Grow Up HGTC Vertical Hydrogarden Deluxe Planter Kit, 2.15-Feet by 4-Feet, Terra Cotta

The quality of the plastic is pretty good and if you are only buying it for the tower components then you will be satisfied. However, this product is far from adequate and it certainly is not a deluxe anything. The pH testing kit was very old, all of the liquid had obviously spilled from the bottle many years ago and totally dried up, see picture. There was nothing left to use but a small stained plastic bag so I had to buy another pH test product. The perlite provided was inadequate, there are 5 trays and only 3 bags so I had to buy more perlite. The pump according to the Grow Up website has a knob to increase or decrease the water flow. When the package arrived the knob was detached from the pump along with a few other parts, but I was able to put them all back together. Unfortunately the knob doesn't work anymore, I'm not certain it ever worked, but it certainly doesn't now so when the water is on the nutrient solution splashes out of the tower all over the place. Not only is this a waste of water and nutrients but it makes a mess and is very noisy. (Think small hose on full blast a few inches from the concrete.) Finally, the nutrient solution doesn't have an appropriate nutrient mix for any of the plants I want to grow (lettuce and tomatoes.)As a result, in addition to purchasing the deluxe setup I've had to REPLACE the pH solution, additional perlite, and the pump. Basically the only thing that was as advertised was the tower itself. It is a good little invention so I gave the produce three stars. Its thick, quality plastic. The only thing I would change is the lid to the bucket at the bottom only has a small hole to access the water and the pump inside the tub. If there was a small hinged area that would allow more access I could avoid having to take apart the whole tower to clean the system. (You have to clean the system every 2-4 weeks.)For those of you who are also beginners, I've also had to purchase pH Up/Down to adjust the pH, seed starting rockwool, seed germination kit, seed starting lights, and seeds. I will also need to purchase a hose for cleaning out the water from the basin. These are not overly expensive items, but I thought I would mention it for those who want to have everything delivered via Amazon.I bought this product because I thought it would be easier than buying each part separately and require less of my time to assemble. This was incorrect. I've now spent quite a bit more than I expected and made numerous trips to the hardware store. Although I am a very loyal Amazon customer and strongly believe in avoiding retail stores as a lifestyle choice, this is an instance where the trek to the hydroponics store would have served me well. I regret buying this product and have paid for the poor choice with time an $.

This purchase was my first attempt at hydroponic gardening. I purchased the Grow Up in late March and it arrived at my door in a box with open seams alarming me that there might be missing components but the contents turned out to be all there. This item shipped from an external vendor and not from amazon so I do question whether the vendor couldn't have exercised greater care in ensuring that the box was sealed properly before shipping. It may be that Grow Up needs to consider more reliable packaging. That said, the individual components appear to be well made of a thick, durable plastic and the assembly was quite easy. I did forget to tape over the end of the pipe as instructed and I strongly recommend doing so to avoid any potential problems with grow media clogging the pipe. Everything worked as expected and I followed the recommended instructions for planting, placing larger plants in the bottom tier. However, I have now encountered a problem for which I see no apparent solution. I placed eggplant and tomato plants in the first tier and I've anxiously waited for the first crop to appear. the liquid fertilizer did a grand job of allowing the plants to thrive, almost too good a job. I came home from work and discovered the reservoir completely empty of water. My first thought was that the high temps accelerated evaporation since the weekend when I refilled it. it now turns out that the water is overflowing the sides of the first tier instead of draining back into the tub. my plants are large and beginning to bear fruit, however I suspect that the root system is preventing the water from draining back into the tub. so in a matter of minutes, all of the water has overflowed onto the ground, leaving the tub empty. I see no way to solve this without compromising the plants I've watched grow over the past few months. I recognize that this may be due to my selection of plants but it begs the question of how to prevent this problem with my next attempt. I'm questioning if this isn't the disadvantage of a vertical system that relies on the water draining back into the reservoir. so my disappointment may be more with vertical gardening than this specific product. I wanted potential buyers to be aware of this possible challenge because it occurs to me that as the plants thrive the ability of the water to return to the reservoir may be compromised. I have no disappointment with the Grow Up product although my pricey investment will now fail just as fruit (tomatoes) are almost ready for harvest. the lush growth of my plants make it impossible to disassemble and reassemble as they have grown intertwined. it may be that vertical gardening is a victim of its own success. This experience makes me question the utility of growing plants indoors and I won't want to risk having overflowing water damaging flooring in my home.