Most marriages don’t last as long as this partnership. Brett and Darren opened South Pacific Hydro in Canberra in 1993, and they still run it together, more than 30 years later.
For most of those years, growing at home in Canberra was against the law. That changed in 2020, when the ACT started allowing up to four plants per household.
We stopped in with Justin Cooper, co-founder of GreenPlanet Nutrients, on our tour of Australian hydro stores. Darren walked us through the new law, which lets you grow four plants but won’t let you buy a seed to start them. In the back of the store, Brett showed us what Canberra growers are running now. Most of them have moved to coco and perlite, and Darren says customers come back asking for GreenPlanet Coco by name.
Who owns South Pacific Hydro?
Brett and Darren. They opened the store in 1993 and have owned it together ever since. Justin calls it one of the oldest hydro stores in Australia.
Justin asked Darren how they made it last that long.
“Take it a step at a time. Go with the flow. It’s a fluctuating industry. … And, uh, don’t be too greedy.”
— Darren, co-owner, South Pacific Hydro
Two of their staff, Nick and Jim, work the counter. Justin calls them the front line, because they’re the ones who decide what a grower walks out with.
Can you grow cannabis in Canberra?
Yes, a little. Since January 31, 2020, adults in the ACT can grow two plants each, up to four per household, and carry up to 50 grams. Darren says four plants in the backyard is a civilized step, but the law needs some adjustments.
“You can grow four plants but you can’t buy seeds. You can’t possess a lot. And, uh, you can only grow once a year outdoors.”
— Darren, co-owner, South Pacific Hydro
The law does not allow artificial cultivation, which means no grow lights and no hydroponics for a home grow. So Canberra growers plant in summer, harvest in autumn, and wait for next year.
Darren points out a second problem. If you harvest your plants, the dried weight can put you over the possession limit.
“It’s ridiculous that they, you know, have these, you know, you can’t cut down your plant because you’ll be in excess of what they deem to be the limit to have on you.”
— Darren, co-owner, South Pacific Hydro
Even so, the ACT is the only part of Australia where home growing is legal. Everywhere else, cannabis is only legal through the medical system.
Why can’t you buy seeds in Canberra?
Because the law lets you grow a plant but not buy or be given the seed to start it. Selling or supplying seeds is still an offence.
Darren says that pushes people into importing seeds through quarantine illegally, or taking seeds off plants they already have. Justin called it a chicken or the egg problem. You have to start somewhere.
What is PGR weed?
PGR weed is flower grown with plant growth regulators. These are chemicals that keep plants short and pack the buds tighter so the crop weighs more. Paclobutrazol and chlormequat chloride are two common ones.
The owners say they can tell PGRs have been used in some of the medical flower they’ve seen in Australia, and that the quality is pretty average.
“Plant growth regulators, uh, takes away a lot of the quality of the plant. And yeah, you know, it’s just not necessarily that great for you.”
— South Pacific Hydro
PGR flower usually looks dense and rock hard. The trichomes are less developed and there are fewer terpenes, so the smell and taste are weaker.
Why is there a hemp store inside a hydro store?
Because nobody in Canberra was putting all the Australian hemp products in one place. The owners kept seeing the same small producers at hemp conferences and markets. Some made lotions and shampoos, others made shirts, hats or tote bags, and each one was doing their own thing.
“We kept seeing them and thought, well, maybe we had to talk to each of them. Would they supply us with their line of product? And we’d put it all in one place and give it a go.”
— South Pacific Hydro
They think Canberra is one of the few cities in Australia where it would work. It’s small, people are forward thinking, employment is high, and customers come from all over the city to the industrial area where the store sits.
The hemp store sells shampoos, conditioners, balms, creams and moisturisers, all grown and sourced in Australia, plus clothing. The team calls it Canberra’s first all-hemp store. They run it as a separate business in the same building.
Justin said it was the first time he had seen a hydro store with a hemp shop beside it.
“It shows that your heart’s in the right place.”
— Justin Cooper, Co-Founder, GreenPlanet Nutrients
Is hemp clothing better than cotton?
The team at the hemp store says it lasts far longer. They say a hemp shirt can last 20 years, where a cheap cotton shirt lasts a season. Hemp also softens the more you wear it.
They also point to how it’s grown. They say a hemp crop grows in about four months, with less water than cotton and no pesticides.
The catch, they say, is that customers don’t need to come back for a new shirt. So they keep bringing out new colours.
What growing methods are popular in Canberra?
Coco and coco perlite, run to waste. Recirculating systems in clay balls or perlite are still around, but the owners say the trend is moving away from them.
“The growing trend is probably the coco fiber and coco perlite mixture still automating, but run to waste instead of recirculating around and try and balance our pH every day.”
— South Pacific Hydro
Run to waste means the nutrient solution that drains out of the pot is not pumped back into the reservoir. Each plant gets fresh solution every time. With a recirculating system, the grower has to keep checking and adjusting pH because the same solution keeps going round.
Digital timers have made run to waste easier. They now go down to seconds, so a grower can give each plant 28 seconds of feed from a pump.
Justin says the big downside of recirculating systems is that they can pass pathogens from plant to plant, because every plant shares the same water. That’s a big part of why coco has taken over.
Why add perlite to coco?
Perlite lets you water more often. Brett says coco on its own is forgiving because it holds far more water than clay, so if something goes wrong in a hot Australian summer, the plants have a better chance. Adding perlite means the mix holds less water and drains faster.
“It doesn’t hold as much water, but has a good capillary reaction. Um, and it works really well. And you get more drybacks, so you’ll actually get more feeds.”
— Brett, co-owner, South Pacific Hydro
A dryback is the drop in moisture in the pot between waterings. More drybacks in a day means the roots get more air between feeds and the plant gets fed more often.
His advice for anyone new to straight coco is not to overwater it. A couple of waterings a day is usually enough. With coco perlite, you can water a little more often.
What nutrients does South Pacific Hydro recommend?
GreenPlanet Nutrients. Nick and Jim say it’s an easy one to recommend.
“The GreenPlanet’s been awesome, man. It’s such an easy one to recommend.”
— Staff, South Pacific Hydro
They also say it helps older growers who ran the General Hydro lines for years. The GreenPlanet range is laid out in a similar way, so it’s an easy swap to something more modern.
Darren calls GreenPlanet Coco the highest standard, certified by the authorities that check everything, and says it sells.
“It’s the highest standard. … And it sells. Well, like, customers come back for it. It’s good to see your customer ask for a brand, you know? … It means they’re happy.”
— Darren, co-owner, South Pacific Hydro
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 South Pacific Hydro in Canberra, or learn more and find a store at GreenPlanet Nutrients Australia.
In North America, learn more and buy at GreenPlanet Nutrients in Canada or the United States.
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
30 years of the same customers
There’s a fish pond at the front of the store that has been there for 30 years. Kids came in with their parents at five and ten years old and fed the fish. Brett and Darren have watched those kids go through university and grow up.
“And their dad and their mum still come in and, and that’s loyalty.”
— South Pacific Hydro
When a customer has a good crop, they come back to say thanks. The owners say that’s the point of knowing the products on the shelf: they can guide people to a good result.
Is the stigma around hydro stores going away?
Yes, and they have lived through the change. In the early days they didn’t tell some people what they did. At a dinner party, everyone else could say “software programmer.” Saying you ran a hydro shop stopped the table.
“Everyone had just stopped. And who? What? Focus on you and ask you the obvious question, you know, and it was a bit of a stigma.”
— South Pacific Hydro
Now they hear from customers every day who say they didn’t know how much the plant was helping them.
Common questions
Where is South Pacific Hydro?
South Pacific Hydro is in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The store is in an industrial area and shares its building with a hemp store run by the same owners.
How long has South Pacific Hydro been open?
Since 1993. Brett and Darren opened it together and still own it.
Who is in the South Pacific Hydro video?
Owners Brett and Darren, and staff Nick and Jim, talking with Justin Cooper, co-founder of GreenPlanet Nutrients.
Is hydroponic growing legal in Canberra?
Not for a personal grow. The ACT law that allows two plants per person bans artificial cultivation, which covers hydroponics and grow lights. Hydro stores still sell to people growing vegetables, herbs and house plants indoors.
How much cannabis can you have in the ACT?
Adults can possess up to 50 grams of dried cannabis. Growers have pointed out that a harvest from legal plants can weigh more than that.
What does run to waste mean?
Run to waste means the solution that drains from the pot is not reused. Each feed is fresh, so the grower does not have to rebalance a reservoir and a problem in one plant does not travel to the others through shared water.
What is coco perlite?
Coco perlite is coco coir mixed with perlite, usually about 70 percent coco and 30 percent perlite. The perlite adds air and drainage, so the mix dries back faster and can be watered more often than straight coco.
Does GreenPlanet make coco with perlite in it?
Yes. GreenPlanet Professional Coco Perlite 70:30 is RHP-certified, fully buffered coco blended with perlite, ready to use straight from the bag. In Australia it comes in a 53 litre bag.
Watch the full visit
Justin Cooper of GreenPlanet Nutrients with Brett, Darren, Nick and Jim at South Pacific Hydro in Canberra. About 15 minutes.
