Legal

Terms of Service

Effective 7 May 2026 · Last updated 7 May 2026

These terms govern your use of Vertica (the "Service"), a web-based calculator and planning tool for vertical hydroponic gardens, operated by Urban Root. By using the Service you agree to these terms. If you don't, please don't use the Service.

1. What the Service is

Vertica is a browser-based calculator for designing and running vertical hydroponic gardens. It includes free tabs (Your tower, Pump & reservoir) and, after a one-time purchase, a paid tier that adds Feeding plan, Crop plan, Indoor lighting, Pump schedule, Shopping list, Payback math, Outdoor seasons, and a downloadable Print plan report.

The Service runs entirely in your browser. Your tower designs are stored in your browser's local storage on your device unless you export them.

2. Licence

When you buy the paid tier, Urban Root grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the paid features on up to 3 devices you own or control. The licence doesn't expire and isn't tied to a subscription.

You may not resell, sublicense, or redistribute the licence key. You may not use the Service to build a competing product.

3. Accuracy of estimates

Pump head-loss curves, reservoir-per-plant ranges, target EC and pH, DLI minimums, yield-per-plant figures, retail prices, frost dates, and all other numbers in the Service are based on published manufacturer specsheets, peer-reviewed research, and university extension publications. They are planning estimates, not guarantees. Real outcomes will vary based on water quality, light conditions, pump aging, plant variety, microclimate, and management.

Pump curves in particular degrade over time and product-line numbers like "EcoPlus 633" are not actual flow ratings. Verify the datasheet at the time of purchase. The Service flags an "undersized" warning when the recommended pump fails to meet target flow at the required lift.

Do not rely on the Service for commercial agronomy or food-safety decisions without cross-checking with local extension services, manufacturer datasheets, and qualified professionals.

4. No AI / language-model generation

Vertica does not use any AI / language-model provider. There is no API call to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or any other model. All calculations are deterministic and run in your browser using formulas published in the source code and the engineering-verifier audit document. If you have a regulatory requirement to disclose use of automated systems, the Service is straightforward: it is a calculator, not an AI advisor.

5. Your content

Your tower designs, crop selections, fixture choices, and notes are yours. We don't claim ownership. The underlying pump database, crop database, fixture database, calculation methods, schematic SVG, UI, and brand are Urban Root's intellectual property and are not licensed for reuse in other products.

6. Payment and refunds

Payments are processed by LemonSqueezy, who act as the Merchant of Record. You're paying LemonSqueezy, who then pay Urban Root. LemonSqueezy handle sales tax and VAT collection where applicable.

Refunds are governed by our refund policy: 48-hour window for technical failure or accidental duplicate purchase.

7. Availability

We aim for the Service to be available but don't guarantee uptime. The Service runs mostly in your browser, so temporary server-side outages (licence validation) don't affect your ability to use the free tabs on a saved page. The licence-validation endpoint has rate limits (per IP and per licence-key prefix) to prevent abuse.

8. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Urban Root's total liability for any claim related to the Service is limited to the amount you paid for it. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost harvests, crop failures, undersized pumps, flooded floors, electrical issues, water damage, or food-safety outcomes.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms over time. Material changes will be announced on the main site. Continued use after a change means you accept the update.

10. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of South Africa, where Urban Root is based. Disputes that cannot be resolved by good-faith discussion will be referred to the courts of South Africa.

11. Contact

Questions about these terms? Email urbanroot.contact@gmail.com · contact page.