Indoor Garden Hydroponics Growing System, Herb Garden Kit Indoor with LED Grow Light Quiet Smart Water Pump Automatic Timer Healthy Fresh Herbs Vegetables - Hydroponic Planter for Home Kitchen Office

The media could not be loaded. I am comparing 3 hydroponic systems: MUFGA 12 Pod, Fulsren 12 pod, and Sawdeny 12 pod systems.TLDR; MUFGA and Sawdeny are both great but MUFGA is my favorite because the pods are the most spread apart and the tank is large, but I love that the Sawdeny light extends almost 2 inches higher.MUFGA: I have had this system for a year. I paid $45 in Feb 2022, and have had 0 issues. It came with everything you would need, except seeds. The tank is larger than most, max fill is 6.5 L (1.7 gal). I keep it around 5L since fertilizing instructions are for that amount. I don't hear the pump at all when it is running. The water trickling sounds like a fountain and I find it relaxing. The water sound is noticeably louder if the water level is very low. The pods are more spaced apart than the other systems, which is vitally important IMO. They are 2 inches apart in a row, instead of 1 inch on the other systems however the other systems are offset slightly to allow slightly more room. In all honesty, even 2 inches is not enough spacing for most plants, so you may want to transplant most things when they get big, or leave empty pods between your plants. There is no drainage hole so you have to remove everything and detach the light to dump out the water. I think that's fine, because you need to monitor/clean the pod holders anyways since they tend to grow algae after a few weeks. The light lifts to 17.25 inches above the tank which is plenty for most herbs and transplants, not tomatoes or vines. The pod holders are rigid thin plastic and it can be hard to remove plants without ripping roots. I recommend submerging them in water and wiggling while gently pulling up on the base of the plant, it helps. The system has vegetable and fruit settings (which changes the colors of the leds), and stays on for 16 hours and turns off for 8 hours. The pump automatically shuts on/off every 30 minutes. There is no way to adjust what times the lights or pumps turn off/on. I like that the top of the light is flat, because the heat helps seeds to germinate quickly if you put them in a bag with a moist paper towel for a couple days.Fulsren:I paid $48.13 for this system. I just got this system today so I can't speak to its durability, but it has a few nice features that the other 2 don't have. The biggest one is a led screen with more options like led brightness and a timer function. The motor is not loud, but slightly louder than the other systems. The pods and holders that come with the system are very nice quality. The water refill hole has a course strainer and it attached so you cannot lose it which is nice. The system came with plant food and seedling covers, but nothing else. I was especially disappointed that it did not come with support sticks like the other systems, and the holes are smaller so I could not use the ones I had. I found that large bamboo skewers did fit, but the hole goes straight through so they can go down into the water. The other systems also came with pod collars (to combat algae) and labels which I found very useful. My biggest issue with the system is how close the pods are to each other. You realistically cannot plant 12 things at the same time unless you are transplanting everything when they get a few inches tall. The tank is also not labeled with units which I find annoying. It says "min, mid, and max" which is not helpful when using the "plant food" or fertilizer they provide. The specs say the tank holds 4L, which is small IMO. I suspect that is to the "max" line which is very close to the top on the tank. You would probably spill water if you tried to carry it full to the "max" line. Like the MUFGA you need to disconnect the light and remove all the pods to dump the water out of the tank. The light extends to 17.25 inches above the pods, like the MUFGA.SAWDENY:I paid $42.79 for this system. I also got this system today so I cannot speak to its durability. This would be my favorite system if the pods were farther apart, although they are more spaced than the Fulsren. The light extends to an impressive 19 inches above the pods and the tank is an appropriate 4.5 L max capacity. Unlike the other systems there is a drain at the bottom of the tank. This would be useful when you want to change the water, but not remove all of the pods or light. This is the only system that provided pod hole covers for if you want to cover a spot you aren't using. It also came with plant food, pod holders, pod collars, support sticks, seedling covers, re-usable labels, and extra pods. This is a great and comprehensive kit for a hydroponic system.

I love my machine. It works well. My plant grow good and healthy. I did purchase another one. I would recommend this machine.

Got this unit as a gift and planted a variety of seeds. Easy to put together and get it running properly. Could use more explanation on how to program times as I had to use trial and error method. Still working on it after two weeks. The good thing is that my seeds sprouted within a week after planting and all seedling are doing well

One of my favorite products I’ve ever bought from Amazon! Easy to use, and does not take up a lot of water. Filling up once lasts a while and grows my herbs, vegetable and more so well! Got it as a gift for someone as well and overall great gift! Highly recommend if you want to grow at home but don’t have the greenest thumb!

I purchased this to get my wife to understand why I'm also building a larger hydroponic system in the basement, thought a simple demonstration setup would give her confidence.Materials quality is fair. Lightweight, but works. The pump doesn't really distribute the water, it's more an agitating process. The cube inserts stick down into the water and wick feed the seeds.The negatives at this point come down to the controls. The instructions leave a lot to be desired, with the biggest aggravation being the light settings. You can set how long the light stays on (I think, so far it's never turned off) but I find no way to set the time of day when it does go off or on. If it goes off during daylight and comes on at night, your plants have no dark time, which they need. I'm going to reset it (turn off, start from scratch again early in the morning, set it for 14 hours of light, and hope it turns off in late evening. So far- it's never turned off automatically, and the instructions don't include a clue on setting a start time. Not ready to return it yet, but would not buy it again.UPDATEThis was set up and planted 9/4. Six lettuce, 6 spinach- all according to instructions. Got the light timing right- by setting it up at the time of day you want it to start.In the photo, you see the results on 9/21. Six germinations, six failures, even with multiple seeds in each pod. More importantly, what growth did occur is stunted, insignificant. Note the little pot to the left with the thriving rye grass, which we grow for our cat... it was planted 7 days ago and put next to the device to benefit from the grow lite, which significantly accelerated germination and growth.So- why doesn't this device grow things as well? I have a basement hydroponics set up and all the equipment to maintain it. When we set up the countertop unit, we started with distilled water, and followed the maker's instructions for their A-B nutrient solutions. That resulted in a PH factor of 7, where lettuce and most plants need about 6. So I adjusted the PH down to the right level. about 10 days after planting there was only 1 germinated seed. it was obvious something was wrong, even though no water had been added. PH had risen to 8, adjusted it again. Now at 2-1/2 weeks, PH is 9. Plants won't grow at that level. I had unused nutrient solution from the first mix stored for a refill, and checked it- still PH 6,as mixed.So- how is this PH going off so far and so quickly in the device reservoir? I would guess that the material used in the seeding insert is causing the shift. Since the pump agitates but does not provide aeration and the device does not have an air-pump/stone device, the only other factor could be related is low oxygen level in the nutrient mix. That would be due to poor design.Overall, the unit has good looks but lacks functionality, especially for someone unfamiliar with hydroponic process, while at the same time being described as doing everything for you.I've decided to disassemble and return the device; first time I ever returned a used item to Amazon. The waste in time is far more valuable than the money- and rather than encourage my wife's belief in hydroponics, it has done the opposite. She's now convinced it's even more difficult than before.

First timer and it's easy we love it

Thi Indoor Garden is a lifesaver for someone who forgets to water their plants as much as me (which is basically always). The giant water tank means I only have to refill it like once a month, and the whole system seems pretty chill. It's got these cool lights and a quiet pump that feeds the plants magic nutrients or something. Apparently it makes them grow super fast, which is awesome because my herbs were always sad and pathetic. Plus, it has a bunch of spots for different plants, so I can finally try growing those fancy succulents everyone's obsessed with. Definitely worth checking out!