Hydroponics Growing System

I got this for Christmas; my wife bought it through our shared Amazon account so I'm hoping this review will show up as a verified purchase. I seeded 6 pods on 29 December 2022, four with kale and two with lettuce. Those are the plants you can see growing so abundantly in the photo taken on 21 January 2023. I seeded the other six pods on 13 January 2023, three with arugula, two with cilantro, and one with basil. The arugula are up and looking fine, though still small. The basil is just peeking up now. The cilantro has yet to raise its head. Here are my thoughts: The unit was very easy to set up. I found the instructions to be quite clear. Seeding the sponges and putting the sponges in the baskets was straightforward. The only problem I had was the instructions to put only 3 or 4 seeds per sponge. Most of the seeds I'm working with are so tiny that the best I can do is shake the packet over the sponge and hope that the right number fall into the hole. I ended up overseeding most of the pods, meaning I had to do some serious thinning once the plants were up. Because this will be my first crop and I'm still feeling my way, I have a few unresolved questions: My kale and lettuce look about ready to harvest now, even though they have only been growing for three weeks. Their seed packets say they take 40-50 days to harvest when planted in soil. Do they really grow that much faster in a hydroponics unit? Should I start harvesting now, or wait some more? As you top off the water, which has to be done fairly often as the plants grow, you have to add more of the nutrients that come with the kit. When you replace all of the water in the tank, which the instructions say should be done a week or so after the plants have been growing awhile, you also have to add nutrients. I can see that if I want to have ongoing crops throughout the year, I will have to be buying more nutrients, which aren't particularly cheap. So my question is: Will this be a cost-effective way to have fresh greens for my table, vs. buying at the supermarket, or merely a fun (and potentially expensive) hobby? In summary: I'm quite pleased with IDOO unit itself. However, I'm unsure whether or not in the long run hydroponics will be a cost-effective way of growing food.

WOW!! I never expected to see some of my seedlings come up after only 3 days! It did take me a little while to put it all together, even though I watched all the videos provided by reviewers. I also had to call customer service to ask about the fan, which I found out did really work, it was so silent and I could not feel any air coming out of the fan, that I could not believe it was actually working. I do though wish the company that writes the instruction booklet would include cups and ounces in their measurements, not only liters and microliters. I had to Google that information, and it was pretty clear with the caps and liters, but the microliters and ounces were really hard for me to understand. Also, the markings for measurements on the A and B plant food were almost non-existent on the caps, which were to be used in measuring the food, (by the way, also in microliters), but so were the "markings" in clear coloring. The "markings" on the caps were also clear colored so they could not be distinguished from the clear color of the caps. These items were included in the kit, and information for them was also included in the instruction booklet, so, they should really include USA along with European measurements and correct the markings to be able to read on their plant food caps. I would also like them to include how to order extra labels which are specially made for the iDOO Hydroponics Germination Kit along with the specially made sponge pods for their unit. I hope more USA buyers of this unit would also ask about including the USA measurements and maybe the instruction writers would be kind enough to include that in their booklet. But just want to say, that the Pros DO outnumber the Cons. I LOVE this product and would highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to be able to grow their own herbs and vegetables.

This is my first indoor/hydroponic garden so I don't have anything to compare to. Thus, this review is based solely on my initial thoughts on this product. I have the 12 hole garden and received it earlier than expected. Packaging is well done and the product arrived in one piece. Nice box with quality foam packing molded to the garden inside. Once opened and removed the garden comes out in two pieces; the light panel and the main body. All other parts/accessories are packaged neatly inside the water tank area (along with the light panel arm). Assembly is easy and straightforward with well written instructions. I was able to have everything put together in less than 15 minutes including mixing the nutrients and adding seeds to the sponges. The footprint is not very large so I was able to find a corner behind my bar to give it a home. Build quality seems robust and the materials seem quality. Here is where I can't compare to the other brands, but I can assume it's close to equivalent. As for features, it isn't very high tech, no app to control anything or warnings for low water levels so of you are looking for something with less user input this may not be for you. I prefer less tech sometimes as it means less things to break and easier to modify to my needs. I've had it for two days now, so I will update this review after a few weeks once I start getting some growth. My only complaint so far is the light panels max height of around 11 inches. It limits what can be grown. However, the power for the panel is external and with a few minor modifications I think it can be extended higher to accommodate taller plants at some point. So far I am pleased with the garden and hope to be enjoying the bounty to come soon enough. I started with 6 herbs as a test (Basil,Dill,Oregano, Parsley, Cilantro, and Thyme) and will go from there.

I normally purchase vegetables that I transplant into large pots each year, but wanted to try something different. I decided to do a hydroponic garden. I reviewed several brands & types and finally chose the IDOO 12pod. There were some delays in receiving it (it was delayed twice), but it finally arrived and I was like a kid opening a Christmas present. It was easy to set up, although I did review a YouTube video just to be sure I was doing everything correctly. It came with the grow light, seed pods, baskets to sit them in, hats to go over the top once planted, nutrients, & tags. Seeds have to be purchased separately. I planted my seeds and prayed for the best. Below is the initial setup - 1st pic, and then with veggies growing. I did not fill up all pods and in this planting I did veggies that will be transplanted into pots. There are small lid covers to use in the spaces where you are not planting anything to keep water from evaporating too quickly. The light is very bright but the fan and agitation of the water is whisper quiet. The timing sets automatically so you can plan what is best for you. MY IDOO comes on at 8 am and cuts off at midnight - 16hrs. Later, I will do herbs that will grow in the IDOO and remain in it. I planted my garden on March 13, 2021. One issue: I noticed my cucumber leaves that were coming up beautifully started wilting. I had 2 other veggies that were not coming up. I had at 1st attributed it to the seeds but then I noticed how dry the seed sponges were. Even with the top hats over them, there was no moisture. The end 3 slots, for whatever reason, do not appear to be getting water. The garden is sitting level even thought it may not look like it in the picture. That's because of the angle in which I took the photos. There is plenty of water in the water tank. You can check the level from the front of the machine where there is a view window for that very purpose. I moved the 3 veggies around, moved the cover lids to the empty slots and now my cucumber leaf is vibrant and looks like it is about to bust free. The other 2 veggies are beginning to come up as well. I gave the IDOO 4 stars because of this issue. All-in-all I am excited about my purchase and look forward to growing herbs and other veggies. This is truly a joy. Even as my back begins to give out, knowing that I can still have some fresh herbs & veggies, grown right inside my kitchen, is a definite perk. What a Joy, indeed.

Seriously?!? Can it get any simpler than the iDOO 12 pod indoor hydroponic herb garden?!? I had the whole thing up, planted and running in maybe an hour... My arugula sprouted in 1½ days and I woke up this morning (day 3) and the four different basils are just beginning to sprout. So... I just ordered my second iDOO from Amazon. Excellent product. Insanely easy. Very cool (literally and figuratively) using only a 23W LED panel. I highly recommend this hydroponic garden! Update 4/7/21: It's been 6 weeks since I began my adventures in hydroponics with the iDOO 12 pod indoor... and I've been extremely pleased with the results and I added two current pictures. I began by planting all 24 pods (I have 2 units) - the blank spots in the pictures are plants I've already transplanted. All of those transplants were successful but for one. I had Thai basil next to lemon basil. They had both grown so fast and so bushy that I had to transplant them; however, their respective root balls had grown so incredibly tangled that I was unable to tease them apart (at least without likely causing serious damage.) I finally decided to pick a spot midway between then and used scissors to cut straight across. End result- lemon basil thriving but the Thai basil is lingering on life support (that, in and of itself, is a good sign since today is day 3.) Additional thought: an earlier reviewer mentioned how fast basil sucks up the water. My experience is the same. I started with sweet, Thai, lemon, purple and cinnamon basil varieties and I was having to add 1 liter (between 2 units) every other day. The burn rate I experienced was just over 5 weeks to use all of the part A & B nutrients supplied in the kit so for a single unit, figure about 11 weeks. I've started the second unit's nutrients as of this posting. I've looked all over Amazon for more iDOO parts A & B nutrients and all I can find is a kit with the nutrient + sponges + baskets + covers (the latter two being non-consumables, so kind of an underhanded way to inflate the price if you ask me.) I'm intending on buying an "off-brand" variety of hydroponic nutrients from the many offered on Amazon and I'll update with my results. I figure if iDOO doesn't want to make $ selling individual consumables (if I'm not changing out a plant, I don't even need additional sponges but a plant's gotta eat, right?) then I'll go with an alternate source. (iDOO, you listening?) Other than non-support wrt the nutrient solutions ( I expect this will be of little consequence due to all the alternate sources on Amazon) I still rate this product 5 stars. The project has been fun and I'm amazed at how quickly some plants grew on a day-by-day basis! I've had no problems with the lights or pump on either unit. The timers have both been creeping forward (~20 minutes in 6 weeks being the worse between them.) It's been fun, basically automated with minimal user support-what's not to love? After all that, I forgot to add the biggest plus-an absolutely incredible constant variety of fresh herbs. I'll never go back to dried herbs because I've discovered that fresh tastes so much better! One word of caution: don't eat an entire sage leaf-WOW a little goes a long way. I like sampling all the basil varieties by eating a leaf off the plant to contrast and compare against each other so I thought I'd try that with the sage. I won't do that again.

Packaging: compactly packed, easy to assemble and set up Product: while only time will tell if the product materials are truly of good quality, upon acquisition there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the plastic parts, the metal rod and the lights. So far my only complaint is that the power cord is too short. It's ~45 inches, and for me to put it where I had intended, I'll need to get a cord extender. Instructions: the user manual was actually pretty easy to follow (minor typos, no big deal) - probably the most confusing line of instruction would be that you should "split the sponge to take one seedling out and move it to other pot" so you only have one seedling (once germinated) per pod. I'll have to wait and see how this works out. The manual mentions that there are refill pods and baskets available for purchase, but doesn't actually include a link. I think it'd be really helpful for the system to come with some recommendations for what plants ARE good for hydrophonic systems. I've obviously Googled a lot and tried to do my research, but it'd be a nice touch from the manufacturer to include such tips. So excited to see what happens next though with the little pods I popped seeds into! Update: It's probably been 1.5-2 months, and I've raised the lamp for the first time. Herbs and lettuces and kales are growing super well in this! Sometimes the fan is louder than usual, but aside from that, no sign of structure problems. The only thing to note: once your plants are beyond the seedling stage, they can suck up quite a bit of water. The baskets are too shallow, in my opinion, and even if you're at 3.5L, the baskets won't touch water - which means if you have any seeds germinating, they're actually going dry. Something to look out for! I've never changed the water, but you do have to be vigilant about refilling it constantly. Once the roots grow, it's less of a concern, but water consumption is high! Update 2: Changed water for the first time. Roots get entangled with each other, which makes for a pretty awkward operation. There's visible fungi/mold growing on some of the substrate pods, and it seemed to kill off one of my stalks of basil (though the others are doing fine). Waiting to see if this issue might continue. I wish there were more information on how to deal with such situations.

Tips Buy the large version (12-pot) if your space allows. Otherwise buy the 7-pot. Both are excellent. Summary Easy to begin even to novices. Simple setup and instructions. Good flexibility for different kind of plants. I have both previous gen (7 pots) and this (12 pots), so I will provide some comparisons in addition to comments. This has many improvements comparing to 7-pot version. However, 7-pot version still have some advantages. While I recommend both 7-pot and 12-pot versions, you should check which suit your space. Pros 1. Upgraded capacity (12 pots) comparing to previous gen 2. Automatic lighting (12on/12off) with simplified (flower or veggie) settings. You don’t need to worry about how to setup and just choose what you need. 3. Easier light height adjustment. Better mechanism comparing to previous gen 4. Easier water filling. Transparent window for water level (does not exist in previous gen). You don’t need to open the cover to check water level anymore. 5. Easier handling. There are 2 hidden handles under the tank, which make it easy to move. (Does not exist in previous gen) 6. Brighter than previous gen, which can lead to improved productivities. Cons 1. Significant larger than previous gen (7 pots) in depth (more than 2x larger due to pot arrangements). 2. The range of led height is not as large as previous gen (7 pots), and the highest setting is lower (which will limit the max height of your plant). 3. The fan make it louder during operation than previous gen (7 pots). 4. There is no cable management for the LED, cable are just exposed. (No cable to the LED in previous gen)

Bought this hydro unit for my daughter since she loves to grow plants. So far this unit has done what was supposed to do with ease. Instructions are clear and will take aprox 20 minutes to setup. Comes with everything you need but the seeds. We choose Tiny Tomatoes seeds and placed 3 seeds in each pod, most of them germinated and we left only 1 seedling per pod. The unit has a clever dome that creates a humid environment for the seeds to germinate. The controls are simple enough to understand without reading anything. We added water to the limit, turn on the power, placed the seeds in the pods, placed the pods in the unit and covered them with the domes. 3 days later most had stared to germinate. Besides turning the unit On, you also have to choose the lightning kind for vegetables of fruits. One thing I had to figure out by myself or maybe I did wrong (not sure) is how to use the fertilizers included, I wish the instructions would have been clearer for this. For example, for germination should I use fertilizer in the water? I did not, i drained the water after the seeds germinated and then added fresh water with the ferts, only there are 2 kinds of ferts and no explanation on how or when to add them. I guess someone with more knowledge of growing plants should know about this but I wasn't sure. I am glad to have purchased this for my daughter, I will update when the plants grow to give a final Review. UPDATE: After about a month, these tiny tim Tomatoes are growing full speed! I would have like if the lights were wider than the base so my plants could have bette coverage. I was worried that the air inside the tank would not be sufficient without air stones and with only the pump moving the water but it seems to be fine like it is.

Whole family have one now! Never run out of herbs!

Good

J'ai reçu cette petite serre d'intérieur pour mon anniversaire et j'en suis plutôt satisfaite pour le moment (2 mois) La mise en place est plutôt facile Le manuel explique très bien comment tout fonctionne avec des images Il y a une alimentation secteur (qui doit être branchée 24h sur 24) Et un câble qui va de la pompe jusqu'en haut de la serre Les éponges de culture sont fournies, ainsi que les supports d'éponges, les capuchons a mettre dessus et les petits panneaux pour savoir ce qu'on plante Il y a aussi deux nutriments avec, à diluer avec de l'eau au moment du remplissage du bac, bien utiles pour que les plants se développent vite ⚠️Par contre il n'y a aucune graine vendues avec, il faudra les acheter en même temps que la serre Deux modes possibles : - fruits & fleurs - légumes La serre s'allume et s'éteint seule à la fin de ses cycles, une fois le cycle lancée il n'y a plus rien à faire, à part renouveller l'eau tous les 14 jours environ Pour l'instant, j'ai eu quelques beaux plants : basilic, melon, pastèque que j'ai pu replanter La croissance dépend de la saison, du temps, des types de graines.. certaines poussent au bout d'un ou deux jours quand d'autres mettent 2 semaines à commencer Le niveau sonore est pour moi pas du tout dérangeant quand le niveau d'eau est sur 4 L minimum (plus le niveau d'eau baisse, plus la pompe sera bruyante) Je recommande donc ce produit qui est facile d'utilisation, d'entretien et qui fait très bien ce qu'on attend de lui 😁

Au bout de seulement 2 jours mes graines avaient déjà germé . Sur les photos ça fait 1 mois et j’ai déjà fait un bol de salade là dessus . C’est vraiment merveilleux . J’adore ce système IDOO. Il faut savoir que si vous avez un puit vous devez prendre de l’eau distillée . Je recommande fortement ce produit. J’avais un Click and Grow avant et ce n’est pas comparable. Celui ci a un filtrer qui fait bouger l’eau. L’avantage aussi est qu’on peut acheter un kit de graine de diverse sorte de légume et simplement les mettres dans les pods . Quand ma salade va être fini je vais essayer de laissé un pods de libre entre chaque salade Cesar car elle devient vraiment grosse . Vous ne serez vraiment pas déçu de votre achat. Je l’ai acheté en spécial au Black Friday, peut-être qu’il sera encore en spécial au Boxing Day pour les intéressés .

LED Light Panel stopped working after 6 months.