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AeroGarden Master Gardener Deluxe Manual

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TM
M
G
D
aster
ardener
eluxe
GUIDE
Plant & Grow
Your Own Seeds

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Summary of Contents for AeroGarden Master Gardener Deluxe

  • Page 1 aster ardener eluxe GUIDE Plant & Grow Your Own Seeds...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Introduction elcome Master Gardener Basics “What’s Inside” ... . 4 Thank you for Additional Supplies ..5 your purchase of the Master Gardener Designing Your Garden Deluxe Kit, created for Plant Type .
  • Page 3 Raising Lights ... . . 25 AeroGarden Setup..55 Thinning ....26 Gardener’s Reference...
  • Page 4 Note: Planting an AeroGarden with your own seeds is a bit of an experiment. We hope that most of your efforts will be successful and that you enjoy the discovery process. If you have not used an AeroGarden with one of our Seed Kits, we highly recommend that you do so before planting your own seeds.

  • Page 5: Introduction

    Master Gardener Basics The Master Gardener Deluxe Kit has supplies for planting three custom gardens – that’s enough for one year’s worth of indoor gardening! What’s Inside… Domes (7) Seed Pod Labels (21) Grow Sponges (21) Split-Apart Baskets (7) Small Nutrient Tablets...

  • Page 6: Additional Supplies

    Master Gardener Basics (Continued) In addition to what is included in your Master Gardener Deluxe Kit, there are a few additional items that you will need. Additional Supplies Needed… An Iron An AeroGarden A Permanent Marker Glue Seeds Remember to replace your Grow Bulbs after 6 months of use. Grow Bulbs can be ordered from our website at: www.aerogrow.com.

  • Page 7: Designing Your Garden

    While we encourage you to try growing a variety of plant types HELPFUL HINT: When choosing seeds in your AeroGarden, there are a for your AeroGarden, look for dwarf or few that will just not do well in an miniature varieties. aeroponic system. Subterranean...

  • Page 8: Water And Light

    Designing Your Garden (Continued) plants in your garden to achieve this. Using plants that grow at the same rate lets you adjust the Lamp Hood so that they all receive the amount of light they need to grow and thrive. What happens when you com- bine plants of different heights? Leaves of tall plants touch the...

  • Page 9: Life Span

    3 Seed Pods for dwarf toma- would be hard to grow in the toes and peppers, and leaving the same AeroGarden. The cilantro remaining 4 Grow Surface Open- will be near the end of its ings empty.) This will give the plants...

  • Page 10: Building A Seed Pod

    Seed Pod Once you have collected the extra supplies needed (shown), and decided which seeds to plant in your AeroGarden, there are two additional variables that you need to consider when building a Seed Pod: How deep to plant the seeds and how many seeds to plant per Seed Pod.

  • Page 11: Number Of Seeds

    Number of Seeds As with an outdoor garden, it is im- portant to plant extra seeds in each Chive seeds Dwarf tomato Seed Pod to ensure success. A rule seeds of thumb is that for larger seeds and fruiting plants, sow only a few extra seeds.

  • Page 12: Placing Seeds In Grow Sponge

    Building a Seed Pod (Continued) Placing Seeds in Grow Sponge It is helpful to use a little bit of glue to keep the seeds at the desired planting depth and prevent them from rolling away. You’ll only need a dab. Be sure to use a water-soluble, non-toxic, white school glue. •...
  • Page 13 • Close the Grow Sponge and insert it into Split-Apart Basket (slit side up). • Be sure the base of the Grow Sponge is resting on the bot- tom of the Split-Apart Basket. HELPFUL HINT: Don’t risk mislabeling your Seed Pods! If you are planting multiple Seed Pods with the same seed variety, then continue placing seeds in additional Grow Sponges.

  • Page 14: Labeling Seed Pods

    Building a Seed Pod (Continued) Labeling Seed Pods The Label not only helps you keep track of what you planted and the planting date, but it also promotes germination and decreases algae growth. Be sure to take the time to fill out and apply the Labels. Remember to preheat your iron to a moderate temperature (between the silk and cotton setting on most irons, 300°- 400°F).

  • Page 15: Planting Your Garden

    Your Garden Planting your custom Seed Pod is the same as planting one of the Seed Pods from an AeroGarden Seed Kit. We recommend that you record the planting date, seed depth, and number of seeds planted in the Gardener’s Log in the back of this Guide (sample shown below).

  • Page 16: Adding Water

    Planting Your Garden (Continued) Adding Water Add water to the AeroGarden Bowl up to “Fill to Here.” We recommend using municipal tap water, bottled or purified water. Well or softened water “Fill To Here” SHOULD NOT be used because the extra minerals in these sources may be harmful to aeroponically grown plants.

  • Page 17: Setting Light/Water Cycle

    Setting the AeroGarden Light/Water Cycle The AeroGarden has a timer that you to find the ideal combination automatically controls the length of of light and moisture for the plants time the lights and the water pump you grow. Use the chart below to are on and off.
  • Page 18 Note: You can program your AeroGarden so that the lights turn off and on at a time that is convenient for you. Please refer to “Setting Your Light Timer” in the Appendices section of this Guide for detailed instructions.

  • Page 19: Feeding Your Garden

    Your Garden The Master Gardener Deluxe Kit comes with two different types of nutrient tablets to meet the needs of a variety of plant types. The amount of nutrients in your garden increases with tablet size. The nutrient tablets consist mainly of mineral salts that provide 13 micro- and macro-nutrients that all plants require.
  • Page 20 Feeding Your Garden (Continued) Large Tablets Most plant types other than leafy greens and woody herbs, need the higher amount of nutrients found in the Large Tablets after 4 weeks (i.e. the third feeding after planting.) Mint, basil and cilantro are exam- ples of herbs that grow well with 2 Large Tablets at each feeding...

  • Page 21: Nutrient Feeding Schedule Options

    Nutrient Recommendations for Plant Types Nutrient Feeding Schedule Options Options The table at right shows a suggested feeding schedule based on plant type. Use this table as a starting point for selecting a nutrient Plant regime. But, keep in mind Description that experience and keep- ing a watchful eye on your...

  • Page 22: Adding Nutrients

    Resetting Your Garden • If you have already grown a Press and HOLD the “Reset” Seed Kit in your AeroGarden, button for 6 seconds. please follow the instructions • When the “Add Nutrient” below to reset the nutrient timer...

  • Page 23: Signs Of Stress

    Signs of Stress Reading the message from plants that are receiving too many or not enough nutrients is tricky. Overnourished If you notice the tips of the leaves are brown, almost burnt looking, then your plant is probably getting too many nutrients. You may want to decrease the tablet size for the next feeding, or use just one tablet.

  • Page 24: Tending Your Garden

    ending Your Garden A little bit of care for your garden will ensure rapid growth and healthy plants. All gardens will need the Domes removed, water and nutrients added, and the lights adjusted as your plants grow. Some plants may need additional tending, such as thinning or pollinating.

  • Page 25: Adding Water

    Adding Water • When additional water is needed, the “Water Level Low” light on the Control Panel will blink. Add water to raise the level up to “Fill To Here” inside the Bowl. “Fill To Here” • It is okay to add water up to “Fill To Here”...

  • Page 26: Raising Lights

    Replace the Bowl on the Base If the Grow Bulbs are too and plug in your AeroGarden. close to the plants, the Lift the View Door to check that leaves may brown and burn.

  • Page 27: Thinning

    Thinning We recommended earlier in this Guide that you plant multiple seeds in each Seed Pod. This practice usually does not cause a crowding problem for plants because typically the seeds that are first to germinate will out-compete the later germinating seeds. This is particularly true with herbs, lettuces, and plants that grow in bunches (such as chives).

  • Page 28: Pollinating

    Pollinating The table below shows some common plant types and a recommended method for hand pollination. For plants not listed below, you may need to do some additional research to find out the most effective method of pollinating. The internet and seed suppliers are good sources of information.

  • Page 29: Pruning

    Pruning Your garden may need pruning to keep the plants at about the same height and to control growth. Use garden shears or scissors to prune. While every plant has different pruning needs, here are some general guidelines on how to prune a variety of plant types. Fruiting Plants with Upright Main Stem (1st Pruning) –...
  • Page 30 Pruning (Continued) Fruiting Plants with Upright Main Stem (Ongoing) When grown in an AeroGarden, these plants need extra pruning to control plant height and spreading. • Branches that touch the lights when the Lamp Hood is at the highest setting need to be pruned.
  • Page 31 Occasionally you may need to prune branches on fruiting plants that are growing outside the reach of the Lamp Hood’s lights. • The picture at right shows a bird’s eye view of plants that need pruning. The circled branches hang too far over the edge of the Grow Surface and do not receive enough light from the Lamp Hood to be...
  • Page 32 Pruning (Continued) – Sometimes an early pruning of a Herbs with Upright Main Stem plant, such as basil, will encourage the plant to branch out, rather than grow straight up. For plants that will benefit from this, you should… • Follow the main stem up from the base of the plant, past 3 sets of leaves.
  • Page 33 • Weekly pinching or cutting of the plant just above the uppermost set of leaves (the growth point) at the top of the stem will also encourage many plants to grow and branch out. – If All Non-Fruiting Plants you see flower buds or flowers on a plant that is being grown for its leaves, not its fruit or flowers, remove them.
  • Page 34 Pruning (Continued) – To keep flowering plants Flowers (such as petunias) full of blossoms, remove the old flowers (process known as “dead-heading”). • As the number of blooms and buds dwindle, a seemingly severe pruning can result in an additional “season”...

  • Page 35: Keeping Your Garden Healthy

    Keeping 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.

  • Page 36: Plant Problems & Remedies

    Plant Problems and Remedies These pictures show plants that are stressed. Follow the suggestions to restore your garden’s health. Wilted Burned Plants are not getting enough water. Plant is too close to the Grow Check water level. Bulbs. Raise the Lamp Hood or prune the plant.

  • Page 37: Harvesting Your Garden

    If you grow culinary plants, it is important to continually harvest to keep the plant healthy and productive. Here are some general guidelines for harvesting plants grown in an AeroGarden. • Do not remove more than a third of the leaves or stems from any one plant at a time.

  • Page 38: Bunching Herbs

    Harvesting Your Garden (Continued) Bunching Herbs (such as cilantro, chives and parsley) • Harvest herbs that grow in a bunch by cutting an entire stem – just the stem, not the entire plant! • Select the oldest stems, found near the outer edges of the plant. (These stems are generally wider than the younger ones and the leaves may have some yellow...

  • Page 39: Branching Herbs

    Branching Herbs (such as mint, basil, oregano) Cut plants just above a set of leaves (growth point) not more than halfway down the stem. Also harvest by cutting just above a termination point (the place where one stem meets another). Cut the wider (older) of the two stems.

  • Page 40: Preparing For Your Next Garden

    Preparing for Your Next Garden After your plants reach the end of their life cycle: Lamp Hood Unplug the AeroGarden. Grow Carefully remove the Bowl Surface and Grow Surface from the Bowl Base and bring to a sink. Set the Base and Lamp Base Hood aside.
  • Page 41 Pump Stand. After cleaning, there may still be a few roots in your Pump Stand or Pump Filter. This will not affect the operation of your AeroGarden. Clean the Bowl and Grow Surface. Use a soft cloth or sponge to thoroughly wipe the Bowl and Grow Surface.
  • Page 42 Bowl and let soak in Baskets. disinfecting solution for 10 minutes. Your Split-Apart Baskets and • Remove Split-Apart Baskets AeroGarden are now ready for and rinse thoroughly with replanting. water. If you have an AeroGarden • Replace Grow Surface on...

  • Page 43: Appendices

    Transplanting Seedlings The supplies included in the Master Gardener Deluxe Kit are designed primarily for growing an indoor garden in the AeroGarden. You can however, start seedlings to transplant to an outdoor garden. Below is a quick description of how to transplant seedlings.
  • Page 44 Transplanting Seedlings (Continued) To transplant a seedling, remove en- tire Seed Pod from the AeroGarden. Pull apart the Split-Apart Basket and place the seedling and Grow Sponge into a 4 to 6 inch deep hole. (Do not remove the seedling from the Grow Sponge;...

  • Page 45: Supporting Plants

    Supporting Plants Fruiting plants may produce so much fruit that you may find the plants are starting to tip over or even break. If this occurs, support your plants and bring them back to the upright position by securing each plant to the Lamp Arm with a tie. Suggested Materials to Use for Supporting Fruiting Plants There are a variety of materials you can use to support plants,...
  • Page 46 Supporting Plants (Continued) How To Support Plants The plant on the right is in need of support. The following steps explain how to support your plants. • Loop a tie around the main stem at a point where it: a) is strong enough not to bend or break when the tie is secured, and b) stands upright when the...
  • Page 47 • Tightly loop one end of the tie two times around the Lamp Arm. Hold the tie in position with one hand. With the other hand, gently pull the opposite end of the tie to bring the main stem to an upright position.

  • Page 48: Rinsing And Refilling

    Rinsing and Refilling If the plants in your garden are severely burned from too many nutrients, follow these Rinsing and Refilling directions. Carefully remove the Bowl from the Base and bring it to a sink. Remove the Grow Surface from the Bowl and place on a counter near the sink.

  • Page 49: Questions And Answers

    (either natural or artificial) we regularly programmed time. recommend that you set your Occasional use of this feature AeroGarden Grow Lights to be on will not harm or slow down the during the day and off at night. growth of your plants.

  • Page 50: Troubleshooting

    Can the Grow Sponges be re-used? germinated? If your seeds did not germinate, If the seeds in your AeroGarden do not germinate, the first thing you should be able to re-use to check is the expiration date on your Grow Sponge(s).
  • Page 51 If your AeroGarden has a backup battery located in the underside of the Base, it will work for How do I prevent a plant from 6 months after activation.
  • Page 52 • Keep the lights as close to up to 2 weeks. However, if your your plants as possible, AeroGarden is mature and you without the leaves touching will be out of town for several the bulbs. days, we recommend you make •...
  • Page 53 Smart Garden Control Panel. Please refer to the chart on page 16 to see the number of hours that the AeroGarden pumps water through the Seed Pods. If the water isn’t flowing when it should be, please check the following: •...

  • Page 54: Setting Your Light Timer

    “sunlight” AeroGarden to go off (Off Time) and “night.” (The hours of and your built-in light timer will “sunlight” depend on the automatically set the On Time...
  • Page 55 Flowers 15.5 Strawberry Note: In case of power failure, your AeroGarden has a back-up system that stores your light and nutrient timers and plant selection settings. When the power is restored, your AeroGarden will go back to the Off-On cycle you have set.

  • Page 56: Reminders About Your Aerogarden Setup

    Reminders About Your AeroGarden Setup 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, contact your retailer. Setting up Your AeroGarden Is the Lamp Arm firmly...
  • Page 57 Plant Type Seed Planting Germination Nutrient Depth Date Time Regime* # of seeds planted Chives (20) 1/8” 12/1/06 7 days Cilantro (6) 1/4” 12/1/06 11 days Appendices...

  • Page 58: Gardener's Reference And Log

    Gardener’s Reference and Log Planting a custom garden in an AeroGarden is a bit of an experiment. Keeping track of your plantings will help you plan your next garden. Use the blank garden layout (shown below) as a reference for each plant’s pod location.
  • Page 59 Gardener’s Log – Garden #1 Plant Type Seed Planting Germination Nutrient Depth Date Time Regime # of seeds planted Notes: Appendices...
  • Page 60 Gardener’s Log – Garden #2 Plant Type Seed Planting Germination Nutrient Depth Date Time Regime # of seeds planted Notes: Appendices...
  • Page 61 Gardener’s Log – Garden #3 Plant Type Seed Planting Germination Nutrient Depth Date Time Regime # of seeds planted Notes: Appendices...

  • Page 62: Seed Information

    Seed Information The following is a listing of recommended seed suppliers and some seed suggestions for your custom AeroGarden. Seed Companies Web Address Description Burpee www.burpee.com Family owned since 1876. One of the most progressive seed companies in the U.S.
  • Page 63 y Garden Notes Appendices...
  • Page 64 AeroGrow International, Inc. 300309 INTa 8/14/07 © 2006-2007 AeroGrow International, Inc. Patents Pending...

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