AeroGarden 2500-01S Pro 100 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a remarkable device, one that is a boon to apartment dwellers with no patch of garden, or to anyone who wants an indoor garden that's nearly foolproof.
The Pro 100 has a black shell, stainless steel plate and trim, and a newer feature called "adaptive growth intelligence" which is supposed to automatically monitor water, light, and nutrient delivery for maximum growth. I think it may be a complex timer that is keyed to what type of plant you choose from the front panel (ie, herb, lettuce, tomato) because it seems to demand water the same time every week, though I fill it up whenever I see the level dip below an indicator post inside. The Pro does tell you when to add new nutrient tablets and tells you what phase you are growing--sprouts, new growth or mature plant. I have to say, I have probably a "black thumb." I can grow aloe plants really well, pothos (ubiquitous viney house plant) and I once had a good crop of morning glories but normally, my gardening efforts are pretty sad. I don't trust myself to keep an outdoor herb garden growing.
But I like to cook with fresh herbs, and I got really tired of trying to find chervil, let alone keeping basil and mint from going all black and soft in the fridge. After reading a lot of discussion about the Aerogrow and seeing a tempting sale, I decided to spring for one and try it out. The device is a rounded vessel that holds a pump and water, and a light attached at the top. The surface of the lower vessel has a stainless steel plate with seven wells. You put plastic seed pods in these wells, cover with plastic "bio-domes" and add tablets of nutrient and let 'er rip. The pump feeds the foam in the plug where seeds are embedded. The light encourages the seedlings. Within weeks, you have a crop of various herbs or lettuce or flowers. The "razor blade" of this device is the seed pod. It is a specially designed unit, like a small plastic frame rather like a thimble. It holds foam plastic, split in two. Inside the split, the manufacturer places some seeds and puts a paper collar with the name of the herb on top. The collar serves also to support the plant as it grows taller. The other "razor blade" is the grow bulb, which needs replacing after some months because lights grow dimmer as they are used. Eventually, the grow light is too weak to do its job and you need a replacement. I say "razor blade" because these disposables are unique to the unit and you must purchase them from retailers who sell Aerogarden products. There are master gardener kits with special pods you can use to insert your own seeds--probably a great idea for gardeners who need to get a real jump on the growing season, such as folks in New England where the season can be as short as 60 days. I tried three kits so far: first, I used the gourmet herb kit. This had two types of basil (purple and green), mint, parsley, cilantro, dill and chives. I got a great crop of basil. Enough to share some baggies of this essential herb with my assistant at work. I got a bumper crop of dill, plenty of chives for breakfasts of omelets, and eventually, some viney mint that seems to be of the apple mint variety. Not enough to do tabbouleh salad, but enough to use in drinks and garnish fruits. Only the cilantro failed to grow. No seed even showed a sprout. I called the support number, and very polite folks immediately sent me a replacement and noted they felt it would take more than four weeks to sprout cilantro. Now, some of the herbs are slow to grow (parsley is notoriously slow) but neither pod ever showed a ghost of cilantro. I assume that the seeds supplied to the company might have been mistakenly irradiated food-grade spice seeds and not fresh crop growing seeds. In any case, I got absolutely nowhere with cilantro, a shame, as that is a very tender herb that doesn't keep well. The parsley grew too slowly to be of any real use, as well. But it did grow. I eventually depotted the herbs into a kitchen flower pot (cutting off the plastic frame and leaving on the foam, into which the roots had really made a home.) Then I tried the lettuce. It sprouted in three days and in a month, I had enough to make some light salads and yes, share a bag with the assistant. But it seemed a waste to let the Aerogarden grow something as mundane as lettuce, and I prefer mache (cornsalad, feldsalat) or arugula to leaf lettuce, so I harvested the rest of the crop and started the French Herb kit. This is chervil, sorrel, parsley, chives, Marseilles basil, sage and savory. Everything sprouted immediately except the parsley and chervil, notable slow-pokes of the herb world. I sure like having fresh herbs to hand on the kitchen counter. I can even see the attraction of having three or these mounted on an optional wall rack, but that is quite a luxury. However, a determined gourmet or gardener in a harsh climate or restrictive living setting could satisfy their green thumb with such an arrangement. The customer support is fast and friendly. I have heard stories of failed pumps but mine is quite reliable, and I did have a light give up the ghost way early, and this was cheerfully replaced by customer service. The unit is attractive, easy to use (hey, my black thumb has yet to deter the Aerogarden) and it is a lot of fun to watch the plants grow taller and taller. I'd say this is a great idea for kids as well as cooks who like fresh herbs. As to the other kits, there are a number of them and more are being made available. I can purchase them at my local farmstand-garden shop and that's quite handy. Of course they are also available online. The kits so far that I know of are the French Herb, Gourmet Herb and Lettuce I mentioned and:
Japanese Herb--two colors of shiso, mitsuba, chives, shungiku and cress
South of the Border: Epazote, cilantro, oregano, thyme, parsley, basil
Year Round Gourmet Herb (extra herbs like savory, sage, lemon basil, and the ones in the regular gourmet kit)
Holiday Herb (parsley, sage, oregano, thyme)
International Basil
Italian Herb
Cascading Petunia
Cherry Tomato
Salsa Garden
Beans
Snow Peas
Chili Peppers
More greens (arugula, mesclun, baby greens, chef pack, romaine) And I assume more packs are in the works. All come with nutrient tablets and complete instructions. I give this two (greenish) thumbs up.

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With its brushed stainless steel accents, the PRO00 looks great in any kitchen. And there are brains to go with the beauty. It automatically adjusts light and nutrient levels from germination to maturity. The result: 50% faster growth than the AeroGarden Classic. The Pro 100 also has a 24-hour light cycle, which allows you to accelerate plant growth.The AeroGarden grows with no dirt, mess or pesticides. Plants grow in water, nutrients and air, up to twice as fast as plants grown in soil. It\'s easy, foolproof, and 100% guaranteed. The AeroGarden is self-watering and self-feeding. It automatically controls the built-in grow bulbs and tells you when to add more water and nutrients. Grow Italian Basil, Purple Basil, Chives, Dill, Mint, Parsley & Thyme with the included Gourmet Herb Seed Kit.Seed kits forcherry tomatoes, chili peppers, salad greens, petunias and more are available.100% success guaranteed.

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Prepara PPL1-PP201 Power Plant Professional Review

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(More customer reviews)I lucked into a deeply discounted Prepara Power Plant Professional with included grow light and the herb saver at my local Marshall's. I'd never seen one of these before, but I'd tried my hand at various types of indoor hydroponics before, and it looked well designed.
The first thing I must say is this: Aerogarden seed kits cost a lot of money because they make sure the seeds are viable and the whole thing is idiot proof. They pick miniaturized plant types that work well for mini-container gardening, knowing that anyone who plants an indeterminate tomato plant in their product is not going to be satisfied. You can save a lot of money by using your own seeds with the Prepara Power Plant, and I really love that about the product, but you have to make sure the seeds you use are viable. (Nose around GardenWeb and find out how to do that.) If you've bought off-season 10-cents-per-pack seeds at Walmart, and most of your seeds fail to germinate or rot, don't blame the Prepara Power Plant. Also, don't expect seeds that germinate under very different conditions and have different rates of growth and lighting needs to do well together. Lettuce sprouts quickly; cilantro, not so much. You have to understand what the different seeds/plants need. The "foolproof" products that cost a fortune are for people who don't want to have to learn how to garden.
Now, all that said, I think rock wool cubes would work better than the little grow sponges that come with the Power Plant, and I happen to have plenty of those from my last hydroponics experiment. I would start seedlings in the cubes in a seed-starting tray (an old meat tray, perhaps), or maybe a makeshift lettuce-raft type hydroponics setup, then move the strongest plants into the Power Plant when they are ready to really take off. But I have to say that the design of the little pods that hold the plants looks PERFECT for just buying some small herb plants, washing the soil off the roots very well, and trimming them down to work the roots through the holders, sans sponges. That's what I'm going to do with my next batch of plants so I've always got fresh herbs growing in my kitchen.
This is NOT a good product for seed-starting and then transplating the plants to another area. That's what you save your styrofoam meat trays, old cut-up toilet paper rolls, and paper cups for. It's for kitchen herbs and lettuces, maybe strawberries. Green garlic might do nicely in this unit.
I do very much like the way the Prepara Power Plant is designed, and I LOVE the sound of the water running inside of it. It's got all the charm of a feng shui water feature but with the functionality of being able to grow fresh edibles. It fits neatly on my countertop, and the clean lines are quite appealing.
A word of warning: if you have cats in the house, they are going to be absolutely fascinated by the sound of the water inside the Power Plant. They are going to be constantly sneaking up to it and biting off the heads of your young plants when you aren't looking. Don't expect much growth from the Prepara Power Plant if you have cats in your house. But, still, it's a hoot to watch. And if you really want to have a good time, put some catnip plants in your Prepara Power Plant. Multiple trips for multiple cats....


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How would you like healthy plants at your fingertips year-round? With the Prepara Power Plant Professional, you won\'t have to worry about overwatering or forgetting to maintain your plants. The Power Plant Professional automatically dispenses nutrient to your seeds and plants, so you won\'t have to remember. Grow herbs, fruit, and fresh flowers right in your kitchen, 365 days a year. Growing is so easy, you\'ll be thrilled to experiment with a variety of seed. At your supermarket, hardware store, or home finishing store, you\'ll find a plethora of affordable seeds that you\'ll want to try. The Power Plant Professional\'s clean, svelte design looks great on any counter or window sill. No green thumb is required. Just set it up, plant your seed, and let the Power Plant Professional do all the work. It can grow up to 50% faster than potted plants do. With no dirt involved, you won\'t have to worry about bugs and worms either. Just use water, nutrient, and air to grow abundant harvests. You get 6 grow sponges, 6 grow baskets, 6 humidadomes, 6 seed covers, nutrients, AC adaptor, and more. Clean the bowl and grow surface between crops using a mild detergent. 10.4 x 10.4 x 8.6 inches. 5 pounds.

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AeroGarden 0019-00Z 0019-00Z Garden Starter Tray Review

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(More customer reviews)I was hoping that this would use the existing pump system and be constructed with different materials than styrofoam, however, the main unit appears to be a dense syrofoam piece--per instructions, you need to remove the entire Aerogarden tray and pump system before using this (so you know that those parts will not be used).
My disappointment stems from a setup that wicks than drips--in the regular Aerogarden, the system drips, some settings have a 7 hour drying out period to give roots some time to get air. A wicking setup does not get the period to air out.
This unit appears to resemble a raft / floating hydroponic system--where the plugs wick the nutrient water from the bottom; the floating system always keep the water toucheable from the bottom to wick.
Apparently, the only key part of the Aerogarden used is the automatic lightening and plastic shell as a custom-fit bucket. Otherwise, you probably can let this float in a bucket of similar size and find similar lighting.
I am highly confident that this will work well; however, I would proabably prefer to let my Aerogarden keep working on producing herbs, and find a bucket to let this float in.
Like a raft systems, the underside of strofoam grows funky stuff. Cleaning can sometimes scratch and tear if not gentle or careful. I assume similar care will be needed here.
The concept appears to be sound. I am writing this review to let anyone know what to expect on what they are getting when they order this product--a fancy shaped piece of dense styrofoam, good-fair instructions on use, and nutriet tablets.


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Designed for use with the 7-pod AeroGarden Classic growing system and the AeroGarden 6, this garden starter tray is a fast, simple, clean and foolproof seed starter that allows gardeners to get a jump on the outdoor growing season. The tray starts up to 70 seedlings at once. Just plant seeds in the starter tray indoors and put them in either the 7-pod AeroGarden Classic growing system or the AeroGarden 6 (sold separately) with no dirt and no mess! The specially designed tray uses biodegradable, nutrient-rich growing media, providing just the right amount of light, water and nutrients for fast germination and healthy root development. Seedlings are ready to transplant to outdoor gardens or containers in just 2 to 6 weeks. Once starts have matured, it's easy to transplant them into an outdoor garden when weather allows. The purchase includes nutrients for a full set of seedlings (refills available separately).

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