Details
Perfect for: Tomatoes, courgettes, chillies, cucumbers, peas, peppers and any tall cropping plants.
Free Feed: All options include 2.5 Litres of award-winning Nutrigrow Plant Feed worth £12.50
For your biggest ever crops ditch the soil and choose a Vivigrow!
The eco-friendly Vivigrow Planter has a positive impact on the environment by re-using water as it pumps oxygen rich water around the roots for up to 3-4 weeks at a time. This in turn means huge harvests - tomatoes with 50 trusses!
It is the perfect way of becoming self-sufficient so that you can grow your own food for the whole family.
What's a Vivigrow?
A clever no-soil planter that produces massive crops by keeping plants automatically watered. And it's made in England.
How does it work?
It has a hidden reservoir and a pump which trickles oxygen rich water around the roots all day. What the plant doesn't need drains into the reservoir to be pumped around the roots again and again.
The Vivigrow comes with Nutrigrow Plant Food, which you mix with water to feed fill your tank. You refill this monthly to keep the nutrients balanced. You would then check the tanks pH (acidity of the water) weekly.
Mmm, a pump, is that expensive?
Nope, we're energy efficient. The daily cost is less than boiling the kettle once. The Vivigrow itself is made to last at least 10 years!
So, why are crops bigger in a Vivigrow?
Because the Vivigrow provides a constant supply of oxygen-rich water and nutrients around the roots unrestricted by soil. It's like having constant buffet access.
Why is oxygen important?
Roots need oxygen in order to absorb water and nutrients.
What's that got to do with soil?
When we water pots or grow bags the oxygen in the soil is replaced with water, reducing the oxygen the roots can access.
Reduced oxygen = slower nutrient and water absorption and restricted growth.
Low oxygen can lead to blossom end rot, blossom-drop, splitting or leaf deficiencies etc. because plants can't absorb nutrients properly. If we overwater a lot the roots rot and die!
The Vivigrow doesn't have soil, roots always have access to a oxygen rich mix of water and nutrients - so the plants are always effecient at absorbing nutrients.
So if there's no soil how do I plant-up?
Easily! Start your plants in 3 inch pots of compost or rockwool cubes and when the plant is about 4 inches tall tip it out of its pot and place it in the planter. You don't need to wash the soil off but don't add any more soil.
If you’ve started in rockwool just place the rockwool block directly onto the tray when you’re ready to transplant. We recommend you start plants in 3” or 4” rockwool cubes.
Once your plants are established you should have abundant white roots on the outside of your rockwool cube before transplanting to your Vivigrow Planter.
Always remove the Rockwool's plastic cover before planting into your Vivigrow and place the young plant through the pre-cut holes to rest on the tray.
How do the plants in a Vivigrow get nutrients?
Good question! We include our super-concentrated award-winning Nutrigrow plant food which contains all the nutrients and trace elements plants need. It only contains good, healthy ingredients and is a bit like us taking a vitamin pill. You will add the feed to the reservoir. The feed makes up 800 litres!
You keep saying 'bigger crops', how big?
Typically 3-4x bigger than in a pot or grow bag. Typically 1.5-2x bigger than in a Quadgrow.
- Chillies that are 8ft tall
- Tomatoes with 50 fruiting trusses
- Cucumbers reaching greenhouse roofs in 8 weeks
Perfect for growers who want to:
- Use less soil/compost.
- Grow tall plants in a low space – so need a low-level system.
- Get used to one system and scale up to larger systems over time – available for up to 120 plants.
What are the options?
a) Standard 3 plant or 5 plant Vivigrow which includes everything you need.
b) Deluxe 3 plant or 5 plant Vivigrow which also includes a reservoir heater so you can grow all year and Cube Caps to cover the base of the plants.
Looking for additional parts?
Reservoir Heaters | From £ 20.00 | Click Here To Buy
Vivigrow Pump | £20.00 | Click Here To Buy
Rockwool Cubes – The Perfect Growing Medium for the Vivigrow | Click Here To Buy
I still have some questions
That's Ok. Growing in a Vivigrow really is easy, but our Gardening Angels are always on-hand to answer questions or provide advice if you're not sure whether your plants are behaving or what you should be doing next!
If you have any questions call us on 0845 602 3774 or send us an email info@greenhousesensation.co.uk. It's our job to make sure you get a brilliant crop!
Made in England by Greenhouse Sensation
2 Year Guarantee
Ask us a question
3 Plant Space Vivigrow: L70cm x W39cm x H25cm - reservoir holds 20 litres
5 Plant Space Vivigrow: L115cm x W50cm x H25cm - reservoir holds 45 litres
The Vivigrow planter pumps a constant stream of water and nutrients over your plants’ roots. This encourages the plants to take up more water, nutrients and oxygen than if they were grown in a traditional container, the ground or a raised bed.
You’ll need a power supply in your greenhouse or polytunnel because the planter contains a small pump which costs a few pennies a day to run and you’ll be more than repaid by the bigger crops.
The principle behind this planter is that improving uptake of water, nutrients and oxygen improves plant health and size of harvest. It achieves this in the following ways...
1: Plant nutrients are dissolved in water rather than requiring the plant to extract them from soil.
2: Constant access to water and nutrients is provided so the plants are never lacking anything they need - whatever they don’t use drains back into the reservoir.
3:The roots are left bare so they have excellent access to oxygen
Why not use soil?Soil is great for holding water until a plant is next fed and for providing nutrients. On the negative side, plants have to work hard to extract nutrients from soil and these nutrients can become depleted or concentrated. Soil also restricts access to oxygen because it becomes compacted when water is added. By dissolving a complete feed in water and pumping this to the roots constantly we are able to ensure the plants can always access what they need without having to restrict the roots in soil.
Behind the science - Greenhouse Sensation & Hydroponics
The Vivigrow is a ‘hydroponic’ growing technique. John Molyneux, our late founder and Chairman, was one of the pioneers of hydroponics. He was studying roots for a plant biology PhD project in the 1970s when it occurred to him that hydroponics, which was and still is used by commercial growers because it produces much improved yields, could be adapted for home-greenhouse use.
He designed a planter that would provide all the benefits of hydroponics on a smaller scale, bought a workshop in which to make the planters and the rest, as they say, is history. The first planter John designed was what is now the Vivigrow, originally launched in 1976, it is essentially the same now as it was then, great design stands the test of time.
Our product range has expanded, our planters are now sold all over the world, the factory is bigger and we are a larger team, but the principle of using horticultural expertise to develop products that help anyone to grow better plants is still the same.
John’s book ‘A Practical Guide to NFT’ has been reprinted 5 times, the late BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Geoff Hamilton was so impressed by John’s book and NFT planter that he contributed the Introduction to the book and commented:
‘The most comprehensive book yet written on NFT for all. Here is all you need to know about a method of growing that is not only highly productive, but a lot of fun too. I can thoroughly recommend it.”
You can mix plants in the planter, which is a great idea because your plants will produce very large harvests.
We love tomatoes and peppers, so our favourite combination is 1 x Tigerella tangy striped tomato, 1 x Gardener's Delight bite-sized tomato, 1 x Alicante medium full-flavoured tomato, 1 x Marconi sweet pepper, 1 x Sweet Banana sweet pepper.
But you can mix any tall growing plants including courgettes, beans, cucumbers, chillies and of course tomatoes and peppers.
You’ll need a power supply in your greenhouse or polytunnel because the planter contains a small pump which costs a few pennies a day to run and you’ll be more than repaid by the bigger crops.
Dimensions:
3 Plant Space Vivigrow: L70cm x W39cm x H25cm - reservoir holds 20 litres
5 Plant Space Vivigrow: L115cm x W50cm x H25cm - reservoir holds 45 litres
What You Will Receive
Standard Vivigrow Planter
- Choose either the 3 plant space or the 5 plant space planter.
- Pump
- Award-winning Nutrigrow plant food - enough for one season
- pH test kit and pH corrector
- *The support frame featured in the pictures is not included
Vivigrow Bundle Kit
- Standard Vivigrow planter for 3 plants or Vivigrow planter
- pH test kit and pH corrector
- Reservoir Heater to keep the water between 18 and 20C
Looking for additional parts?
Reservoir Heaters | From £ 20.00 | Click Here To Buy
Vivigrow Pump | £ 20.00 | Click Here To Buy
Rockwool Cubes – The Perfect Growing Medium for the Vivigrow | Click Here To Buy
UK Delivery
The maximum Mainland UK Delivery charge is £4.95
98% of our orders are delivered 2 workings days after the order is placed.
When your order is dispatched you will receive an email confirming the delivery date and a one hour delivery time slot (except for FeederMats, Nutrigrow replenishments, vouchers and seeds which are sent by Royal Mail)
UK Mainland Standard Delivery: £4.95*
UK Mainland Replenishment Delivery (FeederMats, Nutrigrow refills): £2.95*
For orders outside of the UK please click HERE:
If Out
You can add 'If Out' delivery instructions (e.g. leave in the garage) when you place your order. If you are not in and have not provided 'If Out' instructions the driver will leave a card with instructions of how to arrange re-delivery or collection from your local depot.
Returns
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, email info@greenhousesensation.co.uk and we will provide instructions on how to return the goods. They must be returned in their original condition and packaging within 14 days of receipt and we will issue a full refund. (excluding the original delivery charge). If an item is damaged / faulty please notify us within 30 days.
N:B Definition of UK Mainland
UK Mainland is defined as postcodes on mainland England, Wales and Scotland excluding the following postcodes.
AB31-38, AB40-56, IV1-28 , IV30-32, IV36-49, IV51-56, IV63, KA27-28, KW, PA20-38, PA41-49, PA60-70, PH4-44, and PH49-50.
Delivery to the above postcodes incurs a surcharge, which will be displayed when you enter your postcode.
*We are charged a minimum of £15 for delivery to the above postcodes, Islands and Ireland and we cap our charge to those areas at £15
Up to 28 Days Delivery
UK Manufacturer
