“Everything is going under glass,” says Clarence Bares, owner of Heartland Hydroponics. “It’s the way of the future, especially with the crazy weather we have now.”
Plants grown hydroponically are grown indoors in an inert medium, such as gravel or vermiculite, through which water, air and nutrients are pumped.
“Most of the technology is coming from countries that don’t have a big growing season, like Holland or Canada,” Bares said. In addition to the supplies needed to grow plants indoors such as ebb-and-flow trays, pumps, filters, fertilizers, water test kits and lights, Bares also sells home brewing and backyard pond supplies.
Many of the products you wouldn’t find at your local nursery, such as bags of bat guano. “Bat guano has some very good numbers for nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. We have customers who don’t want to use any chemicals, who are insistent on things being completely organic. These people don’t care if it costs them $5 to grow a single cucumber if it’s hydroponically grown with no insecticides or pests on it.”
Some of Bares’ customers, most of whom find out about his store through trade journals, grow a few houseplants under artificial lights, while others have greenhouses.
“Orchid growers are very particular, orchids are their babies. They want to know every minute detail: the spectrum of the light, how many lumens and footcandles, the type of fertilizer. Our sphagnum moss comes from New Zealand. It’s supposed to be the cleanest, best moss for orchids,” Bares said.
Home brewers can be fussy, too. “Some take it as a science, while others just throw it in the pot and see what comes up. It’s like a guy’s way of cooking; they can drink the results.”
Students make their way to Heartland Hydroponics, where they find supplies and guidance from Bares or his wife, Sarah. “Many children are doing hydroponics as a school project. I must get half a dozen students in here a week,” he said.
Bares, who grew up on a farm in Ohio, and Sarah, are self-taught in matters hydroponic. “My customers are so knowledgeable it astounds me,” Bares said. “I’m learning every day.”
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Heartland Hydroponics, in Vernon Plaza at 115 Town Line Rd., Vernon Hills, is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call 708-816-4769.
