| AutoPot have just finished exhibiting at Baan Leaw Suan in Bangkok, it is held at the biggest indoor hall arena at Mueang Thong. The exhibit started 10 years ago with around 70,000 visitors yearly and has now grown to 700,000. It is focused on everything anyone could possibly need for their garden from AutoPot to hanging baskets! The whole show began on the 30.10.2010 until 07.11.2010 for 9 days and although a large undertaking was deemed a great success! |
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The feedback from the show was impressive with numerous domestic gardeners and buyers alike showing great interest in this new product within Thailand. Watch this space to see AutoPot spreading further in Thailand. |
AutoPot has recently arrived in Barbados! A commercial grower has established a large scale Greenhouse, growing tomatoes, cucumbers and other produce using the 2Pot extension kits with great success. As you can see from the photograph the produce is flourishing in the AutoPot Kits with very little maintenance once the set up is established. The grower then sells the produce to local markets and hotels, which avoids the need to import produce from other countries reducing cost and improving produce quality and freshness. The new grower is acting as an ambassador of AutoPot in Barbados, which has a climate extremely well suited to and in need of our irrigation systems.
AutoPot are now coming towards the end of the Farm Trials which began in April this year. In the last six months we have seen bumper crops in Thai chillies, a variety of tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers, melons and sweet peppers. The trial of 120 2Pot trays resulted in an abundance of produce which was then sold locally with all proceeds donated to Little Growers. The trials have acted as a show site for customers and clients of AutoPot to show that commercially as well as domestically the systems offer huge success with all crop varieties. The trials this year surpassed all previous trial results, truly demonstrating the vast ability and capacity the AutoPot systems have when growing crops of all kinds.
All produce was weighed before being sold by Little Growers, raising a great £540.00.
After the weigh-ins over the last 6 months the trials gained the following amazing results:
| Crop Type | Number of Plants | Weight of Produce (kg) | Grow Area (m²) | Weight (kg) per square metre |
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Cucumbers |
16 |
45.24 |
3.45 |
13.1 |
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Thai Chilli |
60 |
71.4 |
14 |
5.1 |
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Sungold Cherry Orange Tomato |
60 |
124.55 |
14 |
8.9 |
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Sparta Medium Red Tomato |
60 |
273.55 |
14 |
19.5 |
Cucumbers: This is a 3-4 month crop, harvesting began after the 6th week and continued for a further 8 weeks.
Thai Chillies: The Chillies were potted up into the 8.5ltr pots in April, the growth was incredible however we only started picking in the first week of August 2010 and finished picking on the 20th October 2010. We therefore only had 2½ months of harvesting. Unfortunately we do not have environmental control in the greenhouse at the farm. If we did I would expect to see a huge increase in production. Never the less we produced spectacular results in the growing window that we have in the UK.
Sungold Tomato: This is my personal favourite when it come to Tomatoes, the small cherry tomatoes are full of flavour. Sungold as it shows is not commercially grown as the yields required can not be achieved due to the size of the tomato. However the plants produced huge amounts of fruit, with picking starting in mid June and lasting until mid October.
Sparta Tomato: This is an F1 variety red in colour and medium sized. Generally without environmental control the weights to be expected per sq meter are between 15kg-25kg….Using the 2Pot Extension Kits we managed to produce 19.5 kg per sq meter….not bad considering the little amount of effort we applied. Personally I would expect to yield around 30 kg per sq meter if more time and effort is put into the crop. However we have clearly proved that not only do the AutoPot systems work, they save water and produce excellent crops. The harvesting duration was over a 4 month period…If we had had 2-3 more months of warmth and sunshine I am confident that the system would have produced a great deal more tomatoes.
Don't you just love the UK weather….
To accompany the launch of the AQUAbox spyder AutoPot have created a range of animations to detail how the product works and to make installation as simple as possible. View these comprehensive animations using the following links:
AQUAbox Spyder - How it works
AQUAbox Spyder - Step-by-step
More AutoPot Animations
Glee is the UK's most comprehensive trade show for the garden and leisure industries and took place at the NEC Birmingham between the 20-22 September. AutoPot were featured as part of Garland Product's area at the show, the all new AQUAbox Spyder was launched to the audiences at GLEE with a very positive reception.
Every September, Glee showcases the latest innovations, big brands and retail inspirations, so it was the ideal platform to launch AutoPot's latest product. The AQUAbox Spyder is specifically designed for raised bed irrigation and allows the gardener to tailor the system to their needs. The AQUAbox Spyder is a development of the original AutoPot AQUAbox and will be available to buy in the near future. Please contact at us at mail@autopot.co.uk for all enquiries or orders.
The AutoPot trial farm site in Oxfordshire is going from strength to strength.,
Visit the AutoPot website to monitor the progress.
It shows the progression from April up to the current date, with astonishing growth rates over the last two months.
The videos chart the development of the growing season from April using the AutoPot systems. We have recently harvested 30kg of cucumbers from 2 square metres using the 2 pot extension kits with great success. The tomatoes are also in abundance, each week the nurseries are producing kilos of fruit, which are then being sold locally with the proceeds being donated to the horticultural charity, Little Growers. The chilli varieties are establishing well, so watch this space for updated videos monitoring the extraordinary growth rates using the AutoPot systems!
New 16mm-6mm In-line filter added
to the AutoPot range
AutoPot have now added a new 16mm-6 mm inline filter that is now supplied as standard with the AQUAbox range. It can also be purchased separately from your local retailer or from the AutoPot On-line Shop. It allows easy connection to an existing water barrel by using 16mm pipe (standard hosepipe) and then reduces to 6mm allowing easy connection to any of the AutoPot irrigation range using 6mm pipe. The fitting also has an internal filter that can be accessed with ease ensuring cleaning is made simple.
The third product is still in the development stages but AutoPot are extremely excited about this addition to the product range.
The AQUAtray™ provides the user with the ability to use the existing 1Pot tray and 2Pot tray without the need for pots or soil/compost.
In layman's terms this new design will allow the growers to simply grow in water, using the AutoPot technology.
Please visit the AutoPot Online Shop where these products will shortly be available.
We have added a new video showing the effectiveness of the AQUAbox in raised beds and also being used with grow bags. The video demonstrates how easy the AQUAbox is to use in domestic gardening and the significant benefits it offers for use in both grow bags and raised beds.
Click here to view the video now!
China
AutoPot has now added another continent to our increasing worldwide network of distributors. We are pleased to welcome a new supplier in China: WellMold.
WellMold, founded in 1999, is a Chinese mould manufacturer specializing in the plastic injection moulding and parts, which have enjoyed great popularity in the world market due to its high quality and moderate prices. AutoPot trials will be taking place in due course in China, working in unison with WellMold and our products, we will keep you updated as they come online.
New Caledonia
AutoPot now has a new distributor and retailer in New Caledonia. They will be supplying a range of AutoPot products which are ideally suited for the climate.
Bulgaria
AutoPot are also pleased to announce that we now have a representative in Sofia, Bulgaria.
More information can be found by visiting their online shop
We would once again like to request that you send your logos and contact details to us so that we can place them on our website and ask that you do the same with our logo details on your website to increase linkage and efficiency between our websites. By doing this site networking and internet search engine result efficiency are greatly improved.
Please send your logos and details to: mail@autopot.co.uk
With the recent success of AutoPot beyond the UK and around the world, we have now working with new contacts in both Barbados and the Mauritius. Keep an eye on the Latest News area of the website, and forthcoming newsletters for more!
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In the last newsletter we introduced this years AutoPot Greenhouse Trials, which are taking place at Bicester, Oxfordshire in a large commercial greenhouse. We have been growing around 300 plants. The latest video taken on 21st May 2010 has now been added to the AutoPot Homepage and within the Latest News section for 2010. Look out for these videos showing how the 2Pot extension kits can be used in a commercial greenhouse. |
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Jason is on the move again! AutoPot will be exhibiting at the annual National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. The show has a worldwide audience of over 27,000 industry professionals and is a leading tradeshow in the home and horticultural hardware market. AutoPot will be exhibiting from May 4th until May 6th in the Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living section and we hope to expand our USA distributors as a result. Please come and see us in the British Pavillion section in the Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living area of the show. To find out more about the show visit; http://www.nationalhardwareshow.com/ |
| AutoPot now has a 1Pot System installed at Barny’s Place, a restaurant on Liverpool Street, London. The system is suspended from the ceiling in the window of Barney’s to grow herbs that then supply their restaurant. Barny the owner of the restaurant cafe aims to produce 'a salad a day' from the installation. Inspired by the Eden project, the installation uses the AutoPot irrigation system, with the window garden suspended from the ceiling on a pulley system that allows the garden to be raised higher (& closer to grow lamps) or lowered for maintenance & harvesting. |
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Further snapshot reviews of AutoPot Systems in use will follow in future newsletter editions!
AutoPot are in the final stages of producing our marketing CD. The CD will be available for distributors and retailers during April 2010. The DVD features an AutoPot presentation providing an insight to AutoPot and our range of products, complete with videos, 3D Animations and a resource area providing access to information sheets, brochures, product images, videos and more for use as required.
For more information please click here.
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This is request to all the companies AutoPot works with can you please email in your logos so that we can add them to our website and vice versa. Please send them to mail |
AutoPot have just secured a contract in the Maldives to erect a greenhouse on the Island of Feydhoo in Addu Atoll, near Gan, on the former British Air Base. The long term aim here is to trial the products, create a president so that the blue print can be offered to all the islands, thus making each island to a degree self sustainable. This is a great opportunity for AutoPot and for the residents in the Republic of the Maldives. 
Due to their simplicity, efficiency and no requirement for power the AutoPot systems are perfectly suited to the Maldivian climate where power cuts and lack of water can hamper growth rates.
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The AutoPot farm site in Oxford is in the process of being transformed into a test show site where we will be trialling products and monitoring growths trails with a range of crops.
Some of the plants being grown at the farm for 2010 are shown below. Keep an eye on the forthcoming newsletters for more!
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AutoPot continues to expand globally and we are pleased to announce the addition of three new distributors in Europe.
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AutoPot continues to spread worldwide; we have now secured a trial site at a 320-acre site in Suphattra Land, Rayong in Thailand. This is a showcase garden growing numerous fruits including star fruit, grapes, and jackfruit. Visitors come to see a range of horticultural set ups and then have lunch using the grown produce. AutoPot is trialling at Suphattra Land with melon, tomatoes and chillies using the 2Pot Extension Kit.
Further information can be found by clicking here.
AutoPot’s new brochure for 2010 is now complete and has been sent to print. We are extremely pleased with the outcome and a PDF download is available on the website as well as copies from our distributors. As AutoPot grows increasingly global we also have PDFs in Thai, French, Spanish and German for our international customers, these are also downloadable from our website.
Over February, AutoPot will be migrating to a new and updated engine powering the Online Shop, delivering an easier to navigate framework and new order management system among other features. During this period, any feedback with regards to your experiences would be appreciated and can be submitted using the Get In Contact area of the AutoPot Website.
In addition to the Online Shop updates, you may have noticed the recently introduced AutoPot Download Area, providing access to the AutoPot Brochure (available in several languages), product information and instruction sheets and more. New information is being added to the download area regularly, with recent additions including;
AutoPot easy2grow Kit Setup Instructions
AutoPot 2Pot Extension Kit Setup Instructions
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Jason is on the move again! AutoPot will be exhibiting at the annual National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. The show has a worldwide audience of over 27,000 industry professionals and is a leading tradeshow in the home and horticultural hardware market. AutoPot will be exhibiting from May 4th until May 6th in the Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living section and we hope to expand our USA distributors as a result. Please come and see us in the British Pavillion section in the Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living area of the show. To find out more about the show visit; http://www.nationalhardwareshow.com/ |
A new AutoPot product for a new year! The AQUAbox incorporates the AQUAvalve technology but is designed to be placed directly in the ground. We are really excited about this new edition to our product range, in trails over the last 18 months the AQUAbox has been successfully irrigating 1 metre square beds with just one AQUAbox. It is now available at our online shop. The official product page can be found by clicking here.
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This year the Greenhouse Trials will be undertaken in Bicester, Oxfordshire in a large commercial greenouse. We will be growing around 300 plants using the 2Pot Extension Kits. The following plants will be grown: Sungold & Sparta tomatoes, Super Thai Hot Chillies, Cucumbers, Augergines, Melons, Yellow Bell Peppers. All the produce will be weighed and then sold to local businesses and the public. The money raised from the sale of the produce will in turn be donated to Little Growers. Over the coming months photos and video footage will be added to the news section of the website.