Wai Gardens designs, installs, and maintains hydroponic and aquaponic food systems for homes, schools, and businesses across Oʻahu. We handle everything: site assessment, custom system design, installation, ongoing maintenance, and plant supply. So you can grow fresh, pesticide-free food at home with minimal effort. We are based in Mililani and serve all of Oʻahu.

We are based in Mililani, Oʻahu, and serve the entire island with no travel surcharge — Wahiawā, Waipʻio, Pearl City, ʻAiea, Kapolei, Honolulu, Kailua, Kāneʻohe, the North Shore, and the Leeward Coast.

Book a free site evaluation through the Evaluate Your Space form on this site. We come to you, assess your space, sun exposure, water access, and what you want to grow — no sales pressure, no obligation. We deliver a written proposal within five business days.

Hydroponic systems start at $899 for our 42-plant NFT tower. Aquaponic systems start higher due to the fish tank, filtration, and cycling requirements — typically $1,500–$3,500+ depending on size. Custom builds for larger spaces or specialty crops are quoted after a free site evaluation. Maintenance plans start at $149 for a one-time visit and $249/month for full weekly service.

No experience needed. We design, build, plant, and walk you through everything before we leave. Most clients are up and running confidently within one or two maintenance cycles. We are always a text away if something comes up between visits.

Hydroponics grows plants in water enriched with mineral nutrient solutions — no soil, no fish. Aquaponics replaces the mineral solution with fish waste, processed by bacteria into plant-available nitrate. Aquaponics is more complex (living fish require care) but more self-sustaining once cycled, and it produces protein (fish) alongside vegetables. Both use 70–90% less water than traditional gardening.

We install four system types: NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) — our most popular residential system, best for leafy greens and herbs; DWC (Deep Water Culture) — highest yield per square foot, best for continuous lettuce production; Vertical Tower Systems — smallest footprint, great for beginners; and Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain) — best for fruiting plants like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

Almost anything that isn’t a large root vegetable or a tree. Leafy greens and herbs thrive in any system: lettuce, kale, chard, bok choy, basil, mint, cilantro, arugula, spinach, green onions. Fruiting plants (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, strawberries) do well in NFT or Ebb and Flow systems. We help you match the right plant to the right system during the site evaluation.

A well-designed hydroponic system uses 70–90% less water than traditional in-ground gardening. The nutrient solution recirculates continuously rather than draining into the soil. A mature 42-plant tower system uses roughly 4–8 gallons per day at full load during a hot Oʻahu week — most of that is evapotranspiration from the plants themselves, not waste.

For leafy greens and herbs, expect your first harvest 4–6 weeks after transplanting seedlings into a new system. Lettuce and most herbs reach harvest size in 5–7 weeks from seed. Fruiting plants like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers take longer — typically 10–16 weeks from transplant. Aquaponic systems add 2–6 weeks of cycling time before plants go in.

A healthy system needs a 5-minute daily check (pump running, water level, plant visual), a 20–30 minute weekly check (pH and EC test, top off nutrient solution, harvest and trim), and a full reservoir change every 2–3 weeks for greens. Our maintenance plans range from weekly visits to quarterly — you choose how much you want to handle yourself.

For most hydroponic crops, target pH 5.8–6.2 and an EC (electrical conductivity) of 1.2–2.4 mS/cm depending on the growth stage and crop type. For aquaponic systems, pH 6.8–7.2 is the sweet spot that keeps fish healthy and plants fed. We calibrate everything at installation and teach you how to test and adjust during our onboarding walkthrough.

Aquaponic systems typically range from $1,500 for a compact media bed system to $5,000+ for a larger raft or vertical DFT system with full filtration. School systems are priced separately based on classroom requirements. All pricing is provided in a written proposal after a free site evaluation — no surprises.

We work with tilapia (most common — fast-growing, heat-tolerant, requires a state permit), koi and ornamental goldfish (beautiful, long-lived, great for decorative backyard systems), and catfish for larger farm-scale builds. Species choice depends on your goals, tank size, and location on Oʻahu. We advise on this during the site evaluation and help with any permit paperwork.

Yes for tilapia and certain koi species. The State of Hawaiʻi requires an Aquaculture license for tilapia and a permit for some ornamental fish. The application is straightforward for backyard systems and we help our clients navigate it. Most permits are approved quickly. We will not install a system with fish that require a permit until the permit is in hand.

Cycling establishes the beneficial bacteria that convert fish waste into plant food. Depending on the method, cycling takes 2–6 weeks. We handle the cycling process for you — testing daily, adjusting, and seeding beneficial bacteria — so the system is stable before your first fish go in. Plants can sometimes be added partway through cycling with supplemental nutrients.

Media bed systems need a solids-removal flush every 4–6 weeks. Raft systems require more frequent mechanical filter clearing — typically weekly. Fish tank glass or liner cleaning depends on algae growth, usually monthly. We cover all of this in our maintenance visits and teach you what to watch for during onboarding.

Yes — if you use an edible species like tilapia. Because aquaponic systems use no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, the fish and vegetables are as clean as any food you can grow. We recommend harvesting tilapia before they reach breeding size in smaller systems. Koi and ornamental goldfish are generally kept as pets rather than food.

Fish need oxygenated water. If the air pump and water circulation stop for more than a few hours — especially in warm Oʻahu weather — fish can suffocate. We recommend a battery backup air pump on every aquaponic install and can include one in your build quote. Plants will survive a short outage just fine.

We offer three tiers: Instant Aloha (one-time service starting at $149 — no commitment, covers repairs, reservoir maintenance, pest management, pH testing, pruning, and pump maintenance); No Worries (full weekly service starting at $249/month — includes free plant replacement and all of the above on a weekly schedule); and custom quarterly or monthly plans for aquaponic systems. Contact us to discuss what fits your system and schedule.

Every maintenance visit includes: pH and nutrient (EC) testing and balancing, reservoir top-off or full change as needed, algae inspection and control, natural pest scouting and treatment, pruning and harvest support, pump and filter inspection, and a written note of anything we observed. For aquaponic visits we also check ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels and inspect fish health.

Yes. We assess existing hydroponic and aquaponic systems regardless of who built them. We diagnose what’s not working, recommend repairs or upgrades, and can take over ongoing maintenance. Contact us with photos and a description of your system and what’s going wrong.

We respond to all messages within one business day. For urgent issues — sick fish, pump failures, system floods — text us directly and we triage immediately. Clients on weekly maintenance plans get priority scheduling for emergency visits.

Yes. We warranty all parts and labor on our installations for 90 days. Pumps and mechanical components are covered under manufacturer warranty (typically 1 year). After 90 days, repairs are billed at our standard service rate or covered under a maintenance plan. We stand behind our builds — if something fails due to our installation, we fix it.

Yes — schools are a core part of what we do. We design Pre-K through 12th grade systems that fit existing classrooms on a single wheelcart. Our school systems teach the nitrogen cycle, water chemistry, biology, ecology, and food sovereignty. We supply curriculum aligned to Hawaiʻi CCSS standards and NGSS, train teachers on every install, and offer full weekly maintenance including coverage during school breaks.

We provide a teacher-ready curriculum covering the nitrogen cycle, water chemistry, plant biology, fish biology, ecology, and food systems — aligned to Hawaiʻi Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. The curriculum is designed so teachers with no STEM background can pick it up and run. We also offer ongoing curriculum support and updates as part of our school maintenance plan.

Yes — several grant programs support food systems education and sustainability projects in Hawaiʻi schools. We help our school clients identify applicable grants and can provide documentation, system specifications, and letters of support for grant applications. Contact us to discuss your school’s situation and timeline.

School systems are priced based on classroom size, grade level, and whether you want a mobile wheelcart system or a permanent installation. Wheelcart systems typically range from $2,000–$4,500 installed. Permanent classroom builds run higher. All school pricing is provided in a written proposal after a free site visit. We also help identify grant funding to offset costs.

Yes. We sell seedlings and starter plants for clients who already have a system and want to restock. We grow a wide selection of leafy greens, herbs, and fruiting crop starts suited to Oʻahu’s climate. Plants are available for pickup in Mililani or delivery with a service visit. Contact us for current availability and pricing.

Yes. We use zero chemical pesticides in any of our systems or on any plants we supply. Pest management is handled with integrated pest management (IPM) techniques — beneficial insects, physical barriers, and approved organic treatments only. All nutrients used in our hydroponic systems are food-grade. Aquaponic systems are inherently pesticide-free because pesticides would harm the fish.

The seedlings we supply are started in rockwool or coco coir plugs designed for hydroponic systems. They can be transplanted into soil but they are optimized for hydroponic growing. If you want plants for a soil garden, we can discuss what’s available and appropriate — just ask.

Mililani is centrally located on Oʻahu, which gives us easy access to every district on the island — from the North Shore to Kapolei, from Kailua to Pearl City — without a travel surcharge to any of them. Our team lives and works in the community we serve.

Hawaiʻi imports over 80% of its food. Every system we install increases local food production, reduces dependence on the supply chain, and puts fresh, chemical-free produce on Oʻahu tables. Our school program teaches the next generation of growers. We believe food sovereignty starts at home and in the classroom.

Yes. You can follow us on Instagram for system builds, plant updates, harvest photos, and Oʻahu growing tips. We post regularly and respond to DMs. Find us at @waigardens.

You can reach us through the Contact form on this site, by texting us at (808) 726-9493, or by emailing Tyler@WaiGarden.com. We respond to all inquiries within one business day. For urgent system issues, text is the fastest way to reach us.