Questions, answered straight
Electricity, maintenance, space, labour and what it really costs to run.
How much electricity does it use?
About S$15 for a 4-week cycle and about S$18 for a 5-week cycle. The full-spectrum LED lights draw about 120 W and run about 14 hours a day, at the current SP tariff of 31.16¢/kWh.
What does each growing cycle cost to run?
About S$22 for a 4-week cycle and S$25 for a 5-week cycle, all in: electricity (S$15–18), nutrient (about S$4.40), sponges (about S$1.80), water (under S$0.50) and seeds (about S$0.30).
How much space does it need?
A footprint of 811 × 433 mm and a height of 1,805 mm. It has 5 layers: 4 planting layers of 18 (72 plants) and a seedling layer of 76.
How much work is it?
About 3.5 hours per cycle: around 1 hour seeding and transplanting, about 10 minutes a week checking water and nutrient levels, around 1 hour harvesting and around 1 hour cleaning and resetting. In a school, this can be the children's activity itself.
What maintenance does it need?
A full cleanse of the whole system once every 2–3 months. One servicing is included in the package.
How fast can we harvest?
In our trials, pak choy and bayam were ready in 4 weeks; lettuces, choy sum and kale in 5 weeks; herbs such as basil, shiso and parsley in 7 weeks.
Do we harvest once or many times?
Whole-head crops such as lettuce heads and pak choy are harvested once, then replanted. Loose-leaf lettuce, kale, basil and other herbs can be picked again and again from the same planting over several weeks.
What nutrients and sprays are used?
The plants are grown soil-free with a chemical hydroponic nutrient (fertiliser) solution. No pesticides are used in growing.
How long does a seed pack last?
A 5 g seed pack costs S$8.50. Lettuce-type seed is tiny, so one pack covers roughly 22–32 cycles of one system at about 2 seeds per cup. That is about S$0.30 of seed per cycle.
Will it save us money?
Honestly, not quickly. Produce alone is unlikely to pay back the system fast, and the value depends on the crop you grow and whether you would otherwise buy it. We don't promise savings or a payback period. People buy it for fresh pesticide-free greens, learning and engagement. Try the value calculator for an illustrative estimate.
What's included for S$1,300?
The grow system plus delivery, installation, training and one servicing.
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