For most people, growing herbs at home is either a success for a few weeks or a frustrating experiment that ends with a wilted pot on the windowsill. And let's face it, even the packages of basil from the supermarket, which only look tempting until you head to the checkout, don't last very long. That's why I've been looking for a system that not only looks good, but also works reliably. When I found this review Genuine Exky Smart, I had the feeling that something was happening in front of me.oneclearly outlines the solution. And that it promises a lot – from automatic watering to a special LED system for fast and aromatic growth. The question was: will this smart francOuza mini-garden your big words?
Technical specifications, processing and design
At first glance, the Exky Smart impresses with its design. While most competing products rely on the classic “white-plastic” aesthetic, the Véritable goes its own way. The black body with copper accents looks elegant, almost luxurious, and definitely does not give the impression of another appliance that you will want to hide as soon as a visitor arrives. On the contrary – in the kitchen or on the windowsill, it will act as a stylish accessory. Honestly, practically every visitor who has visited us in recent weeks has stopped by it and admired it for at least a moment. This is not a product that one would encounter every day.
Thanks to its dimensions of 20 x 20 x 46 cm, the flowerpot can fit almost anywhere, but ideally somewhere with access to natural light, although this is not a requirement. The light support is provided by a pair of LED arms that monitor the intensity of the ambient light and automatically adjust. This system not only saves energy, but above all protects the plants from so-called "overexposure", which is a problem that cheaper models do not address at all. The great thing is that the arm on which the lights are placed is height-adjustable, so as soon as your plants "jump out", you can raise the arm and thus provide them with more space to grow.
The heart of the system is the automatic irrigation system – a water tank that can last up to 4 weeks. The water is distributed via a smart capillary system according to the plants' current needs. This means that even if you are away from home for a longer period of time, you don't have to worry about who will water your basil.
If you are wondering how you can tell if there is not enough water in the flower pot, the answer is simple. Water is added to it through a hole with a float, which informs you about the water level in the flower pot, and as soon as the float drops, you simply add water to the hole and that's it. And since the float is directly in the refill hole, the risk of plants overflowing is eliminated. When refilling water, the float logically moves up due to the increasing water level, gradually closing the refill hole.
Also worth noting is the compatibility with Lingot seed blocks, which are completely manufactured in France.ancii, in BIO quality and GMO-free. The lingots contain seeds, nutrients and substrate, so you just have to put them in the device - no mess, no thinking. In the test I used basil and parsley, two very different plants in terms of growth and requirements - the ideal pair to test the system.
Testing – from seed to joy
The beginning of the testing was surprisingly simple. I poured water into the container, inserted the seed blocks, plugged in the adapter and… that was it. No settings, no tuning of the light intensity, no complicated manuals. The Véritable Exky Smart took care of everything by itself. The only thing you need to think about and be a little careful about is the fact that the flower bed lights up automatically in a 16-hour light and 8-hour dark mode, strictly adhering to these times regardless of the surroundings. It is therefore a good idea to turn on the flower pot so that turning it off after 16 hours really works out for the night, and to have it in a place where you don't mind the constant light. If that's not possible, it's a good idea to consider plugging the flower pot into a smart socket and setting it to turn on and off at certain times.
Gallery
The first visible basil sprouts appeared after about five days, the parsley was a little slower – it only broke through after about a week and a half. But once both plants took hold, growth was literally rocketing. After two weeks, the basil had filled its pot so much that I started the first harvest. The leaves were fleshy, fragrant and incomparably more intense in taste than any basil from the store. The LED system, which supports the production of essential oils, works exactly as the manufacturer promises in practice.
Parsley, which grew a little slower, surprised me mainly with its density. After just a month, it was clear that I could easily use this herb for everyday use. And what is important – thanks to the precise water dosage and stable light, not a single plant showed signs of overwatering or drying out. The whole system worked stably and completely reliably even without my intervention.
The main advantage over competing systems such as Click and Grow is clearly the yield. I harvested more from one Lingot in a month than I normally could use. And that is a difference that has a real impact on the purchasing decision - because in the end you don't want a device that looks nice, but one that actually produces. I also didn't "mess around" with the harvesting at all. I always cut the herbs about a third of their height from the ground, and they started to grow back very quickly. At the time of writing this review, I have already had three total harvests (along with a few smaller ones when I only needed a few leaves for flavoring) and it doesn't look like we're going to stop harvesting.
Plus, I appreciate that the entire system is quiet. No humming, no humming of the pump, nothing that would disrupt the normal running of the household. The planter quietly takes care of its plants and you just reap the results. Literally. It's the kind of gadget that you don't even need to know about, but it's great to have at home.
Summary
The Véritable Exky Smart is more than just a smart planter. It is an elegant, thoughtful system that combines francOuzo design with high functionality and BIO quality. Automatic irrigation, adaptive LED lighting and high yield make it the top among home growing systems. And what is important – it does all this without the need for your constant supervision or technical know-how.
For me personally, Exky Smart meantonec experiments with supermarket herbs, which one has to resort to in winter because of the frozen garden, and the beginning of a new era where I always have fresh basil and parsley on hand. So if you are looking for a solution that not only looks good, but also works, and if you want to get from seed maxIf you are looking for the best taste, aroma and yield, then you definitely can't go wrong with this system.
Véritable also has what many competitors lack – long-term sustainability, organic standards and consistent quality control of production in Europe. It is not a cheap gadget for one season, but a long-term partner for anyone who is serious about fresh herbs. And not only herbs. Seedlings are also available mini tomatoes, strawberries, pansies, but also empty clay "bales" for your own seeds.
The Véritable Exky SMART automatic flower pot can be purchased here
