Soilless Culture Market Report 2026

The soilless culture market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $11.24 billion in 2025 to $12.84 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to limited availability of arable land, rising need for water-efficient farming, early adoption of basic hydroponic systems, increasing demand for year-round crop production, growing awareness of soil-borne disease prevention.

The soilless culture market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $21.64 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.9%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing adoption of automated soilless systems, rising demand for high-yield indoor farming solutions, increasing investment in vertical farming infrastructure, expanding use of nutrient monitoring technologies, rising shift toward sustainable controlled-environment farming. Major trends in the forecast period include rising adoption of hydroponics and aeroponics for high-density crop production, increasing demand for controlled indoor farming environments, growth in use of inert growing media for water-efficient cultivation, expansion of urban farming and vertical farming installations, rising preference for soilless systems to bypass soil limitations.

The growing demand for sustainable farming is expected to drive the growth of the soilless culture market. Sustainable farming refers to agricultural practices aimed at protecting the environment, conserving water and soil resources, and reducing harmful inputs. The rise in sustainable farming is driven by stricter environmental regulations that encourage producers to reduce soil degradation, limit chemical use, and adopt cleaner cultivation methods to meet compliance standards. Soilless culture supports sustainable farming by enabling efficient resource utilization, with precise control over water, nutrients, and growing conditions. This reduces soil degradation and chemical runoff, minimizes land requirements, and promotes year-round, high-yield food production with a lower environmental impact and greater resilience to climate change. For example, in October 2025, the European Environment Agency (EEA), a Denmark-based EU environmental authority, reported that organic farming accounted for 10.8% of all agricultural land in the European Union in 2023. As a result, the growing demand for sustainable farming is driving the growth of the soilless culture market.

Major companies in the soilless culture market are focusing on incorporating technological innovations such as vertical surface planting. Vertical surface planting is an advanced soilless technique where plants are grown on engineered upright surfaces, allowing roots to receive controlled nutrient drips and optimized airflow, maximizing plant density in limited spaces. For example, in April 2024, Vertefarm, a US-based indoor hydroponic solutions provider, launched its Hydroponic Micro Plant Factory, a vertical surface planting system designed for high-density indoor leafy-green cultivation. The system features root cyclic drip irrigation, ultraviolet (UV) light water sanitation, and smart app-based controls (BLE and Wi-Fi). The Micro Plant Factory improves space efficiency, optimizes nutrient-water use, and automates growing management, supporting modern soilless environments in residential and small-scale commercial settings.

In June 2025, GrowGeneration Corporation, a US-based provider of hydroponic and organic gardening products, acquired Viagrow for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition gives GrowGeneration access to Viagrow’s established big-box retail distribution network and eco-friendly soilless grow-media product lines, expanding its retail reach and enhancing its consumer-focused product offerings while improving market penetration and omni-channel scalability. Viagrow, a US-based company, specializes in soilless culture products.

Major companies operating in the soilless culture market are AeroFarms LLC, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA (through Cultilene), CANNA International BV, Green Sense Farms Holdings Inc, Urban Crop Solutions NV, Hydrofarm Holdings Group Inc, Orbia Advance Corporation SAB de CV (through Netafim), Sky Urban Solutions Holding Pte. Ltd (through Sky Greens), Spread Co Ltd, Mirai Co Ltd, Lufa Farms Inc, Priva BV, LettUs Grow Ltd, Living Greens Farm Inc, Village Farms International, AppHarvest Inc, Advanced Nutrients Holdings LLC, GrowGeneration Corporation, ROCKWOOL Group (through Grodan), Jiffy Group BV.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs are impacting the soilless culture market by increasing the cost of imported components such as grow lights, climate control systems, irrigation pumps, sensors, and nutrient solutions that support hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic systems. These cost increases especially affect North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions where advanced system equipment and growing media are often sourced internationally, slowing adoption among urban farms and commercial growers. However, tariffs have encouraged local manufacturing of system equipment, growing media, and nutrient formulations, strengthening domestic supply chains. Overall, tariffs are influencing procurement patterns, altering pricing dynamics, and promoting regional production capabilities across the soilless farming ecosystem.

The soilless culture market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides soilless culture market statistics, including the soilless culture industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with the soilless culture market share, detailed soilless culture market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the soilless culture industry. This soilless culture market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

Soilless culture is a method of growing plants without natural soil, where roots receive water and nutrients through a specially prepared nutrient solution. The plants are supported in water or in inert growing materials such as rockwool, coco-peat, perlite, or clay pellets, which help retain moisture and provide space for root development. This method enables farmers to achieve higher yields, use less water, and cultivate crops even in areas with poor soil or limited land space.

The main components of soilless culture include the growing medium, system equipment, control systems, and plant nutrients. A growing medium is a substrate that supports plant roots and provides water, nutrients, and air in soilless cultivation systems. The system types include hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics. The equipment used includes growth chambers, irrigation systems, lighting, and sensors. Various crops such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers can be grown. These systems are utilized by several end-users, including agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, and urban farming.North America was the largest region in the soilless culture market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the soilless culture market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the soilless culture market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The soilless culture market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as system installation, maintenance and repair, consulting and training, crop monitoring services, remote monitoring services, and nutrient formulation services. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The soilless culture market also includes sales of nutrient dosing pumps, growing trays, water filtration units, fertigation units, mesh pots, and germination blankets. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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