Do Hydroponic Greens Really Have 30% More Nutrients? - Short 2/21/2026

February 21, 2026

Do Hydroponic Greens Really Have 30% More Nutrients? — Grow Space Source Document

Grow Space — Script Source Document

Do Hydroponic Greens Really Have 30% More Nutrients?

Format: Short-Form Video | Version: 4 (Final) | Date: February 17, 2026

This document is the official source reference for a Grow Space video investigating the widely repeated claim that hydroponically grown greens contain "up to 30% more nutrients" than soil-grown produce. Every factual claim in the script is backed by peer-reviewed research cited below. We created this document so viewers, commenters, and other creators can verify what we said and see the full picture.

What We Said

Hook (2–3 sec)

You may have heard the statistic that hydroponically grown greens have up to 30% more nutrients.

Setup (3–4 sec)

I spent weeks trying to track down the actual study behind this.

Finding (3–4 sec)

There wasn't a singular study that supported this, but a few things were consistent in these studies.

Evidence (5–7 sec)

Vitamin C and natural sugars were higher — sometimes by even more than 30% — but the blanket claim is definitely misleading.

Key Insight (5–6 sec)

The big conclusion was this: the growing method doesn't really change the nutrients in the systems — the nutrient mix has a much larger impact.

Close (3–4 sec)

So, should vertical farms still say the nutrients are 30% higher?

The Research Behind It

Claim: "hydroponically grown greens have up to 30% more nutrients"

We were unable to identify a single peer-reviewed study that concludes hydroponically grown greens contain "30% more nutrients" as a blanket nutritional claim. The number appears to originate from yield data — specifically the well-supported finding that hydroponic systems can produce up to 30% higher crop yields — which has been conflated with nutritional content in marketing materials.

Multiple hydroponics education and equipment sites repeat "up to 30% more" in reference to yield, not nutrient density. For example, Hydrobuilder's commercial grower guide states yields can increase "by 30% or more compared to soil under optimized conditions." We found no peer-reviewed source making this claim about overall nutrient content.

No peer-reviewed source found

Claim: "Vitamin C [was] higher — sometimes by even more than 30%"

Wang, L., et al. (2023). "Performance analysis of two typical greenhouse lettuce production systems: commercial hydroponic production and traditional soil cultivation." Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1165856.

Researchers compared commercial hydroponic and soil-based lettuce production in two identical greenhouses over two growth cycles. They found ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was 28.31% and 16.67% higher in hydroponic lettuce across the two cycles. This is consistent with earlier findings.

Controlled experimental comparison
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Claim: "Vitamin C [was] higher — sometimes by even more than 30%" (supporting study)

Buchanan, D. N. & Omaye, S. T. (2013). "Comparative Study of Ascorbic Acid and Tocopherol Concentrations in Hydroponic- and Soil-Grown Lettuces." Food and Nutrition Sciences, 4(10), 1047–1053.

This study found that hydroponically grown lettuce varieties had significantly higher ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and tocopherol (vitamin E) content than their soil-grown counterparts — with vitamin C more than 90% higher in some varieties. This supports the finding that vitamin C is consistently elevated in hydroponic lettuce.

Small-scale greenhouse comparison
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Claim: "natural sugars were higher — sometimes by even more than 30%"

The same study found soluble sugar content was 57.84% and 32.23% higher in hydroponic lettuce across two growth cycles compared to soil-based systems. This is a significant and consistent finding — well above the 30% threshold for this specific nutrient.

Controlled experimental comparison
View Full Text on PMC →

Claim: "natural sugars were higher" (supporting study)

Majid, M., Khan, J. N., Ahmad Shah, Q. M., Masoodi, K. Z., Afroza, B., & Parvaze, S. (2021). "Evaluation of hydroponic systems for the cultivation of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L., var. Longifolia) and comparison with protected soil-based cultivation." Agricultural Water Management, 245, 106572.

Researchers in Northern India compared deep water culture (DWC) and nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic systems to soil-based cultivation. The DWC system produced lettuce with higher total soluble solids (a measure that includes natural sugars), as well as higher protein and crude fiber content than soil-grown lettuce.

Controlled experimental comparison
View on ScienceDirect →

Claim: "the blanket claim is definitely misleading"

Lei, C. & Engeseth, N. J. (2021). "Comparison of growth characteristics, functional qualities, and texture of hydroponically grown and soil-grown lettuce." LWT — Food Science and Technology, 150, 111931.

This study is one of the first comprehensive side-by-side comparisons of hydroponic and soil-grown lettuce. While some nutrients were higher in hydroponic lettuce, overall antioxidant capacity was significantly higher in soil-grown lettuce — 15.32% higher on a dry-weight basis and 41.20% higher on a wet-weight basis. This demonstrates that "more nutrients" is not a blanket truth across all nutritional measures.

Controlled side-by-side comparison
View on ScienceDirect →

Claim: "the growing method doesn't really change the nutrients — the nutrient mix has a much larger impact"

Wei, Z., et al. (2021). "Nutritional quality, mineral and antioxidant content in lettuce affected by interaction of light intensity and nutrient solution concentration." Scientific Reports, 10, 2796.

This study demonstrated that the combination of light intensity and nutrient solution concentration had significant effects on lettuce nutritional quality — including soluble sugars, vitamin C, protein, and antioxidant capacity. The findings show that environmental inputs and nutrient management drive nutritional outcomes, not the growing method itself.

Controlled factorial experiment
View Full Text on PMC →

Claim: "the nutrient mix has a much larger impact" (supporting study)

Multiple studies cited above (Wang et al. 2023, Majid et al. 2021, Wei et al. 2021) consistently demonstrate that nutrient solution composition, electrical conductivity (EC), and environmental controls (light, temperature) are the primary drivers of nutritional outcomes in hydroponic produce — not the delivery method (soil vs. water) itself.

Across the literature, the consistent finding is that when nutrient inputs are carefully controlled, hydroponic systems can match or exceed soil-grown nutritional quality for specific nutrients. But when nutrient inputs are not optimized, hydroponic produce can also be nutritionally inferior. The method is a tool — the recipe matters more.

Consistent finding across multiple studies

Important Context

The "30% more nutrients" claim is not supported by any single peer-reviewed study we could find. The number appears to have originated as a yield statistic (hydroponic systems can produce up to 30% more crop output) that was gradually misquoted as a nutritional claim in marketing materials and educational content across the hydroponics industry.

That said, some individual nutrients genuinely are higher in hydroponic produce. Vitamin C and soluble sugars are consistently elevated in hydroponic lettuce, with some studies showing sugar content more than 50% higher than soil-grown equivalents. However, other important nutritional measures — particularly overall antioxidant capacity — have been found to be higher in soil-grown produce. The picture is mixed, not one-sided.

The key insight from the research is that nutritional outcomes depend far more on nutrient solution management, light conditions, and harvest timing than on whether a plant grows in soil or water. A well-managed hydroponic system can produce highly nutritious food. A poorly managed one can produce nutritionally inferior food. The same is true of soil farming. The growing method is a tool — the grower's skill and inputs matter more.

We believe the vertical farming industry should stop using the "30% more nutrients" claim. It is not accurate as stated, it undermines credibility, and the real story — that controlled environments allow precise nutritional optimization — is more compelling and more honest.

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