No mention of GrowBox (tm)?

[cythaenopsis]

I've seen people talk about DIY grow boxes and the commercially available EarthBox, but nothing yet about the retail GrowBox. Is there something about it that makes gardeners in-the-know turn away? With the "plant by numbers" template on the fertilizer layer, I thought that maybe it implies "novice gardener" too much.

I don't have one, but a friend of mine is growing tomatoes in two of them (indeterminate beefsteak varieties). He started off with seedlings that he'd bought and the plants have been growing like mad from week #1. Right now the plants are very big and bushy, having extended beyond their cages by quite a bit. Tomatoes ended up appearing a bit later than I would have expected, but once they started they've been popping up all over. Watering requirements are significant. The 4 gallon reservoirs need filling at least once per day.

Now, beyond the basics of watering, my friend is doing nothing at all to them. He does not adjust branches to minimize tangling. He does not prune or remove suckers. The larger tomatoes seem to be on target for 1lb or greater. I'd told him about the issues related to suckers and how a very bushy plant is prone to disease, but because he sees no problems he just dismissed my points off hand. As you might surmise he's not the consummate gardener, although he has been growing vegetables and herbs for a number of years.

I'd read up quite a bit about tomato plant growing and how a bushy plant is supposed to be a recipe for disaster, as the canopy provides an opportunity for disease to flourish. I guess we'll just see how it goes in his case.

Anyway, despite the lack of pruning, the plants just seem excessively bushy to me. And so that has me wondering if the "Nutrient Patch" layer that is placed on top has a high nitrogen content to it. The retailer's website doesn't go into those details. They only say "it contains a powerful mixture of fast-acting and time-release nutrients as well as critical minor elements not found in many garden fertilizers. In addition, we've eliminated 95.5% of the harmful, plant-burning salts found in most off-the-shelf fertilizers."

So I'm just curious as to what people here in Tomatoville think of the GrowBox; if anyone has used them with success or tried it but didn't like how it worked out.