The website for Seedo isn’t too far off from something you might have seen at the Home Depot. Their main product is a hermetically sealed grow box controlled and managed by artificial intelligence, employing machine learning technology, computer vision algorithms, and wholly enclosed systems including advanced lighting systems to nurture plants like herbs, flowers, or vegetables.
I moved to California recently from Colorado. It occurred to me, as it probably has occurred to you by now, that you could grow more than basil in these nifty little boxes.
To be less subtle, growing and using marijuana is legal in a whole bunch of states now, specifically 11 states for recreational marijuana (if you’re in one of those states, you probably know already, especially if you’ve been to a concert lately), in addition to 22 states who have recognized medical marijuana as a remedy for conditions such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety, in addition to a bunch of other conditions that are plaguing Americans right now, particularly veterans.
The industry is now using artificial intelligence and machine learning to grow pot, and Seedo even has a machine-learning agronomy database, similar to Tesla’s shared cloud database, which teaches all the Seedo grow boxes out there how to best grow high yielding and happy crops and share that data with other Seedo machines. That’s kind of a trip, so to speak.
For parental types, it also comes with a child lock that can only be locked or opened by the mobile app, which also keeps your crops safe from any other prying eyes.
The company’s product is pretty amazing, actually. You don’t have to grow marijuana (although that’s certainly an option according to what we’ve been told), but you can also grow herbs, vegetables, flowers, and more. But here’s the kicker: Regardless of what you decide to cultivate, Seedo’s weird little hydroponic box will increase your yield even more than if you grow it in your backyard.
It’s not cheap, so it’s a bit of an investment. If you buy directly from the Israel-based company, a Seedo will set you back $2,400, plus around $350 for shipping, although the company will take a $500 down payment with the remainder due upon delivery.
Along with the Seedo, you’ll also get a full growing kit that includes one nutrient package, two CO2 cylinders, one rockwool grow slab, an air filter, a water filter, and the app, which can be run on iOS or Android devices.
Why the app? In addition to monitoring things like water levels, you can literally watch your weed grow, in high definition no less. The device can grow up to five plants at once, and self manages everything your typical gardener might, including the climate, lighting and nutrient parameters to produce a significantly larger yield than traditional grows can produce. The Seedo also drastically speeds up grow times, while a successful operation can also be maintained in a small space — no more growing ditch weed under florescent lights in a closet in your basement.
It’s a little bigger than a mini-fridge; it weighs about 90 pounds or so before plants, uses 0.24 kilowatts per hour of power, and is around 40 inches high and 25 inches wide. The Seedo’s nutrition system was developed by a dedicated agronomist, and created especially for hydroponic growth within a relatively compact size. Owners will also be able to order extra consumables, such as CO2, nutrients, etc., from an online store that’s currently under construction.
So, whether you want to grow vegetables, fresh herbs or flowers, or just want to make an investment in growing something more medicinal, you could definitely do worse than an algorithm-oriented grow box that self-manages itself to grow plants that are big, strong, and plentiful, especially compared to more traditional environments.
