ALTO GARDEN BENEFITS

Grow produce indoors at home with the ALTO GARDEN GX Hydroponic Tower Garden. Easy and convenient to use, the GX Tower utilizes hydroponic growing methods so you can grow indoors without soil. Measuring just 20 inches by 20 inches at its base, the GX tower has a small footprint that’s just 2.5 square feet. But since plants grow vertically in the tower, it’s the equivalent of having a 25 square foot garden in your home! This 10x efficiency in space savings is just one of the many benefits a hydroponic tower provides.

The ALTO GARDEN GX Hydroponic Tower Garden with LED Lights has adjustable grow lights which can be moved closer to, or farther away from the tower to accommodate different stages of plant growth. Having these lights makes it possible to have a flourishing indoor garden. Because hydroponics does not use dirt or soil, the tower provides a clean growing space inside your home. Hydroponic growing methods result in greater, and faster yields compared to growing in a traditional garden. Water is also recycled up and down the tower for exceptional water efficiency.

Watering

Watering is powered by an included water pump which sits in the reservoir tank below. Water is pumped to the top of the tower and irrigates the roots of each plant as it makes its way back down, and into the reservoir. This cycle repeats, recycling water up and down the tower like a fountain. The GX tower delivers precise watering to all 24 pots to ensure even growth.

With traditional growing methods only a small fraction of water used is actually absorbed by the roots. Most of the water is lost in the soil. The recycling process used by hydroponic tower gardens results in a 98% water savings when compared with growing with traditional soil.

A common misconception is that you have to leave the water running 24 hours a day. But actually – it's better to set watering intervals instead of running a continuous flow. A typical watering interval would be to water for 15 minutes on, and then 60 minutes off, for 10 – 14 hours a day. This break in watering exposes roots to the air in between watering intervals. This helps because roots can more easily absorb oxygen from the air, than when underwater. This is known as “aeroponics” which is a specific type of growing method within the hydroponic umbrella. These growing efficiencies are why systems like the GX Tower can produce 3x faster yields.

Tower Construction

The GX Tower Garden comes in 6 layers with 4 pots per layer. This gives you 24 pots to plant lettuce, kale, arugula, strawberries, peppers, chives, parsley, tomatoes… and many other types of veggies, fruits and herbs. The pots were designed to be spaced widely apart which provides ample room for growth, without having the plants crowd into each other. When plants get crowded they often compete against each other for light and water which leads to stunted growth. With the GX Tower, each of your 24 plants will have plenty of room to grow and mature until it’s time to harvest.

Made from high quality, food-grade polypropylene – the tower components have been designed under the strictest standards to ensure the healthiest food for your family. The ALTO GARDEN GX Tower Garden is completely BPA free. Each layer of the tower measures 2 millimeters thick. Due to its thickness the tower will not crack, warp or deform and will provide years of durable and sustainable farming. Each tower layer is one solid piece, 360 degrees around. This one-piece design has several benefits including outstanding leak prevention to protect your floors.

Lighting

You can think of light being like food for plants. Light triggers photosynthesis, which is a process when plants use light to create food. More specifically – plants use light to synthesize sugar (food) from water and carbon dioxide in the air. We discussed watering earlier, and how the roots of the plant are exposed to air in between watering intervals. Now we add light as the final component so your plants can grow and thrive.

The LED grow lights on the ALTO GARDEN GX Tower Garden use white LEDs to provide broad spectrum lighting. This ensures your plants receive all the light frequencies needed for plant growth. Although the light appears white to the human eye, it does carry the complete spectrum of light.

Sunlight for example – appears to your eyes as white light. But in reality, sunlight emits all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum! You just need a prism to see. As sunlight passes through a prism the light refracts, or bends, at different angles. Because refraction causes each wavelength to bend at slightly different angles, the colors become visible as the light exits the prism. This is why when you shine sunlight through a prism, you can see all the colors of the rainbow.

This broad spectrum lighting is important because plants need different wavelengths, at different stages of their growth. For example – while blue light works well for young plants, blue light alone will not support a plant’s blooming stage. This is why ALTO GARDEN GX grow lights are designed to cover the complete spectrum.

The lights on the tower can be adjusted closer or further away from the tower. When your plants are younger, move the lights closer. Then, as your plants grow you can move the lights further back. This ensures your plants are getting the optimal amount of light no matter where they are in their growth. You can also rotate the lights around the tower to provide more even distribution. This adjustability lets you fine-tune your lighting.

The grow lights have a built-in timer which automates your lighting. The timer can be set in 15 minute increments - at the 15th, 30th, 45th minute and also the top of the hour. A good lighting schedule to start with is 12 - 14 hours on, then 10 - 12 hours off. Start here then adjust this lighting schedule as needed. Keep in mind that it's important for plants to have a dark period as well. Just like humans, they need their rest time too! Leaving the lights on 24 hours a day is not good for your plants. That's why the built-in timer is so important. Plants like a regular schedule they can get accustomed to.

Grow Fresh, Nutritious Food Right at Home!

Arugula

Basil

Bell Pepper

Chives

Cucumber

Kale

Lettuce

Parsley

Rosemary

Shishito Pepper

Spinach

Strawberry

Sweet Pepper

Swiss Chard

Tomato

ALTO GARDEN GX Tower Features

Growth Video

Assembly Video

Product Specifications

24 pots: 6 layers x 4 pots per layer
Made from food-grade, BPA-free polypropylene
Dimensions with LED Lights: 20” x 20” x 66” (with wheels)
Weight with LED Lights: 26 pounds (empty)
Reservoir tank capacity: 10.5 gallons
Tower cylinder diameter: 8”
Tower wall thickness: 0.08” (2 mm)
Net pots: 2.1” (inside diameter)
Horizontal distance between net pots: 6.5" (center to center)
1 year warranty on parts and defects

What's in the Box

All tower components
Reservoir tank w/ wheels
Broad spectrum LED lights w/ built-in timer
Water gauge
Water pump
Timer for water pump
Net pots (x24)
Rockwool cubes (x30)
Germination tray
Digital PH pen for PH measurement
[Seedlings not included]

Product Downloads

FAQ

What are the benefits of growing in a hydroponic tower vs. a traditional soil garden?

For an indoor garden, one of the biggest benefits is there’s no soil so it is cleaner. With a hydroponic tower, you’ll save a lot of water because water is recycled up and down the tower. Since plant roots are suspended in air inside the tower, roots will have more oxygen exposure which helps them grow fuller and grow faster. Here are some other benefits:

Automated watering
Automated lighting
No need for pesticides, herbicides or GMOs; grow organic food at home
Vertical gardens take less space; great for people who don’t have a yard

Are these real plants in the pictures?

Yes, they are. A lot of the pictures of hydroponic towers on the internet, use photoshopped plants. But our plants are real! We germinated our seeds as described in the germination section of our website. The plants were transferred into the tower 2 weeks after sowing, and the photos were taken 2 weeks after transfer. So these plants are 4 weeks old after sowing.

Plants grown hydroponically do not grow at a steady rate. Rather – it’s more like a slow climb and then a sudden increase like a hockey stick. Between weeks 5 and 6, these plants grew tremendously. But you couldn’t see the tower very well with the bigger plants, so we liked these photos better.

Do seedlings come included?

Seedlings do not come included. Live seedlings often don’t arrive very well when shipped through UPS or FedEx (especially in the hot summer months). If they do make it, they can arrive wilted or in poor shape which stunts their growth and taste.

We advocate learning how to germinate yourself. A germination tray and 30 rockwool cubes come included to help you get started. Use seeds of your choice. It’s easy to do and once you learn, it’s a skill you’ll have for the rest of your life. Read the germination section of our website to learn how. Don’t rely on a third party to ship you seedlings every month. Knowing how to germinate gives you more autonomy. Plus – it’s a lot cheaper you'll save lots of money in the long run.

Do I need nutrients?

Yes, we highly recommend you mix nutrients into your water. The basic A and B nutrients work very well. Just google, “A and B plant nutrients.” This will help your plants have the optimal levels of natural nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, magnesium and potassium to fuel their growth.

How should I set my watering schedule?

A timer for your water pump comes included with the ALTO GARDEN GX Tower. If your plants were germinated in rockwool, we recommend starting with a watering interval of 15 minutes on and then 45 minutes off, for 12 – 16 hours a day. If you germinated in sponge cubes, we recommend 15 minutes on and then 15 minutes off, for 24 hours a day. Sponge cubes need more frequent watering because they dry out faster than rockwool. Adjust your watering schedule as needed. For example, mature plants need less frequent watering than younger plants. In the warmer months - you should increase your watering because water evaporates more quickly when it's warm.

What lighting schedule should I use?

The LED lights for our ALTO GARDEN GX Tower come with a built-in timer. To start, we recommend setting your timer to be on for 12 – 14 hours a day, followed by a period of 10 – 12 hours of darkness. Adjust your lighting schedule as needed. Keep your lighting schedule at a consistent time every day, e.g., 6:00am – 6:00pm every day. Plants prefer a routine light / dark schedule for best development.

What kind of maintenance is required on the tower?

Since watering and lighting schedules are handled through the use of timers, running your GX Tower is highly automated. There are some maintenance steps we recommend however, to ensure your garden runs smoothly for years to come:

Daily:

Check water levels daily to ensure there's enough water in the reservoir tank.

Weekly:

Check PH levels to ensure they haven’t drifted out of range. PH levels should remain between 5.5 and 6.5.
Keep roots away from the water pump. Trim any roots that may be dangling into the reservoir tank.

Monthly:

Check the drip holes in the tower to make sure they are free from debris. You can use a toothpick to poke through the holes to dislodge anything.
Clean the water pump. Unplug and rinse with water to clean any debris.

Semi-annually: