AeroGarden Guide/FAQ v 2.0

squirt1961

Well-Known Member
Guide
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version 2.0 by lurkmaster
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Required Materials
24 Hour Light Timer - Digital or non, doesn't matter you just need to be able to fully control your lighting cycles for 12/12.

Figure 8 Power Cord - Radioshack sells them, you need the NON-polarized version. (see useful info for picture). You will be plugging this cord directly into your AG light hood, and you can run this light on your external timer, instead of the AG timer.

Nutrients - The stock ag nutrients are perfectly fine to use, but I would recommend something like the foxfarm trio, you will want to use the foxfarm feeding schedule. (See useful info section)


Suggested Supplemental Materials
Air pump/tubing - Any aquarium air pump will do. Any kind of tubing that fits your pump and airstone is fine.

Airstone - I would go for the longest airstone you think you can fit in your res, I have fit a 10" airstone in my Pro 200. (see useful info section)
Thermometer - Walmart has a digital thermostat + humidity monitor for around $8.

pH Test kit - Something that goes below 6.0, ideally 4.5-7.5 is the range you will be checking.

pH Adjustment kit - pH up/down from petco, walmart or anything of the sort is fine.

Additional Lighting - I would recommend CFL bulbs because they are inexpensive, can be bought at almost any store, and its easy to find mounting options.

For Veg: 6500K (color temp) Daylight bulbs
For Flowering: 2700K (color temp) Soft white bulbs

23-26W bulbs are 1700 lumens
42W bulbs are 2700 lumens

The more lumens you have the better.

If you can find y-socket adapters those will work nicely with 2x26W bulbs to keep your overall wattage under 60 for the fixture, and spread it out some.

You should aim for 5000+ lumens of additional CFL lighting.


Lighting Cycles
Seedlings (week 0-2) - 20 hours on / 4 off

Veg Period (week 2-5) - 18 hours on / 6 off

Flowering Period (week 5-12) -
12 hours on / 12 off

Note: Do not strictly go by this guide, as your plant may grow at a slower or faster rate, these are just generalized numbers, only YOU will know when your plant is ready!


Feeding/Nutrient Schedule
If you are using AG nute tabs, it is a good idea to let your nutes dissolve in a cup of water before you add them to your res.

If you are using foxfarm or some other kind of nutrients, follow their schedule.
pH Level - You want your water's pH around 5.6-5.8, anything from 5.4-6.0 is acceptable, but the closer to 5.7 the better.

Seedlings (week 0-2) - NO NUTE TABS!!

Veg Period (week 2-5)- One small tab per week.

Flowering Period (week 5-12) -
One large tab per week.

If you don't have the master gardener kit, and there is only one tab size, use one tab per week in veg, and use 1.5 tabs per week in flowering, the tabs break in half easily, you can cut them with a kitchen knife.

Water level
You should fill your AG reservoir a little bit past the fill to here marker whenever you initially fill it up. Its a good idea to periodically check your water level and top it off with pH'd water or premixed nutrient/water solution at the same PPM as the initial batch.

Change your reservoir water
It is good practice to change your res water out on a weekly basis, which is usually done with nutrient additions/changes.


Preparation and planting your seeds
Decide how many plants you want to grow in your AG - Keep in mind you have a limited amount of root space in the res, 2-3 plants is a reasonable number in a regular/pro model.

Cover up ANY holes you are not going to be using - Plunk some golf balls over those holes, or stick opaque cups, maybe even coffee mugs over them, do whatever you need to do to keep light from getting inside the res.

Light + heat = bacteria = root rot.
Glue your plant labels onto the plastic rim of your grow nets - If you don't put your plant labels down you might end up with a problem like this. (photo courtesy of drdankyphd) If you already have a plant growing without the label, you are going to have to cut it the label to get it around the stem. (see useful info for a plant label diagram)

Cut holes in your sponges for roots - Cut a small hole in the bottom of your grow sponge for the taproot to grow down into.

If you do not have a master gardener kit, you will have to take the seeds out of the sponge and make a perforated plant label out of cardboard or something

Plant your seeds with the taproot facing DOWN - If you germinate your seeds in a paper towel, make sure you have the taproot facing downward towards the hole you just cut.

If you germinate your seeds in the AG, just make sure the taproot part of the seed pod is facing down.

Other Useful Info and Pictures
Foxfarm hydro nutrient feeding schedule
Seedbank Reviews

https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/151706-uncle-bens-topping-technique-get.html

https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/120624-want-bag-appeal-curing-matters.html

https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/28072-harvest-time-tutorial.html

AG Pump cycles for ALL MODELS

RIU General Growing FAQ

Figure 8 power cord looks like this


How I have my 10" airstone in my res -The suction cups are angled a little bit with the curvature of the res. As long as the airstone stays clipped into the suction cups thats fine, you want to put the airstone behind the 'fill to here' marker but in front of the pump. You will have to put the pump into the AG at an angle with the airstone where it is. Here is an actual photo of it


How to properly glue down plant label onto grow nets

FAQ
How much will I yeild per plant in my AG? There are too many variables to calculate this. Some people are yielding over an ounce per plant. It depends on the strain, nutrients, your lighting and grow room setup. Without any additional lighting don't expect more than a few grams (dried).

Why do my plants look like X? Check your pH, temperature and nutrient levels, those are usually the easiest problems to fix. If your grow space is 85 degrees and you have a bunch of lights surrounding your plant and its droopy, the temperature is probably the problem. If the temp/pH/PPM all check out fine, check the sick plant forum. There is a sticky with pictures that explain what certain problems look like. If you can't figure it out from those pictures, someone here will probably be glad to diagnose it for you.

What is the easiest way to change my res water? Unplug your airstone hose, and take your entire res out of your grow space, and carefully take it somewhere by a sink with a counter top. Carefully take your pump/lid out of the AG with the grow pods in it and set it down somewhere safe where the roots aren't constricted. I will say it again, be EXTREMELY careful when taking the pump off with your plants in the top piece, you do NOT want to break your roots. I angle the base of my pump on the corner of the counter and let my roots dangle in the air. Then just dump your res out (there shouldn't be anything in it but water/nutes).

How far away should I keep my lights?
If you are using CFL bulbs and the AG hood 3-4" from the plant tips is what you should aim for. You want to prevent stretching if possible.

I have blinking lights/my plant is not in germination/mature growth on my AG what do I do?
Don't worry, those lights don't mean anything, those are nothing more than a fancy timer.




If you have any questions that haven’t been answered in this thread, feel free to ask them here. If you need a quick response now… Search function is your friend! This forum is loaded with information.

:leaf:Happy Growing:leaf:
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special thanks to "SICC" for guide base.
I've got 4 CFLs 2 are 2700 and 2 are 5000 plus a 75 watt and 120 watt grow spotlight bulbs also I'm using the new grow light boosters from aerogarden looks like thin reflective mylar with the aerogarden extra LED do you think this is enough extra lighting or should I add more
 

OGAerogardener1990

Active Member
A little over 2 weeks into flowering, these babies are really starting to take off, just found out this past week that the two big front ones are both females(hairs popping out everywhere!! FloraNova Bloom is the shit), and the back one is still currently unknown however it has nowhere near the bush that the other two have, its pretty ridiculous how bushy its getting in there. I've made clones already of both these females, knowing that Ive been flowering already, was kind of an issue, but I went ahead and did it anyways, just to have something else growing to watch haha. Feminized white widow, and Fem Dutch Passions Autoflowering Taiga coming in the mail soon, can't wait to start that up. New 150 watt hps light also goin on, has been making a difference these passed 2-3 days, glad I invested.
That aerogarden looks so sexy with that 150watt on top im about to do the same thing any tips?
 

OGAerogardener1990

Active Member
Ok so I went to Bed Bath & Beyond this morning and they actually sell the fuckin AeroGarden there... along with seed kits. I was going to get the gourmet herb seed kit because its the one that came with my AG but they also had the tomato kit so I got that one... the tabs seems to be bigger and they say "for Fruiting" on them... I thought I read somewhere that the tomato nutes were more inline with the nutes needed for weed. Does anyone have a clue?

Also, the grow sponges it came with seem to be made of peat or something?? Has anyone used these before? Im curious if I need to cut down the sponge or something?? Here are some pix I took, any feed back would be great, THANKs![/QUOTE
Thise sponges are way.netter than the greu ones that I had when it origanilly came out
 

squirt1961

Well-Known Member
I was keeping mine about 2 inches above and I got spots on leaves someone told me LED is supposed to be 18" above plants. I only had room to set it at 12" above and it worked great. Good luck
 

Conbob

Active Member
HI -- I am completely new to this but excited to get started. I would really appreciate some advice on the best AG to buy. Also, any step by step guide to adapt it with addtl lighting, etc.? Thanks,
The new Aerogarden is called the ultra led..
 

Conbob

Active Member
First time poster and just getting setup for first time Aerogarden grow, just a simple question, because the air stone and tubing connect to the air pump which, i assume is external. How do you connect it so as to stop light getting in to the AG res? Cheers
If u look at the top u should see a little tab that comes off put you air tube in there to the resevoir. Can only get 1/4 in tube in there don't go bigger
 

Conbob

Active Member
hello all - just a couple of thoughts on Aerogarden growing. I have been growing in the aerogarden for about 2 years now and always have at least 2 plants growing.

I would suggest not using the AG nutes at all. They have way too much salt and it is hard to keep your EC down after about a month. I did it once and won't do it again. I use Technaflora recipe for success but any good nutes will work.

I now exclusively use the AG Deluxe as it has the 3 built in lights and can get the plants up to a decent size before you need supplemental lighting.

I also use feminised autoflowering plants only. I have not had a seed fail to germinate in 2 years. My favorite so far is EasyRyder. Just my opinion. It is about 20" tall, bushy, with excellent yield for its size.

You also don't really need to do any magic on germinating them either. If you use the master gardener sponges it is really easy. I just slit the top for the seed, use 1/2 strength grow nutes for first two weeks and then just switch to full strength grow for 2 more weeks and then switch to flowering formula for the duration.

I just remove the AG light after about 3 weeks and use the 1000w MH light with an Agrosun cooler bulb. The light gets me plenty for both of my AG's and my small vegetable garden. One of the pictures has the light off of one unit and still on the other one.

You really do need to change the water or the ph will go out of sight.

With 2 plants they use the entire resovoir every day for the last couple of weeks so you need to keep an eye one it.

I cloned some but it is really more trouble than it is worth given a 60-75 day cycle anyway and the yield for clones is a good bit less.

The pump can be a problem as was noted. The airstones help minimize the problem. I have grown nice crops with and without airstones. You have to keep an eye on the pump if you go without airtstones as the roots can clog them. if your pump stops the exposed roots will die.

I just like the AG because you can go from seed to harvest in the same hole in the same unit.

I have included a couple of pictures here. The one with the 2 plants is LowRyder2 on the left and EasyRyder on the right. The 2 other pictures are of the same EasyRyder plant near harvest time. The bud on the main cola is over 8 inches long witha diameter of 6 inches.

These are just my experiences with the AG. It definitely took some trial and error to get it right. May some of you can benefit from my mistakes. As I said these are just my personal experiences.:hump:
Awesome Steve... I just started with the aerogarden led started 2 with bag seeds,but have some lowryder seeds fem because I figured they will be short. My 2 plants in there now have been in for 30 days and I will switch to 12/12to keep them short...I hope....but I like this unit can have a constant supply!,
 

Conbob

Active Member
not too sure you, you need airstones in your AG's anyways, so if you haven't, i would get them hooked up in that you will need to turn off the pump anyways, maybe just ut the other plant in the white on for now until you fix the problem
Confused on why to turn ag pump off someone enlighten me please
 

Conbob

Active Member
ok rot now im confused lol
so ur AG dosent have the water pump that pumps the water to the drip feeder? ur sayin it juss pumps air into the water and on top of that it came with an air stone in the bottom? i dunno if im juss confused or if what ur sayin makes any sense but if uhave a diff workin AG id deff like to see a pic of it lol.

also leova i read about the figure 8 coard in this threat and i figured thats how u accomplished turnin off the pump and leavin the lights on. I know the guide said to get a non polorized figure 8 cord, and i had seen on youtube how some kid blew the hood of his AG because he plugged it into a figure 8 cord. did this happen because his cord was the wrong kind? aka: "a polorized one"? lol
i juss wanna make sure i dont blow the top off my machine...
Yes they made one aero with anairstone the newer ones do not have that they use a pump. I have the ultra led all settings can be customized as far as nutrient,pump cycle,light cycle. Pretty easy..
 

squirt1961

Well-Known Member
But the pumps get clogged from the roots that's why they say turn ag pump off. And use an outside air pump with a stone. Also you can set up additional lights with cfl's on the side to give more light I just grew a northern lights in my extra LED. It got to be 3 foot tall I unattached the led hood and hung it from ceiling. Then I draped mylar from back and sides for reflectors it worked pretty good. I just harvested beginning of the week. I've got an afghani kush plant in there that I started at same time as the NL but its not done yet so I reverted it back to full nutes after my flush I'm gonna give it a week or 2 to see if it gets any bigger before I pull it and clean unit out for next grow of blue mystic seeds I just ordered this week. The ag is a great way to learn from. I'm saving now to get a 4 bucket dwc system going. Good luck
 

squirt1961

Well-Known Member
I dont know if this is the right place for this post... But I just wanna make a statement.... I just grew my first hydro grow of northern lights female seeds from Herbie's seed shop and I've gotta say thank you very much to everyone on this site that gave me opininions and advice during my grow. I didn't get a huge yield at all but definitely great quality big time at this moment in time I've dried my harvest for 10 days and cured for 9 days put some in my Davinci vaporizer and samples.... I've gotta honestly say I've been smoking weed since 1974 7th grade by the way I'm 54 years old now and this is definitely if not absolutely the best weed I've ever consumed... So again thank you very much to all of you that gave me feedback, opinions, or advice it is very much appreciated... That was also in an aerogarden next grow of blue mystic will be in a five gallon bucket dwc system thanks again everyone couldn't have succeeded with out all the help... I LOVE THIS community
 

OGAerogardener1990

Active Member
I dont know if this is the right place for this post... But I just wanna make a statement.... I just grew my first hydro grow of northern lights female seeds from Herbie's seed shop and I've gotta say thank you very much to everyone on this site that gave me opininions and advice during my grow. I didn't get a huge yield at all but definitely great quality big time at this moment in time I've dried my harvest for 10 days and cured for 9 days put some in my Davinci vaporizer and samples.... I've gotta honestly say I've been smoking weed since 1974 7th grade by the way I'm 54 years old now and this is definitely if not absolutely the best weed I've ever consumed... So again thank you very much to all of you that gave me feedback, opinions, or advice it is very much appreciated... That was also in an aerogarden next grow of blue mystic will be in a five gallon bucket dwc system thanks again everyone couldn't have succeeded with out all the help... I LOVE THIS community
Any pics?
 

OGAerogardener1990

Active Member
It came out great after 10 days hanging upside down and 3 weeks curing in Mason jar it kicks ass some of the best I've smoked since I started in 1974. Although I'll admit I harvested too early I would've gotten alot more if I waited. But I learned for next grow. And thanks again to all who helped me here.
Please post this to my new thread aerogarden competition, asking for good examples of a good aerogarden grow and would like you to post
 

squirt1961

Well-Known Member
Please post this to my new thread aerogarden competition, asking for good examples of a good aerogarden grow and would like you to post

Ok I'll post it tomorrow I'm way too high right now but that's cool a competition for aerogarden huh sounds like fun I'm gonna be starting a new single plant grow with blue mystic fem seeds I'll post the grow on there if its cool with you
 

OGAerogardener1990

Active Member
Ok I'll post it tomorrow I'm way too high right now but that's cool a competition for aerogarden huh sounds like fun I'm gonna be starting a new single plant grow with blue mystic fem seeds I'll post the grow on there if its cool with you
Yes sir its not a competition more like a show and tell
 
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