AeroGrow AeroGarden Pro 200 with Master Gardener 1 Season Kit and Gourmet Herb Seed Kit
The Pro200 Brushed Stainless Steel AeroGardens use microprocessor controlled Adaptive Growth Intelligence to monitor plant growth from germination through advanced growth and instantly adjust water, nutrients and lights to give plants what they need at each stage of growth. The result is up to 50% larger yields. Includes Grow Bulb replacement reminder system and the Super Grow 24-hour light cycle.
The new Pro200 incorporates all the elements of the Pro100, plus comes with 24-inch adjustable arm and three deluxe grow bulbs which deliver twice the light and twice the height for faster growth.
You also get 2 Free Seed Kits with every Pro 200. 1-Gourmet Herb and 1-Master Gardener. A $40 Value Free.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Pretty Good
We got the AeroGarden Pro 200 for Christmas. We just finished the herbs kit that came with it. We could have gone longer, but we really wanted to get the salad greens kit growing.
So far so good. The unit was easy to assemble and easy to plant the first kit. Everything grew so quick and even when you harvested everything you could, there was typically more to harvest two days later.
The pump does make a slight noise at times when running, but no more than a fish tank would. The lamps really do light up the room, so we placed this in the kitchen. You can adjust the time when the lamps shut off, so if the light might keep you awake, you can have it shut off when you go to bed. In the late evening, we rarely turn on the kitchen light to do things as the AeroGarden pretty much lights up the entire kitchen enough to see and do most things.
I am knocking off one star for a couple of reasons. First, there is a light indicator for when the water level is too low. It seems to work ok because when we cleaned the unit for a new planting, we pluged it in without enough water and it knew that. During the herbs growing though, the indicator failed to ever let us know the water was too low. So, we had to routinely check it and fill it and not trust the indicator.
Secondly, when we started our new salad greens kit, we cleaned everything as it said to. There is a little pump filter in there that turns dirty brown and you have to find it amongst the roots. Very hard to find and the instructions do not even give you a good illustration to know what to look for.
Third, it recommends to replace the filters every time or other time you replant and they should include one in every kit. The instructions say to contact support to order filters. These plant kits are $20, so the need to include a filter.
The last issue for knocking off one star is the plant kits themselves. At typically $20, they are rather pricey. They all comes with instructions and growing books. The growing part of the documentation I can understand, but they also include the same documentation that comes with the AeroGarden, so another thick book. What a waste of trees and probably adds to the price.
Is this cheaper than buying anything this can grow? Heck no. However, it is fun to watch and fun to grow things. We spend a lot of money on various organic products, so at least mentally, the AeroGarden feels slightly cost justified.
After I submit this review, I am purchsing another one so we can get even more things growing.
4 Stars AeroGarden Pro 200
Great inside garden so far. I’ve only had it a few weeks but already harvesting the lettuce as it said in the Quick Start Guide. I love it!
4 Stars Good product; Easy to use
The plants are growing fine, and once set up it is pretty automatic except for adding water and nutrients. Some herbs growing faster than others (expected that) but their lower leaves are higher than the spot that I’ll have to trim them (darn you basil).
2 Stars Overpriced with major design flaw
Early growth was impressive (with included fertilizing tablets), but the roots of mature plants clog the filter and stop the water from circulating. Roots, in turn, fester. I was able to rip roots from the area, but such clearing would need to be done every other day, as the filter clogs again right away. Serious issues with powdery mildew; I had many seedlings fail. (Perhaps a 5:1 failure to success ratio.) As another reviewer writes, the low-water indicator light does not work correctly. In order to set the timing of the lights (for bloom), you must actually do it when you want the lights to come on (or go off — I forget). Very limited options there. I would expect more thoughtful engineering across the board for such an expensive product. So… if you’re growing quick-to-mature plants like lettuce or herbs, it might work all right (perhaps with a small fan for mildew prevention), but not for the larger crops for which it purports to be designed. Do the research to build your own *working* system for a third of the cost.
5 Stars growing like crazy
The aerogarden does what it says it will do. I used the master garden kit to start a number of seeds for the garden and they all did well.
