Innovation is at the core of every BSH product, and with the new SmartGrow Life it’s no different. But what are the unique features that make it so special? In this story, Primož Dornik, Senior Engineer Specialist, reveals what highlights consumers can look forward to in our brand Bosch’s latest Indoor Gardening solution for herbs, microgreens, and much more.

In the new SmartGrow Life, innovation is not only in the renewed design and sustainable appeal but also in its unique features: From smart lightning to silent irrigation. Here are four innovative features at the core of our brand Bosch’s new release.

Primož Dornik, Senior Engineer Specialist for the SmartGrow team

1. Intelligent Lighting

For as long as the world has existed, nature has been doing a pretty good job at providing plants with much-needed sunlight for photosynthesis. But the brilliant minds behind the SmartGrow Life have remarkably found a way of turning that into a more efficient process, even without sunshine. Through a complex LED system, the appliance ensures the right intensity, spectrum, and duration of light for healthy development and tastier greens during each growing phase.

Thanks to the fixed light wavelength for each growth phase, your plants always enjoy optimal lighting conditions - regardless of whether the SmartGrow Life is placed by the window or in a cozy corner of the living room.

The improved efficiency comes through a deep knowledge of the light spectrum. According to Primož, while the sun provides plants with the whole spectrum of light, the SmartGrow appliance only uses those wavelengths that the plants can use for photosynthesis in each growth stage. For example, blue light during the vegetative phase for the production of pigments for color and fragrance, green light for development of deeper leaf surfaces, and red light for germination, flowering, and fruiting. With this, consumers can enjoy fresh herbs all year round.

“We could have opted for lights which can accurately simulate the sun, but that would mean using the full spectrum, and therefore, we would be using light that is not consumed by the plants, which would also increase energy consumption”, clarifies Primož.

 

 

2. Wall Garden

Although indoor gardening is an option for anyone seeking a healthier and greener lifestyle, it is particularly popular among city dwellers with little to no outdoor space and limited indoor space, who still crave fresh, homegrown greens. “People who live in cities usually don’t have big kitchens and big rooms. Their countertop, for example, does not always have space for an extra appliance such as the SmartGrow. So we came up with the idea to have a wall mount, which saves space, and adds a very nice decorative element to the apartment,” says Primož.

 

With the new wall mounting kit, you can create your own vertical garden

 

3. Contactless Magnetic Coupling

Whether in the living room or on the kitchen table - with the SmartGrow Life you can place your plants exactly where you want them. Time to cook? Just pull the tray out of the docking station and take it with you!

 

This feature, also known as smart docking, makes moving the appliance simple. Through the contactless magnetic coupling system, consumers can easily put the SmartGrow’s bowl back into place after removing it to harvest herbs for cooking, for example. The technology is especially useful for those taking advantage of the wall mount since the appliance can easily be reassembled at any time.

 

 

The hydroponic system is perhaps the main secret behind uncomplicated gardening — even for those without a green thumb. Growing the plants in water instead of soil not only ensures a pest-free garden but also provides the plant roots with just the right amount of nutrients, water and oxygen.

For Primož, assuring the quality of the hydroponic technology was the hardest part of developing the SmartGrow. “The biggest challenge was when we found out that the way we had done the irrigation system was not good enough the way it was. Then we had a lot of iterations that took a long time”, explains the engineer. But the hard work definitely paid off. The system can now automatically, and silently, pump just the right amount of water which leaves consumers with one single last step: harvesting and enjoying fresh homegrown greens.

The hydroponic technology ensures that the plants always have the right amount of nutrients, water, and oxygen

“Going to work was always fun, not only because I like the idea of the product itself, but also thanks to the opportunity of being part of such an amazing team”. Primož Dornik, Senior Engineer Specialist