Service
Soilless Growing Consultancy
Soilless (hydroponic/substrate) growing consultancy: system and substrate choice, nutrient solution, EC-pH and drainage management for controlled production.
Book a consultation on WhatsAppWhat problem do I solve?
In soilless production the most expensive mistakes are made at setup: the wrong substrate, insufficient root volume, a row layout that ignores drainage, and feeding that is not based on measurement. Soil is a buffer that forgives errors to a degree; substrate has no such buffer. When the system is not built correctly from the start, problems grow fast within the season.
My aim is to turn unsuitable soil from an obstacle into a controllable production environment, and in an existing system to find and fix the bottleneck that is holding yield down.
Scope of the service
- Transition analysis: current soil and yield performance compared against a substrate system
- System and substrate choice (coir/perlite blend, pot or bag volume, raised row layout)
- Planning the drip irrigation and fertigation infrastructure
- Nutrient solution program: ratios, EC and pH targets by growth stage
- Drainage management: drain percentage, drain water measurement routine, collection and reuse
- Matching greenhouse climate to nutrition (humidity, ventilation, irrigation frequency)
- Diagnosis and correction plan for an existing soilless operation
How does the process work?
- First consultation: clarifying crop, scale, existing infrastructure and target
- On-site inspection and analysis (including water analysis)
- A written plan for the system, substrate and nutrition program
- Technical support during installation
- Updating the program through the season based on measurement data
Who is it for?
Holdings whose soil is unsuitable for production (heavy clay, saline, high water table, or under root disease pressure); growers who want to raise yield per unit area in a limited space; and operations whose existing soilless greenhouse is not delivering the yield they expected.
Frequently asked questions
Does moving to a soilless system make sense for my holding?
We make that decision on calculation, not feeling. If your soil is heavy clay, saline, has a high water table or a history of root disease, a substrate system deserves serious assessment. If your soil is already suitable, the extra investment may not justify itself; we weigh that together.
Which crops do you advise on for soilless production?
I work mainly with berries (raspberry, blackberry, strawberry) and protected vegetables. We build the system type, substrate and nutrition program together according to your crop and greenhouse conditions.
Do you set up the nutrient solution and EC-pH management?
Yes. I set up the EC-pH monitoring of both the applied solution and the drain water, the nutrient ratios that change with growth stage, and the measurement routine. Because substrate lacks the buffering of soil, that monitoring is the heart of the system.
My existing soilless greenhouse underperforms; will you come just to diagnose it?
Yes. Independently of any new build, I audit the root zone, drainage, irrigation frequency, solution balance and climate management in the existing system, identify the bottleneck and produce a correction plan.
Can you give exact figures for setup cost and yield?
Cost and yield vary greatly with region, greenhouse conditions, crop and scale, so it would be wrong to quote a fixed figure upfront. We build a realistic projection together using your own data.
Get consultancy for soilless growing
A program tailored to your field, on-site trials and grower training. Message on WhatsApp for a first consultation.
Author
Ramazan Yıldırım
Senior Agricultural Engineer · Licensed to issue plant-protection prescriptions (Turkish Ministry of Agriculture)
Over 20 years of field experience advising growers across Türkiye and the Turkic states; founder of PR Tarım A.Ş. and Technical Director at Fernabio.
About Ramazan Yıldırım →