Description
Take the guesswork out of your watering!
Why the Metro-Grower Elite?
The Metro-Grower® Elite is a compact, sub-irrigation organic growing system, watering plants from the bottom up as nature intended. It’s a perfect fit for the gardener with limited space. It can be used almost anywhere – a patio, porch, balcony or backyard. The Metro-Grower® Elite will produce bountiful harvests: an early spring planting of peas, a summer collection of lettuce and greens, and a fall harvest of kale or spinach. The instruction manual illustrates how to grow vegetables vertically, including squash cucumbers, beans or peas. It is also ideal for the standards like tomatoes, strawberries, ornamental plants and more.
The Metro-Grower's sub-irrigation watering design waters plants the way nature intended - from the bottom up. A Permanent Airspace is created under the soil separator between the soil above and the water reservoir below. The Permanent Airspace allows the plant roots to safely enter the water in the reservoir. The plant roots pull the water upward thru the Permanent Airspace into the soil above drawing nutrients with it. “A pint of water at the root is worth a GALLON on the soil above,” states Stephen Martin, a garden writer in the UK. The Metro-Grower® takes the guesswork out of watering. The exposed water reservoir, only found in the Metro-Grower®, is always visible. You can see exactly how much or how little water your particular crops desire. This is a healthy, sustainable way to water your plants. As the water is drawn upward, it delivers essential nutrients to your plants rather than those nutrients being washed away when you water from above.
According to Oregon State University, “Circling roots are common problems in growing containers. Plants have difficulty getting nutrients, shortening plant’s life span. ”Roots that are circling inside a growing container are more susceptible to the negative effects of excess heat, drought and disease. When plant roots in the Metro-Grower® are exposed to the Permanent Airspace, “Circling roots are ‘burned’ off or pruned by the air, causing the plant to constantly produce new and highly branched roots,” according to Washington State University. This stimulates further growth of much wanted secondary roots that branch out within the growing medium.
The Metro-Grower® Elite is constructed of UV protected food-grade plastic and holds a utility patent making it the only growing container of its type sold today. It is made in America and comes with a 5-year limited warranty.
Garden with the Pros Using Our Living Soil Mix
You provide three gallons of organic compost or good garden soil. The Metro-Grower® comes with organic soil amendments and fertilizer allowing you to produce a biologically diverse and balanced living soil mix. Our testing has shown proven results that our mix out performs all major organic soil mixes, including synthetic fertilizers like Miracle Grow.
Coir, a byproduct of coconut harvesting, has high water holding capacities and provides plant roots with excellent drainage. Coir creates a spongy texture in the soil that assists plants in developing elaborate root systems.
Trace Minerals are essential for building rich, fertile soils. Minerals increase the plant’s nutritional value and promote overall health of the soil, the people, and animals that rely on them for food.
Pumice, a natural volcanic rock, is an aggregate that increases the moisture and nutrient retention in soil containers. Pumice is a superior soil amendment in comparison to rock wool, perlite, and vermiculite. Pumice will never deteriorate. It continually provides excellent soil aeration and drainage.
Vermicompost, or worm compost, is the end product of the breakdown of organic material by worms. Vermicompost uses worms and microorganisms to turn yard or kitchen waste into usable, nutrient rich soil. Earthworms use their digestive tracts to increase the amount of nutrients and enzymes in the finished compost while acting as a catalyst to speed up the composting process.
Vermicompost expands, extends, and amplifies the values of organic compost, building an ever-increasing, organic living soil.
SoilKey, our organic fertilizer with low N-P-K (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) containing nutrients and micronutrients is designed to increase the biological activities in the soil, compost, and vermicompost. With the addition of SoilKey, these aerobic microorganisms multiply exponentially, building sustainable colonies and allowing the microbes to unlock the nutrients that are beneficial to plant vitality and growth.
Mycorrhizae, a beneficial fungus that increases the surface absorbing area of plant roots. Mycorrhizal fungi colonize on the plant roots and extend into the surrounding soil, forming a symbiotic relationship between the fungus and the plant roots. They increase the plant root’s ability to absorb water and nutrients while improving plant survival, vigor and health. It can create a higher transplanting success rate because of faster root establishment.
Coir Mulch, a byproduct of coconut harvesting, when used to cover the potting soil once the seedlings have developed two true leaves. This will help prevent loss of moisture in the soil and reduce the possibility of any weed seeds germinating.
The Metro-Grower® Elite is supported by:
• Comprehensive instruction booklet
• Quick Start DVD guide for beginners
• Growing container, soil separator, visible water reservoir
• Set of seed trays
Soil mix included with the Metro-Grower® Elite:
• 1 gallon of pumice
• 1.75 gallons of dry coir with trace minerals
• 1.3 cups SoilKey, organic fertilizer
• 1.5 cups vermicompost
• 3 teaspoons of Mycorrhizae
• Organic coir mulch
Note: All ingredients are individually packaged, to allow you to see the amount of each you are using in your soil mix.
Features
• Compact and portable
• US made of food-quality plastic
• 5-year limited warranty
What’s Included with the Metro-Grower® Elite
• 1 Growing Container
• 1 Soil Separator
• 1 Watering Tray
• 1 Set of seed trays
• 1.75 gallons dry, screened coir containing trace minerals
• 1 gallon volcanic pumice
• 1.5 cups vermicompost
• 1.3 cups SoilKey
• 1 brick of coir mulch
• 1 bag mycorrhizae
• Instruction Manual and DVD
• Warranty card
Kit includes Two (2) Metro-Grower Elite Container Systems
Growing Container Size: 16" x 16" x 9"
Growing Container Volume: 6 gallons
Saucer Size: 20" x 20" x 2"
Saucer Water Reservoir Capacity: 1.5 gallons
Everything you see here is included in the Metro-Grower Elite 2 Unit Package. Each Metro-Grower Elite Twin Unit System comes complete with two containers, two watering trays, two soil separators, the instructional manual and accompanying DVD, and all of the coir and trace mineral soil amendments.
