Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Electronic Smartpot: Click & Grow {Review}

Click & Grow logo
It's confession time: I don't have a green thumb.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I have a pretty brown thumb, considering the number of plants that I've killed over the years.

It's not on purpose, of course. In fact, just the opposite. I start out well, making sure each little flower or vegetable seed is properly planted and given plenty of sunshine, water and love.

But... as with so many of my well-intentioned projects, life goes on and remembering to keep up with the watering and care gets pushed to the back of my mind. Before I know it, I find myself shaking my head sadly at my little pot of dirt, realizing that I have done it yet again.

Isn't there a way that I can grow a houseplant or some fresh vegetables but without putting in the time, skills and effort? I was pretty sure that the answer was no... and then I was introduced to Click & Grow.

flower pots

An electronic smartpot that independently grows plants without the need of watering, fertilizing or any gardening know-how, Click & Grow enables the growth of any houseplant with its sensors, processor and special software located right in the pot.

This innovative gadget does all of the work automatically dosing the correct amount of water and nutrients, while forgetful gardeners like myself only need to refill the water tank or replace the batteries once in a long while.

After deciding that Click & Grow was created with me in mind, I was thrilled to have the chance to see if I could grow a mini garden of my own with the Starter Kit with Basil.

Click & Grow Basil

As I pulled the 8.3" x 8.3" x 3.1" sleek smartpot out of the box...

Click & Grow Basil Starter Kit

...I was pleased to see that Click & Grow had included perfectly clear, step-by-step instructions to get me started.

Click & Grow instructions

I simply installed four AA batteries (not included)...

Click & Grow batteries

...filled the water reservoir up to the indicated water level mark...

Click & Grow water tank

...replaced the lids, covered the top of the plant cartridge with the included germination lens (to create a greenhouse effect on my future little sprouts), and placed the whole thing in a sunny window.

Click & Grow germination lens

That's it!

There is a convenient light right on the side of the smartpot that blinks green every five minutes to let me know that all is well, along with a handy chart that deciphers what the pot is telling me if it blinks or turns to another color.

Click & Grow panel lights

Really, could this get any easier?

Click & Grow mentioned that it would be 1-2 weeks for my cute little sprouts to appear... and, sure enough, they did.

Click & Grow Review

No hassle, no fuss, no feeling bad when I realize days later that I haven't paid any attention to my new little plants. Instead, this simple and modern pot (which would look great with any décor) is a dream come true for irresponsible gardeners like me. I can't wait to see how much these have flourished in the next few months (the basil is said to be full grown in 3 to 4 months, and will live from 8 to 12 months)!

Retailing for $79 for the Starter Kit and $19.99 for a refill plant cartridge, Click & Grow has options in both the flower and vegetable variety for every taste.

Starter Kits include Basil, Chili Pepper, Mini Tomato and Corkscomb, while the refills are available in these four as well as Busy Lizzy, Coriander, Garden Sage, Lamb's Ear, Lemon Balm and Painted Nettle — plus Click & Grow is always testing new plants to expand their selection even further!

click & grow plants

To find out more about these easy-to-use, no-gardening-knowledge-necessary smartpots, visit ClickandGrow.com and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Other than the Starter Kit with Basil that I was provided by Click & Grow to facilitate my review, I was not compensated or enticed to do this review in any way. This post is solely my honest opinion of this product.

15 comments:

Paula V said...

That is so neat. I love it.

Unknown said...

This will help someone like myself that has a black thumb. Amazing.

Unknown said...

Now I am intrigued. Thanks for the review, I have been looking for something similar to this. We live on a slab of limestone rock and nothing grows here. I miss having fresh herbs to go in my meals.

JJ said...

Wow! This is cool. Neat! Thanks.

raveandreview said...

Oh my, I NEEEEED this! I'm going check it out right now

Robin Wilson said...

I am always struggling to find a unique gift for my son's girlfriend and this is it. I have never seen anything like it! The both love to cook so this would be great for the kitchen!

Unknown said...

I wonder if I would like this one better than aerogarden looks bigger. Thank you. Jerri Davis

adjn1104 said...

What a great product! I've always killed plants too, this would be perfect.

slehan said...

No gardening room so this would be great. Love fresh basil.

slehan at juno dot com

Paula V said...

This is so great. I need to look into this.

Unknown said...

Now this is what I need!! I dont have a green thumb either but I would love to grow pretty flowers and put them in a flower bed for all to see.

Unknown said...

This is so cool! This is perfect for folks like me that would forget to water the poor thing. This is something I would consider purchasing in the future.

TarynPasco916 said...

This is a genius invention! This might be my only hope for being able to grow anything! Lol. I have a brown thumb too. haha.

slehan said...

I'd like to grow herbs to cook with and this would make it easy.

Unknown said...

I don't have a green thumb, but Click and Grow would certainly give good assistance to growing something!