General Hydroponics Founder Larry Brooke

Larry Brooke Founded General Hydroponics 1976

General Hydroponics Natural Hero Larry Brooke

President and founder Lawrence L. “Larry” Brooke attended UC Berkeley in the 1970′s. During that time, he established personal connections to renowned botanists and chemists, an invaluable asset for the business he eventually went into. Prior to founding General Hydroponics in 1976 in Sebastopol California, he worked for The National Lab at Berkeley. Only the best and the brightest get such positions. It was no doubt excellent preparation for his later cutting edge work in hydroponics. He was a technical and scientific coordinator and participated on numerous projects, including cryogenics for particle accelerators, both geothermal and solar power projects, magnetic fusion and superconducting magnets. He sees himself as a scientist first and foremost and has strongly held opinions concerning what “organic” really means (or should), bureaucratic and politically motivated official definitions not withstanding. He would be happier if the term were defined in a more scientific manner, without catering to the needs of special interest groups.

He is an inventor with several patents to his name. Although at one time he was put off by seeing his work in hydroponics routinely associated with growing marijuana, his attitudes have changed. At least two of his patents relate to transdermal delivery of cannabis, the active ingredient in marijuana. He has additional patents related to his work in hydroponics and plant nutrition. He has been quoted as saying that farmers really ought to pay more attention to what growers of medical marijuana have learned: That hydroponics really is the most powerful means to grow a plant intended to be harvested. He is a founding member of the Hydroponic Society of America. He is pro education and pro environment, supporting such projects as hydroponics in schools as an educational tool and the award winning PBS documentary series “Natural Heroes, for which he provided funding.

His vision in founding the company was to ensure we could produce enough high quality food to feed the world’s growing population while reducing our impact on natural resources. He envisions a more humane world where people and planet are both given adequate care and support in a gentler manner than we typically see today. He is himself a soft spoken, gentle person.

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