SALAD
SERIES
Tending & Harvesting Guide
SEED KIT TYPE:
PLANTING DATE:
W
elcome
Thank you for your purchase of our
AeroGarden. We have spent years developing and refining our technology to create a growing system that assures you will have a pleasurable and successful year-round gardening experience.
I sincerely hope you enjoy your
AeroGarden and sharing your healthy harvest with your family and friends.
Best Regards,
Michael Bissonnette
Founder and Chairman
AeroGrow International, Inc.
W
hoever
plants a garden
plants happiness.
– CHINESE PROVERB
C O N T E N T S
Planting Your Garden
Plant Your Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Tending Your Garden
Remove Domes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Add Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Feed Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Raise Lamp Hood (Light[s]). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Keep Your Garden Healthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Plant Problems & Remedies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Your Garden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Appendices
Reminders About Planting Your Garden. . . . . . . 9
Questions & Answers – Light(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Set Your Light Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Replace Bulb(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
P
lanting
Y
our
g
arden
A little bit of care for your Garden will ensure rapid growth and bountiful harvests. You will see sprouts in 1 to 3 days.
In about 3 weeks, you will experience the transformation of your seeds into salad greens ready for your table.
P
lant Your Garden
Whether this is the first or fifth garden you are planting in your AeroGarden, you will need to reference your Quick Start Guide.
If you have planted a garden in your AeroGarden prior to this one, please refer to “Replanting Your
AeroGarden” in the Quick Start Guide before you proceed.
If you no longer have your model’s Quick Start
Guide, you can obtain the latest version of it at www.aerogardensupport.com
3 Planting Your Garden
t
ending
Y
our
g
arden
Please take a moment to review this section shortly after planting your Garden (see page 9 for Reminders
About Planting Your Garden).
R
emove Domes
• A few days after planting your AeroGarden, tiny plants will appear through the holes in each Seed Pod Label.
When this occurs, remove the Domes from each Seed
Pod with emerging plants and discard or recycle.
Do not remove the Label!
• To reduce plant stress, we recommend removing the
Domes shortly after the light(s) turn off or near the end of the light cycle.
• You do not need to thin your plants as the AeroGarden can support multiple plants in each Seed Pod.
Each Seed Pod Label shows the number of days until seeds sprout.
Don’t let this happen!
If your plant is curled inside the Dome, it was left on too long. Immediately
remove Dome.
Never remove Labels. They promote germination, inhibit algae growth and identify your plants.
Tending Your Garden 4
A
dd Water
There should always be water in the Bowl of your
AeroGarden. For instructions, see the “Add Water
Using a Spouted Container” section in your Quick
Start Guide.
!
• Use room-temperature water. Very hot or very cold water will hurt your plants.
• We recommend using municipal tap, bottled or purified water. Well or softened water SHOULD
NOT be used because the extra minerals in these sources may be harmful to aeroponically grown plants.
F
eed Garden
Every 2 weeks you will need to add one nutrient tablet (3-pod AeroGardens) or two nutrient tablets (6- or 7-pod AeroGardens) to the
Bowl. For instructions, see “Add Nutrients” (Feed
Garden - Basic Feeding) in the Control Panel Features section of your Quick Start Guide.
Note: We recommend checking for bugs every time you add nutrients. See Troubleshooting on page 12 of this Guide for details.
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
5 Tending Your Garden
R
aise Lamp Hood (Light[s])
As your plants begin to grow, you should provide
1-2” (2.5-5cm) of space between the top of plants and the light(s).
For instructions, refer to the “Raise Lamp Hood
(Light[s])” section in your Quick Start Guide.
If Grow Bulb(s) are too close to plants, the leaves may brown and burn. If they are too far away, your plants will “stretch” toward the light(s) and look unhealthy.
K
eep Your Garden Healthy
Keeping a watchful eye on your Garden is not only a joy, but also a smart way to make sure your plants stay healthy.
As your plants grow, you may see some dead or brown leaves around the base of your plants. This is perfectly normal.
• Remove these leaves with scissors or pinch off with your fingers.
• Keep Grow Surface clear of dead leaves.
Tending Your Garden 6
P
lant Problems & Remedies
These pictures show plants from a Salad Series
Seed Kit that are stressed. Follow suggestions to restore your Garden’s health.
Wilted
Plants are not getting enough water. Check water level.
Burned
Plant is too close to Grow
Bulb(s). Raise the Lamp Hood.
Curled Inside Dome
Dome was left on too long.
Immediately remove Dome.
Bolting
Plant is at end of productive growth period and has long stalks growing from plant base.
Harvest entire plant by cutting at base.
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
7 Tending Your Garden
H
arvesting
Y
our
g
arden
H
arvest Your Garden –
All Salad Green Varieties
After approximately 3 weeks, you can begin harvesting your Salad Garden!
• Remove whole leaves by cutting the base of leaf with pruning shears or household scissors, or by gently pinching off with your fingers.
• Spread your harvesting evenly across your Garden.
You can continue to harvest up to a third of the leaves every few days. Leaves will be replaced by new growth.
• After harvesting lettuce, lower Lamp Hood if necessary (see Quick Start Guide for instructions).
Do not remove more than a third of the leaves from any single
Seed Pod at one time.
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
Harvesting Your Garden 8
a
PPendices
R
eminders About Planting
Your Garden
Please use the Quick Start Guide included in your original AeroGarden box for more detailed setup
instructions. If you no longer have your Quick Start
Guide, you can find the latest version of it at… www.aerogardensupport.com.
Setting up Your Garden
1 Is the Lamp Arm firmly inserted into the Base?
2 Are Grow Bulb(s) firmly inserted into
Lamp Hood?
3 Is Lamp Cord plugged into Lamp Hood?
4 Is Bowl securely placed in Base*?
5
Is there water in Bowl up to “Fill To Here”?
6 Is Lamp Hood at lowest setting?
Planting Your Garden
7
8
Is there a Seed Pod in every Grow
Surface opening?
Did you put a Dome on each Seed Pod?
9 Did you add Starting
Nutrient tablet(s)?
10
Did you record planting date on the cover of this Guide?
Starting Your Garden
11 Did you plug in
AeroGarden?
• Are Grow
Bulb(s) on?
Replanting Your
Garden (if this is not your first planting)
12
Did you reset the nutrient timer on your AeroGarden?
(See “Replanting Your
AeroGarden” in Quick
Start Guide.)
* If your AeroGarden has an Air Hose, connect it to the Bowl at this time.
9 Appendices
Q
uestions & Answers–Light(s)
Do I need to turn light(s) on and off manually?
No. Your AeroGarden includes a built-in timer that turns your light(s) on and off at specific intervals.
These intervals are designed to maximize the growth of lettuce plants. The timing system started as soon as you plugged in your AeroGarden.
Does it matter what time of day the light(s) go off?
No. It makes no difference to the plants when your light(s) go on and off. Some people like to have them turn off when they go to bed and come on in the morning when they wake up. Others prefer to use the
AeroGarden as a nightlight.
Can I change the time of day the light(s) go OFF?
On select models – yes. If it is possible to change the time your light(s) go off, instructions will be found in a section titled, “Personalize Your Light Timer” in the
Quick Start Guide.
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
S
et Your Light Timer
Your AeroGarden has light(s) and a built-in timer that automatically provide your plants with the optimal amount of light needed to grow an abundance of healthy greens.
If the option is available to set the light timer* on your
AeroGarden, you will find instructions in the “Person-
alize Your Light Timer” section of your Quick Start Guide.
* Not available on all AeroGarden models – consult Quick
Start Guide – available at www.aerogardensupport.com.
Appendices 10
T
roubleshooting
What do I do when a Grow Bulb burns out?
Replacement bulbs can be ordered from your retailer or at www.aerogardensupport.com.
What should I do if my Grow Bulb(s) aren’t working?
Make sure Grow Bulb(s) are firmly inserted in the
Lamp Hood. Also check that your Garden is plugged into a working electrical outlet and the Lamp Cord is plugged into the Lamp Hood.
What if I want to move my Garden to another location?
Go right ahead! Keep in mind that each AeroGarden model has different features. Unplugging a Garden in the middle of its growth cycle could cause your
AeroGarden’s light timer to reset. Before moving your
AeroGarden, consult your Quick Start Guide to see how light timer is affected when your model is unplugged.
To move your AeroGarden, be sure to pick it up by holding the Lamp Arm with one hand and sliding your other hand under the bottom of the Base.
My Salad Garden doesn’t look healthy.
What can I do?
If you are concerned about the health of your
Garden, please go through the following…
• Keep light(s) as close to plants as possible, without leaves touching the Grow Bulb(s).
• Replace Grow Bulb(s) every 6 months (see Quick
Start Guide for model-specific instructions).
• Follow the harvesting instructions on page 8.
• Don’t use softened or well water.
• Make sure your garden is in a location that is not too hot (70°F or 21°C maximum).
• Only harvest up to 1/3 of each Seed Pod every few days.
11 Appendices
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
What if I see bugs?
Although leafy green plants are rarely attacked by bugs, it is good to know what to do just in case.
If you see bugs, they probably found their way into your home by hitching a ride on clothing or cut flowers. They are clever about hiding under leaves and in the joints between leaves and plant stems, so they can be difficult to see at first.
Initial signs that you have bugs are either your plants look unhealthy or you may see a sticky substance on your AeroGarden’s Grow Surface.
This is the easiest way we’ve found to get rid of bugs:
1 Unplug AeroGarden and remove the Bowl from the Base.
2 Carefully lift entire Seed Pod and plant out of the Grow Surface.
3 Turn plant upside down in a sink and gently run room temperature water over the underside of leaves to rinse bugs off.
4
Check your plant for any remaining bugs – rinse again if necessary – and then return plant and
Seed Pod to the AeroGarden.
5 Check all surrounding plants to make sure bugs haven’t spread. If they have, follow the above steps with any other buggy plants.
6
Replace Bowl on Base and plug in AeroGarden.
How do I take care of my Garden when I go out of town?
Add water to raise the level up to “Fill To Here.” A newly planted Garden with Domes removed may not need care for up to 2 weeks. However, if your
Garden is mature and you will be out of town
Continued on next page
Appendices 12
T
roubleshooting
(Continued) for several days, we recommend that you make arrangements for someone to care for your Garden while you are away.
You may want to set your light(s) to go on at night for added home security while you are away. If this option is available, it will be in the “Personalize Your
Light Timer” section in your Quick Start Guide.
What do I do when my Garden has completed its growth cycle?
For step-by-step instructions regarding the care of your AeroGarden after plants have stopped growing, refer to the “Prepare for your Next Garden” section in the Quick Start Guide.
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
R
eplace Bulb(s)
Grow Bulb(s) should be replaced after 6 months
of use. See “Replace Grow Bulb(s)” in your Quick Start
Guide for replacement instructions.
Replacement bulbs can be ordered from your retailer or at www.aerogardensupport.com.
13 Appendices
G
ardening Notes
Appendices 14
AeroGrow International, Inc.
Quick Start Guides available at: www.aerogardensupport.com
© 2006-2008 AeroGrow International, Inc. U.S. Patents Pending
