Would you buy this vertical growing unit?

I have some friends working with a company who is designing an aeroponic vertical grow system.The system is around 5 square feet and 5 ft high. It utilizes 5 sets of circular rings that each have 20 plant sites similar to Ez-Clone's machine (neoprene puck with a plastic puck collar)- total of 100 plant sites. The system is meant to be used as in an Alpha/Omega style grow (from cuttings to harvest). With recent tests this system has yielded on average .5 oz/plant, totaling 50 oz utilizing one vertically hung 600w HPS bulb and no CO2 implementation. The total cycle is obviously strain dependent, however the test grows have been completed in 11 to 12 weeks, cuttings to harvest.

The system would come with:
20 Gallon reservoir
High Flow/High Pressure Pump with necessary hosing attachments
Electronic emergency pump failure valve utilizing a standard garden hoses as an inlet and a drain
Digital ballast 120/240V, dimmable to 1000w, 750w, 600w
Lamp socket for HID bulbs as well as an additional CFL lamp socket (for the cloning stage)
A cycle stat pump timer

The system would come in multiple boxes. The parts are mostly pre-assembled. The parts require no glue to attach the PVC Aero tubing, making assembly and dis-assembly very easy. The user has the option to use the recommended 600w bulb, a 750w, or a 1000w.

The unit would be available in most local hydro stores as well as for order on the web and directly from the manufacturer.

The tentative price is ~$1999.00

Attached is a 3D rendering of what the base unit will resemble. This is obviously w/out the res, pump, lights,etc.

Opinions are welcome.

Eh looks like heath robinsons flooded vertical tube to me, but done with aeroponics, should yield well.

My local hydro shop tried to sell something similar. It seems like a nice idea, taking advantage of verticle space, but you can do the same thing without stuff like that. Even if all you do is stack plants on cardboard boxes, there are easier ways to make the most of a grow space. The plants usually have to grow inward as they grow upward, and how do you control them? How do keep them from falling over or falling out? You'd have to tie them up. This kind of thing seems more trouble than it's worth.

I think they're going to suggest using the wire fence you see that comes in rolls. It wouldn't take much to make a small circle at whatever diameter you wanted inside the unit. I guess that would be a SCROG approach.

Sorry. I voted no as I don't go for all that fancy schmancy new fangled stuff. Back in my day we used to make things to set the plants on. We called them "shelves".
Doc Oc.

I understand what purpose a shelf has. The whole idea behind vertical growing isn't to be "fancy schmancy" it's to conserve electricity and space. It's a better use of the bulb.

the only problem is someone could be a similar rig for a couple of hundered dollars and a bit of research. there is nothing in that setup that can justify the price. the pump is the most expensive part, and about $150 retail. thanks, but not thanks.


-shake

I may have stated this already, but this rig cannot be built for a couple hundred dollars. The ballast alone costs a couple hundred dollars. The pump cost a couple hundred dollars. Try finding the rounded pipe, at all. There is a res, light sockets, and an emergency valve in case of pump failure. The mark up isn't too high on this unit, it costs a decent amount to produce this system. Just some things to consider before you realize the DIY costs and man hours attached to this kind of project, and time to most people means money.

which digital ballast does it include? which pump does it include? or what's the GPH? why would finding round pcv be hard? it's not as if it has to be build exaclty to your engineering sample/drawing. it could be square or rectangle and accmoplish the same feat.


-shake

hey headshake,
it includes a 1000 watt 120/240v dimmable digital ballast with 1000, 750, and 600w settings. The pump is a 50 psi/27 GPH pump. As far as the PVC rings, it's something that is unique to the system because as far as I know you can't buy PVC with that curvature in that size, I could be wrong. Sure, you can make use of an octagon shape, the down side is all the 45º pieces. I know they're not as cheap as using two solid pieces to create a ring, with 2 couplings. Also, with all the connectors you have to watch for leaks if you're going to be able to pull the ring apart to remove any root debris after each growâ?? this system uses gasketed fitting that can be pulled apart and reattached without glue. With a rectangle you're already losing efficiency because of the dead space in the corners. But, ultimately this isn't for a DIY type person as far as we can see. This kind of turnkey system was meant (as someone stated previously somewhere) for the beginner and for the professional who doesn't have time to build his own. And considering the price margin for some other vertical grow systems, this price point isn't too bad, and as the journal will show, it's efficiency is pretty decent, maybe not the best but pretty decent. I appreciate your comments.