A practical, on-the-ground playbook to choose between Lembang, Pangalengan, and Puncak/Cipanas for year‑round hydroponic lettuce near Jakarta. We cover altitude bands, tipburn risk windows, water and RO decisions, power reliability, permits, land lease ranges, and cold‑chain to Jakarta.
If you’re planning hydroponic lettuce near Jakarta, you’re probably comparing the West Java highlands. We’ve run trials, audited partner farms, and delivered to Jakarta retailers from all three usual suspects: Lembang, Pangalengan, and Puncak/Cipanas. Here’s the site-selection playbook we use internally when we place new growers or expand capacity for our lettuce lines like Loloroso (Red Lettuce) and Baby Romaine (Baby Romaine Lettuce).
How we evaluated West Java sites
We compared microclimates and infrastructure through the lens of a year‑round hydroponic lettuce business supplying Greater Jakarta. We normalized a few things so it’s apples to apples.
- Greenhouse baseline. 1,000–2,000 m2 modular poly-covered houses with insect netting, 30–50% shade, side roll-ups, fog/misting, exhaust fans, and standard NFT/DWC systems.
- Crop spec. Crisphead alternates, baby romaine, and lollo rosso equivalents. Target EC 1.2–1.6 mS/cm. Cycle 28–40 days depending on season.
- Quality targets. Zero visible tipburn, core temperature under 4°C at dispatch, 95% pack-out rate.
- Logistics. Night dispatch to Jakarta DCs and retailers, refrigerated 2–4°C. We modeled both 1-ton and 4-ton reefers.
Our team benchmarked climate, water chemistry, land and labor, power reliability, permits, and trucking windows. We also tracked real harvest and rejection data for 90 days in each area.
The crop and handling we kept identical
We grew baby romaine and red lollo types, since these dominate foodservice and retail orders. If you’re selling into premium channels, these SKUs are forgiving on shelf but picky on climate. We processed to export-grade handling regardless of destination, the same SOP we use for programs alongside items like Red Radish to keep mixed-loads consistent.
Head-to-head: Lembang vs Pangalengan vs Puncak/Cipanas
Here’s the distilled view that actually changes outcomes.
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Lembang (1,100–1,500 m)
- Climate. Coolest day temps. Day 20–24°C most months. Lowest bolting pressure. Tipburn manageable with airflow and Ca program.
- Water. Springs often soft, TDS 30–120 ppm. Alkalinity moderate. Many farms run without RO, using acid injection.
- Power. PLN decent but still 1–3 short outages/week. Battery backup for pumps is non-negotiable.
- Labor. Skilled horticulture labor is available, but competition from floriculture raises wages.
- Land. Close-in parcels are pricey and fragmented. Lease rates at the high end.
- Logistics. 3–4.5 hours to Jakarta at night via Pasteur–Cikampek belt, packed corridors during holidays. Cold-chain discipline is critical.
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Pangalengan (1,100–1,400 m)
- Climate. Similar altitude benefits with slightly wider diurnal. More wind exposure in some valleys, which helps disease pressure.
- Water. Clean and soft. TDS commonly 40–90 ppm. Very RO-friendly region if you choose to install, but often unnecessary.
- Power. Outages slightly more frequent in rural pockets. Generators keep climate controls stable.
- Labor. Deep vegetable-farming bench. Training curve is shorter for hydroponics.
- Land. Larger contiguous blocks. Lease rates more workable. Good for scaling.
- Logistics. 4–6 hours to Jakarta at night. Extra buffer needed to hit morning delivery windows.
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Puncak/Cipanas, Cianjur (900–1,200 m)
- Climate. Warmer days, especially at 900–1,000 m. Pockets at 1,100–1,200 m perform well with shading and airflow.
- Water. TDS 80–150 ppm, alkalinity can be higher in limestone areas. More growers adopt RO or advanced acidification.
- Power. Similar or slightly better stability along main corridors. Still plan for backups.
- Labor. Tourism-economy competition, but still adequate farm labor. Training required.
- Land. Mixed. Some modern estates and smaller plots. Permitting pathways are clearer than many expect.
- Logistics. Closest to Jakarta via Ciawi–Jagorawi. 2.5–4 hours at night. Highest on-time reliability for fresh contracts.
What altitude is ideal to avoid bolting and tipburn?
In our experience, the sweet spot for hydroponic lettuce in West Java is 1,000–1,300 m. Day temperatures stay workable, nights cool enough to slow respiration, and solar load is manageable with 30–50% shade. Below 900 m you’ll fight bolting in the shoulder seasons. Above 1,400 m you can slow growth too much during peak rains.
Is Lembang or Pangalengan better for year‑round supply to Jakarta?
- Pure quality play. Lembang wins. Slightly cooler, steadier microclimate and an established supply chain for leafy greens.
- Scale with cost control. Pangalengan is our pick. Larger blocks and cheaper leases make expansion cleaner, with quality that meets premium specs most of the year. If your number one KPI is on-time arrival to Jakarta DCs, Puncak/Cipanas can out-deliver both because of its proximity, provided you choose sites above ~1,050 m and invest in climate controls.
Which months are riskiest for lettuce tipburn in the Bandung highlands?
We see the highest risk in September–October and again in late March–April. Those inter‑monsoon windows combine heat spikes and high radiation, pushing fast growth and disrupting calcium transport. During peak rains (December–February), external tipburn drops, but internal tipburn can still show up in dense heads if airflow is poor. Our countermeasures that worked consistently: bump CaNO3 in week two to three, add airflow at canopy height, maintain leaf temperatures under 26°C in midday.
Do I need RO filtration for West Java highland water?
Test first. Here’s how we decide.
- If TDS < 100 ppm and alkalinity (HCO3-) < 80 ppm CaCO3. No RO. Dose acid to pH 5.8–6.0, run standard recipes.
- If alkalinity 80–150 ppm CaCO3. Consider acidification plus partial RO blend. Watch pH drift in recirculating systems.
- If alkalinity > 150 ppm or Na/Cl elevated. RO pays for itself in consistency and fewer clogs. In Cipanas we often see this case. Most Lembang and Pangalengan sources run fine without RO. Cipanas has more sites where RO is advantageous.
How long does delivery to Jakarta take from Puncak/Cipanas with a refrigerated truck?
Night dispatch in a 1–4 ton reefer typically runs 2.5–4 hours door‑to‑door to Greater Jakarta DCs via Ciawi–Jagorawi, assuming you target 21:00–05:00 windows. Daytime runs can double. We still pre‑cool to 2–4°C, box at high humidity, and use ice gel during hotter months to protect against choke points.
What permits are required to build greenhouses in Cianjur (Cipanas)?
The framework has improved under OSS-RBA, but there are steps.
- NIB via OSS. Your Business Identification Number.
- PKKPR/land-use conformity. Check zoning against the RDTR. Agriculture/greenhouse use must be permitted.
- PBG (Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung). The replacement for IMB. Required for structures.
- Environmental. SPPL for small/low-risk greenhouses. UKL-UPL for larger footprints. AMDAL only for very large or sensitive sites.
- Utility and water. PLN connection permits and groundwater/spring abstraction permits if applicable.
- Local registrations. DPMPTSP Cianjur handles most steps and can confirm village-level requirements. Regulations evolve, and interpretations differ by kecamatan. When in doubt, sit with DPMPTSP early. We’ve saved months by aligning drawings and land-use letters up front. Need help navigating a specific parcel? You can Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll sanity-check your path.
How much does land lease cost for a 1,000 m2 greenhouse in Lembang vs Pangalengan?
Recent deals we’ve seen or negotiated in the last six months.
- Lembang. IDR 35–70 million per 1,000 m2 per year, depending on access, road width, and water. Prime, tourist-adjacent parcels can exceed this.
- Pangalengan. IDR 12–30 million per 1,000 m2 per year. Larger contiguous blocks stay toward the lower-mid range.
- Cipanas. IDR 20–45 million per 1,000 m2 per year. Estates with utilities command more. Always verify title clarity and right-of-use, and budget for ground prep. Sloped parcels add structural costs that erase lease savings.
Real performance snapshots after 90 days
Your mileage will vary, but these ranges are reliable if SOPs are tight.
- Yield. 3.0–3.8 kg/m2/cycle for baby romaine and red lollo across all sites. Lembang skews to the upper end in hot months.
- Tipburn/rejects. 1–3% in Lembang and Pangalengan outside risk windows. 3–6% in Cipanas unless shading and canopy airflow are dialed in.
- Energy. 6–10 kWh/m2/month when fans and fog run during heat spikes. Backup power covered two to six short outages per week depending on feeder line.
- Logistics. Dispatch at 22:00 hits 02:00–05:00 DC slots from Cipanas consistently. Lembang and Pangalengan require earlier harvests and stricter pre-cool to maintain core temperature on arrival.
Winners by business model
- Fastest to market near Jakarta. Puncak/Cipanas at 1,050–1,200 m. Invest in RO if alkalinity is high. Perfect for foodservice programs with daily replenishment.
- Premium retail quality with year‑round stability. Lembang at 1,100–1,300 m. Slightly higher costs, but fewer climate headaches.
- Scalable footprint at workable cost. Pangalengan. Easier to find 0.5–2 ha expansions, strong labor pool, and quality that meets spec with good SOPs.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Siting below 900 m because the land is cheap. You’ll pay in bolting and rejects.
- Under‑spec’ing airflow. Tipburn is usually an airflow and calcium timing problem, not a genetics problem.
- Skipping water tests. A simple alkalinity number determines RO vs acidification. Don’t buy equipment before lab results.
- Ignoring night delivery windows. Jakarta traffic is undefeated. Build your harvest and pre-cool around night dispatch.
If you’re switching sites or starting fresh
Here’s a quick path that has saved growers weeks.
- Shortlist two parcels in different altitude bands. Run micro data loggers for two weeks. Don’t rely on “feels cool.”
- Pull full water panels. TDS, EC, alkalinity (as CaCO3), Na, Cl, Fe, Mn. Decide RO vs acid.
- Pre‑apply for PKKPR and PBG with basic drawings. Parallel-path utilities. Don’t wait.
- Pilot 200–400 m2 first. Prove SOPs, then replicate modules.
- Lock cold-chain. Book reliable reefer capacity before first harvest. If you want a second set of eyes on a candidate site, we’re happy to review climate and water data and share route realities to your target buyers. Questions about your project? Contact us on whatsapp.
We’ve helped place and supply programs that include lettuce alongside export-ready lines, and we can align your specs with buyer expectations. When you’re ready to see the SKUs we move at scale, you can also View our products.