AeroGarden Salad User Manual

SALAD

SERIES

Tending & Harvesting Guide

SEED KIT TYPE:

PLANTING DATE:

English

W

Thank you for your
purchase of our
AeroGarden. We
have spent years
developing and
refining our technology to create
a growing system that assures
you will have a pleasurable and
successful year-round gardening
experience.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your
AeroGarden and sharing your
healthy harvest with your family
and friends.

Best Regards,

Michael Bissonnette
Founder and Chairman
AeroGrow International, Inc.

elcome

W

hoever
plants a garden
plants happiness.

– CHINESE PROVERB

CONTENTS

Planting Your Garden

Plant Your Garden ............................3

Tending Your Garden

Remove Domes ..............................4

Add Water....................................5

Feed Garden .................................5

Raise Lamp Hood (Light[s])....................6

Keep Your Garden Healthy ....................6

Plant Problems & Remedies................... 7

Harvesting Your Garden

Harvest Your Garden.......................... 8

Appendices

Reminders About Planting Your Garden .......9

Questions & Answers – Light(s) ..............10

Set Your Light Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Troubleshooting ............................11

Replace Bulb(s)..............................13

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

Pl a n t i n g Yo u r ga r d e n

A little bit of care for your Garden will ensure rapid growth
and bountiful harvests. You will see sprouts in 1 to 3 days.
In about 3 weeks, you will experience the transformation
of your seeds into salad greens ready for your table.

P

lant Your Garden

Whether this is the first or fifth garden you are
planting in your AeroGarden, you will need to
reference your Quick Start Guide.

If you have planted a garden in your AeroGarden
prior to this one, please refer to “Replanting Your
AeroGarden” in the Quick Start Guide before you
proceed.

If you no longer have your model’s Quick Start

Guide, you can obtain the latest version of it at

www.aerogardensupport.com

Planting Your Garden

3

te n d i n g Yo u r ga r d e n

Please take a moment to review this section shortly
after planting your Garden (see page 9 for Reminders
About Planting Your Garden).

R

emove Domes

• A few days after planting

your AeroGarden, tiny plants
will appear through the
holes in each Seed Pod Label.

When this occurs, remove
the Domes from each Seed
Pod with emerging plants
and discard or recycle.
Do not remove the Label!

• To reduce plant stress, we

recommend removing the
Domes shortly after the
light(s) turn off or near the
end of the light cycle.

• You do not need to thin your

plants as the AeroGarden
can support multiple plants
in each Seed Pod.

Each Seed Pod Label shows
the number of days until
seeds sprout.

Don’t let this happen!

If your plant is curled
inside the Dome, it was left
on too long. Immediately
remove Dome.

Never remove Labels. They promote germination,
inhibit algae growth and identify your plants.

Tending Your Garden

4

A

dd Water

There should always be water in the Bowl of your
AeroGarden. For instructions, see the “Add Water

Using a Spouted Container” section in your Quick
Start Guide.

• Use room-temperature water. Very hot or very

cold water will hurt your plants.

• We recommend using municipal tap, bottled or
purified water. Well or softened water SHOULD

!

NOT be used because the extra minerals in
these sources may be harmful to aeroponically
grown plants.

eed Garden

F

Every 2 weeks you will need to add one nutrient
tablet (3-pod AeroGardens) or two nutrient
tablets (6- or 7-pod AeroGardens) to the

Bowl. For instructions, see “Add Nutrients” (Feed
Garden - Basic Feeding) in the Control Panel Features
section of your Quick Start Guide.

Note: We recommend checking for bugs every time you

add nutrients. See Troubleshooting on page 12 of
this Guide for details.

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

Tending Your Garden

5

R

aise Lamp Hood (Light[s])

As your plants begin to grow, you should provide
1-2” (2.5-5cm) of space between the top of plants
and the light(s).

For instructions, refer to the “Raise Lamp Hood
(Light[s])” section in your Quick Start Guide.

If Grow Bulb(s) are too close to plants, the leaves may
brown and burn. If they are too far away, your plants
will “stretch” toward the light(s) and look unhealthy.

eep Your Garden Healthy

K

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. This is
perfectly normal.

• Remove these

leaves with scissors
or pinch off with
your fingers.

• Keep Grow Surface

clear of dead leaves.

Tending Your Garden

6

P

lant Problems & Remedies

These pictures show plants from a Salad Series

Seed Kit that are stressed. Follow suggestions to
restore your Garden’s health.

Wilted

Plants are not getting enough
water. Check water level.

Curled Inside Dome

Dome was left on too long.
Immediately remove Dome.

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

Burned

Plant is too close to Grow
Bulb(s). Raise the Lamp Hood.

Bolting

Plant is at end of productive
growth period and has long
stalks growing from plant base.
Harvest entire plant by cutting
at base.

Tending Your Garden

7

Ha r v e s t i n g Yo u r ga r d e n

arvest Your Garden –

H

All Salad Green Varieties

After approximately 3 weeks, you can begin
harvesting your Salad Garden!

• Remove whole leaves

by cutting the base
of leaf with pruning
shears or household
scissors, or by gently
pinching off with
your fingers.

• Spread your

harvesting evenly
across your Garden.

You can continue to harvest up to a third of the leaves
every few days. Leaves will be replaced by new growth.

• After harvesting lettuce, lower Lamp Hood if

necessary (see Quick Start Guide for instructions).

Do not remove more
than a third of the
leaves from any single
Seed Pod at one time.

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

Harvesting Your Garden

8

aP P e n d i c e s

R

eminders About Planting

Your Garden

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, you can find the latest version of it at…
www.aerogardensupport.com.

Setting up Your Garden

Is the Lamp Arm firmly

1

inserted into the Base?

Are Grow Bulb(s)

2

firmly inserted into
Lamp Hood?

Is Lamp Cord plugged

3

into Lamp Hood?

Is Bowl securely

4

placed in Base*?

Is there water in Bowl

5

up to “Fill To Here”?

Is Lamp Hood at

6

lowest setting?

Planting Your Garden

Is there a Seed Pod

7

in every Grow
Surface opening?

Did you put a Dome

8

on each Seed Pod?

Did you add Starting

9

Nutrient tablet(s)?

Did you record

10

planting date on the
cover of this Guide?

Starting Your Garden

Did you plug in

11

AeroGarden?

• Are Grow

Bulb(s) on?

Replanting Your
Garden (if this is not

your first planting)

Did you reset the

12

nutrient timer on
your AeroGarden?

(See “Replanting Your

AeroGarden” in Quick
Start Guide.)

* If your AeroGarden has an Air Hose, connect it to

the Bowl at this time.

Appendices

9

Q

uestions & Answers–Light(s)

Do I need to turn light(s) on and off manually?

No. Your AeroGarden includes a built-in timer that
turns your light(s) on and off at specific intervals.
These intervals are designed to maximize the growth
of lettuce plants. The timing system started as soon
as you plugged in your AeroGarden.

Does it matter what time of day the light(s) go off?

No. It makes no difference to the plants when your
light(s) go on and off. Some people like to have them
turn off when they go to bed and come on in the
morning when they wake up. Others prefer to use the
AeroGarden as a nightlight.

Can I change the time of day the light(s) go OFF?

On select models – yes. If it is possible to change the
time your light(s) go off, instructions will be found in
a section titled, “Personalize Your Light Timer” in the
Quick Start Guide.

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

et Your Light Timer

S

Your AeroGarden has light(s) and a built-in timer
that automatically provide your plants with the
optimal amount of light needed to grow an
abundance of healthy greens.

If the option is available to set the light timer* on your
AeroGarden, you will find instructions in the “Person-

alize Your Light Timer” section of your Quick Start Guide.

* Not available on all AeroGarden models – consult Quick
Start Guide – available at www.aerogardensupport.com.

Appendices

10

roubleshooting

T

What do I do when a Grow Bulb burns out?

Replacement bulbs can be ordered from your
retailer or at www.aerogardensupport.com.

What should I do if my Grow Bulb(s) aren’t working?

Make sure Grow Bulb(s) are firmly inserted in the
Lamp Hood. Also check that your Garden is plugged

into a working electrical outlet and the Lamp Cord is
plugged into the Lamp Hood.

What if I want to move my Garden to another
location?

Go right ahead! Keep in mind that each AeroGarden

model has different features. Unplugging a Garden

in the middle of its growth cycle could cause your
AeroGarden’s light timer to reset.

AeroGarden, consult your Quick Start Guide to see how
light timer is affected when your model is unplugged.

To move your AeroGarden, be sure to pick it up by
holding the Lamp Arm with one hand and sliding
your other hand under the bottom of the Base.

My Salad Garden doesn’t look healthy.
What can I do?

If you are concerned about the health of your
Garden, please go through the following…

• Keep light(s) as close to plants as possible, without

leaves touching the Grow Bulb(s).

• Replace Grow Bulb(s) every 6 months (see Quick

Start Guide for model-specific instructions).

• Follow the harvesting instructions on page 8.

• Don’t use softened or well water.

• Make sure your garden is in a location that is not

too hot (70°F or 21°C maximum).

• Only harvest up to 1/3 of each Seed Pod every

few days.

Before moving your

Appendices

11

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

What if I see bugs?

Although leafy green plants are rarely attacked by
bugs, it is good to know what to do just in case.

If you see bugs, they probably found their way into
your home by hitching a ride on clothing or cut
flowers. They are clever about hiding under leaves
and in the joints between leaves and plant stems, so
they can be difficult to see at first.

Initial signs that you have bugs are either your
plants look unhealthy or you may see a sticky
substance on your AeroGarden’s Grow Surface.

This is the easiest way we’ve found to get rid of bugs:

Unplug AeroGarden and remove the Bowl from

1

the Base.

Carefully lift entire Seed Pod and plant out of

2

the Grow Surface.

Turn plant upside down in a sink and gently run

3

room temperature water over the underside of
leaves to rinse bugs off.

Check your plant for any remaining bugs – rinse

4

again if necessary – and then return plant and
Seed Pod to the AeroGarden.

Check all surrounding plants to make sure bugs

5

haven’t spread. If they have, follow the above
steps with any other buggy plants.

Replace Bowl on Base and plug in AeroGarden.

6

How do I take care of my Garden when I go out
of town?

Add water to raise the level up to “Fill To Here. ” A
newly planted Garden with Domes removed may
not need care for up to 2 weeks. However, if your
Garden is mature and you will be out of town

Continued on next page

Appendices

12

roubleshooting

(Cont inued)

T

for several days, we recommend that you make
arrangements for someone to care for your Garden
while you are away.

You may want to set your light(s) to go on at night
for added home security while you are away. If this
option is available, it will be in the “Personalize Your
Light Timer” section in your Quick Start Guide.

What do I do when my Garden has completed
its growth cycle?

For step-by-step instructions regarding the care of
your AeroGarden after plants have stopped growing,
refer to the “Prepare for your Next Garden” section in
the Quick Start Guide.

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

R

eplace Bulb(s)

Grow Bulb(s) should be replaced after 6 months
of use. See “Replace Grow Bulb(s)” in your Quick Start

Guide for replacement instructions.

Replacement bulbs can be ordered from your retailer or at
www.aerogardensupport.com.

Appendices

13

G

ardening Notes

Appendices

14

AeroGrow International, Inc.

Quick Start Guides available at:
www.aerogardensupport.com

© 2006-2008 AeroGrow International, Inc. U.S. Patents Pending