Choose a selection of plants, except the following – advanced features, strawberries or live plants. When you have selected a plant mode press the button and hold it for a few seconds. When the lights star circling around you can release the button. The grow lights will also turn off and on when you do that. When you release the button, immediately press and then quickly release the “Reset” button. It is very important not to hold that button. This should reset the system. If the reset is done correctly, your plant selection will turn back to “Tomatoes/Peppers” and you will see the “Add Nutrient” light flash.

If you experience any difficulties in the reset or you have any other questions about your garden, contact Aerogarden UK and we will give you further instructions.

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

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

Your may have noticed some small brown speckles appearing on the leaves of the lettuce in your aerogarden at the early stages of growth. Do not worry – some of the varieties of lettuce in seed kits like the Salad Greens are of a red-speckled variety. When the speckling first appears, it can look like brown freckles. These leaves will become much more sightly as they develop.

When more than one pod in a seed kit fails to germinate, or seedlings show yellowed leaves or are stunted growth, chances are they are experiencing a nutrient deficiency. This is generally caused by one of two things:

Using water that is high in dissolved minerals (“hard water”, well water, or water that has been through a water softener), or

Nutrient tablets that were damaged by high heat or humidity, which occasionally occurs in transport or storage.
If your plants are experiencing these symptoms, it will be important for future success to determine which of these may be causing the problem.

Water

Water that is high in dissolved minerals can cause problems with growth in the Aerogarden and many areas in England do have “hard” tap water. If you are using “hard” water, well water, spring water, or “softened” water, you will experience germination and growth problems in your AeroGarden. The dissolved minerals in the water will block the proper uptake of the nutrients by the plants. Hard water is the number one cause of growth problems in the AeroGarden. Most water filters do not remove minerals.
If you think you may have high mineral-content water, we recommend switching to bottled distilled water (not “spring”, “drinking” or “purified” water) instead, which is available at most supermarkets.

Nutrients

If your Seed Kit experienced very high heat or humidity is shipping or storage, the nutrients may become damaged, causing the same nutrient deficiency symptoms. If your nutrients appeared to have dissolved and leaked out of their container in storage/transport please contact us for replacement nutrient tablets (if the item was originally purchased directly from us).
*Please note – nutrients which appear wet or partially dissolved in their bag are not necessarily damaged – if they are in twin packs of just two nutrients you can cut the bag in half and rinse out the contents in a cup of tepid water (including the nutrient tablets themselves) – then empty the contents of this cup into the Aerogarden water bowl. Be sure to store your nutrients in a cool dry place (a fridge is ideal) to prevent any further absorption of liquid.

As with any appliance with electrical and moving parts there can occasionally be problems, many of them can be prevented. If you wish to talk through a problem with your aerogarden please call us on 0845 170 7555 and we will be happy to help.

The L.E.D lights on the base of the aerogarden are on, but one of the bulbs is not working

- First check whether there is a problem with the bulb itself not the socket by switching the aerogarden off at the mains, swapping the two bulbs, and turning back on. More likely than not the suspect bulb will still not come on whilst the other will. This is because an electrical fault has caused the bulb to blow. Contact us to get the bulb replaced within its 6 month warranty period (aerogarden.org.uk customers only)

- If however the problem appears to be with one of the bulb sockets, you may need to replace your lamp hood or have the aerogarden inspected and repaired/replaced. Contact us.

- You can help prevent any problems with bulbs blowing by ensuring the aerogarden is always switched off at the mains when removing or insertings bulbs (the same goes for the water bowl).

The L.E.D lights on the base of the aerogarden are on, but both lights are not coming on

- Consider whether the lights are in their ‘off’ period in the 24hr cycle. See our entry on light and pump settings

- If you think the bulbs should be in their “on” period and are not, first check that the power lead that connects the base to lamp hood is securely plugged in

- It is possible though unlikely that both bulbs have developed electrical faults that caused them to ‘blow’. If you have any spare bulbs, test these in the aerogarden (always ensuring to switch off at the mains when removing or inserting bulbs). There my also be some slight black colouring around the bulb sockets if the bulbs have blown

- If the problem appears not to be with the bulbs themselves or ou cannot tell, you may need to have the lamp hood of the aerogarden replaced. Contact us.

The aerogarden is not turning on; the L.E.D lights are not illuminated

- Check that the aerogarden is plugged into the mains and whether there is any damage to the power lead

- If so there has probably been an electrical fault developed within the aerogarden base. You will need to have this part of the aerogarden replaced. Contact us.

The L.E.D lights on the base of the aerogarden are on, but I can’t hear/see any water trickling through/ my seeds aren’t growing at all

- See our pump troubleshooter

My aerogarden is running but has become noisy

- See our pump troubleshooter

That should pretty much cover any problems that may arise with the aerogarden unit itself, if this doesn’t answer your problem please call us on 0845 170 7555 or email contact@aerogarden.org.uk

My pump is noisy

- If your pump was running fine and then started making a lot of noise, most likely it has drawn a chunk of undissolved nutrients up into the impeller, and needs cleaning

My pump appears not to be running (can’t see or hear water trickling through seed pods

- First consider whether the pump is in its “off” period in the 24hr cycle, bear in mind it only runs constantly on the salad greens setting. Put the aerogarden onto this setting to test it

- If it does not run after a minute or so on the salad greens setting, the electrical contacts between the lamp arm and the bowl may be bent or corroded. Unplug the aerogarden as the mains, carefully remove the main bowl (lifting up then out) and check the metallic contacts.

They should look like this…
 

If they are bent they will look like this…
  

- If so double-check to make sure your AeroGarden is unplugged, and gently push the contacts back into place with a screwdriver. Always ensure you lift the bowl up a little before pulling it out away from the aerogarden to reduce the likelihood of contacts becoming bent.

If they are corroded they will look like this…
 

If corrosion is present, use a cotton swab with a little vinegar and some abrasive kitchen cleanser to gently scrub the corrosion off. Polish the contacts with a clean cotton swab after this to remove any cleanser residue.

If this doesn’t work, you need to check the electrical contacts where the aerogarden base connects to the bottom of the lamp arm.

- Push in the tab at the bottom of the lamp arm, at the back of the aerogarden, to release the the lamp arm and carefully lift it out from the base.

- If you can see that contacts are corroded double check that the aerogarden is unplugged at the mains and carefully use a sharp knife to scrape any corrosion off the contacts.

I have checked both sets of contacts and the pump is still not running on the salad greens setting

Try cleaning the aerogarden pump as the pump may have failed because the aerogarden got put away between seeds kits without being properly sanitized, which would have caused the nutrient solution to dry and harden in the pump, causing it to seize up.
Alternately, a chunk of undissolved nutrients may have been drawn into the pump causing it to jam.

If the pump still does not work after these steps

The pump has failed. This can occasionally happen, please contact us to have the pump replaced within the 12 month warranty period if you purchased the Aerogarden unit from us.  Outside this period you can purchase a pump directly through our Aerogarden accessories website.  Cleaning the pump and sanitizing the aerogarden in between seed kits will help prevent this.

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.

The entire aerogarden system uses less electiricty than a 60 Watt lightbulb – about 0.8 Killowatt hours per day, depending slightly on which light cycle you have selected.

When can I begin harvesting from my aerogarden?

That depends on the seed kit you are using. We have noticed that you can begin harvesting lettuces and basils 3 weeks after planting your garden and then enjoy continuous harvests for months. Other herbs will take about 5 weeks to be ready to begin harvesting. Fruiting plants will take longer to harvest: about 10 – 12 weeks for cherry tomatoes and chili peppers.

Can I mix Seed Kits?

Yes you can, although we don’t generally recommend this unless you are an experienced aerogardener. This is because…

1. Plants grow at different rates and have different leaf sizes, some faster growing plants in mixed kits could over- shadow and block the light from slower growing plants. Experienced gardeners will know how to avoid this issue.

2. Our nutrients have been specially designed for the group of plants in each kit. If kits are mixed the plants could be under or over-fed, resulting in less than optimal growth.

3. Your Aerogarden comes with pre-set light cycles according to kit type. If you mix kits you could be sub-optimizing your plant’s growth by giving it too much, or too little, light.

How long will my plants live?

Cherry Tomatoes and Chilli Peppers will grow for 6 months, and you will be able to start harvesting in about 10 weeks. That gives you approximately 4 months of continuous harvests

Salad Greens will grow for 3 – 4 months, and you can begin harvesting after only 3 weeks. That gives you about 3 months of continuous harvests

Gourmet Herbs, International Basil and Cascading Petunias will all grow for 4 months. You can start harvesting your herbs and basil in about 4 weeks, giving you 3 months of continuous harvests

N.B. – for general troubleshooting questions, most answers can be found on the website of the American maufacturer of the aerogarden, Aerogrow

However, most spring, softened or very “hard” waters have high dissolved-mineral contents that can cause problems when used in an AeroGarden. High dissolved mineral content or strong pH can interfere with the proper uptake of the AeroGarden nutrient/pH-buffer tablets by the plants, which can prevent or delay germination of seeds, severely stunt growth, and cause “chlorosis”, or yellowing of the leaves.  This will be a problem for aerogardeners using tap water from a “hard” tap water area. You can find a map giving a rough guide to locations of hard tap water areas in the UK here… http://www.dwi.gov.uk/pubs/hardness/index.htm#4

So-called “hard” water has a high dissolved calcium and magnesium content, and is the tap water that we get here in London.The high mineral content of the water can cause an excess build up of mineral deposits or limescale that could damage your pump, as well as the other problems listed above. 
Most home water filters, do not remove dissolved minerals. They are designed to remove contaminants such as organic solvents and chlorine taste, but dissolved minerals generally occur as tiny ions which are too small to be filtered out.

Distillers remove minerals, by heating, vaporizing and re-condensing water and leaving the mineral deposits behind. Pure distilled water works well in the AeroGarden, provided it is within normal pH range.

The easiest alternative is probably to use inexpensive bottled “drinking”, “bottled” or “distilled” (not “spring” ) water instead, which has a low mineral content is available at most supermarkets. One of our customers, Alex has used Ashbeck Mountain Spring Water, available from Tesco, and reports excellent results with faster growing, healthier plants. Cleaning the aerogarden out between garden plantings can help reduce the build up of mineral deposits and the damage it can cuase – mainly to the aerogarden pump. Click here for instructions on how to do a “rinse and refill”.

(These nutrients from our warehouse show how the tablets can sweat or partially dissolve)

We’ve also some interesting emails documenting the exploits of some of your fellow aerogardeners. Nikki Anderson from London, came to us with puzzlement as to who had been nibbling at her parsley, before discovering…

“The parsley thief is definitely a mouse – I found some droppings behind the Aerogarden this morning. He’s been nibbling away at the basil too!!! We’ve had pest control people in the building, they put down traps with poison in the flat but haven’t caught a thing. So now I’m bringing in the big guns – REAL mousetraps laid with a dollop of peanut butter, not these namby pamby plastic boxes. The fact that the mice have gone for our Aerogarden is a declaration of WAR and they’re going to lose!!! ”

So beware of losing out on your harvest to the attack of the mice. And beware to all mice who dare to cross an aerogardener by the looks of Nikki’s email.