]]> http://www.growell.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/banner_Maybankhol_shopsblog-150x150.jpg Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:36:38 +0000 It's always nice to be ahead of schedule, especially when that allows us to let you see what our Bristol shop has to offer way before the initial estimated opening date. From 10am on Monday the 22nd of April the doors will open for the very first time and we honestly can't wait to bring the GroWell shopping experience to customers new and old that are based in and around the South West of England!

The new store shall operate 7 days a week and the relevant times are as follows:

Other important details can be found below:

First off we’ve picked a superb and easy-to-reach location served by numerous efficient motorway and road networks, which conveniently includes plenty of free on-site parking for you at the end of your journey.

Then once in store, our aim is to present you with the most in-demand and effective growing products around – only ever made available after rigorous and thorough testing. These will be used in working displays to demonstrate capabilities where and when possible, and always kept fully stocked up so that if you want something, you can get it! For a second opinion, a cheeky tip or general growing advice, there’s also going to be our friendly, trained experts to consult and question. Big orders are no trouble either – in fact we have a handy loading bay to help you!

As the UK’s number one retailer of hydroponics systems, grow tents, lights, environmental equipment, nutrients, boosters and more, GroWell is able to offer you unbeatable value and fantastic prices – and this will be clearly evident at the new store. Keep your eyes peeled for further news and information, and when we’re up and running drop by to check things out for yourself.

GroWell Bristol opens its doors on Monday the 29^th of April

We are currently on the look out for people to join our team at Bristol. Click here if you would like more details.

Please note that mail order deliveries may be affected by the disruption depending upon how long it lasts and how quickly the couriers can get back up to speed.

-------------------------------------------------------------- Live Update --------------------------------------------------------------

21/01 - 10:00am - All GroWell stores are open

19/01 - 10:00am - All GroWell stores are open

18/01 - 10:35am - We're afraid to say that Dudley has had to shut up shop because of the weather.

18/01 - 12:27pm - GroWell Hockley Heath and GroWell Coleshill are both now closed too.

We're excited to announce that GroWell South London has now officially opened to the general public, taking our number of specialist indoor gardening stores up to six! It is a direct replacement for the old Fulham branch and resides in nearby Merton, serving customers from both of these regions as well Croydon, Merton, Mitcham, Wimbledon and Wandsworth. In fact you'll easily be able to get to the store by car if you're living anywhere around the south of the capital. Good news!

As with all our stores, we aim to provide the following features and benefits:

- Incredible choice of products including lights, growing systems, tents, fans, filters, nutrients, boosters and more

- Huge stocks of everything you see on the shop floor

- Impressive working displays and helpful information boards

- Friendly, expert members of staff who are keen to assist and advise you

- Free parking and great transport links

GroWell South London is located just off Western Road, at Chelsea Fields Industrial Estate.

The full address is: Unit 8 Chelsea Fields Industrial Estate, 278 Western Road, Merton, London.

The SatNav reference is: SW19 2QD (please be aware that some SatNav devices do not send you directly to the store. This postcode will get you onto Western Road, it's then just a case of looking out for our signs)

The phone number is: 0845 345 5174

Located in close proximity to the former site, GroWell South London has been specifically designed to improve upon every aspect of the shopping experience that you encountered at the old store.

Remember how it was a nightmare to drive to GroWell Fulham and then try and find somewhere to leave your car?

This will no longer be the case! GroWell South London really is easy to get to by car and features plenty of free parking spaces – plus a loading drive-in bay for extra convenience when you need assistance with large orders and big equipment. It has excellent transport links from all directions and proves ideal for topping up your growing supplies if you are based in the regions of Fulham, Croydon, Merton, Mitcham, Wimbledon and Wandsworth... in fact, anywhere around South London!

Remember how small, cramped and awkward GroWell Fulham was to visit? With limited displays and low stock compared to other modern GroWell stores?

We did the best that could be done with the available area! But yes, the Fulham shop had issues regarding space and layout. In contrast, GroWell South London boasts enough room for us to put out 100s of additional products and carry the same high stock levels found at all other shops bearing the GroWell name!

GroWell Fulham wasn’t bad though! Far from it…

Remember how the store had growing experts on hand to answer all your questions and to help you identify the best products for your particular needs?

We’re taking all of our best staff with us, nothing else in London will compare! Yet whether you’re dropping into GroWell South London, GroWell Wembley, GroWell Birmingham, GroWell Coleshill, GroWell Dudley or GroWell Hockley Heath, you can always expect to get great expert advice! We are proud to provide an enthusiastic team of knowledgeable, well-trained staff members for the benefit of our customers and consider them to be the hardest working around!

GroWell South London is set to open on Monday the 14th of January. Keep your eyes peeled for more news by following us on facebook and by signing up to the email newsletter - see the panel on the right.

As the festive holiday period draws nearer and nearer to us, we strongly recommend taking a moment to work out what you’re plants are going to need to keep alive and kicking over the break. Without a doubt you should definitely hold stock of nutrients, additives and pH solution, plus a back-up timer and spare lamp just in case of an emergency.

GroWell shops, online and mail order division do shut down for a short duration during Christmas, temporarily putting the delivery of goods on hold. Likewise, the couriers we use also have busy schedules and can only guarantee pre-Christmas Standard Delivery when orders are placed before midday of Monday the 17th of December and pre-Christmas Guaranteed Delivery when orders are placed before midday of Wednesday the 19th of December. For a complete view of the days GroWell intends to open and close in the next two months, see the following details.

Coleshill: OPEN 11:00am – 4:00pm

Dudley: OPEN 11:00am – 4:00pm

Hockley Heath: OPEN 11:00am – 4:00pm

Birmingham: CLOSED (reopens Tuesday 28^th of August at 10:00am)

Fulham: CLOSED (reopens Tuesday 28^th of August at 10:00am)

Wembley: CLOSED (reopens Tuesday 28^th of August at 10:00am)

We’re not sure whether it’s down to the intriguing spectacle of a “world famous” chilli eating competition, the fantastic opportunity to catch live entertainment from morning through to night, or the mind blowing (and mouth burning!) variety of spicy delights on offer, but either way the thoroughly enjoyable Fiery Foods Festival returns for 2012… starting very soon! As one of the more established dates in the chilli festival calendar, you can expect to find plenty of things to see and do, not to mention an upbeat atmosphere that encourages your participation – all adding to the fun! The enthusiasm of chilli fanatics proves remarkably infectious; you’ll inevitably end up sampling a plethora of weird and wonderful products whilst also learning about how chillies are grown. There’s even an opportunity to add a few plants to your collection too!

After the success of the 2011 show, GroWell has registered to attend for the second consecutive year.

Yet again the wide selection of stalls, stands and marquees will be scattered around Victoria Gardens, which sits at the heart of Brighton close by to several key shopping districts. Unlike last year though, the event kicks off on a Friday (14^th of September) running between the hours of 5pm and 6pm, opens from 11am to 9pm on the Saturday (15^th of September) and then finishes on Sunday (16^th of September) 11am to 6pm.

Seeing how the weather forecast showed a continuous band of rain across Whitley Bay and Newcastle for the duration of the first full weekend in July, it was with some trepidation that we headed up the M1 to attend the North East Chilli Festival. Thankfully though, upon our arrival the rain stopped!

Despite the previous warnings the weather in fact held out and almost seven thousand people passed through the gates of Seaton Delaval Hall on the first day alone – much more than the event organsiers anticipated. It actually proved to be so popular that the road was blocked for over half a mile either side of the venue!

Chilli fans from across the northeast and beyond flocked to the festival to take in the wide range of chilli related delights. Our stall once again drew in the growing enthusiasts, with the grow tents seemingly opening up a world of possibility for intrigued visitors.

Rhizo-Pots were of particular interest to the chilli-growing contingent, both young and old (the benefits of which are discussed in this accompanying article). Why, you may ask? Well, the plant roots do not get bound in these pots – unlike with solid plastic alternatives – and instead facilitate air pruning to increase the lateral root mass, creating and maintaining a healthy root mass. Growers seemed excited to try them out, helping Rhizo-Pots make their way into homes across the North East!

There was also a surprising number of questions about the over-wintered Dorset Naga, which looked pretty impressive in a BudBox Grow Tent. Some of the visitors had heard of overwintering and not seen it in action before, though in truth the concept was new to most of them.

We chatted to visitors about their grows, the problems they have encountered and how the world of indoor gardening can help matters. Again we experienced genuine interest in our products, and the benefits that indoor gardening can offer… we’ve never shifted catalogues so quickly!

At the end of the first day we were quite happy, until the weather report indicated what Sunday would probably have in store for us. Only we got away with it for the second time!

Almost as many visitors showed up as on the Saturday and our stand proved a real success. The catalogues and Rhizo-Pots actually came close to running out!

As we packed up our stall, we reflected on the incredible levels of interest the people in the North East had in our products, and looked forward to returning next year to see how they got on with their Rhizo-Pots.

	Code		Price	Qty
	6999	Intermediate BudBox Tent (75cm x 75cm x 160cm)	£99.95		Add to Basket
	1587	125 Watt Blue Eco-Light	£19.95		Add to Basket
	1588	125 Watt Red Eco-Light	£19.95		Add to Basket
	8865	CFL Hobby Reflector only (mains connection)	£19.95		Add to Basket
	1785	T5 Propagation Grow Light 2-Tube	£59.95		Add to Basket
	5876	Sun Mate Grow CFL Reflector Only (mains connection)	£39.95		Add to Basket
	5065	T5HO Sunblaster Propagation Light Complete	£21.95	Out of stock
	0961	Hi-Top Medium Unheated 38cm x 22cm	£6.95		Add to Basket
	0962	Hi-Top Large Unheated 52cm x 37cm	£14.95		Add to Basket
	0963	Hi-Top Medium Heated 35cm x 21cm	£34.95		Add to Basket
	0964	Hi-Top Large Heated 50cm x 37cm	£59.95		Add to Basket
	8199	8 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 21cm x 21cm x 21cm (Height)	£1.45		Add to Basket
	8190	12 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 26cm x 26cm x 22cm (Height)	£1.65		Add to Basket
	8191	16 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 28cm x 28cm x 26cm (Height)	£2.55		Add to Basket
	8192	30 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 35cm x 35cm x 30cm (Height)	£3.25		Add to Basket
	8193	39 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 40cm x 40cm x 30cm (Height)	£3.95		Add to Basket
	8194	56 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 43cm x 43cm x 38cm (Height)	£4.95		Add to Basket

Organisers actually invited GroWell along after visiting our stand during the Eastnor Castle Chilli Festival back in May, where inspection of the displays opened up their eyes to the potential of hydroponics and indoor gardening. As we have so often found when dealing with growers from this hardcore set of enthusiasts, there was an overwhelming amount of interest in grow tents, fluorescent lights and boosters like HALO and Vita Link Buddy. The plan is to again focus the spotlight on these items at the North East Chilli Festival, clearly demonstrating how you can establish an extremely effective, relatively low cost chilli-orientated grow room for year round results by combining an Intermediate BudBox Tent, Rhizo-Pots and any one of our Eco-Lights or T5 Propagation Lights. Even those growers that are only looking to take tentative steps down the hydroponics route will be able to see the benefits of starting off plants indoors using a simple set up of a propagator and T5HO Sunblaster Propagation Lights.

In addition to GroWell’s stand, expect to find all the usual fantastic food stalls selling super hot dips, spreads, sauces and more. There’s also live music scheduled and a dreaded chilli eating competition!

The North East Chilli Festival runs over Saturday the 7^th of July (9am to 5pm) and Sunday the 8^th of July (10am to 4pm). With over 10,000 people due to attend, it should be a good weekend!

Tickets prices start at £7 and are available from here

Satnav reference for Seaton Delaval Hall: NE26 4QR

Overshadowing all of the other entrants both in terms of size and ambition, this enormous 80ft garden brought some much-needed excitement to the prestigious event thanks to its unashamed outlandishness and creative use of vertical space. Those of us at GroWell were delighted to be associated with the project, after organisers called upon our expertise relating to hydroponics and horticultural lighting to help ensure exhibited plants remained strong and healthy.

Consisting of seven tiers in total, the Westland Magical Tower somehow managed to include a fully operational lift, a café, a helter skelter (yes, a helter skelter!) and greenhouses alongside 5000 plants and trees. It took three weeks of 15-hour days to build and fill the unique pyramid structure, with many obstacles coming and going along the way.

One such issue concerned getting sufficient light to plants located near the centre of each floor. Upon hearing about this, we took great delight in providing a workable and effective solution! By setting up a number of grow light systems – featuring Exolux Dimmable Digital Ballasts, Adjust-a-Wing Avenger Reflectors and Metal Halide Lamps, the more shaded plants actually received greater amounts of light than those exposed to sunlight on the perimeter! As a result of installing the grow lights the affected plants really flourished and no doubt played a small part in enabling the display to win the Most Creative Show Garden Prize!

On the 6^th and 7^th of May stalls selling everything from sauces to sausages were set out in the castle courtyard, circling around a performance area that various different entertainers used… well, entertainingly over both of the days. Educational cooking demonstrations and continuous live music also added a little bit extra to the event.

Understandably a lot of the people who attended the festival came with the intention of sampling edible goods – and we couldn’t really blame them! The overpowering smells and aromas emanating from nearby chilli-based food makers had us hungry from the off!

Yet little time could be spent drooling over the exciting, unusual and undeniably tempting products on show or gawping at the fantastic parts of the building that towered over us. We had a job to do!

The presence of a hydroponics equipment retailer at the event generated a pleasing amount of interest, with visitors commenting that the GroWell stand offered an intriguing insight into the future of gardening and the “grow your own revolution”. When it hit home just how affordable, flexible and fun the hobby of raising plants often proves to be, we saw peoples faces change to reflect the realisation that they could get involved too!

Having reviewed the findings of past festivals and exhibitions, we again altered our display to better demonstrate the advantages of hydroponics and indoor gardening. With a renewed focus on showing products in action, the GroWell stall featured no less than four grow set ups! Each one was housed in a smart intermediate BudBox tent and included a T5HO Sunblaster Propagation Light, T5 Propagation Grow Light or Sun Mate Grow CFL Reflector and Eco-Light. These lights are already quite popular amongst chilli growers and definitely helped us get the attention of numerous passers by.

To promote the latest breakthrough product in indoor gardening, we had several plants growing from the phenomenal new Rhizo-Pots. Some onlookers refused to believe that these low priced, lightweight, fibrous items delivered results… until they noticed the evidence right in front of their eyes!

Despite the soaking everyone endured on the Monday morning, the very first Eastnor Castle Chilli Festival went down as a success in our book. There’s certainly room for improvement but it nevertheless attracted a good crowd and had some decent exhibitors. We are enjoying introducing the concept of hydroponics and indoor gardening to a section of dedicated growers who never knew it existed before and plan on doing so for the foreseeable!

	Code		Price	Qty
	6999	Intermediate BudBox Tent (75cm x 75cm x 160cm)	£99.95		Add to Basket
	1587	125 Watt Blue Eco-Light	£19.95		Add to Basket
	1588	125 Watt Red Eco-Light	£19.95		Add to Basket
	8865	CFL Hobby Reflector only (mains connection)	£19.95		Add to Basket
	1785	T5 Propagation Grow Light 2-Tube	£59.95		Add to Basket
	5876	Sun Mate Grow CFL Reflector Only (mains connection)	£39.95		Add to Basket
	5065	T5HO Sunblaster Propagation Light Complete	£21.95	Out of stock
	0961	Hi-Top Medium Unheated 38cm x 22cm	£6.95		Add to Basket
	0962	Hi-Top Large Unheated 52cm x 37cm	£14.95		Add to Basket
	0963	Hi-Top Medium Heated 35cm x 21cm	£34.95		Add to Basket
	0964	Hi-Top Large Heated 50cm x 37cm	£59.95		Add to Basket
	8199	8 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 21cm x 21cm x 21cm (Height)	£1.45		Add to Basket
	8190	12 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 26cm x 26cm x 22cm (Height)	£1.65		Add to Basket
	8191	16 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 28cm x 28cm x 26cm (Height)	£2.55		Add to Basket
	8192	30 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 35cm x 35cm x 30cm (Height)	£3.25		Add to Basket
	8193	39 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 40cm x 40cm x 30cm (Height)	£3.95		Add to Basket
	8194	56 Litre Rhizo-Pot - 43cm x 43cm x 38cm (Height)	£4.95		Add to Basket

What immediately sets this one apart from the others previously attended is simply the fact that it takes place in the grounds of a massive 19^th century castle… quite a sight to behold let us promise you!

Impressive scenery aside, the brand new Midland’s based festival promises to offer up a fine range of hot and spicy dips, sauces, spreads and more, made available through the 30+ stalls set up and run by self confessed chilli fanatics. There will also be plenty of food demonstrations, live music, entertainers and fun activities to keep the kids busy.

The main reason for our planned appearance during the two days in May is to continue promoting hydroponics and indoor gardening as a modern and effective means of growing incredible chilli plants. To do this even better than before, we will be showcasing a number of complete grow rooms specifically put together with producing chillies in mind. Expect to see working displays of quality tents, lights, growing systems and extraction kits. If that’s not enough, you can collect a free copy of the only-just-released GroWell 2012 catalogue and ask onsite Tech Team members any questions you may have about your plants or gardening in general. Don’t be shy!

The Eastnor Chilli Festival runs over Sunday the 6^th of May and Monday the 7^th of May 2012.

Getting to Eastnor Castle is relatively simple, but we have been told to advise you not to follow Sat Nav directions (Sat Nav reference: HR8 1RL) beyond Eastnor and Clenchers Mill Lane – instead stick to following the brown tourist signs.

Traveling by car from London, take the M4 West and exit at junction 15 (Swindon). Then follow the A419 to Cirencester and the A417 to Gloucester. Just before Gloucester, exit the A417 onto the M5 North (towards Birmingham) at junction 11A. Exit the M5 at junction 8 onto the M50, then exit the M50 at junction 2. Turn onto the A417 to Ledbury and from here follow the Brown Tourist signs for Eastnor Castle, going via the bypass and through Ledbury Town Centre onto the A449 (signed Worcester and Malvern). After 1 mile take a right onto the A438 (signed Tewkesbury and Eastnor) – the castle entrance will appear after another mile on the right hand side.

Traveling by car from the North or South, exit the M5 at junction 8 onto the M50, then exit the M50 at junction 2. Turn onto the A417 to Ledbury and from here follow the Brown Tourist signs for Eastnor Castle, going via the bypass and through Ledbury Town Centre onto the A449 (signed Worcester and Malvern). After 1 mile take a right onto the A438 (signed Tewkesbury and Eastnor) – the castle entrance will appear after another mile on the right hand side.

A lot has been going on behind the scenes here in recent weeks and this is as good as time any to reveal that we are currently working on bringing the GroWell experience to central Birmingham in the shape of a brand new shop!

Citizens of the UK’s second city and its many surrounding areas can look forward to discovering a unique, specialist hydroponics and indoor gardening retail outlet, conveniently located within a few minutes drive of all the major road links. There are plenty of parking spaces accessible out the front and a loading bay for larger orders – meaning you won’t need to desperately search for somewhere to leave the car!

To help you pick out the products that best suit your requirements, we’ve made the informative displays at GroWell Birmingham one of our biggest priorities, alongside the usual consistently high stock levels and outstanding customer service. Upon opening to the general public, the store will feature numerous fully assembled growing systems, tents and lights, thereby allowing you to get a good idea of the size and workings of more complicated pieces of equipment before making a purchase.

We are proud to offer expert advice and guidance on growing plants at each and every one of our stores and GroWell Birmingham is destined to be no different. So if you have any burning questions about hydroponics feel free to pop by for a chat – we enjoy helping fellow gardeners!

GroWell Birmingham will begin welcoming visitors in May. Please keep checking our website for further updates including the launch date and opening times.

When is GroWell closed for Easter?

All the shops and mail order division will open 10am - 5pm on Friday the 29th of March, 10am - 5pm on Saturday the 30th of March and 11am - 4pm on Monday the 1st of April, only closing once over Easter on Sunday the 31st of March. If you want to use our guaranteed delivery service for getting your growing goods before Easter, order no later than midday on Tuesday the 26th of March. Purchases made through the website and mail order after this point will be dispatched from Tuesday the 2nd of April.

GroWell’s debut couldn't have gone much better thanks to the knowledgeable crowds' appreciation of our lights and other equipment. We were successfully able to introduce the principles of hydroponics and indoor lighting to a great number of curious visitors.

Our stand certainly captured the imagination of many people passing by, mainly due to the eye catching display tent on show. We enjoyed talking to gardeners from all over the country about various different topics, one of the most popular being fluorescent lighting. With the world of hydroponics becoming ever more popular, and regarded more and more as having a crucial role in the future of food production, members of the GroWell team were also on hand to discuss the possibilities of becoming self sufficient.

James Wong, ethnobotanist and award presenter of award winning herbal remedy television shows gave talks on growing plants that would not normally be found in the UK, such as wasabi and the Stevia plant - whose leaves are 200 times sweeter than sugar. The main guest speaker helped demonstrated the untapped potential of what can be grown for those in attendance, and those visiting out stand either before of after were able to see how hydroponics and indoor gardening could help them achieve these goals.

Another celebrity guest, John Burton-Race, a Michelin star chef and television personality, gave cookery lessons and extolled the virtues of fresh produce. This was a popular source of conversation among visitors to our stand, interested in having fresh herbs or salad goods available to them all year round.

Despite the wide range of stands available, from solar power to bee keeping, seeds to organic meat producers, we all felt connected in doing our bit for the grow your own revolution. Throughout the weekend the amount of genuine interest in GroWell and Hydroponics proved quite staggering. We look forward to welcoming many new customers as a result of the show!

SEE HOW WE GOT ON AT THE EDIBLE GARDEN SHOW BY CLICKING HERE

This weekend sees the return of the Edible Garden Show at Stoneleigh, the UK’s most prestigious horticultural venue. It has repeatedly been voted the top British gardening event and also represents the only one dedicated to the ‘grow your own’ revolution – which explains why GroWell plans on making a first time appearance!

With our extensive indoor gardening knowledge we are hoping to help those attending the show get the most from plants by demonstrating how to extend their season using specialist propagation equipment. We will also be promoting the ability to set up a garden in all too easily dismissed areas and grow species not suited to the British climate.

Running from the 16^th to the 18^th of March, you can expect to find experts from all fields of horticulture present including botanist and TV presenter James Wong, Michelin star chef John Burton-Race and growing guru and broadcaster Pippa Greenwood. Plenty of live demonstrations and workshops are scheduled to take place over the three days, focusing on diverse subjects like collecting honey, hen and pig rearing, cooking, potting plants and many others. There really is something for everyone that has an interest in being self-sufficient!

Our main aim, aside from introducing the concept of indoor gardening to the masses, will be to educate visitors about the following processes...

Propagation and starting plants

Many plants can be grown in the UK but some varieties require a longer amount of time during the fruiting stage. Starting the plants indoors is hugely beneficial because when the time comes to go outside they are already established and more likely to finish in the UK climate. By looking to gain a head start and raising the seeds in February/March, you increase the chances of achieving bigger yields and an improved supply of fruit and veg.

Overwintering plants

Certain plants can successfully be overwintered – a unique concept that indoor growing lights help to make possible. This allows you to maintain the genetics of top performing plants and, since they are already established, should provide predictably good results. The same advantages of starting plants off early indoors relate to over wintered plants.

Cloning

We will be on hand to offer tips on cloning plants. The future performance of a seed is hard to predict but by learning how to clone the best plants you can take chance out of the equation and be safe in the knowledge that all plants then develop the same. We intend to showcase cloning equipment alongside a selection of our extensive range.

So if you are visiting the show, drop by and pay us a visit at Stand 415 in Hall One. We look forward to seeing you there!

What products should I keep stock of over Christmas?

With less than a month to go now until Christmas, you’ll no doubt be planning a top up order of essential plant related products… alongside maybe one or two richly deserved self-sent growing gifts! We advise making sure that you have enough nutrients, additives and pH checking and adjusting materials to survive the short break as well as emergency spare parts in the shape of lamps, pumps and timers!

Getting your goods delivered before Christmas

It’s important to remember GroWell shuts down for a few days during the holiday season, temporarily putting the delivery of goods on hold. Couriers also have busy schedules at this time of the year and can only guarantee pre-Christmas Standard Delivery when orders are placed before midday of Sunday the 18th of December and pre-Christmas Priority Delivery when orders are placed before midday of Wednesday the 21st of December 2011.

When are the GroWell shops closing for Christmas?

All shops will be closed Saturday the 24th of December, Sunday the 25th of December, Monday the 26th of December and Tuesday the 27th of December with the exception of Fulham, which will be closed the following 3 days as well. They are then again set to shut on Saturday the 31st of December and Sunday the 1st of January, reopening for Monday the 2nd of January at 11am. Normal shop opening times resume from Tuesday the 3rd of January.

If you’re signed up to GroWell emails, you will have hopefully noticed big changes in regards to their design and content over the last few months. Now we’d really like to know what you think of the new format and whether there’s anything that can be done to improve it. Voice your opinion and leave a message below!

For those of you who have not yet signed up to Home Sweet Grown, here’s what you’re missing out on!

We now broadcast two emails a month – a first with all of our special offers (including newsletter only offers), and a second that features articles from members of the GroWell Technical Team.

Since the start of this year our exclusive email offers have seen subscribers enjoy:

- 10% discounts,

- Free 300mls of Bloom CALMAG worth £13.95,

- Free 1 litre of Vita Link Flush worth £12.99,

- Free 100mls of Plagron Green Sensation worth £21.00,

- Free 300mls of Bloom PRE worth £20.95,

- Free Digital Min-Max Temperature and Humidity Meter worth £11.95,

- Free 750mls Canna Cure Bug Spray worth £11.95,

- Free 250mls Canna Rhizotonic worth £10.99, and

- Free 1 litre of Vita Link Buddy worth £10.95

The next info email newsletter will bring you details of the brand new GroWell Grow Diary, advice on how to take the perfect cuttings and a closer look at Neem as a form of pest control. Make sure you stay in the loop and sign up on the home page if you haven’t done so already!

Overview of the new look store

One of the many new display areas with working products

We’ve made pricing and product information as clear and accessible as possible

You can now see the biggest BudBox Grow Tents in all their glory!

]]> http://www.growell.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/dudley-2011web1-150x150.jpg Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:42:18 +0000 Over the 17^th and 18^th of September, chilli growers and spicy food fanatics from far and wide descended upon Brighton’s Victoria Gardens for the 2011 Fiery Foods Chilli Festival. Although wind and rain bombarded visitors at times, it didn’t ruin the jovial atmosphere or stop GroWell from making a very successful first appearance at the event.

The amount of interest in how hydroponics can be of benefit to the chilli grower was truly staggering! Most people had not seen or heard of hydroponics before, which came as a big surprise to us! We were only able to take a very small amount of our range to showcase and focussed primarily on propagation equipment and the proposed new GroWell Chilli Growers Kit. When visitors saw the size of our ten-week old plant growing from a Wilma System housed inside a BudBox Tent, looks of astonishment quickly turned into excitement as they imagined the potential for huge never-achieved-before yields.

Elsewhere at the festival there were sauces, cookery demonstrations, jewellery and of course the actual plants and chillies themselves all on display. Some growers also gave talks on chillies, and as part of the National Chilli Awards, sauce creators pitted their products against each other in an attempt to win one of several titles.

The highlight for most people though had to be the chilli-eating contest. A dozen contestants worked their way through ten progressively hotter chillies until reaching the mouth melting Naga Jolokia – former world’s hottest chilli. Strong stomachs were required not only by the contestants, but also the audience as the competitors struggled to contain the fiery feast.

Since this weekend represented GroWell’s first appearance at a chilli festival, the chilli growing community naturally had many questions to ask us. From our conversations it quickly became clear that chilli growers could greatly benefit from hydroponic products – whether growing on a windowsill, or with a full indoor/outdoor hobby set up, all the way through to commercial growers.

Also in the next couple of weeks we will be posting an interview with Chillipepper Pete, event organiser and previous world record holder for producing the world’s hottest chilli. For those interested in Chillies, it should provide some insightful comments on the recent controversies regarding the world record. One thing that is clear is that his enthusiasm is contagious!

After our initial excursion into the chilli community, the warm welcome we received and the genuine interest we attracted it is safe to say that we will continue our association with the chilli growers. We would like to welcome the chilli growing community into our world, as warmly as we were welcomed into theirs, so stay tuned for more chilli related articles and grow diaries, aiming to help chilli growers of all abilities achieve the results that they desire.

This weekend will see GroWell hotfooting it down to Brighton for the fourth annual Fiery Foods Chilli Festival at Victoria Gardens. We’ve been invited along to talk about growing chillies in hydroponics systems and also plan on showcasing some of the best indoor growing products currently available. With Live music, the National Chilli Awards and the famous chilli eating contest the weekend should be one to remember.

Areas we will be covering with the chilli lovers are:

Systems for growing chillies indoors

We will be premiering the Growell Chilli kit, designed to be affordable and efficient, utilising a Wilma kit and compact fluorescent lights. We are also on hand to discuss other systems and techniques for carrying out the entire growing cycle indoors.

For those without effective outdoor gardens we aim to show that they can still grow their favourite produce, have a lot more control over it and benefit from greater yields.

Propagation and starting plants

Chillies can be grown in the UK, but some varieties require longer to fully fruit, starting the plants indoors can be of huge benefit to chilli growers and mean that when they put the plants outside they are already established, and more able to finish in the UK climate. By starting the seeds in February, the plants will have a huge head start, and will provide bigger yields and the longer flowering varieties will be much more likely to provide a healthy supply of chillies.

Over wintering plants

Some chilli plants can be over wintered, and this can be achieved far more successfully using indoor grow lights. The benefits of over wintering are that you can maintain the same genetics that served you so well last year, and since the plant is also established, it should provide a plentiful bounty, and the same benefits of starting plants off early indoors can be applied to over wintered plants.

Cloning

We will be on hand to offer tips on cloning plants. Chillies like all seeds can throw up a wide range of performance. By learning how to clone the best performing plants you can take chance out of the equation, and be safe in the knowledge that all your plants will perform the same. We will be showcasing cloning equipment alongside the complete systems.

So if you find yourself in the Brighton area this weekend, why not pop down and immerse yourself in the hot and spicy world of chillies. If you are feeling brave, put yourself forward for the chilli eating contest. We look forward to seeing you there.

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