Sainlogic Hydroponic Kit Review
This is going to be one of my favorite blogs ever. Sainlogic reached out to me and asked me to review their Sainlogic Hydroponic Kit. ($54.99 currently).
Let me provide a little background here before I take on the kit review. Growing up in Indiana my mother could grow anything. Green thumb.
That gene skipped a generation though.
I semi pleaded with Sainlogic NOT TO SEND ME the kit and told them that anything I try to grow dies. They assured me that I would be okay. Actually, I did fail with my very first attempt. I bought some bargain seeds at a local store and they were way old and super cheap. After planting them it was sort of apparent that my seeds were old and moldy.
I’ll just say this now. Your success relies on the quality of the seeds you use. Go to a decent lawn center and buy some good quality seed.
Anyway, once I got some quality seeds I planted them as per the manual and within about 2-3 days I began to see some germination. As I write this I am about 8 days into the growth cycle and every pod has germinated. I planted tomatoes, onions, peas, and lettuce.
And I have to say that Mom would be proud! This stuff is actually growing!
Tuya Smart Life App
The hydroponic kit has WiFi and the user can install the Tuya Smart Life app on their smart phone to control several items.
I wouldn’t say the app was mandatory to use the hydroponic kit but it sure is helpful.
Over the years I have had some experience with the Tuya Smart Life app and suffice to say I’m not the biggest fan. That being said, everything seems fine.
If I were to make a recommendation it would be that the device could be controlled via Bluetooth for strictly local control.
Anyway, the app is cool. It is intuitive and easy to use and keeps track of things for you. Let me go into a little further detail.
What’s In The Kit?
First of all the kit has lighting and a pump. Everything but seeds and water are included in the kit.
The kit includes:
- 12 white plastic baskets
- 12 sponges
- 12 clear plastic grow domes
- Plant Foods A and B
- Power brick
Essentially, you just mix the plant food with water and shake until dissolved. Directions for mixing are in the product manual.
Then just push your seeds into the sponges, turn on the lights and pump and start growing some beautiful flowers or plants. Also be sure to maintain your water level appropriately.
The light array raises and lowers as well. Set it low when you first get started and raise it as the plants grow taller.
Timelapse
Since I am a geek of the highest order I decided to take a Raspberry Pi with the High Quality camera kit and have it take photos every 10 minutes to create a Timelapse video. I think this is fun to watch. Here is how I set it up:
And here are the results after a few days of filming.
This has been a LOT of fun. Both my wife and I are super excited and check the progress frequently.
Wrap Up
I’d love to show the full results of the growing cycle however, this is going to take some time. And because of my first failed attempt plus my daughter’s wedding I was running behind with my obligation to Sainlogic so I want to get this blog rolling. I can add to this later when I start getting some veggies.
If I had to use one word to describe this it would be FUN. I never thought I could ever grow any plants, and here I am growing plants.
Ultimately, we will probably grow fresh herbs in here. Things like my tomatoes and lettuce will probably have to be replanted in a bigger pot. I should have used cherry tomatoes. My wife LOVES fresh herbs and this will be a real treat.
Anyway, my first impression was that I couldn’t do it and was hesitant to try. Now I’m planning the next 2 or 3 planting cycles. And I can’t believe how excited I am about this. This is something we will keep and use.
JOHN’S TECH BLOG LOVES THE SAINLOGIC HYDROPONIC KIT