Contents
- System control panel with sensor monitoring
- Plant sites: 42
- LED grow lights
- Fans
- Water pump
- 7-gallon water tank
- Grow medium sponges
- Reusable grow cups
- Germination tray, seeds, and rockwool
- 4 swivel casters
- 1-year limited warranty
Plant Producer Educational Hydroponics System
Take your classroom’s exploration of plant science to the next level with the Plant Producer Educational Hydroponics System. This advanced system is designed for growing production-level quantities of greens, providing an ideal solution for teaching agriculture, STEM, and sustainability. Featuring three vertical shelves, all connected to a single water source, this system ensures efficient nutrient distribution and concentrated plant growth across all levels. With 42 plant sites, students can cultivate a larger variety of greens and experience the potential of hydroponic farming on a production scale.
$2,749.00
Request a Free QuoteCurriculum
Introduction to Hydroponics Curriculum
Lesson topics:
1. What is Hydroponics
2. Plant Life
Teaching hours: 2
Includes: Presentation slides, student activities, and pre- and post-assessments
Aligns to: Common Career Technical Core Standards
Alignment and Crosswalk Documents
Features
- Grow production-level quantities of greens
- Three vertical shelves connect to a single water source, enabling equal nutrient allotment and concentrated growth on each level
- Includes starter kit materials and user guides so you can begin growing right away
- Easy-to-use hydroponics system to engage more students in agriculture, FCS and STEM programs
- Does not need to hook up to a hose or faucet
Specifications
- Dimensions: 74” x 31” x 15”
- Shelf Spacing (grow height): 20″ bottom, 12″ middle, 12″ top
- Weight: 100 lbs.
- Water capacity: one 7-gallon tank
- Fans: two fans per shelf unit
- Voltage: 120v, 60Hz
FAQs
Career Preparation
What careers can hydroponics help prepare students for?
Potential career opportunities include: nursery/greenhouse technician, cultivation manager, agricultural engineer, agronomist, irrigation technician, horticulture instructor, and culinary/food service.
How are other teachers using hydroponics systems?
Our hydroponics educational systems are used to engage students in agriculture, FCS, and science programs. They’re also used to incorporate STEM concepts into your curriculum and teach the relevant, in-demand skills that today’s careers require. Here is one example of a teacher’s experience.
General Usage
What is hydroponics?
A method of growing plants without soil
I’m new to hydroponics. Where do I start?
Find simple steps for starting a program and make sure you have everything you need:
Hydroponics Education Implementation
Starter kit materials and user guides are included with every purchase so you can begin growing right away
Why are these hydroponics units right for me?
Our hydroponics units save space, use less water than traditional soil farming, speed up grow times, reduce chemical use, increase food security and provide career exploration opportunities as well as foster student engagement in the classroom.
Are these units noisy?
No. They were created in response to educator requests for interactive growing systems that could be easily used in classroom settings. The noise level has been compared to a quiet white noise machine
What is the difference between the Plant Lab, Plant Mini and Plant Producer hydroponics systems?
Both systems include reusable grow cups, a germination tray, seeds, rockwool, a 1-year limited warranty, LED grow lights, and curriculum.
- The Plant Lab System features 3 vertical shelves connected to individual water sources. This enables experimentation with different plants, water levels, and nutrients on each level. More details are below:
-
- Plant sites: 33
- Shelf spacing (grow height): 10”
- One fan per shelf unit
- Three 2-gallon water tanks/one per shelf
- Weight: 7 5lbs.
- The Plant Producer System features 3 vertical shelves that are all connected to a single water source. This enables equal nutrient allotment and concentrated growth on each level. More details are below:
-
- Plant sites: 42
- Shelf spacing (grow height): 20” bottom, 12” middle, 12” top
- Two fans per shelf unit
- One 7-gallon tank
- Weight: 100 lbs.
- The Plant Mini System Class Pack features 5 compact, desktop sized growing systems. These systems enable users to experiment with deep water culture, ebb and flow and microgreen varieties.
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- Plant sites for each unit: 12
- Shelf spacing (grow height): 11” from the top
- One fan per unit
- Each unit has a four-liter water tank
- Each unit weighs 6.4 lbs.
What consumables can I expect to eventually have to replace to keep my hydroponics system functioning?
As you use your hydroponics system, you can expect to replace:
-
- Seeds (Your system will come with 1 butternut lettuce seed packet)
- Nutrients (We recommend using general hydroponics Florado A & B Fertilizer or general hydroponics Flora Bloom Fertilizer)
- Grow medium sponges
Where can I buy replacement consumables?
Many large retailers offer a variety of seed, nutrients, sponges, etc. Below is a sampling of seed companies that offer online ordering and direct shipping of seeds. Local, regional, or national seed suppliers are also resources for seeds.
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- Johnny’s Selected Seeds Winslow, ME johnnyseeds.com
- Seed Savers Exchange Decorah, IA seedsavers.org
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Mansfield, MO rareseeds.com
- Burpee Seeds and Plants Warminster, PA burpee.com
What if I already have a greenhouse?
Hydroponics systems are great additions to programs with greenhouse access! Hydroponics systems can save space in greenhouses by growing plants vertically. Additionally, hydroponics systems in greenhouses enable students to easily compare different growing methods – in this case, plants grown in soil versus plants grown in water. Hydroponics systems can also be used to sprout seeds for greenhouse plants.
What if I have carpet in my classroom? I’m concerned about the moisture content and leaks.
With proper setup, our hydroponics units are a self-contained, single water source. Put your concern for spills to ease with an appropriately sized boot tray placed under the unit. Here is one example.
Do hydroponics units have to be placed in dark rooms?
No. The units can be used in a variety of settings, including classrooms with natural light.
How many systems would you recommend for a 20-student classroom?
It depends on your budget and how you want to implement the system. In general, we recommend one system for a 20-student classroom.
Do you offer product support?
Yes! Our product support team is available M-F 8am-5pm Central Time via phone, email or chat. Contact customer support here
What other program support do you provide?
We offer free webinars, blogs, and classroom resources to help your program succeed
Follow Realityworks on your favorite social media platforms: X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for other tips and tricks
Resources
Hydroponics: Know How to Grow Guide – Download
Blog – 5 Reasons to Bring Hydroponics Educational Systems to Your Classroom
Customer Story – New Tool Brings New Engagement Opportunities to Illinois Agriculture Classroom
Customer Story – Hydroponics Project Opens NC Students’ Eyes to The Farm-to-Fork Continuum
Webinar – Getting Your School’s Buy-In for a Hydroponics Program
Blog – Benefits of Aquaponics and Hydroponics in the Classroom
Blog – Add Hands-On Learning to Plant and Soil Science Lessons with These Teaching Tools
Shipping Info.
NOTE: This product ships on a pallet and requires a shipping dock. If you do not have a dock available, the order will need to incur an additional fee for a lift gate truck. Please select the lift gate option for your organization.
7 reviews for Plant Producer Educational Hydroponics System
International Pricing May Vary.
Check out our International page for appropriate contacts.
Brenda Collins, Agricultural Teacher, NC –
I enjoyed doing it. I’ve learned quite a bit with the hydroponics unit this year. It really is a great space-saver for middle school classrooms.
Brenda Collins, Agricultural Education Teacher –
I LOVE my hydroponics unit. We have grown so much lettuce, basil and even have tomatoes going on! It has been a great learning experience for my students. We have “Salad Days” where we eat our lettuce. Some kids have never tried a salad before and they all love the fresh picked lettuce. I look forward to learning more as I delve deeper into the world of hydroponics!
Alex La Pointe –
Great system. I purchased this for my environmental science class and the plant producer has been a wonderful addition to our curriculum. There are enough spaces so that three or four students take care of two plants. All three periods of my class are involved. The students are learning valuable lessons in observation, hypothesis, testing, problem solving, research, and critical thinking. I chose to plant a variety of crops, not just one, and the results are great so far. We haven’t harvested yet but the rosemary and basil smell amazing. Customer service has been great and overall I am very happy working with reality works.
Katie Edwards –
This has been a great system to use in my classroom. It has leaked a few times but the customer service has been great with walking me through how to solve the problem. The only reason I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 is because the system has leaked. However the problem is solved and it’s working great.
Justin McDowell –
This product is an excellent choice!! The Plant Producer Hydroponic System has been an awesome addition to our Elementary STEAM and Agriculture program. The elementary students have thoroughly enjoyed working with this unit to produce lettuce that they can eat here at school. We have been able to compare the number of plants grown in this system to our raised bed gardens as well as an aquaponics system. In the STEAM setting, this has allowed us to collect and compare data on the same plants in different growing mediums and systems. This unit looks great in the school and doesn’t take up much space. The increase in knowledge of hydroponics using this system has been awesome because the students are excited to see the unit each week and look at the changes in the plants.
John Hammond –
Outstanding! This Plant Producer Hydroponic System is a self contained unit that will help students understand the most basic principles of Hydroponics while also providing a hefty amount of space for plant growth. If you are looking for a product that not only produces but has a sleek look and is an eye catcher for your school, this is it! My students have really enjoyed getting to use this system to further their knowledge of hydroponics and plant growth!
Brent A Nelson –
The Plant Producer hydroponic system has been an amazing addition to our agriculture program. It is a great system for a beginner in hydroponics, and also a great system for someone who has more advanced knowledge of hydroponics. The user guide that is provided does a great job of giving you a step by step to successfully setting up the system. It also does a good job of giving you the information needed to maintain the produce from start to harvest. I would definitely recommend the Plant Producer hydroponics system to anyone interested in starting or expanding hydroponics in their program.