This content was originally published on OldHouseOnline.com and has been republished here as part of a merger between our two businesses. All copy is presented here as it originally appeared there.
If you live in an apartment, you can understand the challenge that comes with growing your own fruits and vegetables or simply having your own plant and flower garden. If you the gardening urge despite living on the 16th floor, we’ve got the perfect solution for you: a click and grow smart garden!
Click and grow smart gardens are automated gardening systems with several unique features, such as automated watering schedules and fertilization programs. The best part? They are compact and designed for indoors.
Given the number of click and grow smart gardens available on the market, deciding which one to buy can be pretty tricky. Worry not! We have put together a list of the top click and grow smart gardens so you can find one that best fits your needs.
Buying Guide: Click and Grow Smart Gardens
A suitable click-and-grow smart garden will make it simple to cultivate plants and provide a sense of tranquillity. But how will you know which click and grow smart garden is ideal for you? Don’t worry, as our thorough buying guide will help you decide on the perfect click and grow smart garden for your home.
What To Look For in the Perfect Click and Grow Smart Garden?
From an automated water system to a chemical-free healthy environment, click and grow smart gardens provide a wide range of incredible features. Nonetheless, we have listed the most important factors that your ideal smart garden should have.
Automatic water system
As we all know, watering your plants on time is incredibly important if you want them to flourish. That being said, people regularly forget to water their plants on time. That is why if you are looking to buy a smart garden, you should look for one that has an automatic water system. With this system, you must fill the water tank after some time and let your smart garden distribute the water.
For convenience, you should always choose a smart garden that needs a refill every two weeks. It is also preferable to look for a low water indicator on your smart garden, which will serve as a reminder for you to refill your water tank on time.
LED lights
Smart gardens come equipped with LED lights that replicate the process of photosynthesis and ensure that your plant gets light in abundance to grow in an indoor environment.
That is why when you want to buy a smart garden, you should make sure it features full spectrum LED lights. It should also have an automated light cycle that mimics the natural light cycle.
High-quality ingredients
If you want a click-and-grow smart garden for producing food that you can eat, you should unquestionably buy one made of natural, toxin-free ingredients. Before buying a smart garden, you should always read the manual and make sure it doesn’t utilize any chemicals because they might be harmful to consume.
Pest-free
The majority of plants require soil to hydrate and thrive, but this can also serve as a haven for insects and pests. This is why choosing a hydroponic click-and-grow smart garden will guarantee that you won’t have to deal with a bug or pest infestation.
Life of a Click and Grow Smart Garden
The lifespan of a click-and-grow smart garden depends on the plants you are nurturing. Although various plants have unique life cycles, plants produced from pods take an average of two to three months to mature. But, having more LED lights can help plants develop more quickly and hasten the growing process.
Also, once the root of your plants starts to suffocate, your plant will die or wither, causing your click and grow smart garden to become useless. This can be avoided, however, by extracting the pod and relocating it into a bigger container with more fresh soil, which will allow the roots to breathe. This will provide your indoor garden with more time to survive.
What Can I Grow in a Smart Garden?
Confused about what you should start growing in your mini home garden? Well, we’ve compiled a list of the best indoor plants you can cultivate in no time!
Peace Lillies
If you’re interested in beautiful white plants shining in your living room, then get a couple of seeds of Peace Lillies and get to work. These easy-to-maintain plants only require watering once a week and look great with a minimalistic aesthetic in your home.
Air leaves
For smart gardens without soil, air plants, such as Bromeliad Summer, are a great choice since they usually have no roots and absorb nutrients via their leaves. Ideal for asthmatic patients, they’ll purify the air in your room and last about 2-5 years depending on how well you care for them.
Snake plant
Love some sparkling greenery? Snake plants are the perfect addition to your click and grow smart garden, hosting patterned and sword-like leaves that twist and turn as they grow. These plants have a relatively sluggish growth rate but can easily tolerate low light levels, allowing them to thrive in a home garden.
Food
What’s a garden if you can’t grow your own edibles? A click and grow smart garden can grow all sorts of organic foods including fresh herbs, thyme, mint, sage, and even chives. The garden can also help you grow daily veggies like peppers and peas, along with fruits like tomatoes!
Tips To Maintain a Click and Grow Smart Garden
Follow these tips to maintain your click and grow smart garden and prolong its lifespan:
- Before inserting a fresh pod, always clean your click and grow smart garden. Simply drain the water from the smart garden and gently wash the water reservoir with lukewarm water and a little bit of detergent. Rinse again at the end and carefully pat it dry with a paper towel.
- If limescale has accumulated in your click-and-grow smart garden, remove it by using a light cooking vinegar or citric acid solution.
- In the event of a pest infestation, your smart garden must be adequately cleaned and disinfected with ethanol and left unplanted for at least three weeks to ensure the pests won’t return.
Comparing the Top-Rated Click and Grow Smart Gardens
Click and Grow Smart Garden
– Best Overall
Are you looking to set up an indoor garden but barely have enough room? Well, you will be pleased with the Click and Grow smart garden. This portable and compact smart garden will allow you to grow plants and vegetables in your home effortlessly. The automated water system with a built-in timer will ensure that your smart garden gets the nourishment it deserves.
It comes equipped with an energy-efficient LED light that hovers over each plant, ensuring the garden grows and thrives no matter the weather. You can even choose from over 50 pre-seeded plant pods to grow whatever you want to. All in all, due to its fully automated growing system, the Click and Glow smart garden is rated the “best overall“ on our list.
Pros
- Portable and small in size
- Built-in self-growing technology
- Provides water for a month without refilling
- Available in a variety of seeds
Cons
- The pods can get moldy
SereneLife Click and Grow Smart Garden
– Best Value
Do you want to start an indoor garden without sending too much money? Well, then SereneLife has your back with their economic click and grow smart garden. Thanks to its self-watering technology, you won’t have to worry about watering your plants daily, as the smart garden will do it for you. The smart garden also features an indicator that signals you to refill the water tank when it runs out.
The portable smart garden even comes with an LED light to hasten the process of photosynthesis under any weather condition. Built with a unique design, the indoor garden boasts a three-timer mode that sets the optimal amount of light a plant should receive according to its growth stage.
Since this smart garden does not employ soil, you don’t have to worry about any mess in your house.
Pros
- Economical and portable
- Grows without soil
- Automated water and LED system
- Adjustable height and unique design
Cons
- The light can be defective
Ivation Click and Grow Smart Garden
– Most Convenient
The days of feeling dull and unhappy are over as Ivation’s click and grow smart garden will instantly lift your spirits by surrounding you with nature! Utilizing a nutrient-rich sponge instead of dirt, this smart garden will encourage the fast growth of your plants without making any mess inside your house. With the capacity to house 11 plants at a time, you can grow all your favorite plants in one gardening kit.
Not just that, this plant grower features automated lighting using 125 LEDs, which superbly mimics the natural cycle of sunlight to ensure the growth of plants. For your convenience, this smart garden comes with more than 50 accessories so that you have everything you need in a single package.
Pros
- Uses a nutrient-filled medium
- No waste and pollution
- Higher maturation and growth rate
- Comes with more than 50 accessories
Cons
- No automatic water system
iDOO Click and Grow Smart Garden
– Most Features
The next selection on our list is the iDOO smart garden. This smart hydroponic garden features an independent water circulation system that makes sure to water your plants on time. It also hosts a silent, automated water pump that oxygenates the water flow to encourage the growth of your favorite plants.
Thanks to the full spectrum LED lights, this plant grower is very effective at replicating sunlight to help your plants grow in an indoor environment. These lights even have three modes with varying lights to assist the development of your plants at different growth stages.
Not just that, you can adjust the height of this smart garden to accommodate your plant’s growth.
Pros
- Independent water systems
- Range of modes to match different growing stages
- It takes up minimal space
Cons
- Does not comes with seeds
VegeBox Click and Grow Smart Garden
– Safest for Plants
Are you looking for a healthy and safe environment to grow your herbs and veggies? Then, you should check out VegeBox smart garden. Thanks to the use of ABS material, your plants can get their nourishment in a non-toxic habitat. Due to its unique hydroponic design that does not require soil to grow, you won’t have to worry about pests and insects ruining your smart garden!
This highly durable click and grow smart garden also has adjustable and automatic LED lights that you can customize according to your preference. The best part is that this smart garden only requires minimal maintenance, as this plant grower has a built-in automated watering system. Not just that, it also comes with various accessories you would need in a single package for a flourishing garden.
Pros
- High-quality materials make it safe to use
- Free of pests and insects
- Adjustable LED lights catering to all growing stages
- Requires minimal maintenance
Cons
- Doesn’t have an indicator for low water level
People Also Asked
Q: Can a click and grow smart garden be reused?
A: It is recommended not to reuse your smart garden as there are little to no nutrients left however, you can ix the soil with a fresh one to use for other plants.
Q: Can I fill the click and grow smart garden with my own seeds?
A: Yes, you can, as the seeds provided by the company will be the same as your own seeds.
Q: How much electricity does a click and grow smart garden use?
A: The LED lights of a click and grow smart garden only use 6 watts of electricity. In comparison, the LED bulbs in our home consume 7-10 watts, while fluorescent bulbs require 20 watts of electricity to run.
