Monday, March 8, 2010

Lighting Your Hydroponics Grow


Light reflector in your hydroponics grow.

It is very important to use a light reflector in your hydroponics garden if you would like to get the most out of your grow lamp. A light bulb will admit light in 360°. If you do not have a reflector above your bulb these light rays will be wasted because light will be beaming out in all directions around for your plants and not on your plants. What you really need is a way of focusing the light beams at 360° radius back onto your plants. That's exactly what the light reflector does and why it's important to have one. A light reflector will take all the light from the bulb and once installed around the top of the light reflector will bounce light down to your garden. This is called out of bounce light. This can make your lights much more effective because now a lot less of those light rays are to be wasted by going in directions not needed. You never want to run the lights without out a good reflector.

When looking for a hydroponics grow lights reflector take a look at name brands like a light Sunlight Supply and Hydrofarm. They are both known to make high-quality reflectors ranging through entry level all the way up to grow commercial gardening. If you can afford it definitely get an air cooled reflector that will keep your lights a lot cooler than non-air cooled reflectors like Batwings. Keeping these big lights cool is definitely huge advantage when it comes to hydroponics. But whatever you do definitely by a reflector being a non-air cooled reflector or an air cooled reflector as long as you have bounce light on their you will have a very effective grow using your HID lighting system.

There is a really great tutorial on the Homegrown Hydroponics website about selecting the proper light wattage for the room you are growing in. If you're considering growing with hydroponics for the first time and you are unsure what the proper wattage bulb will be then check out the video on the Homegrown Hydroponics website in their video section. That should clear up a lot so you can make sure that you have the right light to get the most yield and not overpower your plants too much light.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

anyone can learn hydroponics


Hydroponics as a hobby

I am a middle-aged man who has recently discovered a fantastic new hobby that I would love to share with the rest of the world. My new hobby is indoor hydroponics gardening. Let's just say I always had a brown thumb, and I kind of ran into hydroponics by accident. Let's just say I have come into a position where I no longer want to grow my plants outdoors, I decided I would much rather grow my plants indoors with hydroponics. The problem is I never really had much talent as a gardener. As a kid I never took care of plants or animals, and had little experience taking care of anything living. However I put all that behind me and now I now grow my own organic medicinal herbs and have chosen to do that with hydroponics for several reasons.

Hydroponics plants grow a lot faster than soil. That means I get my fresh herbs on a regular basis a lot quicker than I would if I was growing in soil. In soil plants grow much slower and really do not taste any differently when eaten. In Hydroponics the plants will grow much faster, and I feel fantastic to know I've grown them indoors using the highest quality water and nutrients by myself. I feel much better about ingesting plants that have grown myself hydroponically versus plants that have been grown outdoors using the pesticides to keep away insects. Also outside you have to deal with uncontrollable critters that might devour your plants.

I found some really fantastic videos on YouTube on hydroponics growing and purchased a PC Grow Box eventually from Homegrown Hydroponics which is really began to enjoy the wonder and mystery of hydroponics. When I purchased a PC grow box learning hydroponics was easy with the instruction manual that was included with the garden machine. I followed all the instructions watched the videos on the Homegrown Hydroponics website and learned to grow my own herbs at the tender young age of 42.

I enjoy every day the success of looking at my garden grow. Every day as I watch my plants it fills me with a warm to create life. Looking at my plants and seeing how healthy and green they are shows me how beautiful nature can be when assisted by man with hydroponics

Hydroponics is essentially growing with ease using water and nutrients instead of soil. The hydroponic system I have is a deep water culture hydroponic system and essentially uses as an air pump to blow air through an air stone to keep the water bubbling and oxygenated. It is this in bubbling and oxygenating that really makes the plants roots grow super fast and overall results in large organic yields.

Also having a really powerful light helps in hydroponics as well. The unit I have the PC Grow Box from Homegrown Hydroponics has a very powerful compact fluorescent light that makes it easy for me to grow my plants all year long. Hydroponics has really improved my life and I wanted to share that with the users of this web site.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

hydroponics grow boxes review


Review of the Homegrown Hydroponics Economy Grow Box

I lived in Alaska where we have a very harsh climates. We have irregular day and night patterns as well as extreme temperatures, which makes it almost impossible to grow outdoors. Since I do not live in Anchorage or any other major city, I am forced to grow my own food. Of course there has traditionally been really no way to do that until I found out about the Homegrown Hydroponics Economy Grow Box.

For those that don't know what a grow box is, essentially it is a self-contained enclosure for growing plants with hydroponics. I purchased and received an Economy Grow Box that I got from Homegrown Hydroponics recently. It came with a 400 W high pressure sodium lighting systems, which really put out huge amounts of red light which really helps your plants when they flower. Also included was a deep water culture hydroponic system along with all the necessary air pumps and air stones to make that work. The Economy Grow Box came with the nutrients that I needed to get my first round of plants going along with the starter cups and clay pellets and the Rockwell cubes, it came with bottles of pH adjustment solution and the manuals. Even though videos are also available online.

It cost me a fortune to ship this thing here (laugh), but there was really no other way around it. I actually used a freight forwarding company out of Seattle Washington to save on the delivery cost. All in all I think the delivery was fair because the unit came on a boat just for me. I am very happy that the Homegrown Hydroponics Economy Grow Box is completely assembled when it came because I was so excited to take it off the crate, that it would've hated to have to put anything together at that point.

When you take a look at the Economy Grow Box it just makes sense. The light is right where it needs to be right from the moment you put your plants in. The deep water culture hydroponic system that the Economy Grow Box came with it is simple and easy to use. The timer was almost effortless to set after watching the video on the Homewood Hydroponics website. Mixing the nutrients was also easy because of the very useful free videos on the Homegrown Hydroponics website. What great technical support and resources they have available to their customers

I have not seen any other grow box manufacturer offers so much we video content to their customers at no charge. I consider myself to be a pretty handy guy and I was able to get this thing up and running in no time. For the hell of it I browsed through the Hydroponics Basics book that comes with which is pretty much just a lot of pictures and very little text but clearly explains the concept of hydroponics. A lot of this is a lot is stuff I already knew, like how to make clones etc., but it was nice and the unit came with this easy guide anywhere. The videos on their website is really where it's at anyway

I haven't got through my first growth cycle yet so I cannot report on the yields that I will be able to get out of the Economy Grow Box. I am very pleased with the performance so far, as it certainly grows well and is easy to use. I don't know what I would do without the Economy Grow Box, it has made me very happy to be able to grow my own with such ease. I am happy with my decision to go with decision to go with Homegrown Hydroponics and it has paid off well for me. Speaking with in tech support was a pleasure and the few questions I had about adjusting the pH levels was answered properly and clearly. I appreciated Wayne for his help on the tech support.

Also thanks to Howard for setting me up with a really great system that I'm super pleased with. He didn't try to sell me a unit that I didn't need. He asked me about my growing needs and I explained the situation and he recommended a very cost-efficient but a high yield potential system that is very well made. I would highly recommend Homegrown Hydroponics and the Economy Grow Box to anybody that wants to grow their own indoors anytime no matter where you live.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box is AMAZING!


Great Things in little Places; My Opinion of the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box

When I read in High Times that you can grow 3 plants in a computer tower case I said no way! But I put my foot in my mouth after giving the PC Grow Box a fair chance, and I'm definitely chuffed to be mistaken massively.

Who says great things don't come in little packages. To say I was a doubter the understatement of the year! My story starts about a year and a half gone when I moved away from home to take up my new residence at varsity. I've always had my parents blessing when it came to growing a few medical plants for my own private enjoyment at home. But now that I was away at school, and living alongside other people, I needed a safe and clever alternative choice to grow my herbs. Obviously I only required enough for my good friends and I, so I began scouring the web looking for secret options to growing plants. Long and behold I stumbled on the local Hydroponics computer Grow Box after picking up a copy of the best of High Times at my local Barnes and Nobel.

The editors of this prestigious magazine had done a review on a company called Homegrown Hydroponics that was manufacturing a unit called the PC Grow Box. The PC Grow Box is basically a micro-grow hydroponuics system, which suggests you are growing a few plants close together in a little place. In this case you are growing plants hydroponically in what looks like a computer tower case. Perfect I thought! I may have 3 plants growing on my desk and as far as anyone from the outside is concerned all they see is a computer tower like any other college student would have in their room. But mine had a hidden secret inside. Three very healthy tomato plants that no-one knew of excepting me.

Going into it, I was very dubious. How is it feasible to grow plants in such a small place like a computer tower? There's not really that much room, and it would get quite hot in there with all those lights. And you've got to make space for your hydroponics system, and all of the gear that goes along with it. But to my amazement and amazement the guys at Homegrown Hydroponics actually pulled it off! They managed to design a total growing system where you can grow three plants simply in a computer tower case from start point to end point, all the time not detracting from the decoration of your room, or captivating any unnecessary attention to my tomato plants. But how does it actually work you ask? Well my friends asked me the same when I told them what I was doing, and the answer is great!

The system is designed with a very tough bulb to keep your plants short and dense. As it seems you do not have to have a very tall plant to get a great yield. A short, dense plant will also provide fantastic yields if you train the plants properly. And that's precisely what i did. I conscientiously fed my women the correct quantity of hydroponic nutrients, and they thrived inside my new PC PC Computer Tower Case Grow Box! In 3 months I had started from seeds, flew thru the vegetative state, and cropped an organic bounty that any hippy would be proud of! All while keeping it on the super down low, and must know only basis.

I went into this venture as a doubter, thinking how can you most likely grow full size plants in a personal computer tower case? Well the answer is you are able if you get a system designed as well as this one. The price was fair and the performance was out of this world. If any of you out there are like me and wish to grow your own medicinal herbs in a small or confined space, you might want to do as I did and have a look at the local Hydroponics PC Grow Box. It works better than publicized, only lightened my wallet a little bit, and more than paid for itself after my first crop. Everything from this point on is topping on the cake. To all you doubters out there, good things do come in small ummm boxes! Hydroponics is both fun and straightforward when you get the hang of it. There are plenty of good blogs on the net discussing growing techniques, and I would suggest growing your own rather than paying those insane street prices for herbs not half as good as the ones I grow at home. The best part is that I have lots of fresh produce coming in every few months, and produces enough to tie me, my girlfriend and all my poor varsity buddies over for months at a time. Life at school is good thanks to my creativity and quick thinking. I love modern technology, and now so does my complete circle of friends! My girlfriend Jennie loved the PC Grow Box so much, she bought one for her brother in medical school, and with all this stress on his shoulders, he can use some homegrown therapy! Some friends have said "Your setup looks pretty pimp. How often do you adjust the PH in your system, and what nutes do you suggest for this kind of micro grow?" My answer is 5.5 and General Hydroponics Nutrients all the way!

Some useless product specs are: The Micro PC Grow Box is the ultimate in stealth growing chambers. This is the ideal unit for the beginner or hobbyist gardener, who does not have a lot of space to grow hydroponically. The PC Micro Grow Box is completely self contained, and is an ideal environment for 1-3 small plants (herbs, tomatoes, lettuce, etc). It contains three powerful fans, to keep the unit running cool. The PC like appearance will blend into any decor. The PC Grow Box is a fully automated stealth micro-grow machine with everything you need to grow plants, and organic herbs! You just add your own seeds and water...

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box is AMAZING!


Great Things in little Places; My Opinion of the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box

When I read in High Times that you can grow 3 plants in a computer tower case I claimed no way! But I put my foot in my mouth after giving the PC Grow Box a fair chance, and I'm definitely happy to be mistaken enormously.

Who says great things don't come in small packages. To say I was a doubter the understatement of the year! My story starts around a year and a half gone when I moved away from home to take up my new residence at university. I have always had my fogeys blessing when it came to growing some medical plants for my private enjoyment at home. But now that I was away at school, and living alongside other folk, I needed a safe and clever alternative choice to grow my herbs. Clearly I only required enough for my good friends and I, so I commenced scouring the web looking for stealthy options to growing plants. Long and behold I stumbled upon the homegrown Hydroponics computer Grow Box after picking up a copy of the best of High Times at my local Barnes and Nobel.

The editors of this prestigious mag had done a review on a company called Homegrown Hydroponics that was producing a unit called the PC Grow Box. The PC Grow Box is basically a micro-grow hydroponuics system, which means you are growing a few plants close together in a small place. In this case you are growing plants hydroponically in what looks like a computer tower case. Perfect I thought! I could have 3 plants growing on my desk and as far as anyone from the outside is concerned , all they see is a computer tower like any other school student would have in their room. But mine had a concealed secret inside. Three terribly healthy tomato plants that no-one knew of excepting me.

Going into it, I was really doubtful. How is it feasible to grow plants in such a small place like a computer tower? There is not really that much room, and it might get quite hot in there with all those lights. Plus you have got to make room for your hydroponics system, and all of the gear that goes along with it. But to my constant surprise and amazement the men at Homegrown Hydroponics actually pulled it off! They were able to design a complete growing system where you can grow 3 plants simply in a computer tower case from start point to end point, all of the time not detracting from the decoration of your room, or attracting any unnecessary attention to my tomato plants. But how does it actually work you ask? Well my pals asked me the same thing when I told them what I was doing, and the answer is great!

The system is designed with a very powerful bulb to keep your plants short and dense. As it turns out you do not have to have a very tall plant to get a great yield. A short, dense plant will also provide fantastic yields if you train the plants correctly. And that is precisely what i did. I thoroughly fed my women the proper quantity of hydroponic nutrients, and they flourished inside my new PC PC Tower Case Grow Box! In a quarter I had started from seeds, flew through the vegetative state, and harvested an organic bounty that any hippy would be proud of! All while keeping it on the super down low, and need to know only basis.

I went into this venture as a doubter, thinking how can you most likely grow full size plants in a personal computer tower case? Well the answer is you can if you get a system designed as well as this one. The price was fair and the performance was out of this world. If any of you out there are like me and wish to grow your own medical herbs in a tiny or confined space, you may want to do as i did and have a look at the homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box. It works better than publicized, only lightened my wallet a little bit, and more than paid for itself after my first crop. Everything from now on is topping on the cake. To all you doubters out there, good things do come in little ummm boxes! Hydroponics is both fun and straightforward after you get the hang of it. There are masses of good blogs on the net deliberating growing strategies, and I might suggest growing your own rather than paying those insane street prices for herbs not half as good as the ones I grow at home. The best part is that I have lots of fresh produce coming in every few months, and produces enough to tie me, my girlfriend and all my poor college mates over for months at a time. Life at school is good thanks to my creativity and quick thinking. I like modern technology, and now so does my whole circle of friends! My good buddy Lars like the idea so much he tried to build his own. By the time he purchased all the tools he needed it ended up costing him 4 times what mind cost. Oh, and his came out totally screwed up and really doesn't work to good at all. I really don't reccomend building your own.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

How To Make Your Own Homegrown Hydroponics A Reality


Do you think you could enjoy high quality make without the problems of tilling, weeding, additionally pest control? If this sounds like you, then hydroponics gardening is an ideal alternative to you. Unlike conventional gardening, it involves the craft of growing plants without soil, allowing you to relish homegrown hydroponics plants all year round. How is this feasible? The answer is effortless. Instead of immersing the plant in soil, homegrown hydroponics technology allows you to immerse the naked roots into a exceedingly nutrient rich solution specially produced to help your plants grow faster what's more create better outcomes.

If the idea of utilizing just water seems impractical to you, there are other methods that are ideal alternatives to soil, such as clay pellets, sand, Styrofoam, foam pads, moreover others. Gardeners across the country are enjoying the profits of homegrown hydroponics. While this can seem like a recent trend, in reality individuals have been growing plants this way for centuries, peculiarly in areas where the soil is overly parched, rocky, or otherwise uninhabitable for plants to grow.

This is an especially effective method for majority creating food in particular, as studies show that plants grown under homegrown hydroponics conditions grow speedier in addition make excellent results. Of course, homegrown hydroponics isn't as simple as it looks. You are taking plants what's more putting them in an environments hugely produced by you.

This means you have to encounter the nutrient solutions to ensure your plants are receiving everything they need, the pH levels to produce sure your plants are not too acidic, plus even the air itself. After all, homegrown hydroponics gardens may grow to be very humid indeed, which can result in plants wilting or rotting, as their leaves lack the adeptness to lock out excess water. It can likewise lead to the growth of mildew, algae, what's more even insect infestation, peculiarly if you use a lot of containers with standing water. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your hydroponics center looking huge. When you purchase your grow lamps, be sure to invest in a high quality set of fans, air conditioning units, or dehumidifiers. Circulating additionally treating the air this way similarly helps your plants convert carbon monoxide into oxygen.

Homegrown hydroponics gardening may seem like a strange way to grow plants, but the end results don't lie. They let you to grow practically anything, regardless of what year it is. As you savor your fresh fruits, vegetables, additionally flowers, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. Learn more today regarding how hydroponics may transform your gardening!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Homegrown Hydroponics Large PC Grow Box Review


Homegrown Hydroponics Large PC Grow Box review

I have just completed my first grow in a Homegrown Hydroponics Large PC Grow Box. I was so impressed with the performance of this micro grow box that I felt compelled to write this review. It all began several months ago when I was off to college. I wanted to continue growing plants, but I've would now be living in a dorm with other people. After scouring the Internet for micro grow boxes I finally came across the Homegrown Hydroponics Large PC Grow Box. The Large PC Grow Box by Homegrown Hydroponics with exactly what I was looking for. A small and compact hydroponics grow box that looks like a computer.

The Large PC Grow Box is the coolest and best designed hydroponics grow box I've ever seen, because it looks exactly like your computer tower case. Homegrown Hydroponics also make the smaller one which is their standard PC Grow Box which will grow up to three plants were the Large PC Grow Box that I got will grow up to six plants. So the Large PC Grow Box is basically a much bigger hydroponics growing system, that will grow six plants instead of three like it's smaller cousin. However I only decided to grow for large plants instead of six plants so that they could grow larger.

When you are growing in a small hydroponic system like a PC Grow Box you want to train your plants to stay short and dense when they grow. Obviously you're not trying to grow a large plant in this type of micro-grow system. A short dense plant that is properly trained will give much larger yields than skinny ones, and that's exactly the way I used this grow box to achieve high success rates. If you're not familiar with what training a plant is that you should take a look on the website for Homegrown Hydroponics under the training videos section to learn how you train your plants and get the most out of your grow box. Essentially training is what you do to get your plants to grow in the corners and in all the nooks and crannies you can to maximize your available growing space.

I found the 150 W compact fluorescent light in the large PC Grow Box to be more than adequate for all my stages of growth. This light put out both red and blue light which the plants like in the vegetative and flowering stages. The plants seem to be very content to be growing inside the PC at all times with a CFL. There was another manufacturer selling a similar PC grow box with a high pressure sodium light, but in my opinion that type of light would generate way too much heat for a small system such as the PC grow box where your plants grow very close to the light bulb.

This unit was extremely well built and designed. It has several fans keeping your plants cool, as well as front fans and fans on the side and fans on the back of the growbox to really keep fresh air moving through the system. It ran super cool all the time and thanks for the ONA odor reduction system that came with it there was no smells either. The great thing is I am now able to grow as many plants as I want in stealth, and have been doing so for several months without my dorm mates having any idea that I was is growing any basil plants at all. The Large PC Grow Box from Homegrown Hydroponics certainly turned out to be a terrific investment, because it grows plants extremely well and easy for a beginner like me. I would highly recommend the Large PC Grow Box to anyone. Homegrown Hydroponics has been a pleasure to deal with and I think they make the best grow boxes out there.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Review of the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box


Review of the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box

For quite some time I have been looking for an easy and convenient way of growing my plants hydroponically indoors in a stealth-like fashion. I am a 42-year-old man and I have a wife and kids that I live with. I live in California where it is legal to grow my own medicinal herbs, I have chosen to look purchase a commercial grow box that would suit my needs. After several weeks of Internet research I finally came across the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box.

I really like the design and functionality of Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box, and I also thought the $595 selling price was more than fair. This is a micro grow hydroponics system that I purchased will grows up to three plants, even though I decided to actually grow only two. The PC Grow Box comes with a 125 compact fluorescent light which seems to be the perfect amount of light for a grow box of this size. The plants have a little bit less than 2 feet to grow so this would definitely be considered a micro grow.

Also included in the box with the PC Grow Box was the hydroponic system along with the nutrients, and the pH adjustment kits, plus it came with a simple timer, as well ONA to control the odors. The PC Grow Box also came with a power strip and all the necessary cords, connections and adapters to get my garden started. Everything you need to grow is included. I simply just added the seeds in the water the hydroponic system and that was it.

I started my seeds the traditional way, using a napkin and some ceramic plates. After about 10 days in a humidity dome I was able to transplant them directly into the PC Grow Box where I would then vegetate them out over the next couple of weeks. The sprouted seedlings quickly took to their new home in the PC Grow Box and began to develop new leaves quickly. The small plants responded quite well the compact fluorescent lighting system that was installed on the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box.

Since the plants were beginning to grow very strongly after three weeks I decided it was good to top them at this point. By removing the top of the plant, I actually caused my plants to grow additional shoots and I was able to train my plants to grow short but also dense. At this point the root mass was looking very solid and the plants were obviously very healthy in their new hydroponics environment.

The plants at all times responding extremely well to the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box in their vegetating stage of growth as well as the flowering stage.

A little over 3 1/2 weeks in I decided it was time to start the flowering my plants. I was able to purchase a replacement compact fluorescent light that puts out more red light than the one that was included with my original purchase from Homegrown Hydroponics. I set my timer to 12 hours on and 12 hours off and adjusted my nutrients from the vegetative formula the flowering formula. I then left the plants alone during the dark cycle and in a few weeks I began to notice various fruits and budding sites developing all over my plants.

I then added some nutrient additives to boost up the plants yields and let them go for another two weeks. At this point the plants have been topped, pruned, and trained to grow in this grow box quite well. Since the PC Grow Box is fairly small you really have to train your plants to get the most out of it. This is exactly what I've done to my plants to keep them short and dense. The final harvest came in at just over the 4 ounces of dried way. I have been very pleased and expect my second harvest to be even better.

I'm happy with my PC Grow Box and my purchase from Homegrown Hydroponics and the results were more than I could have hoped for. This stealthness and an ease of use is well worth the price alone. But having the ability to grow my own plants at home on my small budget really makes it worth it. It was a pleasure dealing with Howard at Homegrown Hydroponics and the entire staff was easy to work with and very helpful at all times during the build and ship process. It's been a great opportunity to get to use this fine prebuilt hydroponics system and I would highly recommend the Homegrown Hydroponics PC Grow Box to anyone that's looking to grow a hydroponics garden indoors in what looks like a computer tower case.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Homegrown hydroponics


Homegrown Hydroponics Fantastic Customer Support



I recently purchased the Homegrown Hydroponics Mini Fridge Grow Box to use in my home. However I almost did not purchase it because it seems like there is some mixed reviews regarding the customer service and customer support of Homegrown Hydroponics. There have been some negative publicity for this company, and even though I have no affiliation whatsoever with Homegrown Hydroponics I wanted to post this article to show my gratitude towards this company for a job and a product well done. From my personal experience I have found that what some others have said Homegrown Hydroponics to be totally untrue and unwarranted, and since few others have spoken up, I thought that I would speak up by writing this article and give a honest review of their product and services.



My foray into hydroponics came a few months ago when I decided to purchase my first hydroponics growing machine. I did my due diligence and research to find companies that manufacture hydroponics grow boxes for home use, and after many weeks of research I narrowed my focus specifically down to Homegrown Hydroponics and their Mini Fridge Grow Box specifically. However I was also interested in one time and possibly considered their Living Room grow box which looked exactly like a piece of furniture but would allow me to grow plants inside with stealth as to not detract from my simple bedroom. I also briefly considered that PC grow box for growing my plants. However because I know because I have very little experience with hydroponics, I really needed a helping hand and some good insight on a grow box to purchase.



My first introduction to Howard at Homegrown Hydroponics is when I called one day late on a Friday afternoon. To be honest I wasn't even expecting anybody to pick up the phone when I called. I was happy to get a hold of the general sales manager over there which is Howard. Howard is extremely knowledgeable about all the products sold by at Homegrown Hydroponics, and he really seems to know his stuff about hydroponics in general. We spoke for over 45 minutes on my first call and I never felt rushed to get off the phone. I thoroughly explained to Howard the type of hydroponics setup that I was looking for and what my restrictions were in terms of price and also privacy issues. We did some back and forth and a lot of discussion of hydroponics before finally narrowing down to my decision to go with the Homegrown Hydroponics Mini Fridge grow box.



The amazing thing that I would really like to point out about this company is that they could've recommended a much more expensive unit for me to purchase, which I may not have needed. Homegrown Hydroponics sells some machines that sell for as much as $3500 on their website. However in no way did Howard try to upsell me at all. He took the time to find out the best product for me based on what I told them and recommended a great product with only the options I needed to fit within my budget constraints. Howard was professional and courteous to me at all times, and it actually seemed like I was speaking more to a friend that I was to a salesmen.



After some back and forth with Howard and the Homegrown Hydroponics staff after several days I was finally ready to make my decision to purchase a Homegrown Hydroponics Mini Fridge Grow Box. Once again I spoke to Howard on the phone and gave them my name and all my shipping information. At that point he was able to give me my exact total, as well as the information I needed to send in my money order. I followed up the next day by going to the post office and getting a few money orders that made up the total of my order and I sent a priority overnight express mail to Howard at Homegrown Hydroponics. I confirmed that they did receive the payment the next morning and I called and spoke to Shannon later in the afternoon to confirm that that payment has been received and the grow box had begun construction.



Every grow box that is sold by Homegrown Hydroponics is custom built to order. They do not stock any of their products since every grow box is different. With that being said I was aware that I would have to wait a few weeks to receive my item and I was okay with that. I was told the unit would take roughly about 3 to 4 weeks to build and ship but, I was surprised when the freight gave me a call to let me know that my grow box in my area and ready to be delivered. Setting up a time to be delivered with the freight company was very easy and the freight company was punctual and showed up and delivered a fully built Mini Fridge Grow Box directly to my door as promised.



Upon unpacking the unit I found that it was securely built and packaged and everything I ordered was included and arrived damage free. The unit looked exactly like it did on the website and maybe even a little bit better, and it functions well above my exculpations.



I'm extremely pleased with my purchase from Homegrown Hydroponics and I would no doubt recommend them to anybody looking to start their own hydroponics garden. I found both the sales and technical support from Homegrown Hydroponics to be far above average from what I have found from other companies like Amazon and eBay who cannot even be contacted by phone. This videos on the Homegrown Hydroponics website made it extremely easy for me to set up my new products and I've been extremely happy with the unit that I purchased and I would definitely do business with Homegrown Hydroponics again in a heartbeat.

Friday, February 26, 2010

My opinion of homegrown hydroponics


Homegrown Hydroponics Fantastic Customer Support



I recently purchased the Homegrown Hydroponics Mini Fridge Grow Box to use in my home. However I almost did not purchase it because it seems like there is some mixed reviews regarding the customer service and customer support of Homegrown Hydroponics. There have been some negative publicity for this company, and even though I have no affiliation whatsoever with Homegrown Hydroponics I wanted to post this article to show my gratitude towards this company for a job and a product well done. From my personal experience I have found that what some others have said Homegrown Hydroponics to be totally untrue and unwarranted, and since few others have spoken up, I thought that I would speak up by writing this article and give a honest review of their product and services.



My foray into hydroponics came a few months ago when I decided to purchase my first hydroponics growing machine. I did my due diligence and research to find companies that manufacture hydroponics grow boxes for home use, and after many weeks of research I narrowed my focus specifically down to Homegrown Hydroponics and their Mini Fridge Grow Box specifically. However I was also interested in one time and possibly considered their Living Room grow box which looked exactly like a piece of furniture but would allow me to grow plants inside with stealth as to not detract from my simple bedroom. I also briefly considered that PC grow box for growing my plants. However because I know because I have very little experience with hydroponics, I really needed a helping hand and some good insight on a grow box to purchase.



My first introduction to Howard at Homegrown Hydroponics is when I called one day late on a Friday afternoon. To be honest I wasn't even expecting anybody to pick up the phone when I called. I was happy to get a hold of the general sales manager over there which is Howard. Howard is extremely knowledgeable about all the products sold by at Homegrown Hydroponics, and he really seems to know his stuff about hydroponics in general. We spoke for over 45 minutes on my first call and I never felt rushed to get off the phone. I thoroughly explained to Howard the type of hydroponics setup that I was looking for and what my restrictions were in terms of price and also privacy issues. We did some back and forth and a lot of discussion of hydroponics before finally narrowing down to my decision to go with the Homegrown Hydroponics Mini Fridge grow box.



The amazing thing that I would really like to point out about this company is that they could've recommended a much more expensive unit for me to purchase, which I may not have needed. Homegrown Hydroponics sells some machines that sell for as much as $3500 on their website. However in no way did Howard try to upsell me at all. He took the time to find out the best product for me based on what I told them and recommended a great product with only the options I needed to fit within my budget constraints. Howard was professional and courteous to me at all times, and it actually seemed like I was speaking more to a friend that I was to a salesmen.



After some back and forth with Howard and the Homegrown Hydroponics staff after several days I was finally ready to make my decision to purchase a Homegrown Hydroponics Mini Fridge Grow Box. Once again I spoke to Howard on the phone and gave them my name and all my shipping information. At that point he was able to give me my exact total, as well as the information I needed to send in my money order. I followed up the next day by going to the post office and getting a few money orders that made up the total of my order and I sent a priority overnight express mail to Howard at Homegrown Hydroponics. I confirmed that they did receive the payment the next morning and I called and spoke to Shannon later in the afternoon to confirm that that payment has been received and the grow box had begun construction.



Every grow box that is sold by Homegrown Hydroponics is custom built to order. They do not stock any of their products since every grow box is different. With that being said I was aware that I would have to wait a few weeks to receive my item and I was okay with that. I was told the unit would take roughly about 3 to 4 weeks to build and ship but, I was surprised when the freight gave me a call to let me know that my grow box in my area and ready to be delivered. Setting up a time to be delivered with the freight company was very easy and the freight company was punctual and showed up and delivered a fully built Mini Fridge Grow Box directly to my door as promised.



Upon unpacking the unit I found that it was securely built and packaged and everything I ordered was included and arrived damage free. The unit looked exactly like it did on the website and maybe even a little bit better, and it functions well above my exculpations.



I'm extremely pleased with my purchase from Homegrown Hydroponics and I would no doubt recommend them to anybody looking to start their own hydroponics garden. I found both the sales and technical support from Homegrown Hydroponics to be far above average from what I have found from other companies like Amazon and eBay who cannot even be contacted by phone. This videos on the Homegrown Hydroponics website made it extremely easy for me to set up my new products and I've been extremely happy with the unit that I purchased and I would definitely do business with Homegrown Hydroponics again in a heartbeat.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Happy Customer Just Back From Homegrown Hydroponics


I am an old school guy. I usually have been. I was raised in rural Georgia by my grandmother after my parents died. I was raised outside in the garden. My granny was an enthusiastic gardener and so was her Mother before her. When it came to the once a year largest tomato contest we came close to winning, but never quite pulled it off. Third Place in 2008 wasn't bad, but we're not about to settle for second best. Tomatoes first grew as wild, cherry-size berries in the South American Andes, but the fruit, as we know it today, was developed in Mexico where it was known as tomatil and traveled to Europe by boat with the returning conquistadors.

The problem with growing tomatoes outdoors is the weather. Drastic changes up or down can stunt or kill your crop. Plants like to be warm like humans, and avoid extremes of weather patterns. Naturally proper watering and fertilizing is super significant as well . Particularly when going for the gold. I believed we had it for sure last year till a rabbit came out of the blue and ate half of our prize winning 9 pound tomato! I had it with nature, lack of rain and furry rodents with cute ears and evil appetites!

Oddly enough a buddy of mine brought over a High Times magazine on the way back from the store with a pack of smokes and a case of beer. After some cold ones, and some bad reruns on TV, I started flipping through the best of High Times mag and they'd some write up on some company called local Hydroponics out in Weston Florida. Hell, these guys are practically my neighbors I thought! I called the 800 number and spoke to some guy named Howard. I told him I was tired of growing the way I usually did and wanted to try something new. Turns out that they pioneered the modern day grow box. Sounds like a chunk of furniture to me.

Whatever is a grow box you ask? Hell, I would not have been able to tell you that six months back. Turns out these suckers are boxes that look like normal cupboards, but inside they got all the lights on times, fans to bring in unpolluted air, and even a tub to hold the water and plants. Looked pretty nifty on the web site, but I do not believe in purchasing anything till I lay my hands on it! So, the old woman and I hopped in our '57 Ford and took a ride down to their manufacturing facility in Weston Florida. Boy, let me tell you these guys run a powerful show out there!

I been in manufacturing shops before, but I have never seen anything as professional and high end as this. Turns out they got an engineer employed full time planning these machines in some program called Solid Works, and they get to design them and work out all the flaws on the PC before they even build them! Allegedly the machine I purchased from them called the Cultivator Pro was the product of 5 years of analysis and development into plant mechanics and from what I saw they pushed things to the limits on this one.

Long story short I decided to take the plunge on changing my out dated old fashioned and took a gamble with Howard of local Hydroponics. I paid for my machine by cashiers check and Howard told me it might be prepared to pick up in 4-6 weeks. Looked a bit long, but hell - I got time to wait for something done right . Not more than 3 weeks later some guy named Shannon calls me and tells me my unit is complete, and prepared to pick up! Wow, finished in 1/2 the time! So we drove down there again and when we got there our Cultivator Pro was set up on show for us running so bright, and looking good! The store foreman Wayne was nice enough to give me a first hand demonstration of how the product worked, and showed me all the bits and bobs before proceeding to pack it up for me and load it In my truck. I could not wait to get it home and plant my tomato clones!

After chatting with Howard again on the telephone, he walked me through getting it all setup. It was straightforward and took less than an hour from unpacking it to filling it with water and turning it on. My God, when those 800 watts of light blast on your plants you want some sunglasses and sun tan lotion! Talk about perfect conditions for the tomatoes and any plant actually. They are living in plant heaven in this grow box built to keep them happy as a kitty on the settee.

It's been two months now, and I'll honestly say I have not seen a better looking, prize winning tomatoes than the one I got going on right now. It's looking good for the fare this year and I hardly lifted a finger apart from filling it with water. To point out my eyes have been opened to a recently discovered way of growing plants in an understatement. Those people at Homegrown Hydroponics opened up a door to me that I can never close!

I don't miss the dirt, the cold, the furry rodents of the lack of water in nature! I got this baby purring in my spare guest room, and my plants grow like wild fire. I am in the process of starting a blog, and will post some photos soon as my plants ripen up. This year is looking good to take my rightful first place victory at the state fair!

To learn more about Homegrown Hydroponics you can check out their web site at:

http://www.homegrown-hydroponics.com.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Happy Customer Just Back From Homegrown Hydroponics


I'm an old school guy. I always have been. I was raised in rustic Georgia by my grandmother after my fogeys died. I was raised outdoors in the garden. My grandmama was an enthusiastic gardener and so was her Mother before her. When it came to the yearly largest tomato contest we came close to winning, but never quite pulled it off. Third Place in 2008 wasn't bad, but we're not about to settle for second choice. Tomatoes first grew as wild, cherry-size berries in the South American Andes, but the fruit, as we know it today, was developed in Mexico where it was known as tomatil and traveled to Europe by boat with the returning conquistadors.

The issue with growing tomatoes outdoors is the weather. Drastic changes up or down can stunt or kill your crop. Plants like to be warm like humans, and avoid extremes of weather patterns. Naturally correct watering and fertilizing is super critical too. Particularly when going for the gold. I assumed we had it for sure last year until a rabbit came out of the blue and ate half of our prize winning nine pound tomato! I had it with nature, lack of rain and bushy rodents with lovable ears and unpleasant appetites!

Oddly enough a buddy of mine brought over a High Times magazine on the way back from the store with a pack of smokes and a case of beer. After a few cold ones, and some rubbish reruns on the T. V. , I started flipping through the best of High Times magazine and they had some write up on some company called local Hydroponics out in Weston Florida. Hell, these guys are practically my neighbors I thought! I called the eight hundred number and spoke to some guy named Howard. I told him I was tired of growing the way I mostly did and needed to try something new. Turns out that they pioneered the modern day grow box. Sounds like a bit of furniture to me.

What the hey is a grow box you ask? Hell, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that 6 months back. Turns out these suckers are boxes that look like ordinary cupboards, but inside they were given all of the lights on times, fans to bring in fresh air, and even a tub to hold the water and plants. Looked pretty useful on the web site, but I don't believe in purchasing anything until I lay my hands on it! So, the old woman and I hopped in our '57 Ford and took a ride down to their producing facility in Weston Florida. Boy, let me tell you these guys run an impressive show out there!

I been in manufacturing shops before, but I haven't seen anything as professional and high end as this. Turns out they got an engineer employed full time planning these machines in some program called Solid Works, and they get to design them and work out all of the issues on the computer before they even build them! Allegedly the machine I purchased from them called the Cultivator Pro was the product of 5 years of study and development into plant mechanics and from what I saw they really pushed things to the limits on this one.

Long story short I decided to make the leap on changing my out dated old fashioned and took a big gamble with Howard of local Hydroponics. I paid for my machine by assistants check and Howard told me it might be ready to pick up in 4-6 weeks. Looked a bit long, but hell - I got time to attend for something done right . Not more than 3 weeks later some guy named Shannon calls me and lets me know my unit is complete, and ready to pick up! Wow, completed in 1/2 the time! So we drove down there again and when we got there our Cultivator Pro was set up on display for us running so bright, and looking good! The store foreman Wayne was nice enough to give me a first hand demonstration of the way in which the product worked, and showed me all of the ins and outs before proceeding to pack it up for me and load it In my van. I couldn't wait to get it home and plant my tomato clones!

After talking to Howard again on the phone, he walked me through getting it all setup. It was simple and took less than an hour from unpacking it to filling it with water and turning it on. My God, when those 800 watts of light blast on your plants you need some sun shades and sun tan lotion! Talk about perfect conditions for the tomatoes and any plant really. They are living in plant heaven in this grow box built to keep them happy as a kitty on the settee.

It has been 2 months now, and I'll truthfully say I have never seen a better looking, prize winning tomatoes than the one I got going on now. It's looking good for the fare this year and I barely lifted a finger apart from filling it with water. To assert my eyes have been opened to a new way of growing plants in an understatement. Those people at Homegrown Hydroponics opened up a door to me that I can never close!

I don't miss the dirt, the cold, the furry rodents of the lack of water in nature! I got this baby purring in my spare guest room, and my plants grow like wild fire. I am in the process of starting a blog, and will post some photos soon as my plants ripen up. This year is looking good to take my rightful first place victory at the state fair! Aside from the potato, tomatoes are America's most important commercial vegetable, both in yearly weight consumed and annual yield.

To learn more about Homegrown Hydroponics you can check out their web site at:

http://www.homegrown-hydroponics.com.

To make is simple if you dont like to read: A hydroponics grow box is a device for growing any kind of plant in a self contained environment. These automated growing systems are typically totally enclosed, and contain a built in hps light, intake and exhaust fan system for ventilation, hydroponics system for growing, and odor control system for removing strong smells and odors. Some advanced grow box units even include air conditioning to keep running temperatures down, as well as CO2 to boost the plant's growth rate. Grow boxes are generally used by indoor gardeners who do not have a patch of soil to grow in, or by dwellers of high-rise condos who lack a garden. They are also popular with year round gardeners who wish to grow plants out of season, and in the dead of winter. These hydroponic grow box systems are generally very easy to use, and allow the gardener to tweak all aspects of a plant's environment to perfection for optimal growth.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

homegrown hydroponics comes through


Review Homegrown Hydroponics Grow-Pod Air-conditioned Grow Box

I live in Southern California where it hot. Really hot for most of the year! There is not much I can do about it. It's my choice to live in this beautiful desert on the West Coast. I have been wanting to grow my own organic fresh herbs for quite some time now. However because of my living space I have very little room that can be devoted to a hydroponics grow operation. Since I live in a small one-bedroom studio condo, I really have no room to grow any plants. I'm pretty crammed in there with the furniture that I own and I have no room to grow any plant in my living space as they would be really obvious to anybody that came over and would give me less space to live in.

However the one space that I have that is not being used fully is my outdoor attached storage facility; sort of like a small garage for a scooter or something. The storage space has an electrical outlet, as well as a light as well as privacy which I like. It seems like it would be a perfect place to grow my plants if it wasn't so hot in there. In the summer the temperature in my outdoor storage room can get over 120°. Way too hot to grow a plant. So after three years I have almost given up looking for a grow box. I thought I would have to build my own if I wanted to do it right. That chance never came; which turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

I was glancing through High Times magazine one day and saw that a company called Homegrown Hydroponics was advertising a grow box that has a built-in air conditioner called the Grow Pod. This immediately peaked my interest. I have never seen a grow box with its own built-in air conditioner before, and this could be the answer that I have been looking for all these years. I gave Homegrown Hydroponics a call around 9:30 at night on a random Thursday evening and I was surprised that the phone was picked up by a live sales operator. I was very curious to know more about how I would be able to use a grow box in an environment that is so extremely hot with poor ventilation. The salesman that I spoke to told me that the Grow Pot in fact has its own built-in air conditioning system which allows that particular grow box to run as cool as you want no matter how hot the conditions are outside. All you have to do is set the temperature that you want to maintain and your air conditioned grow box will do exactly that. I knew immediately that I was on the right track with this company and was speaking to the right people to change my life so I could at last grow my own.

I made some very simple modifications to my grow space to be able to vent out the hot air into a unused crawlspace and vented in cool fresh air from the outside. The Grow Pod grow box fit nicely into the area that I had in mind for it, and it runs at 72°, independent of the very hot 95° temperatures outside!

The Grow Pod by Homegrown Hydroponics has truly been the answer that of looking for to be able to grow comfortably in a hot environment and still support 20+ plants that I was looking to grow with relative ease. To say I am happy with my purchase would be an understatement! Homegrown Hydroponics really came through for me and I appreciate the time they spent with me on the phone to recommend how I could modify my space for maximum usability. My tomatoes have never looked better!

I would highly recommend Homegrown Hydroponics and their full line of grow boxes to anybody who is looking for a solution for growing plants with hydroponics all year long in hot environments such as the California desert. Homegrown Hydroponics has been a pleasure to deal with from start to finish and I am so happy that they had the insight to build a product with a built-in air conditioning for people like myself who run in extremely hot climates, and have no other choice. It's nice to see that there are still some companies like Homegrown Hydroponics that's thinking outside the box. I am very happy with the items that I purchased from Homegrown Hydroponics I would definitely recommend them to anybody looking at getting started with their own
hydroponics garden.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Homegrown Hydroponics Plants Grow Fast


Homegrown Hydroponics, Growing Plants Faster In Your Garden.

Hydroponic gardening is a system in which plants can be made to grow without soil.

Using hydroponics to grow plants can be beneficial for many growers since it allows plants to be grown at home much faster and many times with less problems.

Plants are grown in a solution which consists of water and dissolved nutrients required for the particular plant.

There are several home hydroponics techniques and systems that are used in producing thriving plants

The different types of hydroponics systems and techniques include the nutrient film technique (or NFT), aeroponics, and the aeration technique.

With the aeroponics technique, plants are secured using rigid pipes, screens, or films. The nutrients are dissolved into the plants' water supply and the plants' roots are suspended within the water.

The plant then obtains its food nutrients directly from the water or from an air mist which is sprayed directly onto the plant roots.

Hydroponic gardening requires the use growing media. Different mediums can be used which have to retain the food rich moisture. They must also be able to physically support the plant roots.

The following have been the most effective media so far in a homegrown hydroponics setup: expanded clay, perlite, styrofoam, sand, rockwool, vermiculite, pea gravel.

Many types plants that can be grown in a hydroponics system. Some plants will grow better in hydroponics system than others, but some of the most popular are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, watercress, and various other edible plants.

Tree seedlings and flowers can also be grown using hydroponics. Hydroponic greenhouses have been producing millions of plant seedlings every year. These are then transplanted and grown at other locations where they are later planted into soil.

If you are just a beginner at homegrown hydroponics, you will no doubt be satisfied with the quality of your crops and the faster rate of growth.

Hydroponically grown plants will grow and mature faster and yield a much earlier harvest of vegetable crops.

There are many benefits to growing your own plants in a hydroponics system.

Hydroponic gardening doesn't require a fertile farmland or a large water supply growing plants. Vegetable and plants can be grown year round.

Hydroponic vegetables and plants can be homegrown in almost any small space, a basement, or even on a balcony.

The hydroponic systems require less space because the plant roots don't have to spread and search for food and water. The smaller space requirement makes a homegrown hydroponics garden perfect for limited spaces.

Hydroponic plants can also be grown in nurseries and greenhouses as well.

The benefit of growing these plants without soil in a sterile medium includes not having to remove weeds or dealing with soil-borne pests and diseases. And since all the nutrients necessary for the plant are readily avaliable to it, the plant is noticeably healthier than the plants grown in soil.

The greatest benefit to hydroponic gardening is the ability to automate the hydroponics system with timers and remote monitoring equipment. This reduces the time it takes to maintain the plants and the growing environment.

It allows the grower to leave their system for long periods of time without worrying about watering plants.

So may say that starting a homegrown hydoropnics garden is not simple, but with time it will become an easy routine.

Hydroponics offers the advantage of many techniques that can be beneficial to your plants and produce a richer and healthier plant.

For more information on starting your very own homegrown hydroponics garden, check out our new ebook at hydroponics garden info.

Good luck with your home growing.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Homegrown Hydroponics Scam


Homegrown Hydroponics (BBB) Better Business Bureau B+ Rating

I have been in the market to buy a personal hydroponics grow box for quite some time now. I have seen many different manufacturers advertising their goods on both the Internet as well as in various trade magazines like High Times. There were three companies that looked like they made a pretty good product. Of the three companies that I initially had an interest in were Supercloset, BC Northern Lights, and Homegrown Hydroponics. I had a decision to make. What was going to be the best grow box for me, and what was the best company to deal with. I am no expert in hydroponics and I have had no previous experience with any of these companies prior to now. So I began to do my due diligence and research on the big three grow box manufactures in the industry.

I was not able to find too many reviews on BC Northern Lights or Supercloset. Essentially there was very little in what I could find on the Internet that said much about anything about these two companies which was surprising. I saw one or two reviews that said that that BC Northern Lights units run hot, but other than nothing. Supercloset I was almost able to find nothing at all. Made me a little hesitant that maybe people were not buying anything from Supercloset and hence no reviews or input of any kind.

On the other hand I found quite a bit about Homegrown Hydroponics. It seemed that quite a few people have been reviewing their products and posting their experiences on forums and video channels online. Since Homegrown Hydroponics was one of the companies that I was greatly interested, I wanted to know as much about them as possible. After all I was planning on dropping quite a load of cash and wanted to be sure that the people that I have been dealing with were on the up and up.

My heart dropped when I began to read some negative comments about Homegrown Hydroponics . Some people made claims about Homegrown Hydroponics shipping broken parts, or not shipping units at all. Obviously I have no intention to do business with a company that ships out broken parts or doesn't ship units.

However I found this information that I was reading online to be hard to believe. I am a business man too and I know what running a business is all about. You cannot exist in the USA running a business, paying taxes, and accepting credit cards if you are committing fraud as some have alleged online. The fact that they accept credit cards alone makes a company reputable in my book, because credit card accounts are verified by banks before being approved with a microscope before signing them up. If they were taking credit cards there was no way that this company was not shipping people units they ordered, and so I got quite suspicious of the claims being made against them and I looked further.
Let's be realistic. It doesn't make sense for a company to operate in the manner being described. Sending out broken parts is a ridiculous claim that was brought up several times on complaint boards. There would be no gain for a company to do something like that, and made no sense to me as a business man. You want to keep your customers happy. If a $3000 machine has just been shipped out to you and the lamp is broken, it makes sense it happened in shipping or unpacking which is common. Nobody wants to admit to breaking their own bulbs while unpacking. But just having the machine in your hands make the company reputable in my book. The rest is just following return guidelines which reputable companies do, and Homegrown Hydroponics was acting according to their policies which I read on their web site. That's called running a business right and that's how businesses operate. The arguments against Homegrown Hydroponics were falling apart…

Companies aim to please their customers not piss them off; that is common sense. That was also the claim the manufacturer made in response to what has been written against them and it is a theory that I can buy into. It is much more likely that parts were damaged when shipped as everyone knows that breakage is common with deliveries, and we're talking about a 300lb unit coming in perfect shape - assembled, from across the USA, but just the light bulb got broken! Damn fine job in my book. Ship it back and get another. The representative from Homegrown Hydroponics let me know that upon receiving the lamp back a new replacement would be shipped. No problems in that business practice, it's standard for customers to return broken parts for an exchange. This was written in their contract and they were following their own procedure. That's how businesses operate. It's looking like Homegrown Hydroponics just may be more corporate than us gardeners like to think.

I have personally spoken with a few different employees of Homework Hydroponics on the phone prior to doing my research and found that they were being quite straight with me. I tried to trick them on a few questions, but they gave me straight answers and didn't try to upsell me as both BC Northern Lights and Supercloset did. As a matter of fact one conversation with Howard lasted over an hour and a half and he really took his time to explain the differences between each of the different grow boxes they make, and which ones might be a good choice for me. At no point did I feel rushed, or pressured into purchasing a grow box. We were simply having a friendly conversation and there was no pressure as the conversations flowed smoothly.

However, after doing some research it seems that people were complaining about Howard as well as writing some pretty shady stuff about Homework Hydroponics. It certainly didn't sound like the person that I was speaking to. So I began to take a closer look at these reviews online and it looks like that about 98% of the negative reviews about Homework Hydroponics were all posted from the same person. There was a user posting with the alias buyerbewareHGH as well as Began2007 and has taken more than three months of his life to post to as many different boards as possible about his experience with Homegrown Hydroponics
The problem is that now I am having a hard time believing the claim that this company is shipping out broken parts. On one had you have a solid upstanding company that has a B+ BBB rating and accepts credit cards. I just don't see any logic in them shipping out a broken part and not replacing it. It doesn't make any sense to upset your customers. So my research continued and it turns out that pretty much every post that I found negative claim about Homework Hydroponics was by the same person using aliases like buyerbewareofhgh, or bewareofhoward. On different boards they all come from different countries. On some boards buyerbeware said he was from Columbia. Another board said he was from Afghanistan! Hmmm… So who is this person making the claims, we don't know. They enter different lies every time as they spam generic and false complaints all over the internet.

Then oddly enough the same person was somehow saying that Homegrown Hydroponics was in fact spamming and accused them of such. These comments were found on contributions that Homegrown Hydroponic has made for the community and the rest were paid advertisement for their website which all companies do, and therefore they have every right to advertise. There was no spamming going on by Homegrown Hydroponics. Yet buyerbewareHGH was essentially cutting and pasting the exact same complaint on for more than 60 websites over the course of three months. Now. In my book signing up for accounts on the various web sites that Homegrown Hydroponics was on just to enter in a pre-written text complaint and offering nothing else to that web entity is not only SPAM it's spreading false information and that's not cool.

The same person has also falsely posted to over 60 websites that Homegrown Hydroponics had an F rating with the Better Business Bureau. That's simply not true. If you look you will see that Homegrown Hydroponics has a Better Business Bureau for South Florida rating of a B+! And they have 0 answered complaints, so it goes to show they have been around for a least 3 years because the report goes back 3 years, and they have been around to respond to their claims, which they always win, by the way. Sounds like a reputable company to me.

A B+ is almost a perfect score and much better than the rating that this anonymous user seems to be talking about. Things were really starting to look up for Homegrown Hydroponics and down on this anonymous poster. Seems that for whatever reason somebody had a grudge with Homegrown Hydroponics itself that would be worth three months of their life spamming as many negative comments as they could about this company, in as many different places as they could, to try to hurt the business of Homegrown Hydroponics. This person has been hiding behind an anonymous alias and making claims that cannot be backed up one way or another. The funny thing is that people will believe baseless and groundless stuff like that and that is why I have decided to write this article and speak up for a company that deserves it. Homegrown Hydroponics from what I could tell from conversations and my research looks like a good group of people who do care about making the best products they can.

I for one almost changed my mind about purchasing from Homegrown Hydroponics because of all the negative publicity. However when I took the time to do my own research I found out that all the negative publicity was in fact coming from one person with some sort of vendetta, I decided to take a chance and I ordered from Homegrown Hydroponics anyways. I thought I would rule out the anonymous poster and go with a solid company. In my book that's a sound choice. After all I know how to get ahold of Homegrown Hydroponics and I know in what country they are actually located in!

It really is true that you cannot believe everything you read. Just because it's written doesn't make it true. It's important to know where information is coming from when you read stuff online. When you have to anonymous posters hiding behind aliases you really have no idea who they are because they're hiding their identity. In fact someone is making a bunch of accusations and not backing it up with any proof and what they say makes no sense; especially considering the excellent BBB rating that Homegrown Hydroponics has. Essentially you have an anonymous person posting lies about a company in attempts to hurt their business and that just isn't cool in my book and a big part of the reason I am standing up for them. I think the anonymous poster is full of it and I banked on it. I just went with my gut and my logical brain…

Almost 3 1/2 weeks later on the day I got a call from the freight company that the product I ordered from Homegrown Hydroponics was ready to be delivered to my door. Sigh of relief came across my body, even though I knew deep down I was never really worried about it in the first place.

Homegrown Hydroponics is a true a viable company with their address and contact information like phone numbers clearly written on their website. There is also videos of several of the employees working on building the Homegrown Hydroponics machines, so I know this is just not one person some people on the internet have claimed. And I have seen that Homework Hydroponics has won of the High Times gear of the year awards three years in a row. This is a very prestigious award It would not be given out to a company that is a scammer as some people have anonymously claimed. I think it's ridiculous that there are people making the claim that Homegrown Hydroponics is run by one person, when in fact they have at least 10 to 12 employees and a clean record.

Overall Homegrown Hydroponics has turned out to be an upstanding and fantastic company to work with and I don't regret putting my faith into them. The product that was delivered was exactly the same product that was advertised on their website and the workmanship is far above average. The quality of this product as well as the function and operation is superb. I do not regret one second purchasing a grow box from Homegrown Hydroponics, and they have a high quality product.

I am very happy that I took the time to search the Better Business Bureau and find out the truth about Homework Hydroponics or I might have been fooled and ordered an inferior product from someone else…

In closing I will say that Homegrown Hydroponics is a well-run corporate company that is run by a great group of hard working people who are doing their best to sell products at reasonable price and improve their industry. I found that they have more to offer than any other hydroponics grow box manufacturer out there, and their customer service has been satisfactory. Just don't expect your hand to be held as this is not the type of service they offer.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Homegrown Hydroponics


As the world get more environmental-friendly, people starts to find ways to grow vegetable in a sustainable and healthy manner. Homegrown Hydroponics is a way brings hydroponics to your home. With Homegrown Hydroponics, you can grow your own vegetables and eat green and healthy vegetables straight from your Homegrown Hydroponics garden.