SIMBR 12 Pods Hydroponic Growing System Indoor Herb Garden Kit, Starter Kit with LED Grow Light, Fan and Water Pump, 4L, Smart Planter for Home Kitchen Gardening

I bought this system because it has a fan+circulating pump and red/blue light. Some systems only have the lights, but no pump and/or no fan. This has all 3 features: red/blue lights, fan & circulating pump. (Fan & pump operate on the same switch, they are not independent switches, but no worries, because they are pre-programmed to operate for 30 minutes on/off.). Also, it is reasonably priced for a small system that really is best for small light leafed plants such as herbs or lettuce.The fan and pump are very quiet. Water has to be in the reservoir up to 2/3 full when you turn on the pump. I suppose if the reservoir is not 2/3 full, the pump might make noise? Just fill it to 2/3 full before turning on the fan and pump. How do you know if it is full or 2/3 full? Well, there are some very very faint marks on the water level window to denote max/min and quarter divisions in between. I used a Sharpie fine point marker to show the max/min and approx 2/3 full. I understand why the manufacturer did not make marks for those lines (window is very narrow), but I think they need to make these marks more visible so the 2/3 full mark is clear. If filling the reservoir to that minimum mark is important, denote it clearly.I like that the post for the light/fan assembly is adjustable. It is absolutely necessary as the plants get taller. The instructions say that the light should be about 10 cm from the tops of the plants. That is about 4 inches.There are two basic “modes” for the machine. Vegetables and Flowers. I use the vegetable mode, and it uses blue+red lights for 18 hrs, and pump + fan for 30 minute on/off intervals. I believe Flowers is slightly different, esp with the color of the light...but I haven’t used it yet.Twelve slots are available for planting, but I only used half, preferring to stagger the plants to reduce crowding. I understand why they designed he slots as they did—to max out total number slots...but I wish they had staggered the slots for less crowding. If the reservoir was a little deeper, it might also help reduce crowding of the root systems too.They provide the “starter” plug/sponges + tiny cage baskets for seeds. They are of excellent quality and they do not fall apart and get the reservoir all full of soil and debris. This is very important to maintain the pump. I would like to know where they got these sponge/plugs so that I can buy more for my little system. Oh, they also include a V-shaped graduated cylinder for measuring and dispensing nutrient. I use it often because it makes pouring solutions into the system simple.For nutrient, I just bought a package of Miracle Grow, mixed the solution per their instructions, and added to the reservoir with mixing (pump running). If your tap water has alot of hard minerals (high Ca and Mg) or high chlorine or high carbonates, make sure to use filtered water for your first batch of water and first batch of nutrient. I add nutrient approx every 7-10 days.I like that this system is compact, yet it has 3 key features: lights/fan/pump. It is perfect for growing herbs or lettuce indoors any time of year.Only a few suggestions (above) and I think this system would be an even better system.

We've had this product for about two and a half months. Seeds took longer than we expected to germinate -- several weeks before there was significant growth. But the real problem is with the fan. Last week it started making a loud squealing noise.The Seller has contacted us and promised to send a replacement unit. Assuming the fan problem was specific to our unit and not a generic problem, we can highly recommend this unit.

This works great with the built in timers for the lights and the fan/water. I saw another comment about the fan making a loud noise and thought the same thing when I turned on mine. Once I realized it wasn't the fan making the noise but the water pump I just added water to the bottom and the noise went away. So far this has been a very good product and I would highly reccomend it.

I purchased this Aug 2020 and it worked well up until now. I've been successful at growing lettuce and box choy in this system. Unfortunately the pump stopped working a couple days ago. Disappointed as I was considering buying another unit. : /UPDATE: I contacted the seller about the broken pump. They are not able to send a replacement pump, but they did offer to refund the price of a pump if we bought it ourselves. Due to this, I updated the star rating.

My positive review is below but first - !!! CAUTION !!! Getting replacement plastic net pots is impossible without spending a fortune. They are a non standard size!! I carefully measured the pots and ordered several replacements from Amazon and none of them have fit.There are 2 options from what I can see for replacement pots. Either you 3D print them yourself (I am trying this currently) or you can buy iDOO kits (12 pieces) for $40 which is over $3.33 per pot.The end result? If you buy this hydroponic system you will spend a crazy amount of either time or money keeping it running. I would never have purchased this system if I had known the pots are so difficult to obtain. I contacted the seller about replacement pots and will update my review if I hear back from them.**** Now for the positive part!I purchased two of these hydroponic growing systems for use in my kitchen. I am growing a variety of herbs (Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Chives), pepper and miniature tomatoes. Everything has been growing great!PROS* It is EASY to drain for water changes (small silicone plug in the back). I wish my old Aerogarden was this easy to drain!* Excellent designed pump that doesn't pull roots into it (so far even the Basil doesn't clog anything)* Adjustable lights let you pick the exact height you want* Easy to unplug the power if you need to move the unit (no clunky cord trailing behind you)CONS* As previously mentioned, difficult to obtain replacement net pots!* The posting lists nutrients but the unit does not come with nutrients (you must buy this separately)* The water pump is tied to the fan (only one button)* You have to manually press buttons once a day for the timer function to work (it is NOT automatic)* Water pump sounds like a fountain (a bit noisy)

I enjoy this areogarden. I was able to start my garden immediately and it was wasy to use. I started without the nutrients and the seeds started growing. But later on I added nutrients and they are growing so tall. I love the fact the light can go up and down so it is great that i can move the light up when they got taller. It has been 8 days and they are sprouting fast.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  Umm I’ve had it for less than 24 hours and the fan makes the worst noise In the world.