroponics book offers twelve unique designs, and you can pick one that suits your purposes the best.
4. Hydroponics – A Practical Guide for the Soilless Grower (Dr. J. Benton Jones):
A University of Georgia Emeritus Professor, Dr. J. Benton Jones has more than five decades of experience in the hydroponics field.
The title of this commercial hydroponics book does not give a clear picture of its contents. It can be said that this commercial hydroponics book is less of a ‘practical guide’ and more of a scientific account explaining the chemical and biological hydroponics mechanisms. This information is crucial for anyone looking to establish an innovative and thriving hydroponics business – this is particularly true for theory and details regarding nutrient mixing. If you are not at all familiar with the concept of nutrient mixing in hydroponics, this video might help you understand the basics.
Although the book’s subject is somewhat complex, people with even a rudimentary scientific background can easily understand the language – you can think of it as a college textbook.
5. Hydroponics Gardening – A DIY Guide to Growing Vegetables (Raina Cain):
This 2018 publication is specifically for people wanting to explore the potential of hydroponics in growing vegetables. Hydroponics Gardening focuses on low-budget hydroponics methods, including how you can use easily available items to set up a hydroponic garden. Through this commercial hydroponics book, you will realize that setting up a hydroponic system in your garden or even basement is not as complex as it looks, especially with the right guidance.
Raina Cain highlights the easiest hydroponic vegetable options, as well as the common problems (and how you can avoid them) during hydroponic gardening. You will also learn how to prepare homemade fertilizers and use them in the gardening process.
6. Hydroponic Tomatoes (Howard M. Resh):
Howard M. Resh owns a Ph.D. in plant science and is one of the pioneers in the field of hydroponics. He has been publishing on this subject for close to 50 years and has conducted numerous hydroponic projects in many different places throughout the world, ranging from Taiwan to Venezuela to his native country, Canada.
In this commercial hydroponics book, Howard M. Resh talks about tomatoes – which are one of the desirable vegetable choices, as far as hydroponic gardening is concerned. Having said that, the tomato-growing process is slightly more complex compared to those of some other vegetables, and this complexity is what discourages a lot of hydroponic novices.
For this reason, Hydroponic Tomatoes are specifically targeted toward new gardeners. The book is full of tried-and-tested tips and practices that even people using conventional methods to grow tomatoes will find useful.
Despite its title, the book does not only talk about tomatoes but also discusses the fundamentals of the hydroponic process.
7. Commercial Hydroponics – How to Grow 86 Different Plants in Hydroponics (John Mason):
This old-school book came out way back in 1990, at a time when hydroponics had made the leap from experimental projects to farming operations and home backyards.
Even though the latest edition was published in 2000, the book still contains a wealth of relevant information regarding commercial hydroponics. This information is detailed and extensive and is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to scale their hydroponics operation to a commercial level.
Even though some of the information might not be relevant to readers residing in the Northern Hemisphere, the core content is useful no matter where in the world you might be residing.
Bonus Book for Plant Nutrition
Hydroponics book for beginners: The Ultimate Book For Hydroponic Gardening with equipment, nutrition, Pest management and common problems Kindle Edition
by Milo Gross
Final Word
To sum up, hydroponics has become quite the rage in recent years, which means that there are mountains of information available on the subject. While this is a good thing, it also makes it difficult for us to identify the material that is most suitable for us. If you have a commercial hydroponics practice or are planning to start one, we hope that the books discussed in this article will prove useful for you.
