Indoor planters have become surprisingly popular in the last few years. They make it possible to grow herbs, small vegetables and other plants year-round without venturing outdoors (whether or not you have a backyard). Even so, many people find their thumb isn’t quite green enough for most ordinary indoor gardens—planters require a lot of watering, lighting control and supervision. That’s where PicoMax comes in—it’s billed as an almost completely autonomous smart planter that you can use to grow your favorite flowers, herbs, succulents and more.
The PicoMax can accommodate plants that grow up to a foot in height. That includes ornamental plants such as pilia and lavender as well as herbs like basil and mint—not to mention some fruits and vegetables like cherry tomatoes and chili peppers. Unlike some planters that only work with proprietary seed pods, you bring your own seeds to PicoMax.
The PicoMax just launched on Kickstarter and has already blown through its initial goal of $30,000—it has amassed more than $177,700 within it’s first week. And this isn’t the first rodeo for the people behind PicoMax; this product is an upgrade to the original Pico, an indoor planter that started on Kickstarter a year ago and has been successfully selling at retail for months.
PicoMax
If you’ve seen the original, diminutive Pico planter, you can think of the PicoMax as a supersized version that also incorporates a slew of additional features and technologies. The PicoMax is three times bigger than the Pico, measuring 6.7 inches long and 3.6 inches deep. It’s what PicoMax does that’s more exciting, though.
The self-watering system now lets you go up to 10 days between refills; just fill the reservoir with water (you can see the water level through the colorful, translucent tank) and the PicoMax’s capillary system feeds your plants automatically.
Then there’s the real-time clock that knows your local time zone and controls the array of LED grow lights, turning them on and off and dimming them as needed to control the growing cycle. An infrared proximity sensor can prevent over-lighting of plants that are growing quickly and get too close to the LED lights.
And unlike most indoor planters, you don’t need to plug it in. If you add the optional 10,000-mAh battery, you can run the planter for four days at a time between charges. Whether or not you rely on the battery, you can daisy-chain the planters together. Each Pico Max has two USB-C ports—one at each end—so you can connect them together and only plug in one to a power source. And thanks to the included metal mounting bracket, you have a slew of options for where you place it in your home; you can stand it on a counter, mount it to the wall or even magnetically attach it to your refrigerator door.
The PicoMax will be available in three color options that include white coral, stone blue and sea green. It’s on Kickstarter right now with pledges for a single planter starting at $69. The estimated delivery date is currently October 2021. If you’d rather not wait, you can still buy the original Pico right now for $49.
