Nothing can rescue a bland meal quite like fresh herbs, but not everyone has access to outdoor space to grow their own. That's where indoor smart gardens come in, and the latest from Plantone allows growers to use regular soil and seeds.
Plantone was founded in 2018 by a group of plant enthusiasts, and launched its first successful Kickstarter in October of that year. The first-generation mini indoor garden was designed to accommodate five different plants such as herbs, micro-greens or flowers in the cylindrical base, with a growth support ring midway up a adjustable LED lighting tower and automated watering from the built-in tank.
"We designed Plantone with the vision of making indoor gardening accessible and enjoyable for everyone," said Omer Halifeoglu, company cofounder. "With Plantone, you don't need to have a green thumb or extensive gardening knowledge. Our smart technology takes care of the hard work, allowing you to simply sit back and watch your plants thrive."
For the second generation, Plantone has refined the design and electronics but as before, the kitchen-top unit allows a user to grow up to five plants simultaneously.
Unlike other indoor growing systems we've seen over the years – such as Click & Grow, Rotofarm and the Tiiun from LG – users don't need to buy into a regular supply of special pots or seeds (though seed packs are available from the company). Green-thumbed indoor farmers simply fill the supplied pots with regular potting soil, push down some seeds, pop the pots into the floater carousel, fill the tank with water (plant food can be added if desired) and plug the Plantone 2 into a wall socket.
The height of the telescopic LED light tower is adjustable to support plant growth, and there's one-button control for full-spectrum light intensity. The company reckons that users will only need to top up the water tank once per month, with the design ensuring that plants get the optimum amount automatically delivered to their roots.
Each plant pot can be set to one of three watering levels to meet different needs. There's also the option to safely overfill the tank for an extra 30 days of automated watering if the household is going to be empty for extended periods.
Kickstarter pledges for the Plantone 2.0 currently start at US$99. The usual crowdfunding cautions apply, but if all goes to plan with the funded campaign, shipping is estimated to start from next month. The video below has more.
Source: Plantone