Say hello to the latest hydroponic grow cabinet to launch. GroBox introduced the world to the new GroBox One design the other day via a Kickstarter campaign. It’s not their first foray into the realm of indoor growing products, but it is by far to largest.
Finally, a compact grow box for large plants you won’t want to hide in the closet that is also quite reasonably priced. They’ve designed the GroBox One hydroponic cabinet to give you what you need to grow a great crop without extra bells and whistles that drive your cost through the roof. Unlike other recently launched comparable systems, such as the $3000 Leaf and $2500 CloudPonics model, GroBox’s new cabinet will run you less than $1000. A significant saving!
So, how is it that GroBox can create a hydroponic grow cabinet that sells for about one-third of what other such systems cost? It’s basic, and basic hydroponics has produced fine crops for many years. There is no automated nutrient dosing in the design. Why? Because, says GroBox principal Sean Martin, “the minimal value of an automatic dosing system does not justify the increase in cost.” Auto dosing is cool, but really only necessary for people with deep pockets.
What you need for an excellent hydroponic harvest is quality essential equipment and some knowledge of your crop’s needs. If you know how much irrigation, light, nutrients, etc. that your tomato, chile pepper, or cannabis plant needs, the GroBox One does take care of automating that for you.
The GroBox has a 6-gallon nutrient tank with a water level indicator. It is easily properly dosed by hand at each water changing, which you do on a weekly basis. As plants grow, what they take up from the nutrient solution changes. When you personally ensure they have the exact amount of macro and micronutrients needed at all times – you are in control of your harvest. Not some gizmo. What if it fails to function properly? Success means always being in control of what’s happening in your hydroponic garden.
Speaking of macro and micronutrients, GroBox One takes advantage of top quality hydroponic inputs. Their nutrients are the result of working directly with a major industry nutrient company. It contains all the essentials your plants need to produce a stellar harvest in the onboard ebb and flow system. While you’re perfectly welcome to use someone else’s products, their specially blended nutrients guarantee a successful grow.
They designed the grow box for space and energy conservation. The 46″ tall cabinet has a 16″x16″ footprint. Crafted from aluminum and plastic, it’s equipped with 192 watts LED lighting that runs 3W chips. Both the lighting and hydroponic pump are easily adjusted to fit your plant’s needs as it grows via a built-in control panel. Presently, GroBox one isn’t factory-equipped with a CO2 system. However, they designed it so that one can easily be added. It may just be one of the upgrades they add to the system in the future, like making it WiFi-enabled with a remote monitoring and control app.
It also has temperature and humidity sensors to give you accurate environmental readings. Simply adjust your GroBox One’s fans to maintain good environmental conditions. The fans control fresh air intake, air exhaust, and air movement inside the unit, and HEPA filters completely control crop odors.
Another cool thing about the GroBox One’s design that every price-conscious grower will love is its stackable construction. You see, those refrigerator-type hydroponic cabinets are a lot more expensive than purchasing just the unit. Do you know how much the freight costs for something as big as a small fridge? The dimensions make it a cringe-worthy figure! But GroBox’s design ships compact, with all the sections nesting inside each other. Sure, they may say the shipping is free, but the reality is, someone is paying the shipping, and it’s definitely on YOUR TAB, not theirs. It’s hiding in your total price.
Yes, it costs far less to grow big plants indoors in a nursery container filled with excellent potting mix. However, you still need better environmental control than anyone has in their living space. Especially during the winter! You need to protect your plant from ever-present pests and disease problems too. Having an indoor greenhouse like this helps with that. The human environment, you see, is not a plant’s idea of great growing conditions.
At least, the GroBox One is less expensive than your other options. Besides, how much is a homegrown tomato sandwich worth in January? What’s the value of a year-round supply of fresh toxin-free jalapenos? And for anyone seeking to grow their own supply of cannabis for pain management and other health-related benefits… How much is knowing your natural medicine is 100% pesticide-free and mold-free? (Produces 2 ounces in 16 weeks for novice users.) All of the above makes the price totally justifiable.
The ebb and flow hydroponic method lets you grow a mean plant without wasting water. Growing in clay pebbles allows roots better airflow and oxygen availability than any potting mix. So, you’ve got far less chance of root disease. It does a great job of giving you a seed-to-harvest growing system in one compact system with a small footprint.
Naturally, you can get a sweet deal on the GroBox One during the Kickstarter campaign. To grow both food and medicine, you might want to take advantage of the kickoff 2 or 4 unit multi-pack deals.
GroBox is the sister company of Aqua Design Innovations, maker of the EcoQube Frame. Their Fog Box micro hydroponic garden launched on Kickstarter in September 2016. The team has worked on perfecting GroBox One’s design for quite some time, I think I ran across their prototype a year ago while researching a similar system.
Better hurry to get the best deal on Kickstarter for this launch, at prices like these, the kickoff specials won’t last long. Check out their website, GetGroBox.com, and Facebook page.