I first got into hydroponics last year. I bought a similar device and started growing herbs and tomatoes. I quickly learned that the light wasn’t going high enough (it extended 15”max) and it ended up burning the top of my tomato leaves. It also had a smaller tank and no air pump. I learned that the plant roots also need oxygen and the way to deliver it in hydroponic systems was to install an air pump. So I had to buy a pump. This experience made me realize how incomplete was the first kit I bought so this time around I knew better. This system has much larger tank (5.5L which is 1.4 gallons) and the light can extend up to 20” which is extremely important. Once the plants start growing you need the light to go higher so that the entire plant can get light coverage. Speaking of light, this has two light settings for a different stage of a plant. There is a different light setting for vegetating and also different light setting for flowering stage. And the best part is BUILT IN air pump. This is extremely important not only to deliver oxygen but also prevents any funky buildup from the nutrients because the air bubbles also serve as a filtration system. Sponge filter is easily accessible and removable for cleaning. Another great perk is drain hole accesible from the back so you don’t have to harass your plants to pour the water out and add the fresh one. Just drain and refill, so helpful! With my old system I had to remove the pods with the plants, tilt the entire thing to empty the old water before adding a new one. I previously bought General Hydroponics Flora series set of nutrients but this kit comes with its own nutrients. Nutrients are in crystal form and all you need to do to activate is to add adequate amount of water. Then, you will need to add your nutrients to CLEAN water and change it weekly or biweekly. Given that there is air pump built in, biweekly is perfectly fine. As the plant moves from seedling stage and get bigger it will absorb so much more water and you will need to add water+nutrients more frequently. Pods are cleverly spaced out so you can add more plants. My other hydroponic system had pods too close to each other making it impossible for all the plants to develop due to lack of spacing in between. You can grow more than one kind of herbs/veggies but try to stick to a same or similar kind due to growth stages. You don’t want one plant to dramatically overgrow the other one because it will also block the light. They also included basic information for beginners to get started. It is absolutely hassle free, the most work you need to do is to replace the water and nutrients. EVERYTHING needed to get started is included. Pods and nutrients, you only need seeds. I can’t recommend this enough! I am also homeschooling my 6yo and this is perfect biology lesson! ALSO, it comes with the app allowing you to set the lights, activate the pump etc. This is really handy because at an early stage your plant will need 18-6 light period but at the later stage, it will need 12-12 light period. It’s PIA to manually turn on/off the lights especially if your 12hrs period ends either too late or starts too early in the morning. This way app does it all for you. Easy to grow, easy to use and absolutely giftable!
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