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title: "Fran’s Hydroponics: The Brisbane Hydro Store Growers Have Trusted Since 1998"
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# Fran’s Hydroponics: The Brisbane Hydro Store Growers Have Trusted Since 1998

Ask around Brisbane’s hydro scene and one name comes up first. Fran’s Hydroponics, in Kallangur north of Brisbane, has been open since 1998, and Fran still runs it.

She built it on her own. Her staff say they don’t work at a hydro store, they work for Fran. Some of her customers have been coming in since the day the doors opened.

We visited with GreenPlanet Nutrients co-founder Justin Cooper and sat down with Fran and two of her team, Bohdi and Jake. GreenPlanet is the number one selling nutrient line in the store, and it’s the first thing you see when you walk in.

## Who is Fran?

Fran is the owner of Fran’s Hydroponics. She opened the store in 1998, when she was new to the industry and doing it alone.

> “I was the baby of the industry. They could see I was a single female trying to make this all happen. And every question I needed to know, they helped me. Every time.”
>
>
>
> — Fran, owner, Fran’s Hydroponics

“They” are her suppliers. Justin says she’s close friends with the people who wholesale GreenPlanet in Australia, and those ties go back decades.

She ran the shop while raising her kids, and the shop worked around them.

> “I used to say to my customers, ‘I have to close today because I’ve got sports day.’ … ‘If you want this shop to keep going, you have to respect I’m going to put my children first.'”
>
>
>
> — Fran, owner, Fran’s Hydroponics

Her kids have all graduated from university. Watching them get there is when Fran knew she would do this for the rest of her life.

> “I just realized I just love my customers. This is where I belong.”
>
>
>
> — Fran, owner, Fran’s Hydroponics

## Why do people love working at Fran’s?

Because of Fran. Justin asked Jake and Bohdi why they work at a hydro store. One of them answered:

> “I wouldn’t even say a hydroponics store, I would say Fran.”
>
>
>
> — The team at Fran’s Hydroponics

Fran’s answer is simpler.

> “I suppose because I just treat everyone with kindness. I appreciate everything they do.”
>
>
>
> — Fran, owner, Fran’s Hydroponics

It took her years to get the team right. She calls them the loyal guys, the honest guys, the ones who stand by her. Bohdi came in when she was just trying to keep the store going.

> “I basically said, ‘I need someone to stand in my corner. I need you to help me do this.’ And he was there for me. Like, he made it happen.”
>
>
>
> — Fran, owner, Fran’s Hydroponics

For a long time she worried she was being a control freak. She went to a counsellor about it. The counsellor told her, “You’re not being a control freak. You’re leading.” She runs the store that way now. They hold meetings, she tells them how it needs to be done, and she says the team delivers every time.

## What makes a good hydroponics store?

A good hydro store tells you what you need and nothing more, and stands behind it. At Fran’s, that’s the rule.

> “We will never sell someone something they don’t need.”
>
>
>
> — The team at Fran’s Hydroponics

Every recommendation carries the store’s name. If a grower buys a product on your advice and the crop goes wrong, you hear about it. If the advice was good and the crop comes in better, they come back. Some of Fran’s customers have been coming back for more than 20 years.

One of the team heard about the store from a family member before he ever walked in:

> “If you need a hydroponics store, don’t even think about it. Just go straight to Fran’s.”
>
>
>
> — The team at Fran’s Hydroponics

The first time he came in, he wanted to work there. He stayed.

Fran’s slogan has been the same since 1998: our business is to help you grow. Someone on the team added the rest: it doesn’t matter what you grow.

## What nutrients does Fran’s Hydroponics recommend?

GreenPlanet Nutrients. It’s the number one selling nutrient line in the store, and it sits at the front of the shop so you see it straight away.

The team gave four reasons. It has enough additives to be interesting and is still simple to run. It’s beginner friendly. It runs clean and stable. And when you add one of the additives, you can see the plant respond.

> “Between having a really good price point and a product that just does the job that it’s supposed to do, where you can put in an additive and literally see the response, I think it’s not really hard for us to sell it.”
>
>
>
> — The team at Fran’s Hydroponics

Customers ask if they need every additive. The team’s answer is to try them all, or add one at a time and watch. They say people end up buying all of them.

- **Dual Fuel.** A two-part base nutrient. The first GreenPlanet line Fran’s carried, and still their biggest GreenPlanet seller.
- **GP3.** A three-part base nutrient. The team recommends it for commercial growers, for anyone running lean, and for growers who want to adjust each part.
- **Dual Fuel Starter Kit.** Dual Fuel Part 1 and Part 2, plus Massive Bloom and Rezin for flower. Four bottles. Some customers start on it and never need anything else.
- **Horti rawK.** A straight potassium booster, 0-0-62, used mainly in the last three weeks of flower for weight and density. The team calls it a really good seller.

For Justin, hearing that from a store like this means a lot.

> “Knowing that GreenPlanet is your number one selling nutrient line in your store, and knowing that your consumers are having a very positive experience every single time, gives me, as a manufacturer, a ton of pride.”
>
>
>
> — Justin Cooper, Co-Founder, GreenPlanet Nutrients

Growing Exposed does not sell nutrients, but GreenPlanet Nutrients does. Contact them directly, or use the links below to learn more.

**In Australia,** buy GreenPlanet at [Fran’s Hydroponics](https://franshydroponics.com.au/), or learn more at [GreenPlanet Nutrients Australia](https://greenplanetnutrients.com.au/).

**In North America,** learn more and buy at GreenPlanet Nutrients in [Canada](https://greenplanetnutrients.ca/) or the [United States](https://greenplanetnutrients.com/).

**Commercial grower? Find your GreenPlanet rep.** Call GreenPlanet toll free at 1-866-913-4769 or email info@mygreenplanet.com and ask who your sales rep or distributor is. GreenPlanet has reps and distributors in Canada, the United States, Australia and Europe. [Contact GreenPlanet Nutrients](https://greenplanetnutrients.ca/contact-us/)

## Do you need a flushing agent?

No. Justin Cooper says plain water is the best flushing agent, and it’s why GreenPlanet doesn’t make one.

> “I don’t believe in putting chemicals into a plant when you’re finishing, and water is the best flushing agent. Water is the most effective flushing agent, so why would I make a product and put a label on it to sell another product?”
>
>
>
> — Justin Cooper, Co-Founder, GreenPlanet Nutrients

## Is hydroponics only for cannabis?

No. Fran’s sells to people growing lettuce, fruit, rare food varieties and high-end house plants. The team has seen a big jump in people growing their own food. Groceries are expensive, and the team says a small setup is cheaper in the long run.

Customers bring in what they grew. Heads of lettuce. Fruit. Monstera growers show the staff photos on their phones like baby pictures.

## Walking into a hydro store for the first time

Plenty of people are nervous the first time. The team hears it at the counter.

> “When you come into the store, it’s scary because people still think, like, ‘I’ve heard about you stores.’ … But once they come into the store, like they’re comfortable.”
>
>
>
> — The team at Fran’s Hydroponics

Justin calls Fran’s a beautiful shop, with plants growing everywhere. He calls stores like this the heart of the industry.

> “Retail hydroponic stores need to be cherished and kept and loved.”
>
>
>
> — Justin Cooper, Co-Founder, GreenPlanet Nutrients

The team’s version is shorter. Once people walk through that door, they know they’re welcome.

## Common questions

### Where is Fran’s Hydroponics?

Fran’s Hydroponics is at Trade Centre, Unit 1/1191 Anzac Ave, Kallangur QLD 4503. Kallangur is in the Moreton Bay region, north of Brisbane.

### How long has Fran’s Hydroponics been open?

Fran’s Hydroponics has been open since 1998. Fran founded it and still owns and runs it.

### Who is in the Fran’s Hydroponics video?

Fran, the owner, and two of her team, Bohdi and Jake, talking with Justin Cooper, co-founder of GreenPlanet Nutrients.

### What is in the GreenPlanet Dual Fuel Starter Kit?

Four bottles: Dual Fuel Part 1 and Dual Fuel Part 2, the two-part base nutrient, plus Massive Bloom and Rezin for flower. The team at Fran’s says some customers start on the kit and never need anything else.

### Should I use Dual Fuel or GP3?

Both are GreenPlanet base nutrients. Dual Fuel is two parts and is the biggest GreenPlanet seller at Fran’s. GP3 is three parts. The team recommends it for commercial growers, for running lean, and for growers who want to adjust each part.

### What is Horti rawK?

Horti rawK is a GreenPlanet potassium booster, 0-0-62. The K is potassium. It’s used apart from the base nutrient, mainly in the last three weeks of flower, to add weight and density.

### Does GreenPlanet make a flushing agent?

No. Justin Cooper, co-founder of GreenPlanet Nutrients, says plain water is the most effective flushing agent, so there’s no reason to bottle one.

## Watch the full tour

Justin Cooper’s visit to Fran’s Hydroponics, with Fran, Bohdi and Jake. 16 minutes.

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