A 65-year-old man has been jailed after officers were led to his multi-million-dollar hydroponic set-up when Victoria Police Air Wing spotted large amounts of fertiliser at his Gippsland property.

John William Bird pleaded guilty to cultivating a narcotic plant, trafficking a drug of dependence, and possession of cannabis.

The County Court heard officers raided the Warragul man's property at Briagolong, near Sale, in April after police spotted large amounts of fertiliser on the back of a ute at the address.

Police seized more than 550 plants with a street value of more than $2 million.

Police said Bird had a sophisticated hydroponic set-up intended for the large scale commercial cultivation of cannabis.

His lawyer, Glenn Casement, argued against a jail sentence, citing the retired bricklayer's age, poor health, and early guilty plea.

He said his client admitted to making a "stupid, stupid decision" in growing the plants.

In sentencing, Judge John Smallwood took into account the lawyer's defence, but said the sheer volume of the operation and a previous conviction of drug cultivation warranted jail time.

He said if not for an early guilty plea, a jail term in the double digits would not have been unreasonable.

The judge said it was a large-scale operation clearly intended to make money and sentenced Bird to just over five years in jail.

He will be eligible for parole in March 2019.