Will transplanting to Aerogarden cause a big temperature shock?

When my tap root is long enough(through paper towel method) to transplant into Aerogarden pod, won't there be a huge temperature change and shock to the sensitive tap root? We've always read that seedlings like it dark and warm when germinating and the Aerogarden reservoir and pod sponge are going to be very, very cool. How big a deal is going from a warm, humid environment(top of hot water heater in humidity dome) to the very cool Aerogarden? If the tap root is already about 3/8" when I plant into pod, do I still need to keep the pod covered and in the dark when placed into the Aerogarden or is it ok to turn the Aerogarden lights on and the tap root exposed to a small amount of light?

Also, what is a good technique for taking the seedling from paper towel to pod? Tweasers? I read that you should not pull the seed off the paper, but instead cut around the tap root and leave it attached to the paper so as not to rough up the root.

Thegoodeye: the best advice I can give you is to plant your seeds where you intend to grow them. A lot us do it your way, with the paper towels or a coffee cup, but I learned not to the hard way when a couple of tap roots broke. I'm an old man who shakes like a dog shittin' peach seeds so I'm not too steady anymore. The less you have to handle your sprouts the better.

If you're going to use A/G's grow pods, why don't you just poke a hole in it with the sharp end of a bamboo barb-b-cue skewer deep enough to have the top of the seed about 1/8 of an inch below the surface of a wet, soaked grow pod with the pointy end down. Whether you want to use the humidity domes is up to you. I do, but you risk it terminally bending over an aggressive new seedling if you don't remove it in time. Keep your seeds in the dark for 24 hours and make sure they're being irrigated with pH balanced water.

For $20 you can get a starter tray from A/G that comes complete with a set of grow pods and it fits in your garden. It accommodates 50 seeds in grow pods and curiously it doesn't have any kind of a humidity cover but it works great. That's how I start my outside dirt vegetable garden every spring. Keep it simple and it's a lot more fun to grow. HSA

HSA said:

Thegoodeye: the best advice I can give you is to plant your seeds where you intend to grow them. A lot us do it your way, with the paper towels or a coffee cup, but I learned not to the hard way when a couple of tap roots broke. I'm an old man who shakes like a dog shittin' peach seeds so I'm not too steady anymore. The less you have to handle your sprouts the better.

If you're going to use A/G's grow pods, why don't you just poke a hole in it with the sharp end of a bamboo barb-b-cue skewer deep enough to have the top of the seed about 1/8 of an inch below the surface of a wet, soaked grow pod with the pointy end down. Whether you want to use the humidity domes is up to you. I do, but you risk it terminally bending over an aggressive new seedling if you don't remove it in time. Keep your seeds in the dark for 24 hours and make sure they're being irrigated with pH balanced water.

For $20 you can get a starter tray from A/G that comes complete with a set of grow pods and it fits in your garden. It accommodates 50 seeds in grow pods and curiously it doesn't have any kind of a humidity cover but it works great. That's how I start my outside dirt vegetable garden every spring. Keep it simple and it's a lot more fun to grow. HSA

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Yep, it is much better to start out in the place where you intend to keep things growing. I was very concerned to start out in the Aerogarden simply because everyone says you need a warm environment for the seed to pop properly, and the Aerogarden would be very chilly for a new seedling trying to get going. So from your experience, the Aerogarden, chilly as it is, would be fine to start a seed in just like with starting tomatoes or whatever? I have read that mj seeds are different and really require warmth.

I use two 7 site pro200 aerogardens for both seeds and clones. Rapid rooters, drop the seed in, put cover on it and away we go. Between the aerogardens lights and built in pump in the res it keeps it plenty warm. If you want to cheat, cut the RR's in half, put into AG holder and then drop seed in, nice easy way for tap to grow down into the res. As far as light is concerned it gets almost none down in that little hole.

From the rapid rooters you can either plant in soil or put in a net pot for hydro or you can even just grow a plant or 2 in the aero itself, kind of a pain due to the small res and needed extra light but does work.

Willyßagseed;6445166 said:

I use two 7 site pro200 aerogardens for both seeds and clones. Rapid rooters, drop the seed in, put cover on it and away we go. Between the aerogardens lights and built in pump in the res it keeps it plenty warm. If you want to cheat, cut the RR's in half, put into AG holder and then drop seed in, nice easy way for tap to grow down into the res. As far as light is concerned it gets almost none down in that little hole.

From the rapid rooters you can either plant in soil or put in a net pot for hydro or you can even just grow a plant or 2 in the aero itself, kind of a pain due to the small res and needed extra light but does work.

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Rapid Rooters look nearly identical to the stock Aerogarden grow sponges from googling pictures of them. Are they basically the same? Will RRs break apart at all in the water reservoir and clog things up? No one carries RRs around here, where can I get the best deal on them?

Thegoodeye: If temperature is your concern then I have to ask what the ambient temperature is in the room where your A/G is? I heard this a lot at the hydro stores that sell the A/G's but would love to sell you something much more complicated and expensive. We keep our house between 73 at night and 77 in the day time, year around, and I've never had a problem. If you keep your grow room cooled in the summer, and depending where you live, heated in the winter, and keep your reservoir filled you shouldn't have a problem. The nutrients solution is also the coolant for your pump. If the level gets low the temperature goes up in the reservoir.

How much trouble do you want to go through to avoid using A/G's grow plugs? A/G's plugs fit and they work better in A/G's. Rapid Rooter plugs are too big, they fall apart and dirty your reservoir, as do some of the others I've tried. Been there done that. Cutting them down to fit takes time and makes a mess. What's your time worth? A/G's plugs are designed for the A/G. I suggest you get on the email list at A/G and watch out for their 'bulk sales.' You can buy a bag of fifty on sale for about what you'll have to pay for the same number of R/R's and they work better. Occasionally they also have bulk specials on replacement lamps, humidity domes and cage labels. That's where you can really save a few bucks. Lets face it, their stuff is proprietary, and they have us by the balls because no body else's stuff fits. That's our cross to bear as Aerogardeners. HSA

Got them started and everything is looking pretty good, I'm 4 days in. I know what my germination isues were now. Just a

I don't have a problem with AG pods at all, especially if you say rooters fall apart. I was just interested in them if I could find them locally. I will look at the Aerogarden specials.