Click and Grow Smart Gardens make indoor gardening simple, no matter where you live. One of the main components of Click and Grow is their Smart Soil, which is used in all of the Plant Pods they sell. However, some gardening enthusiasts have a preferred type of potting soil they like to plant all their crops in. For this reason, some wonder if it’s possible to use regular soil in a Click and Grow system.
It is possible to use regular potting soil in your Click and Grow Smart Garden. However, it is not recommended that you use anything other than their Smart Soil. This is mainly because of the way Click and Grow handles fertilization, as well as water and oxygen delivery.
Below, we will discuss the differences between using regular soil and Click and Grow Smart Soil in your smart indoor gardening system. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know before you begin!
Can You Use Regular Soil with Click and Grow?
It is possible to use your preferred brand of loose potting soil in your Click and Grow Smart Garden system. However, the company advises against doing so.
One of the main reasons why alternative soil choices are not recommended comes down to fertilization issues. Unlike hydroponic gardening systems, Click and Grow uses capillary precision irrigation, or CPI, to deliver nutrients to your soil. This distributes water and nutrients to your plants at specific times according to temperature and soil moisture.
Because Click and Grow’s Smart Soil is already full of all the nutrients your plants need to thrive, the water tank system is not designed for liquid fertilizer. After you add water to your tank, it’s delivered to your plants through a wick. This wick acts as a filter to prevent salts from passing through your soil.
For this reason, any fertilizer you add to your water tank will likely either remain in the tank or be filtered out through the wick. Only a small amount will actually be delivered to your crops, making it difficult to measure how much fertilizer you need to add to your tank. While you can always add plant food directly to your soil from above, this kind of defeats the purpose of Click and Grow as a low-maintenance indoor gardening solution.
In addition to fertilization concerns, it’s worth noting that not every type of soil is designed to be used in a wick-watering system. Your soil may end up drying up quicker than the system expects it to, or it may stop taking water altogether as your plants grow. Whatever the case may be, using anything other than Smart Soil in your Click and Grow Smart Garden will likely not yield optimal growth.
What are the Benefits of Using Click and Grow’s Smart Soil?
If you’re just starting out with Click and Grow, you may be wondering why it’s so important to use their patented Smart Soil over other types of potting soil.
Using exclusively Smart Soil in your smart garden comes with many benefits, including:
- Mess-free design
- Smart nutrient delivery
- No harmful substances
Now, let’s discuss how these factors contribute to your plants’ success.
Mess-Free Design
If you’ve worked with traditional potting soil before, you know just how messy it can be. Smart Soil, on the other hand, comes in one piece. Not only does this prevent the spills and other messes that potting soil is infamous for, but it also perfectly supports the weight of your plants, always keeping them in an upright position.
Smart Nutrient Delivery
You may be surprised to hear that Click and Grow’s Smart Soil is based on NASA technology, which can even help plants grow in space! Click and Grow technology keeps water evenly distributed to ensure the roots can get the exact amount of water they need, exactly when they need it.
As we touched on above, Smart Soil also has built-in fertilization technology. Their patented nano-material releases minerals, oxygen, and water into your soil automatically as needed, according to temperature and the current level of moisture. It always keeps your plant’s pH at the correct level, so there’s never any need to measure or calibrate it.
The smart nutrient delivery system will give you peace of mind that everything is growing as it should. Nutrients, water, and oxygen will always be kept at the right levels, optimizing plant growth and making indoor gardening as stress-free as possible.
No Harmful Substances
Smart Soil is made from natural, renewable materials. Perhaps one of the greatest selling points of Smart Soil is that it contains no harmful substances that can affect the quality of your plants, such as:
- Hormones
- Pesticides
- Fungicides
This allows you to grow your own fruits, vegetables, or herbs at home without any worries about adverse effects on your family’s health.
Final Thoughts
While you can use regular potting soil in your Click and Grow Smart Garden, the company specifically advises against it. To ensure your plants grow as well as they can, always use Click and Grow’s Smart Soil in your indoor garden.