A Little Tip for all of the Indor Growers

We received many inquiries about growing plants, fruits and veggies that are not initially offered in a seeds kit from us. We encourage everyone that has made the wonderful decision to grow indoors with our device. We will support any attempt of growing different and interesting plants and encourage you to share your experience with us.

Today we would like to talk about self-pollinating plants. The seed packages we offer you are designed so as to they can grow perfectly in your indoor garden. But if you decide to experiment with other things we have a little advice that will help you grow better plants. Whenever you plant something that is self-polluting – you do not have to worry. These plants will grow good. Examples of such plants are the orchids and the peas. But in other cases, when what you plant is not self-pollinating – always shake the plants a little from time to time, so you can help them pollinate. Bees won’t do that for you indoors, so you will have to help your garden a little bit if you want the results to turn out good.

Before you plant anything out of our seeds kit, please do check if it is self-pollinating or not. Aerogarden expects to receive any feedback from you on you experiments and wishes you good luck.

Just don’t forget to shake well, before opening the sachet.

View the PDF of the Aerogarden Seed Kit and Liquid Nutrients User Manual

Excitement in the Industry

We are very, very excited to announce that development is under way of a new ‘super’ Aerogarden. Rumour had been circulating around the Aeroponic industry of ground breaking work developing what has been dubbed the ‘TurboGarden’, due to it’s increased rate of growth. What was previously hearsay and rumour has now been confirmed, and in a press release today, April 1st 2010, the announcement was made that the new model was going to be released to the public in early 2011.

Much speculation had surrounded this announcement, with some saying that it would include the ability to grow meats and eggs, meaning that a meal could be grown in an Aerogarden, supplying a whole weeks supply to a family. This was (sadly) not true, but some may say the truth is even more exciting than the rumours. The new features of this ‘TurboGarden’ are as follows;

Dramatically increased speed of growth

Yes that’s right, this new Aerogarden model will grow your tomatoes and chillis from seed to full fruit within 24 hours.  You plant them in the morning, and by evening you will have a full crop of fresh tomatoes, chillis or herbs.  This is due to the new light bulbs that have been developed that release 72 times more energy than the Sun.

More Seed Pods

The new Aerogarden will include a majestic 50 seed pods, meaning your indoor Aerogarden will look more like a field in a farm than a small indoor Aeroponic system.  This has got many bigwigs in the agricultural industry very excited, and the Government is considering introducing legislation that will see the gradual phasing out of traditional farming techniques in favour of giant Aerogardens.  It is thought that enough fruit and veg could be cultivated in just 300 of these ‘TurboGardens’ to feed the nation.

Completely Portable

Expect to see many people in public with their ‘TurboGardens’, as the new model is being designed so it can fold and be carried – without damaging any of the plants!  This means people will be able to tend to their plants whilst on the go, you will be able to eat your lunchtime salad completely fresh off the plant.

The first press photo’s of this ‘TurboGarden’ can be seen here

This subject has been due a blog post for a while so we apologise for the tardiness of posting it, but just to clarify, the seed pod in the Gourmet herb kit which used to be cilantro has now been replaced by thyme. The cilantro had a slightly lower rate of germination than the other seeds in the kit, and has been changed to Thyme in order to make it possible for us to continue to honour our germination guarantee on all Aerogarden seed kits.

So our apologies to those whom this change has disappointed. If you do still have your heart set on growing coriander in the Aerogarden, then we recommend that you purchase some coriander seeds from your local garden centre, and plant them in the Aerogarden using the master gardener seed kit, which allows you to grow your own seeds of any practically any variety.

The seed kit includes seven different varieties of fresh herbs. Genovese Basil, Garlic Chives, Mint, Oregano, Italian Parsley, Savory & Thyme to keep your kitchen full of all your key Italian cooking herbs.

Please go to www.aerogarden.org.uk, email contact@aerogarden.org.uk or call us on 0845 170 7555 if you want to reserve a seed kit.

1) Give them a little space – Chilli Peppers and tomatoes will grow amazingly fast in the Garden Starter Tray. Give them the room they’ll need to grow by spacing them out as you plant your Tray. You can sow smaller seedlings (like lettuce, scallions, and herbs) in between, or you can remove unused Grow Pods for a future planting. Just cover the holes on the Garden Starter Tray for any Grow Pods that are removed.

2) Container for success – Just like soil-based seed starting, your AeroGarden tomato and pepper transplants will be happier if they are planted in a 3-5″ container shortly before going permanently in your outdoor garden. This allows the roots to adapt in a more controlled environment and reduces the stress to your transplants.
3) Acclimated plants are hearty plants. You should “harden off” your tomato and pepper seedlings just before you plant outside to familiarize them with direct sunlight, temperature changes and wind. Set the plants outside for increasing amounts of time over 1-2 weeks to get them ready.

4) Deep planting for tomatoes – When planting your tomatoes in your outdoor garden, you should dig a hole deep enough to have 50% or more of the leaves and stem underground. This will stimulate root growth and help ensure a healthy, hearty plant.

5) Ease the transition to the outdoors – Transplants will need daily watering as they adapt to their new surroundings. Reduce stress by transplanting on a cloudy day or by using a shade cloth until your plants are ready for a full day of sunbathing.

If you have any other questions about the Garden Starter Tray, or any of our other products feel free to get in touch with us via our enquiry form.  You can also contact us by phone on 0845 170 7555, or by email at contact@aerogarden.org.uk.

In the meantime however there is plenty of stock of all the seed kits which are just waiting to be found new homes in cosy Aerogardens. The Chilli Pepper seed kits are proving to be very popular, people obviously wanting to make some nice spicy food to go with the re-emergence of the sun!

You can find all the seed packs that we offer by clicking here

Our daily quote this time comes from Oscar Wilde;

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

We are also hoping to have a wide variety of  new seed kits including those that can be customised and the single tier shelf.

As soon as we know, so will you.

The Deluxe AeroGarden

Great upgrade for those that grow tomatoes and other vegetables and want more height within the garden. The deluxe delivers twice the light (in Photon flux) with a new lamp hood, three deluxe grow bulbs and a 24-hour light option.

The Deluxe Aerogarden also includes a 24-inch extendable lamp arm.

The Aerogarden Pro 200

The PRO200 Brushed Stainless Steel AeroGarden uses microprocessor-controlled Adaptive Growth Intelligence to monitor plant growth from germination through advanced growth and instantly adjust water, nutrients and lights to give plants what they need at each stage of growth, maximizing yields. Includes grow light replacement reminder system and the Super Grow 24-hour light cycle.

The PRO200 incorporates all the elements of the PRO100, plus comes with 24″ adjustable arm and three deluxe grow bulbs which deliver twice the light (in Photon flux) and twice the height for faster growth and up to 50% larger crops. Indoor gardening made easy with AeroGarden.

Aerogarden 3

You’ll love the compact size and striking look of this Elite version of the AeroGarden 3. Enjoy your favorite herbs or flowers. The AeroGarden 3 features the plant-growing magic of our AeroGarden Classic in a compact coffee-maker sized unit.

On that note, we found this quote that relates rather nicely to this blog:

‘The most successful people in life are generally those who have the best information.’ Benjamin Disraeli

Since we know that some of you with a keener interest in gardening demand more from your aerogarden, we’ve brought in a new product – the AD-100 pH tester.

Useful for outodoor gardening and other hydroponics systems as well the aerogarden itself, this nifty and easy to use device will instantly check that the water you are putting in your aerogarden, or that which you use on your garden outside, is of the correct neutral pH for optimal plant growth.

We used the tester to check on the water going into our aerogardens in the office in Wimbledon and were pretty much bang on ph 7 so success there!

The Aerogarden pH tester comes with features such as automatic temperature compensation, large and easy to read LCD screen, low battery indication, automatic shut-off after 8 minutes and much more.

The AD100 is incorporated with easy push buttons for automatic calibration and a splashproof keypad that prevents water infiltration.

We source this directly from a UK based supplier and is of the highest quality – backed by a two year manufacturers warranty. These testers meet the high standards required for every industry and are far more economical than testers of the same specification currently being retailed.

The pH tester retails at £34.29 including p+p or £37.29 gift wrapped including p+p

Following these steps should ensure that your plants will produce beautiful tomatoes, and will help improve the quality and quantity of any yield.

First, consider how long your plants been growing.  It can be anywhere between 8 – 12 weeks before the plants produce fruit, and sometimes all that is required is a little patience.

Have you…

Thinned the plants?

When plants are about 1” tall, they should be thinned back to one plant per pod.  If this step has not been done, it should be.  Keep the healthiest plant in the pod and cut the others out at the base of the plant. Too many plants growing from one pod can have negative effects on the plants.

Pruned the plants at the 4-5 week period?

At about 4-5 weeks, the main stem of the plant should be cut in half.  This pruning, along with regular ongoing pruning, will keep the plants short and bushy (like a Christmas tree) instead of tall with leaves just at the top (like a palm tree).  

If the plant has not been pruned, it needs to be.  Cutting the main stem in half is not advisable for larger plants (over 6 weeks) but refer to the Tending and Harvesting Guide for pruning instructions – they still need to be pruned! Photosynthesis will take place even if there are only a few leaves on the plant, so we encourage you to prune even if there is not much there.  If all of the growth is at the top of the plant, pruning is needed to get the plant back down to a bushy size and shape.

Set the lights timer to go off at night?

Fruiting plants need complete darkness for at least 7 hours every night in order to produce fruit – this means that the lights need to be synched up to turn off at night time, and that the plants are not exposed to any artificial light during this dark period.

Instructions for setting the “on” time of your lights:

At the time you want the lights to come on, press the “Lights” button and hold it down until the LED light next to the plant selection flashes, and continue holding it until the LED light blinks faster — about 12 seconds, then immediately release the button. Your lights will now come on at this time each day. (It will take several seconds for the lights to come on.

To view a complete chart of the Timing of the Lights and Pump Cycles for the different Seed Kits, click here

OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER:

– Have nutrients been added at regular 2-week intervals?  If you have been adding nutrients every time the light comes on, has it been coming on every 2 weeks?  Pressing reset at any other time than just after adding nutrients will effect the nutrient timer. 

Grow Bulbs

–Tomato production will be significantly better with fresh bulbs – they should be changed roughly every 6 months for optimal plant growth.

Type of water being used

– if you live in a hard tap water area, or have been using high mineral content spring water, the pH levels in your aerogarden may be unsuitable for plant health, and could cause yellowing of the leaves or lack of fruit.

Read more on our blog here

Tobacco Mosaic Virus

– If your plant looks like it is actually dying, it may have Tobacco Mosaic Virus. This causes a mosaic pattern on leaves (and even fruit) and causes the leaves to fall off.   A plant affected by this disease will most likely not produce fruit. 

IF ALL OF THE STEPS ABOVE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED AND THE PLANTS ARE HEALTHY BUT STILL NOT PRODUCING:

1) Rinse and refill the bowl

A Rinse-and-Refill consists of unplugging the AeroGarden, emptying all the water out of the Bowl, refilling it with fresh water, and putting in two fresh nutrient tablets. This will return nutrient and pH levels to normal if they have gotten outside of optimal range. Please click here for complete instructions on how to do a Rinse-and-Refill.

2) Prune branches back another 1” -2” and drop the lights down, if necessary.

Complete BOTH steps 12 at the same time

So, rinse and refill and prune at the same time.  Then give the plants one week to ‘recover’ and blooms should appear within the next week.  It is fine to prune during the recovery period if necessary.