This is a very basic checklist of hints and tips geared specifically for people starting up an AeroGarden for the first time. Many of the same things apply to all hydroponic units, of course, only a few are AG-specific. And of course, even those of us who are more experienced can benefit from a reminder of the basics!
This is just a consolidated list of the various extras, accessories, and replacements I personally use with my different gardens. There are many options for most of these items; these I have personally used successfully. Most of the links (particularly to Amazon) are associate links, which help keep me gardening and able to create new content, as I am disabled with no regular income.
Many people in the personal hydroponic and AeroGarden community refer to these passive hydroponic jars as "Kratky jars". They are loosely based on the Kratky method of passive hydroponics, but technically they aren't. The actual Kratky method is a 'fill and forget it' method – that is, once you set everything up, you shouldn't fill the water reservoir again. This is a key component in the method, while these jars are much too small to actually do this. That said, this vaguely Kratky-esque method is very popular and effective.
In the AeroGarden community, they are generally used to move plants grown in the AeroGarden out into the jars, generally the last stragglers of a crop, to enable you to replant the garden with a new crop, while taking advantage of the AeroGarden's "spillover" light. However, sometimes you want to start plants in addition to the ones in your garden, and so you need to start them direct from seed. Here, I will lay out the process I used to start some herbs I wanted to grow.
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| photo by @mytinyharvest |
Many times, I have seen new hydroponic growers frantically asking for suggestions how to help their plants (primarily tomatoes) that are dropping flowers... only to post pictures, and they aren't losing flowers at all. Quite the opposite!
To get to the bottom of this, you first need to understand a bit about how fruiting flowers work.
My answer is always the same: "Get a fan." Which is, of course, inevitably followed by: "Why?"
Every type of plant commonly grown in hydroponics can benefit from a fan. Some, of course, receive more benefit than others; I consider it necessary if you're growing lettuce. It's helpful for flowering/fruiting vegetables. It's even helpful for herbs, though less so than the other categories.
Lettuce is one of the most efficient and rewarding things to grow in hydroponics. Under good conditions, they usually sprout within about three days; it's actually not unheard of for them to literally sprout overnight. (Don't be alarmed, though, if it takes a week or two. There are so many things that can affect how quickly a seed germinates!) They are ready to begin harvesting just as rapidly, usually starting about a mere 21-24 days after the seeds are started. It feels like you can literally watch the little plants growing in real time!
But once your baby lettuce is reaching a harvestable size, then what?
When it comes to lettuce, there are two primary methods of harvesting: the "haircut" method, where you cut across all, or at least the majority, of leaves at a certain point; and the "leaf at a time" method, where you pick the outside leaves around the plant in a spiral. Which of the two you use is entirely a personal choice; some swear by one, some the other. Like most things, both have pros and cons, and so which you choose to employ comes down to your specific garden and goals. In my personal experience, and reading the experiences of others, this is what I have picked up:
Remember in general never to take more than one-third of a plant at any single time. Herbs in particular tend to be very hardy and will recover from amazingly harsh cutting, but not always. Plus if you take more than one-third, it will slow growth until the plant recovers. That said, sometimes it is necessary in order to correct mistakes made earlier in the growth process. Usually these cases are along the lines of, 'either it will recover and I can correct it, or it will die and I'll start over'.
Always use clean, sharp shears or scissors to prune. For herbs, I prefer embroidery scissors, as they get into tight spaces better than anything else I've found. However, I have a set that is only ever used for trimming plants. If you use them for other things as well, they can develop nicks and dulled areas on the blade and keep it from making a clean cut.
Never let herbs go to flower if it is the leaves you harvest. All their energy and nutrients will shift to the flowers, and the leaves will either lose flavor or turn bitter. Remove flower buds as soon as you can identify them as such.
