Abby Grow Box
MSRP $999.00
“It has its quirks, however the Abby Grow Box is a fantastic indoor garden for beginners.”
Pros
- Sleek design
- Low maintenance
- Incredibly fast grow rate
- Can grow anything that works with deep water culture
Cons
- Unnecessarily confusing setup
- Heavily depending on your smartphone
The Abby Grow Box is a sleek, indoor gardening system that allows you to grow any plant compatible with hydroponic setups. Every thing concerning the gardening process is automated with Abby — just check in weekly to replenish its nutrients and alter its water, and also you’ll have a blooming plant before you already know it.
There are just a few quirks to using Abby, however it truly delivers on the promise of an automatic gardening system. For those who’re willing to look past its eye-watering price tag and don’t mind working through a convoluted setup phase, the Abby Grow Box is a fantastic technique to change into a green thumb without getting your hands dirty.
Easy (but confusing) setup
Digital Trends/Jon Bitner
Among the best things concerning the Abby Grow Box is that it comes preassembled. The outside of the box is incredibly modern, boasting an all-white finish with some wood accents. Its easy exterior belies its complex interior, which offers state-of-the-art equipment to hurry up the expansion of your indoor garden. At the highest of the unit you’ll find an array of Samsung LM301H Full Spectrum Plant Lights, along the edges you’ll see just a few sensors, and the very bottom is home to a three-gallon water tank, bubbler, low noise fans, and every thing else needed to maintain your plant alive and thriving.
The proven fact that you don’t must assemble anything is a godsend. With so many moving pieces (and the narrow design of Abby), piecing together the grow box on your individual can be an enormous undertaking.
Where the Abby Grow Box takes its first misstep is when guiding you thru the startup and planting process. This requires using an accompanying smartphone app — which is currently only available on iOS. The Android version is anticipated to drop in September, but since Abby is so depending on this app, anyone with an Android won’t have the option to do much with the indoor garden until then.
The app itself looks the part (it has colourful graphics and is sleek enough to look as if it were designed by Apple), but using it for the startup process is unnecessarily confusing. Once you already know what you’re doing the method is simple — simply place your plant within the provided plant basket, replenish the reservoir with water, and add the 2 nutrient packets. But the primary time using the app you’ll be left with numerous questions. Do I wrap this Rockwool across the plant roots? Do I press this button before or after I finish the step? And now that the setup is complete, what do I do next?
Considering Abby costs $1,000, it seems odd that a lot functionality has been pushed to your smartphone.
A few of these issues appear to have been addressed in subsequent software patches, so be certain that to update your gear prior to starting your planting process. Much of the confusion might have been avoided if there was a comprehensive handbook included within the box, but as a substitute, you’re left to muddle through the app.
Also note that the Abby Grow Box comes with tons of additional pieces, similar to magnetic hooks, a trellis net, and a training tie — however it gives you little guidance on how (or why) to make use of them. Experienced gardeners probably don’t need the assistance, but seeing as Abby is geared as a technique to automate the gardening process and can likely find its way into the house of beginners, a transient tutorial for each bit would have been a pleasant touch.
Powered by your smartphone
Digital Trends/Jon Bitner
It’s not unusual for smart home gadgets to be powered by an accompanying smartphone app, however the Abby Grow Box takes this idea to the subsequent level. Nearly every thing you do with the indoor garden is tied to the app. Whether you ought to drain the water, replace nutrients, or do the rest, you’ll wish to use your smartphone.
Abby does offer some voice controls, but these aren’t explained thoroughly. No comprehensive list of commands is provided together with your purchase, and also you’ll randomly find out about just a few of them throughout the startup process.
Because the growing process is automated, you don’t need to ascertain in in your plant each day. Abby will push an alert to your smartphone letting you already know when it’s time to vary the water and nutrients. This implies you’ll wish to be certain that you have got the right permissions set for the app in your phone — otherwise, you might miss these alerts. Oddly enough, the Abby Grow Box itself won’t provide you with an alert. The unit has a display that shows the present temperature and other stats, but for some reason, it won’t flash notifications on the screen. As an alternative, you’re entirely reliant in your smartphone.
Considering Abby costs $1,000, it seems odd that a lot functionality is faraway from the grow box itself and pushed to your smartphone. It’s a minor inconvenience, however it seems like an oversight on an otherwise premium product. And with a display already built into the unit, it will be great to provide it more functionality than simply displaying current parameters.
Impeccable design and high-powered growing
Digital Trends/Jon Bitner
When you’ve come to grips with the startup phase and the reliance in your smartphone, Abby truly begins to shine. The array of Samsung lights at the highest of the garden combined with the proprietary nutrients provided by Abby allows plants to utterly thrive. I’m a beginner in the case of gardening, but I noticed a major difference in the expansion rate of my strawberries planted with Abby in comparison with those planted traditionally. The planting process was also much cleaner, with no dirt or additional gear needed.
The garden itself looks great, however it looks even higher once you have got a plant growing.
It’s hard to understate just how good the Abby Grow Box looks in comparison with most of its rivals. There’s no exterior tubing, no external pumps, and every thing is entirely contained contained in the unit. And despite all of the tech packed into Abby, it only takes up just a few feet of space in your private home. This slim design signifies that Abby is just intended to grow one plant at a time — so it’s best to plant something high yield like tomatoes. Otherwise, you’ll be using numerous water and energy to grow a single flower.
The garden itself looks great, however it looks even higher once you have got a plant growing. A big, removable window cover on the front of the unit lets you see inside, and the explosion of green out of your plant looks stunning contrasted with the outside. No matter your private home décor, the Abby Grow Box is sure to enhance your style.
Abby is designed to be used with the included growing nutrients. These are added together with your water changes every week, and in the event you run out of your initial allotment you should purchase more directly through Abby. It’s not really helpful, but there’s nothing stopping you from using your individual mixture of nutrients. But in the event you’re a gardening newbie, be sure you stick to the propriety mix offered by Abby for max growth.
Is it price $1,000?
Digital Trends/Jon Bitner
Abby isn’t an ideal indoor garden. Its heavy reliance in your smartphone is frustrating, the uninformative startup process leaves you at nighttime, and it clocks in at a staggering $1,000. Nonetheless, in the event you’re serious about jumping into the world of gardening and need a straightforward technique to start, Abby has lots to supply. Your plants will grow remarkably fast, there’s little to no maintenance required, and it supports a wide selection of plants — including strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and dozens of colourful flowers.
For those who’re in search of something that allows you to grow multiple plants (or is a bit cheaper), there are tons of indoor, hydroponic gardens that is perhaps a greater fit. Our list of the perfect indoor herb gardens is a fantastic place to begin. But in the event you want something stylish, powerful, and low maintenance, the Abby Grow Box is well worth the price of admission.
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