Sebastopol, Calif.-General Hydroponics, which supplies hydroponic growers all over the world, expects to add more than 30,000 gallons to its daily output of liquid fertilizer specifically formulated for plants growing in water with its second U.S. manufacturing facility, to be located in Martinsburg, W.Va. GenHydro is currently transforming a vacated apple packing warehouse with 50,000 square feet of space, which its President and CEO, Lawrence Brooke, describes as a prime location for the company to serve its customer base and distributors. The new plant is expected to be ready sometime next year and employ more than 30 people. Brooke said the new location complements the company’s existing facility in Sebastopol, which provides over 10 acres for testing new crops, hydroponic systems, nutrients, and related technologies. It also has factory space of 45,000 square feet in a modern industrial setting. New nutrient formulas to enhance flavor and yield, plus vitamin and mineral content in food crops for higher nutritional value, are under development. According to Jesse Pennington in the Sebastopol sales office, the Martinsburg location will most likely concentrate on nutrients and supplements production, while the growing systems manufacturing will remain in California, at least for the immediate future. Pennington explained that the hydroponic nutrients have to provide all of the 12 or 15 essential elements to grow plants without soil. “And the way we make the nutrients available to plants without the bacterial food web in the soil is with ‘chelates,’ which are basically acids that help break down the elemental molecule of the mineral and make it usable to the plant.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain