iDOO Hydroponic Indoor Herb Garden System: 12-Pods $64, 7-Pods Expired

For a bit of a counterpoint to the previous commenter, I have two of these (the 7-pod variety) - one purchased 15 months ago and the second about 10 months ago. Both have been in continuous operation since purchase and have worked flawlessly, providing crops of Basil nearly daily, and all the Parsley and Oregano I could ever want. We experimented with different types of lettuce for a while as well, and this did a reasonably good job, but in the end we found having the fresh herbs on hand at any time was more useful than the lettuce.

My biggest complaint on these units is that the timer is not accurate and is unintuitive in function. They drift - the "24 hour cycle" on each unit is less than 24 hours, but they also differ from each other. One goes through it's 24 hour cycle in about 23 hours, the other does it in about 23.5. What I mean here is that if you set one to turn on the lights for the day at say 8:00 AM, the next day it will start at 7:00 AM, and then 6:00 AM and so on. So I have to reset these machines every couple of days to keep them operating on a timeline similar to what's going on outside, which is a bit annoying, though I've become quite accustomed to and only takes a moment to reset. For a machine with three adult Basil plants, I need to refill the basin every week or so, and the machine with Parsley/Oregano needs to be refilled every other week. I probably should do it more often, but I seem to be getting by by cleaning the tank/motor about once a month and haven't had any problems with algae or stuff mucking up the pump. I did carefully cover any spots on the lid that light could penetrate and get into the tank with electrical tape. I've also started some mint in a pod and transplanted it outside successfully, but the roots were so big by that time that it was impossible to remove the plant from the cup without killing it - so I just transplanted the mint - still in the grow cup, into my garden and its done fine for a couple of months now.

The included fertilizer works fine, but I went with a 3-part mix and got like 15 pounds of fertilizer that would last a lifetime in this machine for about the same price that iDoo would charge for a 3-month supply. I bought a large pack of grow pods on Amazon for something like $35 and they will last years at my current rate, and I have plenty of spare cups because these machines really can't grow 7 plants - I use three positions in each machine to allow more growing room and I covered over the other spaces with electrical tape. When you're seeding, make a small square of aluminum foil, a smidge bigger than the cup, and cut an "x" slit in the center for the seedling to grow through - this keeps light off the grow media and prevents algae in the water.

Oh, my experience would say don't put anything else in this if you're growing either mint or Basil. Both are so aggressive, they'll outcompete anything else you put in with them. I have three different varieties of Basil in one machine, and that's working well. One mint plant pretty much filled the entire basin with roots in probably around six weeks from sprouting, so if you're going to grow mint in one of these you'll either need to kill it off early, transplant it outside, or do a lot of trimming/maintenance to keep the roots in check.

Anyway, I'd say this brings a lot of value for the price and can easily pay for itself pretty quickly in savings if you like fresh herbs and use this to grow them yourself.

Is this Kratky or DWC?

For a bit of a counterpoint to the previous commenter, I have two of these (the 7-pod variety) - one purchased 15 months ago and the second about 10 months ago. Both have been in continuous operation since purchase and have worked flawlessly, providing crops of Basil nearly daily, and all the Parsley and Oregano I could ever want. We experimented with different types of lettuce for a while as well, and this did a reasonably good job, but in the end we found having the fresh herbs on hand at any time was more useful than the lettuce.

My biggest complaint on these units is that the timer is not accurate and is unintuitive in function. They drift - the "24 hour cycle" on each unit is less than 24 hours, but they also differ from each other. One goes through it's 24 hour cycle in about 23 hours, the other does it in about 23.5. What I mean here is that if you set one to turn on the lights for the day at say 8:00 AM, the next day it will start at 7:00 AM, and then 6:00 AM and so on. So I have to reset these machines every couple of days to keep them operating on a timeline similar to what's going on outside, which is a bit annoying, though I've become quite accustomed to and only takes a moment to reset. For a machine with three adult Basil plants, I need to refill the basin every week or so, and the machine with Parsley/Oregano needs to be refilled every other week. I probably should do it more often, but I seem to be getting by by cleaning the tank/motor about once a month and haven't had any problems with algae or stuff mucking up the pump. I did carefully cover any spots on the lid that light could penetrate and get into the tank with electrical tape. I've also started some mint in a pod and transplanted it outside successfully, but the roots were so big by that time that it was impossible to remove the plant from the cup without killing it - so I just transplanted the mint - still in the grow cup, into my garden and its done fine for a couple of months now.

The included fertilizer works fine, but I went with a 3-part mix and got like 15 pounds of fertilizer that would last a lifetime in this machine for about the same price that iDoo would charge for a 3-month supply. I bought a large pack of grow pods on Amazon for something like $35 and they will last years at my current rate, and I have plenty of spare cups because these machines really can't grow 7 plants - I use three positions in each machine to allow more growing room and I covered over the other spaces with electrical tape. When you're seeding, make a small square of aluminum foil, a smidge bigger than the cup, and cut an "x" slit in the center for the seedling to grow through - this keeps light off the grow media and prevents algae in the water.

Oh, my experience would say don't put anything else in this if you're growing either mint or Basil. Both are so aggressive, they'll outcompete anything else you put in with them. I have three different varieties of Basil in one machine, and that's working well. One mint plant pretty much filled the entire basin with roots in probably around six weeks from sprouting, so if you're going to grow mint in one of these you'll either need to kill it off early, transplant it outside, or do a lot of trimming/maintenance to keep the roots in check.

Anyway, I'd say this brings a lot of value for the price and can easily pay for itself pretty quickly in savings if you like fresh herbs and use this to grow them yourself.

Plant nerds: can I grow weed with this?