Indoor Hydroponic Models: What's the Difference

 In the last few years of health concerns and teleworking, many have turned to indoor gardening as a way to enrich their stay at home lives.  The result is a proliferation of literally dozens of models, ranging in price from less than $50 to over $2000.  The question is, how do you  tell these models apart, how do you compare features, and how do you know what you are getting for your money?

To begin, lets look at one of the old standards of hydroponics, the pre-2019 AeroGarden Bounty.  This model represents the reference set of features that you expect when looking at the table top units.  Keep in mind that these indoor gardens are designed for an average user that is not particularly inclined toward indoor plants or even gardening.  It is designed to grow things with a minimum of technical expertise.  The Bounty was very successful and basically launched the industry, because it was so easy to use and reliable.  A wide variety of users were successful with indoor gardening because of this model.

The Bounty had:

• The Reservoir:  1-gal or larger bowl with a pump to circulate the water.
  
• The Grow Deck with the classic AeroGarden seed pod system.  This system covers the water reservoir with a solid deck into which you place plastic baskets which contain a peat moss grow sponge.  Seeds are placed in the sponge and hold the roots of the germinated plant, suspending them in the water of the reservoir below.
• The AeroGarden design adds an additional feature in that the pump moves the water over each individual pod instead of simply moving it around the bowl.  This trickle watering system allows seeds to germinate much faster, and makes the resulting plants to be less vulnerable to lower water levels in the bowl.
• A LED grow light typically elevated above the garden on an extendable mast.  The lights can be lifted 24" giving room for the plants to grow, but they can also be lowered to a few inches above the grow deck to help new seedling germination.   A Bounty Basic model has a 30 watt light, while the elite has 40 watts.  The lights are on a programmable timer.
  
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• Sensor and Reporting system.  One major innovation of the Bounty was an on-board computer system that controlled the timing of the lights and the pump, monitored water levels, counted the days since planting, and the days until you needed to add plant food.  It was this digital panel, which gave all the specific care instructions, that made the garden so easy to take care of.  You didn't need to read the condition of the plants, simply follow the instructions on the panel to add water or food.  The computer also had different light and pump cycles, depending on which types of plants were growing, and where they were in their life cycle. 
• This model was available for between $275 and $300.
  

If you go to Amazon now, you will find literally dozens of models that are below $100.  How do these models compare to the Bounty Basic.  As you might expect, these cheaper units look at each of the major features listed above and economize wherever possible. However, they also try to innovate on the basic design to set themselves apart from the crowd.

1. Most models now use the basic Grow Bowl/Grow Deck design.  For a while, some systems tried to modify the design of the pod, making it smaller or shorter or fatter.  However, over time each of these new designs were rejected in favor of the long, narrow conical grow sponge that AeroGarden introduced. Replacement supplies for this pod system are readily available from 3rd party suppliers and they have proven to be the most reliable design for germinating seeds and supplying nutrients to the plants.  If you are considering a system that doesn't follow this basic style, it should have a very good reason for its odd design choices.
   
2.  Where new models try to innovate is by adding more pod spaces to the grow deck.  The Bounty has a standard 9 pods on the grow deck.  Other models push that higher to 12 or 15 pods on the deck.  The problem is that they don't make the grow deck itself any bigger, so they increase the number of pods but place them closer together.  Unfortunately, without space to grow, planting closer together simply causes crowding and misshapen plants that fail to thrive. Growers often leave pods empty to allow for the remaining plants to grow bigger and receive more light.  More pods is not better, unless it is accompanied by a larger grow deck.  But then the overall footprint of the garden becomes larger and less able to fit neatly on the kitchen counter.
3. AeroGarden employs a drip irrigation system in the deck, so plants are watered individually.  In other systems, there is simply a straight nozzle that moves the water around the bowl.  This is clearly not as effective in germinating seeds and the garden is in greater danger if the water level drops too quickly before roots have established that reach down into the water.
4. The light system is a source of great variability.   Lower end models typically have 20 to 24 watts LED lights, compared to the 30 or 40 watts of the Bounty. The light mast may only extend 18" above the grow deck, limiting things that can be grown, like tomatoes or broccoli.  On the other hand, the light bar may only be lowered to 12" above the grow deck, greatly slowing new seedling development.
5. Most low end models have a very basic computer management system.  They may only have a timer for the light, that starts when you first turn the system on.  If that happens to be 4 pm, you will have to get up early the next morning to re-start the light timer.  Same thing is true if your power goes out in the middle of the night.  Most low end models don't have any sensor for water level.  Instead, they have a clear section of the grow bowl where you can look to check the water levels.  Similarly, cheaper models don't have a day counter to tell you when to add plant food, or how long the system has been in operation.  In short, all the care and maintenance feedback systems on the Bounty are missing from the low end systems.  If you are comfortable with making your own notes and keeping track of water levels, than this absence is not important.  But for many people, this is the key that makes the AeroGarden a success.
   

I find that indoor hydroponic gardens can be divided into three categories:

Tier I gardens have no communication at all

• These indoor gardens are little more than a bowl with a light and a pump on a timer.
• Basin size tends to be on the smaller size (less than 4 liters).  Light poles tend to around 12" and may not be adjustable at all.  Lights tend to be weaker, in the 20 - 24 Watt range but could be even less.
  
• Water levels are monitored by a transparent window in the front, or by nothing at all.  The best case is a visible float
• There are no customization options at all. You simply turn it on and it runs.
• Ironically, units at this tier level tend to cram more pods into the grow deck, even though the growing area cannot support it.  Expect 10 or 12 pods, or even more.
  
• Watch for pod baskets that are smaller than standard, and don't fit well into the grow deck so that they become loose and fall over as the plant matures.
• This is the majority of units on Amazon for around $50.  Examples are Idoo10, Lyko
   

Tier II gardens have minor customization and communication.

• Once again, the lights are on preset timers who's cycle begins when you turn them on.  You can't tell them when to start or stop, nor how long they will stay on.
• They still have automated  pumps that circulate water, but may have rudimentary feedback for when water levels are low, like a glowing light.
  
• The lights elevate to less than 18", typically.  and they may only lower to 8", leaving large gaps between the lights and the starting seedlings.  However, look for a few color profiles or plant types to choose from.  LEDs may increase in power to 30W.
  
• There may only be a rudimentary display, often nothing more than a few tiny LEDs.
•  Look for these in the $100 range, and build quality is possibly better with full sized and tight-fitting grow baskets.  Some of these may have wifi apps available, but look for these apps to be hard to connect and to convey limited information to your phone.
  
• Examples are the Aerogarden Harvest, and the Kimore Hydroponics.
  

 

I.  A full featured smart garden emphasized automation and communication.  With this type of garden you will have 

• a smart processor and interface that monitors the status of the garden and reports it to the gardener on a front screen.  On this front screen the user can control many of the program cycles for the lights, and pump, and can receive notices to add nutrients, or to advise when the water level is getting low.  Another critical piece of information is the number of days planted so you can know how old your plants are.
  
• a standard basin to hold the water, a grow deck above it, and a light on a telescoping pole.  The light pole typically allows for growing heights of greater than 18" and it may collapse to within 6" or less of the grow deck to aid in starting seedlings.
  
• The basin has a mechanism for reporting the level of water to the smart processor.  Typically the basin will hold 5 liters of water, but some can hold much more.
  
• a pump that circulates water, on a timer, with a variety of timing cycles depending on what you're growing and where in the plant's life cycle you are.  This pump reports to the smart processor
• A light that operates on a timer.  You can select from a number of pre-set cycles or can set your own.  You may be able to change the color profile based on the type of plants you are growing