The T6 is ready to go straight out of the box. All you need to add is water and the plants or seed pods. The T6 can be used without the app and without a smartphone, however it is only limited to the standard herb and lettuce grow program. You can put all your favorite herbs in the T6 and you will have fresh and tasty herbs all year long. Three times faster growth, effortless use and the ability to grow almost any plant are the key benefits of the T6 garden. All of this can be done without any prior gardening experience, as the T6 features two of Tregren's newest innovations: Active Growing Technology and the Smart Gardener app. In the Smart Gardener you can create and with it you can control the conditions in your T6 for the specific plants you are growing. Adjust lighting conditions, irrigation, and nutrients to suit the needs of your plants. It also reminds you when to add water and nutrients to your T6. The T6 is ready to go straight out of the box. All you need to add is water and the plants or seed pods. The T6 can be used without the app and without a smartphone, however it is only limited to the standard herb and lettuce grow program.