I've had hydroponics in the past, and they have worked well for certain things ( and not so well for others). My best success was Basil, parsley and certain lettuces. Ive also used it to root rosemary ( with ok success) and mints ( with good success. I'd buy mint from the store to use for cooking, and the leftovers Id root and grow). I currently have an aquaponics system which is similar, just that its positioned over a fish tank, and uses the fish water as nutrients, and in return, filters out the water for the tank).
Issues ive had with growing different varieties of herbs at the same time is that their germination and growth rate are different . Basil germinated in less than a week, and parsley took a few weeks. This affects the light distribution , sine as you raise the light it for the fastest growing, tallest plant, the others suffer being a greater distance from the light . Similarly, a mature basil plant is usually a much taller plant than the parsley, so even after germination, the basil will dictate light position . Even if you prune it too keep it shorter, it will promote a bushy plant , shading out and competing for space over its neighboring plant.
Another thing is the pods are close together , so one will shade out the other plants. Some times Ill just plant in every other pod to avoid crowding.
Issues Ive had with dill was that the plant and fronds are so delicate, sometimes the dryness in the winter ( or indoors) causes them to dehydrate easily.
It will take a few months from planting to harvest ( depending on the plant).
Should one plant or cell be harvested or die off, cant really start another one until they all die due to light positioning/ distance and being crowded out.
As the plants grow, they require more and more water ( obviously), but what may be watering once a week turns into at least once a day, so just need to keep up on it so they dont dry out.
As the plants get bigger , so does their root system, so need to watch that the roots dont clog up the pump and prevent the water from flowing .
Cats love these things, so. if you have a cat, keep them away from it.
Things like the tomatoes and peppers will require pollinating ( even if they say the variety is self pollinating, still need to help it out). And even the miniature varieties tend to get sloppy and more difficult to contain.
Issues Ive had with going lettuce , is it takes a few months to mature just to get a few salads out of it. Herbs are more practical since you're only using a little bit at a time ( in most cases).
All this being said, the one in your link, there are fewer pods that are larger and more spaced out, so crowding may less of an issue.
Also, this uses the coco fiber as a growth medium, which may be subject to fungus gnats ( which could e annoying but, ut not the end of the world)
www.auk.com
