Thursday 9 July 2020

Greenhouse Sensations Quadgrow


The Greenhouse Sensations Quadgrow has got to be the best product that I saw at this years Gardening Press Event. I fell in love with it because I was due to have my second Greenhouse up and running on the allotment and the fact that you feed the plants water and nutrients via the Smart Reservoir up to the pots via Four Feeder Mats via capillary action, and that there is enough water to last 10 days, plus you can add a link to a water butt and double that just blew my mind away. 

I arranged for one to be delivered and then covid-19 hit and as the wife is in the very high risk category we went into shielding before the lockdown started for everyone else and we are still shielding until the end of the month (at the moment). 

I didn't get to install the Quadgrow in the greenhouse on the allotment because although were were allowed out for exercise to allotments, I didn't want to take the risk as I love my wife more than I love my plot (just!). 

I did try installing into a pop up greenhouse in the back garden but during high winds it wanted to turn into a kite, so I abandoned that idea and instead have used the quadgrow outside in the elements. 

Not really what I got it for but it has been great and has provided me with a means of growing on the patio deck as an #IsolatedGardener.


I decided not to link the two Smart Reservoirs together and to use a 25mm grummet in each to block the connection holes as I had a need to be able to move them independently.


The pre 2019 Model was supplied as a single unit



In 2019 the Quadgrow design was improved and is now split into two Smart Reservoirs (which can be joined if required), with each reservoir measuring 24½" / 620mm long by 14" / 360mm wide by 7" / 180mm high and having a 15 litre capacity. Root filters are provided to prevent the connecting pipe from getting blocked as you can see in the photo below the roots love to grow into the Smart Reservoirs.  



This large capacity should keep plants watered for up to 10 days and is easy to fill up via the filler hole. Providing more flexibility, now that the Quadgrow is split into two sections it allows gardeners with limited space to use the Quadgrow whereas, in the past, they may not have had the space to accommodate the length of the reservoir.



The Four Pots - each pot measures 10inch / 250 mm square by 10inch / 250mm high and has a compost capacity of approx. 11 litres. They all have a decorative feature around the top of the pot. The Quadgrow including the pots are made from recycled plastic.  


Nutrigrow Plant Feed - 2.5 litres of feed are included with both the pack of one or pack of two Quadgrows. 

This award winning plant food can be used with vegetable plants or ornamentals to improve general health, speed up plant growth and increase flower and fruit production. 

Nutrigrow includes potash, nirogen, calcium and magnesium but the secret to its success is that it also includes micronutrients and trace elements in a balanced ratio. 

It is supplied as a super concentrated fertiliser. For young plants the dilution rate is 3ml per litre of water. For mature plants the rate increases to 6ml. 

Nutrigrow Plant Food can be bought on its own from Greenhouse Sensations as required.

Optional Extras or Add Ons 

Water Butt Link Kit 


The Water Butt Link Kit allows you connect your Quadgrow to a water butt, allowing you to leave your plants for even longer between watering which is ideal if you are going away on holiday. 

Greenhouse Sensations can provide just the Water Butt kit which includes a "water level controller" which is basically a cistern ball value set up with all the connections you will need or they can also provide an extension 25L water butt as well. 




Mulch Cap and Cane Support Kits 




Sold as a set of 4 mulch caps sit that sit on top of the Quadgrow pots. Included is a cane locator in each mulch cap to make it easier to support your plants. Canes are not included
Benefits of using a mulch cap:

  • Warms the soil to increase root growth
  • Increased root growth, in turn, benefits a bigger harvest
  • Reduces evaporation for even longer between watering
  • Reduces algae and weed growth in soil
  • Stops pests from laying eggs in the soil, mainly the Fungus Gnat whose larvae will eat roots

            
Protective Lids 


Cold temperatures can slow the growth of young plants and make them more susceptible to disease later in life. Give your young plants a really healthy start with these propagator lids which protect plants from cold temperatures.

Specifically manufactured to fit the Quadgrow pots, they measure 270mm high and come with an adjustable air vent on the top of each pot giving you control over the humidity inside. These can be purchased singly, of in quantities of 4 or 8 depending on how many Quadgrows you have.

            
I've been asked by people on various Facebook Groups who know I have been testing a number of self watering products this year if I would recommend the Quadgrow, and I can say without hesitation I do. I can't wait to get it set up the the greenhouse on the allotment plot next year and I will be looking at other products from Greenhouse Sensations as I want to get into growing in water and hydroponics. 

For those of you that worry about the environment and using plastic on the allotment, the Quadgrow is made from recycled plastic.  


If there is one improvement that could be made to this product it would be the inclusion of a water indicator something like the Bio Green City Jungle has as I find that really useful. 


A timber dip stick is supplied with the Quadgrow but there is no mark on it to indicate a high and low level. 


The Greenhouse Sensations Web site is worth checking out as they produce so many useful growing and gardening products and they are Made in England. I will post a blog re Quadgrow Unboxing and when I install in the greenhouse there will be another post. For all thing Quadgrow related in the future on my blog use this Link

Finally for this post, I love to read a manual and so that I can easily find it again and so you can also have a read, below is the manual that came with my Quadgrow




   
If you are reading this post on a Windows 10 Computer if you click on an image you should get all the images full screen to look at. 

The Small Print. I have not been paid to write this review, I'm not on commission, trial equipment was provided to me in order to review. 

2 comments:

  1. Great article Alan. Thank you for trying out our Quadgrow! We hope other people discover it from your review. All the best

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    1. Thank you for your comment, I can't wait to get it in the allotment greenhouse next year.

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