A European seed multinational has incorporated 8,000 linear metres of ECO system in one of its greenhouses in Chile. This project reinforces an increasingly clear trend in professional agriculture: producing hydroponically does not always require starting with complex systems or high investments.
In many greenhouses, the move towards a more technical crop starts with an apparently simple decision: to stop allowing drainage to be lost onto the floor and to start collecting, controlling and making better use of it.
That is precisely the role of Hydroponic Systems’ floor-based systems.
The ECO system has been designed for growers who want to access the advantages of substrate hydroponic cultivation with a practical, robust and scalable solution. Instead of depending on an elevated system, the grower can work with a floor gutter that collects drainage, separates the crop from accumulated moisture and improves the overall management of the greenhouse.
In the case of this project in Chile, the double-row installation makes it possible to organise the crop efficiently, optimise the available space and establish a cleaner technical base for daily work inside the greenhouse.
Accessible hydroponics for professional projects
For years, hydroponics has been associated with high-tech greenhouses, elevated gutters, advanced automation and investments that are difficult for many growers to afford. However, the reality of the market is broader.
Many farmers, seed companies, nurseries and vegetable growers need to improve their cultivation system without completely transforming their infrastructure. They are looking for a solution that allows them to work with substrate, control drainage, reduce humidity in the cultivation area and prepare the installation for more efficient water and fertiliser management.
This is where floor-based systems with Spacer and drainage collection gutter offer very clear value.
They make it possible to take a first step towards professional hydroponics without having to install an elevated structure from the outset. The grower maintains a solution that is simple in concept, but technically very powerful in its effects: more order, greater drainage control, less contact with moisture and an installation that is better prepared for recirculation strategies.
The Spacer: a small component with agronomic impact
One of the key elements of the ECO system is the Spacer. Its function is to separate the bag or substrate from the area through which the drainage flows. This separation creates an air chamber beneath the crop, prevents direct contact between the substrate and the drained water, and helps reduce persistent humidity under the plant.
In intensive crops, this detail can make an important difference. When the substrate remains in contact with wet surfaces, the root zone works under poorer conditions. There may be less aeration, more accumulated humidity and a higher risk of problems associated with stressed roots.
The Spacer improves this situation from the base. It helps promote a more aerated, cleaner and more stable root zone. In hydroponics, where the root is the entry point for water and nutrients, that stability is essential for achieving a more uniform crop.
For this reason, although the Spacer was created as a simple solution to solve a specific problem, today it has become one of the most representative elements of Hydroponic Systems.
Own gutter for collecting and conducting drainage
The second strategic element of the system is the drainage collection gutter, manufactured by Hydroponic Systems.
The gutter collects the water not absorbed by the plant and conducts it in an orderly way. This prevents accumulation on the floor, reduces wet areas inside the greenhouse and allows the grower to have better control over what happens after irrigation.
In professional agriculture, collecting drainage is no longer just a matter of cleanliness. It is a technical and economic decision.
Well-channelled drainage can be analysed, measured and, if the project is prepared for it, reused. Recirculation makes it possible to use part of the water and fertilisers that would otherwise be lost. To reach that point, the first step is to have infrastructure capable of collecting drainage effectively.
The ECO system provides exactly that base.
A floor-based solution for growers who want to move forward
The installation of 8,000 linear metres in Chile shows that floor-based systems continue to play a very relevant role in the evolution of professional hydroponics.
Not every project needs to start with elevated gutters. In many cases, the grower needs a more accessible solution, with a good balance between investment and technical benefit, allowing them to professionalise crop management and prepare their greenhouse for more efficient production.
The ECO system with Spacer and gutter responds to that need.
It is a particularly interesting solution for vegetable greenhouses, seed companies, nurseries and growers who want to move towards substrate hydroponics in an orderly way. It improves drainage management, reduces humidity under the crop, separates the substrate from the drained water and keeps the installation cleaner.
In addition, as it is a system developed and manufactured by Hydroponic Systems, the grower benefits from an additional advantage: in-house manufacturing capacity and fast supply for projects that require a response within tight deadlines.
In-house manufacturing and fast supply
In agricultural projects, the technical product matters, but the supplier’s response capacity also matters.
Hydroponic Systems manufactures its own guttering systems, which makes it possible to adapt solutions, respond to different project needs and offer a more agile supply. For professional growers, this capacity is key when working with planting schedules, installation windows and investment decisions that cannot wait for months.
The Chile case confirms the confidence of large agricultural operators in solutions that combine simplicity, efficiency and specialised manufacturing.
The 8,000 linear metres of ECO system installed in double row are not just cultivation infrastructure. They are a practical way to move towards hydroponics that is more accessible, more orderly and more efficient.
For Hydroponic Systems, this type of project reinforces a central idea: innovation in hydroponics does not always mean making the system more complex. Very often, it means solving the grower’s essential problems better: how to separate the root from moisture, how to collect drainage, how to prepare the installation to reuse water and fertilisers, and how to do so with a reliable solution, manufactured by specialists and available within competitive lead times.
