I first encountered LetPot as a model earlier this 12 months whereas testing its LPH-SE Senior hydroponic rising system for my information to the very best indoor gardening methods. Positioned as alternate options to the long-beloved OG Aerogarden tabletop hydroponic methods, LetPot’s countertop gardens (that are common sufficient to have their very own subreddit) permit you to develop any seeds you would like—no proprietary pods wanted—utilizing cheap baskets and sponges which are ubiquitous on Amazon and run about 20 cents every. (LetPot’s units include sufficient baskets and sponges to get you began, however no seeds.) I repeatedly advocate LetPot’s model as the very best funds possibility for anybody seeking to get into hydroponic gardening.
Since then, I’ve tried quite a lot of good gardening units from the model, which has been established in Hong Kong since 2007 however expanded into the US in 2019. In the event you’re looking for a plant lover or gardener this vacation season, these are the merchandise I’ve had the very best success with in my own residence and gardening setups and would purchase myself.
The 12-pod LPH-SE Senior, featured in my indoor gardening information, has been a trusty tabletop companion for a number of months now, producing natural child chard that may be clipped each few days for contemporary salads. (Meals does not get extra native than greens grown inches away out of your dinner plate!)
The LetPot app is type of funky, nevertheless it’s not wanted as soon as you have set the timer for the 24-watt LED lamp, which each raises and lowers and flips up for straightforward harvesting entry. A pop-up gauge tells you at a look what stage the water is, the pump runs each half-hour by itself, and directions on when and the best way to add vitamins are proper on the bottle. (Two bottles with dehydrated vitamins are included.)
I’ve additionally examined a few Aerogardens alongside the LetPot, and whereas the Aerogardens’ app, design, and interfaces are a bit slicker than LetPot’s, the top consequence is similar. LetPot’s LPH-SE just isn’t solely inexpensive than the comparable Aerogarden Bounty, it has areas for 3 extra crops.
LetPot
100-Watt Develop Mild
Second on my record of LetPot hits is the model’s develop gentle for houseplants. (Although it might even be good for seedling trays.) It additionally works with the LetPot app, however just like the LPH-SE, the app’s not completely essential as soon as you have set the timer, and for those who do not wish to take care of the app in any respect, there is a corded distant that additionally permits you to flip the sunshine on and off and modify the sunshine depth.
The highly effective 100-watt gentle can both grasp from the ceiling or sit on its telescoping stand, rotating round 360 levels to shine the place you want it. (Take into account 100 watts is fairly sizzling—you will not need it too near any leaves.) I recognize that the sunshine itself is massive (2 x 3 ft), so it retains crops from turning into too leggy. One draw back to notice: Whereas the outline says the stand can prolong to 72 inches, it actually solely goes to about 60 inches, so if in case you have tall crops, you may wish to preserve this in thoughts—or use the hanging function.
LetPot’s SS Professional seed starter is brand-new, however promising. It is nonetheless in preorder proper now, however I have been utilizing it for the previous couple of months to develop onion, carrot, and parsnip begins. A full-coverage, 24-watt gentle (12 x 7 inches) sits over a plastic vented dome, which rests atop a seed tray. The tray is about right into a shallow container, beneath which sits a 24-watt heating pad. Fill the container with water, pour no matter medium you would like into the tray (you may have to buy this individually; I used expandable seed beginning soil, $12), and plant your seeds.
The LetPot app’s auto mode will advocate a temperature vary and lightweight period based mostly on what you are rising and switch the system on/off accordingly, or you possibly can select your settings manually. A temperature and EC sensor (electrical conductivity, which measures dissolved solids—basically, the quantity of vitamins in your soil accessible to the crops) goes within the soil, and a digital display on the entrance tells you all it is advisable know at a look: present temperature, EC stage, and what number of days it has been for the reason that seeds had been planted. LetPot boasts a 99 % germination fee, and whereas mine wasn’t fairly that prime, I appreciated that the completed seedlings had been noticeably more healthy and fewer leggy than these grown with solely a small develop gentle. The facility adapter makes a high-pitched sound when the lights are on, the temperature and EC sensor give some sometimes buggy readings, and auto-mode erases every time it is unplugged, but when these minor foibles do not hassle you, the SS-Professional is exclusive on this house and value a glance.
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