Customer Reviews

Hydrofarm MGSYS Hydroponic Megagarden System

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

i am an experienced hydroponic gardener and i love this setup. i bought it and all you need is a light water and some ph up and down. i would also recommend a digital ph and ppm meter .i use two of them and going to buy 2 more alot of poeple like me build there own but when you figure hydroton and nutes its well worth the money . mine came with general hydroponic nutrients and thats what i use. great setup and great deal i would also recommend using 2.5 ml of 35% food grade peroxide to avoid root rot if youre res temp get higher than 70 degrees J.

I received this item, although I thought I had ordered the smaller system (Emily's hydroponic garden system) which has only 6 plants. I was a little hesitant at first since it was much bigger than I expected, but after putting everything together I am very satisfied. The instructions for assembly and use are excellent, but missing teeny details here and there (for example: in order to install the pump you have to cut a very small hole in the red plug). Otherwise everything you need to start a hydroponic garden is included in the box (minus a light source, of course, and an acid solution to adjust the pH of your water if necessary). I have started many seedlings and other small plants in the system and I am planning on transplanting some plants from my outdoor garden as well. The seedlings are growing faster than I ever imagined, even without a light source! I have the system set up near a window, but do not have a light hung over it yet. All in all, it only measures about 2'x 2' and it is incredibly easy to use. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking to start their first hydroponic garden! I am very excited to continue growing throughout the winter!

What a great item.. I have harvest my first crop of lettece and other veggies. It took no time at all to go from seed to plant. This was great fun for my kids to work with. They really enjoy watching the plants grow. This really couldn't be easier. Everything is on a timer. The only thing I need to do is make sure that there is enough water and nutrients for the plants..

Although this product is considered "cutting edge" for today's ebb and flow hydroponic systems, the quality of materials leaves a lot to be desired. Specifically, the plastic compounds which make up the outer body is extremely thin, especially near the upper corners and edges of the tray, leaving it susceptible to easy breakage during shipment.
The best part of this deal is that you get everything (except the water and seeds) to begin a small vegetable garden.
I'd say it's a great starter system.

I was looking at this product and based on what I understand, Mr. Phillip j. Herman I would humbly suggest to look into a book on hydroponic gardening and I think you would have better results. Beginning Hydroponics Revised Ed

I've used one of these for more than two years and I'm very pleased with the quality of the materials and how it has worked. I use mine to raise habanero chiles in my basement, and it's done everything I could have expected.

Chile plants are fairly large, so I can't use all 15 pots at once, but I don't need that many plants to keep me eating fresh habaneros all year around. Currently I have five plants - one in each corner and one in the middle. One of the plants is two and a half years old and has been an outstanding producer.

I have some other Hydrofarm equipment and I have come to trust the brand.

Although I've only had it a few days, I'm very pleased with this hydroponic system. I was hesitant in ordering it after reading some of the reviews. Somebody said the pump was too weak. Mine was too at first, but there's an adjustment on the pump that controls its efficiency. Somebody else said that the instructions were too difficult to understand. Although they should have asked a beginner (like me) to write the instructions, at least the illustrations were helpful. Here are a few sentences I would have added to the instructions:

There are two trays, one on top of the other. The water (with a few teaspoons of nutrients added) is contained in the bottom tray. 15 plants (in 15 pots) are set in the upper tray. A few times each day the pump turns on (nice and quiet - all you hear is a gentle gurgling of water) and pumps the water from the bottom tray up to the top tray, wetting and feeding the plant roots. Then the pump turns off and all the water drains back down into the bottom tray. One point of confusion is that the water in the upper tray is draining down to the lower tray even while the pump is on. That's okay. The pump is pumping water upstairs faster than gravity can pull it downstairs through the little drains. So the net result is a rise in water upstairs.

How much water should be used? The instructions don't say. I used 5 or 6 gallons (enough to wet the roots at least up to the middle hole in the pots). I also found it necessary to adjust the "overflow drain" higher so that the water level in the upper tray could rise higher. I also needed to slightly enlarge the small hole in the red lid so that the black plastic drain plug could fit-in properly.

I was happily surprised that they included such a generous amount of the hydroton growing medium (about twice as much as needed), and two large bottles of nutrients. The timer makes everything so effortless. (Note that you shouldn't slide the timer switch to "on" [indicated with a red light]. This overrides the timer and turns the pump on permanently. Curiously, the system only works properly when the timer appears to be "off".

What to plant? Since this is in our kitchen, we have it planted with culinary herbs. The pots are close together, so I can't image being able to grow tomato plants or any plant even half as large. I think this setup might be good for getting cuttings to root. So far I've stuck-in cuttings of rosemary, Thai lime, lemon verbena, and marjoram (none of which can survive our winters outdoors). Although the plants are at a window, I'm using supplemental lighting (11-Watt Par38 Red/Blue LED) to extend the daylight hours.

Once I got my plants up and running I figured out that you need to keep the light off of the roots. If you have tall plants like peppers you need to make sure that you use all 15 of the buckets to cover the full root area,even if you can only fit in 4 plants to the system because of the size of the plants.

Also, you need an air pump and an air stone for this thing to keep the water oxygenated. That's not included.

Harvest wise, I'd say I'm doing better with my DWC.

Needed a basic ebb and flo system... This one comes complete with everything you need to get started with except plants... Works flawlessly.. I will proably get another!

I liked it so much I bought 2. They have changed it from the Pic they show for advertisement. The Drain is no longer on the red disc, the pots are now white. This system has it all , it comes with a 160 gph pump, all the plumbing, liquid ph tester, 2 part General Hydroponics Flora Series (grow & flower)just enough to get u started and maybe finish 1 grow,25 liter Hy-Droton and they trough in an extra 5 pound bag.U will have plenty of left over.
The only things u need with this Garden is Light,Ph up and down (special note:) General Hydroponics comes Ph ballenced... And an Air pump, the more air u pump the more your nuits mix and the longer they stay active. Recommended from me is the ActiveAqua 4" Disc Air Stone, it even says on the box that it is recommended for the Hydrofarm. And I bought the Fusion Aquarium model 700. This air pump puts out some serious air and it's a dual pump with a nobe to adjust the air flow.And very quite.
I can go on & on about my set up, so if you need any help, feel free to ask