iDOO Hydroponics Growing System Kit 12Pods, Christmas Gifts for Women Mom, Herb Garden Indoor with LED Grow Light for Home, Built-in Fan, Auto-Timer, Adjustable Height Up to 11.3", 12Pods Kit-Black

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.

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.

I've been growing Toy Choi which grows 8-10 inches high from Parks seeds in this black non wifi vs. 12 pod IDOO since February 2022. Since the unit has plenty of space I can use all pods. It germinated fast and grew wonderfully. When I ran out of nutrients since I have aerogarden nutrients I used them in the IDOO. I supplement all my gardens of different brands with Cal mg and Sea magic from parks. This crop is a heavy feeder and likes it cold so I top fill with cold water to prevent bolting. I've been keeping my crop going harvesting from outside in leaving center 4 leaves. The fan helps towards firm, crunchy taste that is mild and delicious. Of everything I own this unit yields a lot. I get 4-5 cups chopped a week. Yes I decided to measure last few times. Love it so much I got another. My price was $67 so therefore excellent return on investment. Very little labor other than top off water via easy to see little window, feed and harvest. I do a complete water change monthly and super easy and fast. If it goes on sale I may buy a couple more lol. The one thing I don't see is extra pumps for sale so I bought an aquarium air pump to insert when pump dies. Also The pods are pricey but nice and firm. My major issue is no cover for the pods to prevent algae so I either use aerogarden labels or makeshift tinfoil ones which work well but it's more labor. So print , buy or make some labels or you will get green algae on top of pods. I never got any due to using covers. Last no major bells or whistles but mostly what you need.

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.

This is the 3rd hydro system I've purchased & only had a few weeks, the superior quality of this system is obvious. From the well, the top, the way the lights are attached to the incredible packaging and operation instructions, every single component is above average. It was simple to set up, the instructions were easy to understand. The control panel is located on top where it's the easiest to read. The plant baskets are round and fit tight into holes, the plant covers fit. The lights are easy to program and are bright. I plants seeds 10 days ago and I've got seedlings. The only thing I'd change for the light to go higher. I compared numerous systems in this price range, read reviews, looked at specs and selected this one.

I used this to start my herb garden. I love that it has 12 pod spaces. I also love that the basket and sponges worked wonderfully to hold my seeds. I had 100% germination for all my herb. It's easy to set up and comes with everything you need except the seeds. It's a great value for everything you get: the unit itself, grow sponges, sponge holder basket, sticker cover for the tbasket, individual humidity domes, empty space covers to help keep algae out, a place for small stakes or plant labels, and plant food. It's easy to see the water level so you know when to top it off. Please note that unlike the leading name brand, this unit does not have a button to tell you when to add food and water. You must keep track of it yourself. Now for the major con: it is incredibly difficult to find reasonably priced replacement sponges and baskets. I'm reusing my baskets, but you can't reuse the sponges. I found some here that fit ok, but they aren't the same ones that came with the unit. You can buy a replacement kit for $40. It contains new baskets, sponges, food, domes, and label stakes. But, that's half the cost of the unit! Also, you don't get new stickers for the basket, which you definitely need so you can't keep the algae to a minimum. I still love the system, but replacement products need to be more accessible.

I had this unit for over a year now and it still works great. I mostly grow lettuce now but I tried growing everything, tomatoes, herbs like dill, chives, basil, etc. I love seeing the growth from week to week. You just have to remember as your produce gets bigger the more water it uses so remember to fill it up. I have been meticulous with cleaning the water pump/motor in between uses to make sure it's not covered in those pesky white roots. I have now bought this unit two more times, one for my sister and one for a white elephant gift exchange.

First of all I was not paid or given free products to do this extensive comparison between the IDOO Hydroponics system and 3 other popular models. My only goal is to share information that can only be obtained by actually buying, owning, using and comparing the product. I was able to compare the iDOO Hydroponics Growing System Kit with 3 other popular hydroponic systems that I own. Keep in mind that this is the least expensive of the 4 so its obvious that there will be some takeaways. The other 3 models the IDOO was compared with side by side were: 12 Pods, Growell Smart Herb Garden AeroGarden Bounty Elite LetPot LPH-Max 21 Pods Hydroponics Pros: Easy Set Up During the comparison only the expensive aero garden had a quieter pump. The pump on the IDOO is impressively quiet. Better than dirt. Plants grew faster than if they were planted in dirt but the other 3 systems it was compared to had faster growth. The fastest growing plant was Basil. It was ready to use in 3 weeks. Lower price allows someone on a strict budget to get started in hydroponics. I had a light issue when I first set up the system and although customer service was through email only, they were responsive and helped solve the issue. Cons: You cant adjust the timer. When the Idoo is turned on it wont shut off by itself for 16 hours and turn back on in 8 hours. On the other brands I can set the time for on and off. For this reason I do not recommend the Idoo for the bedroom because the light timer can only be set by turning the unit off and back on. 22 watt light is lower compared to the 38 - 50 watt lights on compared models. I searched Amazon and I notice that most hydroponic systems in the price range of $40 to $70 have between 24 to 36 watt lights. 2 wires going up to light can be annoying and dont look that great. The more expensive units have internal wiring to eliminate that. The planting pods and the holes in the tray are smaller than the other brands I own so the plant plugs are not interchangeable with standard size. Height of light only goes up 11.3 inches while the other systems tested go approximately twice that. I would recommend this hydroponic system for beginners who want to plant herbs and short plants like lettuce but I would first shop other systems in the $40 and $50 range for hydroponic systems that are equivalent but with more powerful lights. I will be leaving reviews for the other 3 hydroponic systems I own in the future.