Throughout this year, Illinois News Joint has reported on the many grow shops opening up throughout Illinois. Since the Prairie State started its Medical Cannabis Patient Program and then legalized recreational use, more Illinoisans are acquiring medical cards so they can grow medicine at home, and in turn, grow shops are filling the demand for equipment and other supplies. Now, grow shops in border states are taking advantage of Illinois’ laws. Blooms Brothers Hydro, located in The Apple House in Terre Haute, Indiana, serves the greater Terre Haute area, which also includes east-central Illinois.

Submitted photo: Blooms Brothers Hydro

Blooms Brothers Hydro is located at 2611 South Harding in Terre Haute, which is only seven miles from the Illinois border. Blooms Brothers Hydro offers several different nutrient lines in house, with others as a special order, as well as growing media, lighting, tents, environmental accessories, grow bags, curing supplies, and more. For 20% off in-store purchases, use promo code ILNJ22.

Blooms Brothers Hydro started offering hydro/specialty grow options in 2019 as Illinois was becoming legal and has been catering to east-central Illinois customers since.

Submitted photo: Blooms Brothers Hydro

“[We have] pretty much anything a grower would need from start to finish, as well as advice and informational resources for the journey,” Manager Fred Sanders said.

In-house nutrient lines include Nectar for the Gods/Oregon’s Only, SLF-100, Green Gro, Cultured Biologix, Cutting Edge Solutions, and a few classics, like Fox Farm. Always in stock are soils from Royal Gold, Organic Mechanic, Fox Farm, and Nectar.

“The idea for the addition of specialty grow supplies to our offerings came as Illinois, which is all of seven miles from our store on I-70, began moving toward legalization,” Sanders said. “We saw a need within the growing community and began offering a limited lineup at first, growing the footprint within the store and our community of growers ever since.”

Sanders believes one of the most important things Blooms Brothers Hydro can do as a retailer is bring a community together through events and helping customers daily in the store.

“For far too long they have been growing and struggling in guerilla grows and having no real place to turn to for advice or even to show off pictures of their results,” Sanders said. “Being able to talk freely and openly regarding their grow and not phrasing everything in ‘tomato’ code allows our clients to be proud of what they are doing and allows us to be more helpful with our recommendations. We feel we’ve created a store where our growers can open up and be themselves, as well as get the best results out of their efforts.”

Blooms Brothers Hydro hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The retail store does switch to limited hours during January and February but also will meet with customers by appointment to take care of any needs.

Blooms Brothers Hydro can be found on Facebook, Instagram @applehousehydro, Twitter @BloomsBros, by phone at (812) 232-1495, or via its website. For more Illinois cannabis industry news, visit here.

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To qualify and receive a medical patient card at a discounted rate, visit here.