gom
Active Member
OK. Slow down. I think your trying to put the cart before the horse. Lets start with what you got. Starting with Aerogarden you got 1 of them so good place to start. Do you have added air to it (ie. Air stone or 2 in the rez). Do you have a Ph test kit or meter if not get 1. There is nothing wrong with germing in a paper towel if you catch the seed before it curls up. I find I have a hard time if I don't catch the little buggers just when they split the shell. If the root curls it can be a pain. I have had 1 snap the main taproot trying to straighten itself out.
So step by step of how I do it.
1) Get AG(AG= Aerogarden) set up and running. That means you have the rez full, and ph correct. You also have the AG cups in place and the AG sponge in the cup. At this time it's a good idea to poke a hole all the way through the sponge with a tooth pick. So the taproot can find it's way down easily. I would let this run for 24 hours. Keeping a eye on the Ph to keep it as close to 5.8 as I can with out playing the up, and down game. When you have gotten this far. Your AG is ready to receive a seed. I should also note that the AG has the little paper covers, with the hole in the middle that go on top of the cups they should be in place and you should have the little humidity domes on.
2)Paper towel germ your seeds. It will take 1 to 4 days for them to split. I check mine 3 times a day. Once when I get up, once when I get home, and once before bed. I want to catch it just as it splits or very shortly after.
3)Now comes the hard part. When I get one that split and has like a 1/16" to 1/8" taproot started. I very very carefully. place it in the AG sponge. Root down, and I Push it in the hole I made with the tooth pick. Now I know that the AG sponge has a little indentation for the seed. I push mine in so the top of the seed is flush with the bottom of that. Like I said into the hole I made. This will give it a little resistance as it grows. So the root will grow down and not just push the plant up and out of the hole . If it does push the plant up, and the root doesn't go down. You will need to use something to open up the hole and slide the root back in very carefully. I use forsips to open the hole up and slide the root back in and then just let the hole close around it. Now that I have gotten this far. I make sure I have the paper cover on the cup,(they block the light from the top of the sponge) and the humidity domes are in place.
4) After 4 or 5 days. Sprouts will be very close to the humidity domes. So you should remove them just before they are tall enough to touch them. But leave the paper cover in place. (If I plan to transplant I do it on the 7th to 10th day before I get to many roots going. Less stress for the plant)
5)Rez change. What I do is use a 1/4" tube to siphon off about a Gal. of water. AG's are about a Gal. and a half. So I just replace 1 Gal for a rez change. The 1/4" tube will take a little longer but I can control it and not suck up roots trying to get the water out. Also if you only do a Gal. at a time. Your Ph will stay much more stable. The half Gal. you leave in the rez acts like a buffer and helps to keep things stable. Remember hydro is 5.8 Ph and dirt is 6.5
Hope this helps and hope you get some good grows going. Good luck
So step by step of how I do it.
1) Get AG(AG= Aerogarden) set up and running. That means you have the rez full, and ph correct. You also have the AG cups in place and the AG sponge in the cup. At this time it's a good idea to poke a hole all the way through the sponge with a tooth pick. So the taproot can find it's way down easily. I would let this run for 24 hours. Keeping a eye on the Ph to keep it as close to 5.8 as I can with out playing the up, and down game. When you have gotten this far. Your AG is ready to receive a seed. I should also note that the AG has the little paper covers, with the hole in the middle that go on top of the cups they should be in place and you should have the little humidity domes on.
2)Paper towel germ your seeds. It will take 1 to 4 days for them to split. I check mine 3 times a day. Once when I get up, once when I get home, and once before bed. I want to catch it just as it splits or very shortly after.
3)Now comes the hard part. When I get one that split and has like a 1/16" to 1/8" taproot started. I very very carefully. place it in the AG sponge. Root down, and I Push it in the hole I made with the tooth pick. Now I know that the AG sponge has a little indentation for the seed. I push mine in so the top of the seed is flush with the bottom of that. Like I said into the hole I made. This will give it a little resistance as it grows. So the root will grow down and not just push the plant up and out of the hole . If it does push the plant up, and the root doesn't go down. You will need to use something to open up the hole and slide the root back in very carefully. I use forsips to open the hole up and slide the root back in and then just let the hole close around it. Now that I have gotten this far. I make sure I have the paper cover on the cup,(they block the light from the top of the sponge) and the humidity domes are in place.
4) After 4 or 5 days. Sprouts will be very close to the humidity domes. So you should remove them just before they are tall enough to touch them. But leave the paper cover in place. (If I plan to transplant I do it on the 7th to 10th day before I get to many roots going. Less stress for the plant)
5)Rez change. What I do is use a 1/4" tube to siphon off about a Gal. of water. AG's are about a Gal. and a half. So I just replace 1 Gal for a rez change. The 1/4" tube will take a little longer but I can control it and not suck up roots trying to get the water out. Also if you only do a Gal. at a time. Your Ph will stay much more stable. The half Gal. you leave in the rez acts like a buffer and helps to keep things stable. Remember hydro is 5.8 Ph and dirt is 6.5
Hope this helps and hope you get some good grows going. Good luck
