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 WiFi-Black

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

So I have two of these. I have the seven pod version and this 12 pod version. I think the 7 pod version is superior to this one.... And here is why. Pros: This thing works, it grows. You need to understand some growth timelines for the herbs you choose to plant in here. Something like basil grows big and gets big fast! This can shade other pods from getting the light it needs to grow. So I have found this works with like four or five at most herbs. It works great to plant them in a line and they do quite well. I have Cilantro, Culantro, Basil, and a variegated row (mint, chives which have been over shadowed by basil, and rosemary ... which is also overshadowed by basil) Cons: The pods by the filter don't grow that well? I have tried and these back two take longer to grow and take longer to do anything. I know because the exact same thing is planted in front of it and it is growing just fine. The fan. My fan sounds like it is dying. I have had it two months and the fan makes a high pitched whine when it is on. I can hear it over the TV. I can hear it in my living room (two rooms away). I also feel that it isn't deep enough for something like Basil. The roots on this are long and strong and it is much more shallow then the seven pod version (which oh, by the way? Doesn't have a fan!). Overall these are AMAZING. I can dry the herbs as I do regular pruning on my plants (so it isn't like they get caught in the fan) and have plenty for a variety of things. My basil plants are big and getting ready to make my pesto!!!! (instead of buying a huge pot of basil from the hardware store and killing it immediately from taking all the leaves) The fan is annoying. Get the seven pod version. This is the only reason this has three stars and not five. The fan. Sorry.