
In the world of indoor gardening, the iDOO Hydroponics Growing System Kit has emerged as a popular choice for garden enthusiasts and beginners alike. This review article delves into the features, benefits, and challenges of using the iDOO system, highlighting its appeal as both a gift and a practical solution for those looking to cultivate fresh herbs and plants indoors. Through a balanced examination of user experiences—both positive and critical—we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of what this hydroponic kit has to offer.
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Transform Your Home with Hydroponics!
Pros:
- Makes growing plants significantly easier and faster than traditional soil methods.
- User-friendly setup process allows for quick installation and plant growth monitoring.
- The ability to remotely control the system via the ‘Gennec’ app enhances convenience for busy users.
Cons:
- The hydroponics system requires regular maintenance, including daily water checks and bi-weekly nutrient adjustments, making it more demanding than anticipated.
- Some users reported issues with mold growth in the pods and difficulty in managing seed placement, leading to potential stagnation or loss of sprouts.
- The size and design limitations of the system may necessitate eventual upgrading or additional investments as plants grow larger, which could be seen as an inconvenience.
How does it work?
The iDOO Hydroponics Growing System is designed to simplify indoor gardening using hydroponic technology, which allows plants to grow without soil. The system features 8 planting pods and utilizes a built-in low noise pump that aerates the water, supplying essential oxygen and nutrients to promote faster plant growth—up to 20% quicker than traditional soil planting methods.
The setup is user-friendly, requiring only three easy steps to initiate, making it ideal for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. The kit includes a 4.5L water tank that can sustain plants for 1-2 weeks without needing a refill, complemented by a visual window for monitoring water levels.
The iDOO system also comes equipped with adjustable 22-Watt LED grow lights that can simulate sunlight and promote photosynthesis in any weather conditions. Users can switch between two different growing modes: Vegetables Mode, which emits a balanced light spectrum for leafy greens, and Flower/Fruit Mode, which focuses on red and white light for fruiting plants.
Moreover, the hydroponic system integrates with the ‘Gennec’ app, allowing users to control the lights and pump remotely via WiFi, making it convenient to adjust light schedules and nutrient cycles to fit their lifestyle. The adjustable height feature accommodates plant growth of up to 11.02 inches, ensuring that the plants receive optimal light throughout their life cycle.
Overall, this system not only automates several critical aspects of indoor gardening but also serves as an educational tool for both kids and adults, promoting engagement with plant biology in a hands-on way.
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Who is it for?
The iDOO Hydroponics Growing System is meant for a diverse audience including gardening enthusiasts, indoor gardeners, chefs, and health-conscious individuals such as vegans. It appeals particularly to those who enjoy growing their own herbs and vegetables at home, as well as families looking for a fun and educational project for students and kids. The product is also a thoughtful gift option for occasions like Christmas, birthdays, or housewarming events, making it suitable for anyone interested in sustainable living and home gardening.
Top positive review
It’s made growing plants so much easier! It’s also very easy to set up and usually a week into sowing the seeds, you will find some kind of growth. I’ve had it for about a year and I’ve already had so many plants grow. It may be difficult to grow smaller seeds and some types I’ve noticed won’t grow at all (like dandelion seeds and it’s harder to grow watermelon but not impossible!). The last picture is a little overgrown because I like to grow them at least to those sizes before I transfer my plants so they have a better chance of survival. Also I recommend the distilled water, because tap or spring might cause calcium to build up in the water space below and it’s hard to scrub off when you clean. Other than that I’m pretty satisfied with the product, and it’s well worth it. ✨
Top critical review
First time hydroponic grower review. Issues I ran into and what I like and didn’t like about it.Plants are hungry and heavy. This took a while for me to get this system somewhat working. Some pods got moldy and you will have to junk them and not reuse them. I tried to reused them and those pods that get moldy will always get moldy again.Seeds that go to the bottom of the pod will drown so seeds should sit somewhere in the middle. It took a month before most of them started to sprout.For some reason the sprung does soak to the top very well. The top always looks dryer than the rest of it.Once some of them seeds started sprouting they immediately started dying. You will have to up the amount of A-B mix to fix it. I found that when they started to sprout I would add a full cap of both every two weeks instead of a month. Then at the stage you see in the photo I would add it every week.You have to USE THE STICKERS to cover it from light. If the light hits the seeds it will get moldy. If some seeds sprout before other and break the sticker seal the other seeds have a better chance to get moldy. which ended up killing the sprout that was in there for me. I also had to help some of the sprouts break through the sticker.I really thought this would be low maintain endeavor, but it is quite a lot more work than I originally thought it would be. It is not a set and done or low maintenance project that could be left on the counter.You will have to add a liter of water every day, and remember to add A-B mixes. To figure out when I had to add the A-B mix I had to buy a measuring device. You will have to tend to the pods and switch them out and rotate them around. Its even more work doing it from they sprouting because you will have to transplant the to other pods if more than one seed sprout in it.Once the plants grow to a certain point, they will become too heavy for the pods which would tilt them to one side and popping out of the socket and sometimes out of the water. I ended up hot gluing a small rock(s) to the bottom of the pod as counter weight to prevent the plant’s weight from popping the pods out of the socket holder.I made the mistake of not moving some of the seeds that sprouted to another pod and now there is overcrowding in some pods. Which ended up killing some of the sprouts. They probably would have grown faster if they weren’t fighting for food.You will run out of A-B mix within two month so by more.—Issues I had with the system.You have to cut open the pod to spread the 3 seeds that sprouted to its own. I ended up killing sprouts because I broke the newly develop roots that imbedded in the pod. i guess I could have just planted one in each pods and chance it.Light height is to short. All the plants I grew ended up pretty tall and I could raise the light higher.Pods that have plant in them can’t seem to stay down in the socket. They just keep tilting one way or another while the plant if growing. Even tilting out enough to get out of the water. It not fun coming home from work and seeing a pod out of or half out of the water.Water circulation sends most of the nutrients to the opposite side of the pump leaving most of the nutrients on one side of the pool of water. For some reason it just doesn’t mix well enough spread the nutrients to all of the pod equally. You can see this when the plants sprout and how the plants grow. You will have to periodically swap the left side to the right and front to back to balance it out.Eventually you will have to get a new system because this system it too small.I had to buy a device to measure nutrients in the water so I would know when to put more A-B mix in when I was trying to figure out why the plants were dying.The light is also one of the most frustrating thing. Sometimes it would time on and off perfectly. Then sometimes it would just stay on when it wants too. I also manually turn the light off but it will turn on every morning. I can’t seem to figure it out. I wish I could keep it off when there are not sprouts too, but it is tied to the pump which needs the light board plugged in to run.It also bugs me that the light and pump is tied to the light board on top. So if you want to remove the light because it gets in the way of the plants growing and upgrade it I can’t because it will make the pump not work.It’s a very frustrating design.—The good news is that it works as a hydroponic system and its somewhat pretty looking…It’s kind of good item to use to get the plants to start sprouting in before you move them to a bigger system later.——new update: The pump broke…. It will stop working well before 3 months of use. I realized it when my plants started to die.
Gift the Perfect Herb Garden this Christmas!
The iDOO Hydroponics Growing System stands out as an accessible entry point for both novice and seasoned gardeners eager to explore indoor gardening. With its array of features designed for convenience and plant growth efficiency, it demonstrates the potential to cultivate a variety of herbs and vegetables successfully. However, prospective users should be mindful of the learning curve associated with hydroponics, as well as the maintenance required to achieve optimal results. Positive user experiences highlight its effectiveness and the joy it can bring to indoor gardening, while critical feedback serves as valuable insight into common challenges. Ultimately, this system can be a great investment for those looking to bring a touch of greenery into their homes, provided they are prepared for the commitment that hydroponics entails.