AeroGarden, which makes smart indoor planters with built-in grow lights that work with a connected app, recently announced it will be closing its business starting January 1 next year. Ars Technica reported.
The company, which was acquired by Scott's Miracle-Gro in 2020, says it will update users later on the “longer-term status” of its app, which allows users to monitor water levels and set lighting schedules. For now, AeroGarden only says that the app will work “over a longer period of time.” Owners can also control their smart garden tools without the app “as described in the operating instructions for their respective product”. (For example, the Bounty Wi-Fi offers a touchscreen control panel.)
Still, Wi-Fi-enabled software features are a big reason people buy things like smart home grow kits, and losing those features could be painful. Consumer advocacy groups such as iFixit and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have lobbied the FTC to create guidelines for hardware that is closely tied to software features.
All AeroGarden kits purchased from November 1st only come with a 90-day warranty, but the company says the one-year term of kits purchased before that date will still be honored. Although AeroGarden has closed its online store, the company says its products, parts and accessories will be available on Amazon by the end of the year. AeroGarden SYes, there are several third-party seed pods that could serve as “replacements” for the ones they make so you can continue growing your not-so-smart garden.