I enjoy growing herbs and vegetables but unfortunately I don’t have
enough light in my living room.
This really hampers the growth of my favourites: coriander and all kinds
of basils.
I usually solve this by using frozen and shop bought herbs during
winter.
Every year I kickstart chili peppers and tomatoes using 2 large grow
lights.
They are too large for my living room and might trigger the impression
I’m growing more profitable herbs :-)
Still I miss to pick a few fresh herbs while cooking or taking pictures
and experimenting with different herbs all year round.
I discovered a few compact grow lights using led technology that do look
perfect in any modern interior : Plantui and Click & Grow.
Maybe this is the “modernist” way to grow herbs indoor?
I bought both systems because I want to test this out and somebody has to support the economy!
Plantui
The Plantui has been designed in Finland and is the more expensive and
technical solution.
You can grow up to 6 different herbs using rockwool and water instead of
normal garden soil.
The Plantui is the “mushroom” light in the middle.
In the first 1-2 weeks the cover is virtually closed to germinate the
herbs using pink light.
Then you extend the cover, up to 5 levels but only 2 extensions are
included. 2 extensions are enough for most herbs.
From that time on the Plantui uses a bright, slightly cold, light for 16
hours a day.
A very small and virtually silent water pump waters the plants once a
day for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
The frequency is automatically increased. I’m not bothered by the sound
even in a small space.
The Plantui tells you when it’s running out of water by flashing blue
light.
You need to add 1 liter of water and 1 spoon of fertiliser.
I’ve grown 18 plants, mainly coriander, asian salad leaves and different
kinds of basil. Only 2 plants didn’t germinate.
That’s much better compared to growing in soil.
The taste of the herbs seems to be more powerful and tasty compared to
supermarket herbs.
Salad leaves are ready in 3-4 weeks. Most herbs after 5-6 weeks.
I always managed to have a slightly smaller second and even third
harvest.
Plantui is offering a wide range of different herbs, plants and
edible flowers online.
You’ll find the more common European herbs but also more difficult to
source exotic herbs like Japanese shiso, Thai basil and Chinese taksoi.
Disadvantages? The initial price is high at around 250 Euro. The price
for each plant is high if you go for the 3-packs. The larger sets are
cheaper.
Advantages? Rockwool and hydroponic fertiliser is easy to find online.
This can highly reduce the price for each plant.
I’m planning to start growing different herbs and experiment with dwarf
tomatoes and chilis.
Click & Grow Smart Herb Garden
The Click & Grow Herb Garden has been designed in Estonia.
Instead of water “smart soil” is used. This is a sponge like kind of
soil with slow release fertilisers.
According the Click & Grow this is a great alternative with the
advantages of soil and hydroponic.
This device is far less technical.
It’s basically a plastic container filled with water. You click the pots
with the smart soil into the container.
They are kept moist by a small wick.
A small floater with a magnet makes sure the light flashed as soon as
the water level is low.
You set the 16 hours timer by plugging in the device when you want to
start the clock.
The Plantui’s timer is set by holding your hand above the cover for 3
seconds.
The light is slightly less powerful but warmer.
I’ve grown 9 herbs using the Click & Grow and 2 plants, rucola salad,
didn’t germinate.
The herbs seem to grow slightly slower. Taste wise they are equal to the
herbs grown in the Plantui.
Disadvantages? The smart soil is more expensive compared to the rockwool
in the Plantui. The variety of herbs is a lot smaller.
I’ve heard that the smart soil can be replaced by Root Riot
cubes. I’m planning
to try this after Christmas.
Advantages? The initial prize is far less than the Plantui, around 60
Euro. The device is more compact and the light is a bit more neutral.
The result?
It’s difficult to pick a winner.
Click & Grow is cheaper. Plantui is faster, bigger and maybe more
hackable.
Both are non-organic. That’s not an issue for me because I eat organic
to avoid pesticides and antibiotics.
Plantui provides more background information about the fertilisers,
hydroponic growing and nutritional differences.
Both devices are priced in way you can buy a lot of fresh herbs in the
shops.
But you don’t see these herbs grow and you can’t experiment with less
common herbs.
I’m planning to buy another Plantui.
I would like to use the second Plantui to start the tomatoes and
chillies for my greenhouse.
After spring it will be great to have one Plantui for coriander and
salad leaves and use the other one for different kinds of basils.
By growing herbs in these modern devices forces me to think about
technology and food.
Is it still ok to import for example Thai basil by plane every week?
Using heat recuperation, led lights and automation it might be possible
to avoid a lot of CO2.
These devices use a lot less water compared to the vegetables and herbs
in my greenhouse and garden.
The Click & Grow is frequently offered online with huge price
reductions.
For Click & Grow refills visit NADA in
Antwerp.
This is a great store about urban farming and the Click & Grow refills
are affordable.
[**References & Links :
**]{style=“text-decoration: underline;“}-Plantui
-Plantui about artificial
fertilizers
-Plantui nutrional value compared to supermarket plants
-Click &
Grow
[Youtube : ]{style=“text-decoration: underline;“}